Victory Sandwich Bar

Oh, Victory Sandwich Bar, how much I want to love you.  You have so much going for you.  Cool neighborhood - check!  Trendy, industrial space - check!  Bar - check!  Relaxed atmosphere - check!  Ping-pong table - check!   One great veggie sandwich - uh, no.

The idea of some small, slider-type sandwiches sounded perfect for a quick lunch one weekday.  It was raining, so unfortunately we couldn't sit on the patio.  Inside was just fine though and the random punching bag was an interesting decorative touch.  I knew going in that the menu was limited and just one vegetarian sandwich was available.  Hummus was available as an appetizer but it is such a staid option.  As much as I like hummus, I eat enough on a regular basis and was not tempted to try their version.  So I ordered the 'hand salad' sandwich and it was quickly delivered.  The sandwich consisted of arugula, mozzarella, an avocado aioli-type spread and hummus.  The sandwich was mostly good.  The bread was soft (but not wonder bread soft) and the aioli went well with the cheese and arugula.  Then they ruined it with hummus.  The hummus did not belong and overwhelmed the other, better flavors.  The sandwich was small but some chips helped placate my hunger.  I really would have liked another sandwich but a different one. 

Victory Sandwich Bar may be fun later in the evening for a drink and to play some ping-pong.  But until they get a new vegetarian sandwich, I won't be eating there again.

Highland Bakery

Highland Bakery in Old Fourth Ward is a popular place.  I went there on a Wednesday around 11.30am for an early lunch since I hadn't had much of a breakfast.  There were still lots of people in there finishing up breakfast and without a lull, the lunch crowd moved in.  The lunch menu had a lot of vegetarian sandwich options but the breakfast menu sounded more fun.  The options ranged from pancakes and eggs to black eyed peas and grits.  I didn't want something sweet - for now at least - so I decided to go with the 'Cilantro Corn Pancakes.'

Soon, a lot of food arrived in front of me - sour cream and salsa sat on top of two fried eggs, on top of a corn pancake, on top of a pile of black beans, on top of another corn pancake.  Even though I was starving, I never did get to the pancake on the bottom.  The salsa on egg was my favorite part - so simple yet I never manage to make this at home.  The corn pancake tasted of corn but was dry on its own and just became mushy when eaten with the beans.  If I made this dish, I'd make a crisper, crunchier type of corn cake.  All of the elements on the plate were too similar in texture.  My other gripe with this dish is that the beans were fairly bland on their own.  I love black beans but these really need a lot of salsa mixed in to add some flavor. 

In the end, I was happily full but would try something else when I go back.  And I will go back because the place has a welcoming vibe.  It's a modern bakery with a sunny, open dining area - which can also get quite loud.  There are some tables outside on the sidewalk of Highland Ave. as well.  If you just want a little treat , you can pick something from the bakery counter.  I am not into cupcakes topped with frosting piled inches high so I went for an oatmeal, raisin cookie.  That might sound boring but it was chewy, not too sweet and added sunflower seeds were a nice twist.  Yes, I might have to go back very soon.

Cottage Ethiopian Restaurant

Cottage Ethiopian Restaurant never got the memo about first impressions.  The restaurant occupies the space of a former fast food joint and from Piedmont Avenue, it is easy to miss.  The sign is small and looks like an afterthought considering there is space above for a much more visible sign.  From the outside, even the entrance is hard to spot.  Once inside, things improve.  There are curtains all around, wooden tables, a bar and the vibe is nothing like that of a fast food restaurant. 

Lunchtime one Monday proved to be a quiet time.  There were a few other people in there, most of them Ethiopian which was a good sign.  My friend and I both ordered the vegetarian platter and the soft spoken waitress asked us if we wanted one big platter to share.  That was fine by us.  I've read a lot of complaints about how slow the service is.  Maybe we got lucky but our food was out in fifteen minutes. 

