My Special Guy Friend Took me to a Pet-friendly Restaurant. :D

I'm not kidding. He took me to a vegan restaurant that is dog-friendly.... it would probably be cat-friendly as well, if cats would be better able to behave. They are known to jump on tables... though I suspect that they will allowed a cat from time to time if it is on a leash.

Anyway, the restaurant is called Darbster. We were in Palm Beach and I found it while Google-searching raw, vegan restaurants in Palm Beach.

I have nothing but good things to say about our experience. The first thing I wanted to know is if we might see a dog.... and if the dog would be sitting at the table with the humans. When we walked in, there were no sightings of any such dining pooches...not immediately, that came later, but the first thing I noticed was the gorgeous, romantic ambiance, with beautiful almost black real wood flooring.... tables set stylishly with candle-light and flowers.... and a layout that afforded a view of the out-door dining area with palm-trees and tropical plants and more candle-lit tables.

Not even a minute after we were seated, a woman with a pit-bull was led to a table within our view.... our waiter, Andrew said it is hard to not fawn over the pets that come in... but is happy to offer the canine guests a biscuit.

Our food was exquisite! we ordered a raw-vegan dessert sampler plate and were impressed by the richness, presentation, and mouth-feel.... as well as the variety of the falvor and textures. My special-guy-friend loved the brownie topped with the coconut ice-cream... as well as the cacao-avocado mousse with the gogi berries.... I was amazed by the raw vegan carrot cake with the creamy cashew frosting.... and the velvety texture of the raw-vegan cacao cake with the rich creamy frosting, also cashew-cream-based..... with cacao-drizzled raspberries.

He took some video footage, but I ducked, being camera-shy..... and he would not have been able to to get the footage of the dog without being rude and looking like a tourist newb.... so.... these are photos that I found on the Darbster Facebook. :)

"A vegan version of a Cuban standard, pollo Milanese w/ black beans and rice." 


Oh, there is one photo that my special guy-friend took.... maybe there are two. I'm waiting for him to message them to me. Here they are. :)

Leaves of Avocado Plants Are Edible and Medicinal

I wasn't able to find as much information that I would have liked, but am going to post what I did find. It turns out that some Mexican people use avocado leaves in their cooking and when they are lightly toasted in a skillet with oil, it gives a flavor like anise....

Poor Richard's Almanac: "Gourmet Sleuth notes that the fresh leaves are used as a flavoring for tamales and made into a bed for barbecuing meats, and the dried leaves can be used in bean dishes, soups and stews. They point out that Mexican cooking authority Diana Kennedy recommends them as a substitute for hoja santa, aromatic leaves of another Mesoamerican plant (Piper auritum) that’s related to black pepper."

Flavors of the Sun: Avocado Leaves: A Secret Mexican Ingredient: Avocado Leaves: A Secret Mexican Ingredient by Victoria Challancin Love at First Bite I can still remember my first encounter with the exot...


Health and Beauty Pages"Uses of Avocado Leaves: Avocado leaves, both fresh and dried are used for wrapping tamales, or seasoning for barbecues and stews. Some also use avocado leaves for medicinal purposes. Dried leaves will keep for several months in a tightly-closed container."

Here's some information about possible health benefits of the avocado leaves from Medicinal Herbs 4U.com:

"The tea is very beneficial for diarrhea, high blood pressure and it is an excellent blood purifier. The dried powdered seeds of avocado leaves can be applied to hemorrhoids which can result in natural healing.
A poultice of the warm leaves of avocado is used externally for pains, sprains as well as headaches. In regards to arthritis and rheumatism, add the leaves to a small amount of rubbing alcohol and water and used it to rub the painful areas to alleviate pains.
The tea can also be used for colds, coughs, asthma and high blood pressure remedy..."