Go Goatocado!

This is my final dispatch from Baltimore, a report from the Baltimore Book Festival. I love this festival for the readings and bookish delights, but usually the food options are mediocre for vegetarians. At the typical festival food stands, one is lucky to get a sloppy hummus wrap sans dairy.

Side note: The Book Fest does have some appealing food at the cooking demonstrations. One year I had some of the best dosas ever, cooked on a makeshift tent griddle. And today, Doron Petersan, from Sticky Fingers, is scheduled at the Food for Thought stage. Another festival food tip is to visit the Radical Bookfair Pavilion for Red Emma's vegan baked goods and fair trade coffee.

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to discover a Book Fest food vendor with veggie offerings. Goatocado is Richmond-based traveling food stand that serves up freshly-prepared sandwiches. The stand itself looked promising, decorated with colorful veggies and a wood-crate theme. And their logo is cute: a goat with an avocado-shaped head. (Initially, I was worried that goat meat was on the menu. Turns out the veggie sandwiches are jokingly called "To-Goaties." Some To-Goaties feature cheese but not goat cheese.)

I had the Haberdash wrap, which is regularly vegan. Okay, it was technically a hummus wrap. But it was fresh and inventive take on the typical ho-hum wrap. First of all, the hummus was a creamy sweet potato version with quinoa mixed right into it. (What a great idea to boost the nutrition of your hummus!) The whole wheat tortilla was pressed in a panini grill, making the outside toasty and crunchy. Packed inside were healthy veggies, including spinach, red pepper, red cabbage, carrots, and squash. And avocado chunks, of course, not goat.  

Overall, this was a healthy and filling lunch. It was rather expensive, especially for Baltimore, at $9.50 a wrap. However, I've spent more on crappy "fair food" like the ubiquitous greasy spring rolls. Goatocado also had gluten-free options and iced coffee.