It has taken me way too long to get here! Essene Market. The hub of all things vegan and delicious and me- being so behind and being an Essene virgin. I'm glad I finally made it and shared the experience with two amazing veg friends ;) I was incredibly hungry and my blood sugar was dropping by the minute. As you could imagine I couldn't wait to get inside of Essene to see what good eats awaited. I heard a lot of things about Essene because a lot of my friends have been there before and one thing they told me about was the vegan buffet located in the back of the store. So where do you think I went first? You got it, to the back of the store I went letting my nose direct me to the luscious goodness of vegan fare. Tofu, tempeh, seitan, rice, veggies, soups, salad, etc etc all in front of my very eyes- I think I suffered a food coma even before I put anything in my mouth! Phew- I digested the sight of all of the food quite easily and within minutes I was loading up my plate with all that could fit.
After minutes of plating my food and exchanging $20 with the cashier (yes, I bought $20 worth 
of plated food and soup, don't judge) I was ready to eat, eat, eat! I started at 12 o'clock on my plate- broccoli rabe, brown rice and cucumber slices. Then worked my way around clockwise to the beets, crispy potatoes, vegetable tofu lasagna, then to the roasted veggies and all at the same time I was scooping spoonfuls of the sweet potato and kale soup to my right. There was a lot going on I confess....however it was my first time and I was completely allowed to indulge. My favorite part of the dish were the roasted vegetables along with the red beets. They melted in my mouth and were the first things to go on my plate!
The soup is in a category all its own. It was half creamy, half brothy and the kale was nicely pureed together with the sweet potatoes. Nothing was chunky or uncomfortable to eat and though I may have got some greens in my teeth- I'm sure it wasn't an over powering amount ;). All in all the flavors blended fantastically and it even had a nice spicy kick to it.
Was it everything that I expected? Not at all because I had no idea what it would look like or what the food would taste like- my friends were right though it can get pricey but the quality and uniqueness of the products is surely worth even just a visit.
Though I confused the heck out of my palette, I do believe it was satisfied and had gotten its fill of the food at the vegan wonderland they call Essene. It wasn't until I took to the aisles to browse around, search for dessert and actually buy some groceries that I solidified and completely accepted that fact that I am obsessed with food. Oh well. At least I can admit it!
