Woodstock is celebrating Groundhog Day with events all weekend. While you are in McHenry County, check out this restaurant on the square.
One of our local vegetarian restaurants, Expressly Leslie, moved from Algonquin, McHenry County. Still in McHenry County, you can find her new location on the square in Woodstock, Illinois. Leslie offers Meatless Monday menus everyday of the week.
We talked with owner Leslie A. Cook about the menu at her restaurant.
Where Are You Today?: Describe your restaurant menu.
Leslie A. Cook: We serve up an array of delicious, all vegetarian (and vegan friendly), mostly Middle Eastern Style foods. Everything is made fresh on-site, including falafel and hummus. Our 14 salads can be combined in a variety of ways for pocket sandwiches and salad plates. Daily soups include red lentil and veggie chili, and a third soup rotates among potato and cabbage, cream of potato and leek, cream of mushroom, beet borscht, home style tomato soup, gazpacho (in summer) and many others. Egg dishes include shakshouka, eggs poached in Moroccan salsa and Israeli breakfast with Middle Eastern style hard-boiled eggs. Jaci’s Cookies are a regular, and we have recently added hand-made chocolate truffles for those with a sweet tooth.
WAYT: Tell us about your signature dish.
LAC: Falafel Pockets and Moroccan Eggplant Pockets are our top-selling sandwiches. Falafel are made from fava beans (or chickpeas) ground with herbs and spices and lots of cilantro, rolled into balls and deep fried. The falafel balls are dropped into a whole wheat pita pocket on a bed of hummus and are topped with Jerusalem salad and tahina (sesame based lemon-garlic flavor dressing). Hot sauce (and hotter sauce) are available for the daring. Moroccan Eggplant Pockets include our own Moroccan Eggplant salad, a zesty blend of fried eggplant, onions, cilantro, pickles, garlic and tomato based dressing. The salad is dropped into a whole wheat pocket on a bed of hummus and topped with creamy cucumber salad.
Expressly Leslie Vegetarian Specialties
110 S. Johnson St. , Woodstock , IL 60098 (On the Square in Woodstock )
815.338.2833
www.expresslyleslie.com
Follow Expressly Leslie Vegetarian Specialties Group on Facebook.