(Writer: Brett Porter)

In what we hope is the first of many, Frankie and I made a trip over to Birch Bark Eatery in Queensbury, NY to see if you can eat vegan and actually like how your food tastes. Among the many noticeable features, this is a compact establishment. Even with a kitchen the size of a stepchild’s bedroom, Tania Sharlow runs a tight ship and makes every meal from scratch. The point that Birch Bark tries to make (successfully might I add) is that there’s so much more that vegan has to offer than salads. They proved that with some slammin’ avocado fries, and a reuben that Frankie said tastes better than a normal reuben.

Tania had enough of both corporate America and animal cruelty, and as a result, now owns a nice little hidden gem behind an old Glen Drive-In sign. I learned a few things about vegan during our brief trip, but the coolest thing was definitely the near-endless creative possibilities when you take meat out of dishes. I was under the impression that tofu was the thing that everyone used when they needed to imitate a meat flavor, because tofu can mimic whatever you want it to, maybe(May need a scientist to back that).

Instead of tofu, Birch Bark uses something called seitan. Not to be confused with Satan, seitan is a protein substitute that can more effectively imitate meat’s flavor and texture. All in all, this was an enjoyable experience. Being someone from the area, I like to see local business succeed. I certainly hope Birch Bark keeps getting customers through their doors. If you haven’t checked them out, do it. Birch Bark Eatery really does live up to their catchphrase: “Where our bark is worth the bite!”