Tag Archives: modern times cafe

i just had a spectacular breakfast at a new little joint called Modern Times. its a bright orange and green beacon off of 32nd and chicago in the powderhorn neighborhood of minneapolis, and it’s my new favorite place. the one major gripe i have about being vegan in mpls is the lack of brunch options. sure we have the triple rock, seward, and my least favorite, the hard times, but when you go for brunch on a weekly basis, the options get stale rather quickly, and in the case of the hard times, i can only deal with so much sass and inconsistency. and granted, there are other establishments that offer vegan options, but 9 times out of 10 its the exact same thing: simple tofu scramble, toast, and hashbrowns. it always feels like a half hearted afterthought to the rounded out options for their omnivore patrons, and an excuse so that restaurants can avoid annoying “hold this, add that, sub that” modifications to their menu offerings.

modern times’ brunch menu does in fact consist of predominantly tofu based scrambles, but where they get points is in their variety and their prices. you can either get simple, cheap, no-frills scramble with toast and hash for less than 5 bucks, or choose from 6 different jazzed up vegan scrambles that are around 8 bucks when you add on hashbrowns. they also have vegan wild rice pancakes wich i anticipate ordering on my next trip.

i can honestly say that i can’t remember the last time i had such excellent service. my coffee and water were always kept full, and the entire staff was cheerful and attentive. the coffee itself was delicious, muddy french press, and i had at least 4 cups! the lunch menu has 4 vegan sandwich options along with several salads, and boasts some already infamous ‘garlic fries’. i have my eye on the 2012 melt: house made seitan covered in onion, peppers, garlic, mushrooms, roasted jalapenos, tofu spread and basil veganaise, and filled with the garlic fries. yum.

'evergreen scramble'

the evergreen scramble: seasoned tofu, sautéed greens and garlic tahini sauce topped with smoky tempeh strips.  it was the best combination of flavors- almost southern with the smoky flavors and the greens.

'not your mothers migas'

migas= awesome. tortillas fried with tvp chorizo, tofu scramble and a yummy cinnamon clove spiked sauce with cilantro something sauce, cabbage ‘salsa’ nd beans. it was HUGE and it was awesome. the tortillas were soft yet crispy and the cabbage business on the side was so fresh and crunchy.