Paul Bass Photo
Steve Fontana samples the vegan option at newly opened Bulldog Hotdogs.
A pair of downtown ribbon-cuttings reflected how swiftly vegan tastes have entered the cultural mainstream, at least in New Haven.
The two ribbon-cuttings, organized by landlord Yale University Properties, took place back to back mid-day Wednesday.
City development deputy Steve Fontana, Yale Associate Vice President Lauren Zucker, shop manager Sara-joy Liebig, and owners Patrick Nelson and Katie Hughes- Nelson at Petals ribbon-cutting.
The vegan bowls and beverages were no surprise at the first location, Pedals Smoothie & Juice Bar near Yorkside Pizza and Toad’s Place on York Street. Healthful foods are the point at the shop, the second location Katie-Hughes Nelson and Patrick Nelson have opened in New Haven. (The first one opened at 999 State St. They also have a Durham shop.)
The menu features “healthy, plant-based smoothies, cold-pressed juices, signature acai bowls, and more, such as their house-made peanut butter, almond butter, and hazelnut-chocolate spread.”
Eco-consciousness is on the menu, too: from the use of homemade nutmilk and fair-trade sourcing, to returnable and refundable glass juice bars that get reused.
Owner Moe Gad with Fontana, Zucker, and Yale real estate director David DelVechhio outside Bulldog Hotdogs.
The vegan offering was more of a surprise at the second location to open formally around the corner Wednesday at the hut in the Broadway parking lot island: Bulldog Hotdogs.
Most of the offerings are not vegan, of course. They are variations on Hummel’s Hot Dogs with “curated toppings” like sauteed mushrooms, crumbled bleu cheese, and macaroni & cheese. The menu also includes chicken tenders, French fries, and onion rings.
Then there’s the “Beyond” brand hot dogs.
“A lot of students are vegan,” noted Moe Gad, the serial restaurateur who launched the hot dog shop. Gad also operates Tomatillo on Broadway and Villa Lulu and Pacifico on College Street.
Gad was asked how he chose between the two leading vegan faux-meat brands, Impossible and Beyond. Beyond is “more popular and more familiar” in the marketplace, he said.
New Haven Deputy Economic Development Director Steve Fontana happens to be a vegetarian, so he ordered up one of the Beyond dogs after Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting.
Meanwhile, back at Pedals, Hughes-Nelson (pictured) offered an up-close look at the magic that produces one of her trademark smoothie offerings, the Bunny Hop.
Click on the video to watch her put it together. Hughes-Nelson starts with a “carrot zinger” juice base (with apple, lemon and ginger). She added coconut milk, banana, dates, and ice into the blender. Then turmeric tops it all off.
The finished product is refreshing, and, based on one reporter’s scientific sample, delicious.
A vegan hot dog. God help us.