Our super-sized platter arrived looking very colorful.  There were ten different dishes piled on the injera.  The injera was soft and spongy and did not have the sour taste that is usually associated with this fermented bread made from teff flour.  If injera is not to your liking, you probably will not enjoy eating here.  There is no silverware as the injera is used to scoop up the various lentil, split pea, and vegetable stews.  Even a couple of the cold dishes had injera already mixed in.  Halfway into the meal, I realized just how much bread I had eaten and had to lower my bread to veggie ratio drastically.  The lentil stews were all tasty and only one was spicy.  The cabbage was sweet and the collard greens were simmered longer than needed but tasted fine.  My least favorite dishes were the cold ones with the injera mixed in.  I was heading for an injera overload.  Aside from that, this was overall a very good vegetarian meal. 

Unfortunately the end of our meal was a bit chaotic.  As with many of my meals lately, I had a Scoutmob coupon on my iphone.  Another couple in the restaurant also had one and asked for their bill five minutes before I did.  The manager did not understand the concept of the coupon and obviously had never heard of Scoutmob.  Why a restaurant would join a service and not inform their employees is beyond me.  Luckily the other couple did much of the legwork in explaining the coupon and when my friend and I piped in that we too had this, he begrudgingly gave us the discount.  Nothing like haggling over a bill to win over new customers!

Spoon

 

The Westside branch of Spoon is a modern, trendy space located near Georgia Tech.  I went there for lunch around 1pm one day and is was half-packed.  The menu is fairly standard for a Thai restaurant - curries, stir-fries and noodle dishes with some seafood specials thrown in.  I won't go on about how authentic the cooking is but the family who runs Spoon is from Bangkok, so that should mean something.

My friend and I split the tempura veggies to start.  The dish contained a healthy (or not so healthy) portion of battered and fried onions, sweet potatoes and summer squash.  The batter was not as light as Japanese tempura I have had and slightly greasy.  The veggies were tasty though and we managed to eat them all.

Panang curry is one of my favorites but I decided to try something new.   I went with the Ginger Stir Fry plus extra vegetables and tofu.  I also requested that it be a little spicy.  When my lunch was served, I was pleased to see the amount of different vegetables included - broccoli, carrots, squash, mushrooms and onions.  Slivers of ginger added extra ginger flavor beyond the sauce and the chili level was low.  The texture of the tofu was mushy rather than chewy but I guess it was just quickly pan fried.  The portion size was perfect for lunch and I would have been full even without the starter. 

Spoon is a decent lunch option and the price is fair.  At dinner, the prices are higher and specials are closer to $30.  Their menu is available on their website although some of the information about the restaurant is not accurate due to some errant cutting and pasting of content and a failure to edit.  

*Disclaimer - I failed to ask if my dishes contained fish sauce but the cooks are willing to accommodate dietary restrictions.

Sufi's

Sufi's is a fairly new Persian restaurant in Buckhead.  I went for dinner on a Saturday night and it was packed.  The interior is very lovely and the ceiling is draped in fabric.  There is a small patio but some of the tables are too close to busy Peachtree Rd. for my taste.  The hostess seemed to be having some trouble and I had to wait thirty minutes to be seated despite having a reservation.  I was with friends though and we were offered some tea while we waited, so I didn't mind.
The appetizer list was intriguing.  All but one of the offerings are vegetarian and aside from the standard hummus, I wanted to try all of them.   I decided on the Mast Spinach (yogurt with cooked spinach) and the Mirza Ghasemi (smoked eggplant with tomatoes and garlic).  These were served with large triangles of pita.  Everything tasted great but I'm a sucker for smoked eggplant so the Mirza Ghasemi won the first round.
The entrees were less vegetarian friendly.  It was a choice between vegetable kabobs and a veggie stew.  I chose the stew which was a spicy tomato based stew with chickpeas, potatoes and more eggplant.  The stew was good but the best part was the fluffy, saffron basmati rice which must have been coated with substantial butter because it was heavenly. 
The portion sizes are quite large so I was full.  Some friends got dessert but they weren't appealing to me - sponge cake roulade and cheesecake.  I might have made room for some killer baklava but that wasn't an option.  Overall I had a wonderful time at Sufi's.  The food was different and delicious although next time I might stick to appetizers and a rice dish.  The atmosphere was transportive and there was even some live music crammed into a corner that wasn't too loud.  There is no alcohol served yet but you can bring your own without having to pay a corkage fee.  As you can imagine, the bill remains pleasantly low this way. 

