Vegan Girl in the land of BBQ and Bojangles : Part 1

After a very, very long few days of moving, I am finally all settled in in my new home in Columbia! Let me tell you, I have most certainly “moved naturally” all week long (Blue Zones reference…go back and read that post!). After sitting so much during the summer, it’s felt great to be out and about all the time, even though it’s also been exhausting!

Anyway, I was very apprehensive about how many great healthy dining options I would have in moving down south. Here we have Sonic, Bojangles, Cookout, and some nicer restaurants that literally do not have a thing I can eat. But I must say, I am very, very pleasantly surprised by the options my new home has offered me thus far!

First stop when I got here was obviously Whole Foods, which is super close , thank goodness! This Whole Foods knocks the one in Massachusetts out of the park. Not only do they have tons of vegan prepared food options, but also each is very clearly labeled in a pretty blue. =)

Tonight, Mom and I decided to go somewhere other than Whole Foods and Chipotle for dinner, as we finally had checked everything off our to do list. Mom researched a bunch of restaurants in “The Vista” in Columbia. We decided to try out an Asian bistro. While trying to find it, we ended up at its sister restaurant instead. Boy am I glad we did!

M Grille, at 530 Lady Street in Columbia, is absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere is clean, simple, and sophisticated, creating a lovely fine dining experience. Upon arriving, one can see into the sushi bar and kitchen. I was very excited about how fresh all of the ingredients were. In looking at the menu, I could have eaten there for days! They offer an amazing assortment of vegetable sides, from eggplant, to bok choy, to asparagus. They also offer organic brown rice and a vegetarian sushi roll. Not to mention that their drink menu is amazing, offering many well-made, light and refreshing cocktails. Turns out M Grille only opened 9 days ago! Therefore, Mom and I got to enjoy the perks of a grand opening, with lots of free samples and excellent service. Feel free to drool at the pictures below.

M Grille Salad with heirloom tomatoes, avocado, micro greens and ponzu.

Poached Bok Choy. I have no idea how this was so amazing. It seems to have been poached in a vegetable broth with garlic or something along those lines. I am on a mission to recreate this! 

Vegetable Roll with organic brown rice, asparagus, cucumber, and sweet potato tempura.

Mom and I split the first two courses and each enjoyed our own veggie roll. It was an absolutely perfect light, fresh, and healthy meal. If you are in the Columbia area, definitely check this place out. By all means, check it out with me! I will happily go again =).

More tales of my southern adventures to come! (And more regular fun stuff of course)

Be Well.

Love, Julie