Niramish

It was a cool, rainy day and I was in the mood for something warm and spicy.  I decided on Niramish, a small Bangladeshi/ Indian spot in Little 5 Points.  I had actually visited Niramish over a year ago for dinner and remembered it was pretty decent.  Of course, things change.

Niramish means "Vegetarian" but this restaurant has plenty of meat dishes.  This was just the first thing about this place that did not make sense.  To be fair, there are many vegetarian options and a vegetarian lunch special for $5.99 which sounded like a good deal.

The special comes with a soup, spring roll, naan, rice and your choice of two vegetables.  I chose the saag paneer (creamy spinach with indian cheese) and the aloo kopi (cauliflower with potatoes).  My meal was served quickly and looked good.  I tried the tarka dal soup first.  It was thin but tasty and the lemon gave it a bright touch.  Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the meal.  The saag paneer was more cream sauce than spinach.  It was also surprisingly sweet.  Not sweet and spicy - just sweet!  The naan also, while soft and fluffy, tasted sweet.  The aloo kopi was thankfully not sweet but just lacking in flavor.  The rice was cold and clumpy and I don't even understand what the egg roll was doing on my plate.  I tasted it to see if it was a special Indian egg roll but no.  I would have preferred a samosa or pakora but maybe egg rolls are vogue in Bangladesh these days.  Anyway, I had to ask the server for some type of chili sauce so I could add some flavor and mask the sweetness.  He brought me a hefty amount, which was quite tasty, and I proceeded to add it to everything.  I managed to finish my naan and about half of the vegetables.  I didn't bother with most of the rice.

I couldn't believe I was about to leave an Indian restaurant hungry.  However, I paid my bill and headed back out into the rain wishing I had just gotten some frozen Indian naan and chana masala from Trader Joes.

El Taco

Sometimes food is not the only reason for going out.  Sometimes you want to go somewhere with a festive decor and slightly loud music so that your kids seem less annoying.  In a sea of Tex-Mex eateries, El Taco in Virginia Highlands is worth a visit for it's combination of decent food and fun vibes.  Early in the evening the place is packed with young families.  Later on, margarita imbibing adults can be found mingling and watching sports on several of the TV screens around the restaurant.  There is also a drawing held once an hour to win free prizes which seems to make most people excited because everyone wants to win something, even if it's a cheese dip or cheesy t-shirt.

The menu at El Taco contains standard fajitas, tacos and chips, which are not complimentary.  I tend to favor the Oaxacan inspired dishes for something different.  If you want an appetizer, skip the boring chips.  I had the tamale special which had peppers and squash embedded in the masa.  The tamales were a bit bland but the accompanying tomatillo sauce was delicious.   For my entree I got the Mexican "Pizza" which is a grilled, corn flatbread with refried black beans, corn, lettuce, avocado, radish, two Mexican cheeses, hot peppers, crema and sunflower sprouts.  If it sounds like a huge mess, it is - but it's a tasty mess.  It is really a filling salad with black beans served on a giant corn chip.   The ingredients taste fresh, especially the sunflower sprouts, and the corn base is very light.  The pizza ($10.75) is large enough to be shared if you order an appetizer as well.  El Taco also has a free salsa bar which contains several salsas and pickled vegetables.  These condiments can further add some heat and flair to your meals.  The spicy pickled vegetables are my favorite.  I didn't have dessert at El Taco since I was quite full and thought I'd quit while I was ahead.