Vegetarian Heaven

I have thought many times about what kind of restaurant I would open if I had the chance - a small neighborhood cafe serving only a few options, which changed daily, plus a couple of freshly baked cakes for dessert.  When I walked into Dynamic Dish, my dream restaurant was realized but the food turned out to be even better than I had imagined.
I met a good friend for lunch there so I got to try several dishes.  Between us, we had the white corn soup, oyster mushrooms and collards, plus a almond-scallion cream cheese sandwich.  The best thing I tried were the oyster mushrooms which tasted of caramelized tamari and garlic.  The accompanying collards were steamed and bright green instead of dark, green mush that is usually served most other places.  The sandwich was a close second.  The delicious almond-scallion cream cheese (I will be trying this at home) was topped with sliced bosc pear, basil, and fresh cranberry sauce.  There were bits of crunch from the almonds and sweetness from the pear - very tasty!  The white corn soup had bits of potato and was topped with pumpkin seeds and chives.  It was very complex and I had a hard time identifying the flavors (some sort of curry blend?) but this was not a typical, sweet, corn soup.  It tasted good but there were a bit too many pumpkin seeds getting in the way of everything else.
Dyanmic Dish is not located on the best of streets but at lunch time safety was not a concern.  Some people have issues with the portion sizes and prices.  The portion sizes are small to medium and the prices are that of a mid-priced restaurant - the soup was $6, veggie plate was $8 and the sandwich was $10.  You'll probably spend $15 to $20 on lunch but you are paying for pristine vegetables and very creative cooking.  I think of Dynamic Dish as 'gourmet vegetarian' and I am happy to splurge for an exciting meal on occasion.

Breakfast For Dinner

I usually don't go out for breakfast, unless I am traveling, because I like simple breakfasts and rarely feel like I get my money's worth (two eggs cost how much?).  I heard that West Egg Cafe on the West Side serves breakfast all day and decided to give it a try for an early dinner.  West Egg also has a lunch and dinner menu but the breakfast offerings sounded better.  I went with the Black Bean Cakes and Eggs - fried eggs served over two black bean patties, topped with chipotle salsa and sour cream, all accompanied by pan-fried potatoes.  Service was a little slow the night I was there so I was fairly famished by the time I received my meal.  I unearthed a black bean cake and took a bite.  It was heavily spiced with cumin but when combined with some egg and salsa, the spice was tempered.  The smoky chipotle salsa added flavor but not heat and the small dollop of sour cream was just enough to add a bit of richness to the dish.  The potatoes were nicely crisped with some red onions and properly seasoned.  The portion did not seem huge but I was quite full by the time I was done.  I wasn't expecting a great dinner but I was pleasantly surprised - and at $7.50, it was much cheaper than most dinners out.  West Egg has a great modern industrial space that fits in with the West Side aesthetic and seems like a fun place to stop off for a coffee and a snack even if you're not up for breakfast all day. 

Southern Farm to Table

Farmstead 303, a Southern-style restaurant, recently opened in the Old Decatur Train Depot space.  It embraces the 'Farm to Table' concept that is now trendy among restaurants.  I am a proponent of eating locally and was excited to eat at Farmstead even though Southern food is not historically vegetarian friendly.  However, this is 2010 and in Decatur so I figured I'd be okay.  I went to dinner there on a Tuesday night.  The decor was modern country (lots of dark wood and wrought iron) and there were lots of young families dining.  True to it's Southern-style, a lot of the appetizers were fried (blue cheese grits, onion rings and cauliflower) and most people around me were having fried chicken as their main dish.  There were two vegetarian options for the main course, a mushroom spinach stroganoff and the vegetable plate.  The stroganoff didn't appeal to me so I went with the vegetable plate.  I find the vegetable plate, when offered at restaurants, to be a lazy solution to appease vegetarians.  This isn't a well-conceived dish but a cobbled together plate of sides - what you end up with at Thanksgiving when you're the only vegetarian present.  Despite my misgivings, I wanted to see if the local vegetables would shine enough to alter my opinion.  There was certainly a variety - sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas, squash casserole, turnip greens and collard greens all on one plate.  The turnip greens turned out to be the best testing vegetable - fresh and mildly bitter.  Everything else was a bit off.  I was looking forward to trying the squash casserole but it was under-seasoned and flat.  The peas also needed a bit more seasoning and the sweet potatoes were leaning toward dessert in terms of sweetness.  I felt good about eating so many veggies but I was not full and ate a couple of bites of my son's mac'n'cheese, which tasted so-so.
I really want restaurants who support local farmers to do well but Farmstead needs to improve some of its basics.  The cornbread offered at the table was dry and tasted more of egg than of corn.  There was only one soup offered and it wasn't vegetarian.  When it's cold, I like soup - or a bean stew of some sort would be nice.  Local vegetables are fabulous on their own but a chef should be able to add some creativity to make a proper main course.  I know I didn't try the stroganoff, so maybe I missed the good stuff.

$1 Tacos - Deal or No Deal?

On Wednesday nights, Pozole offers tacos for $1.  The tacos are small but even if you order three plus a side of beans and rice, you still spend under $5.  Of course, you will probably spend your savings on a margarita, which is actually quite decent.  Shame the same cannot be said for the food.  The only vegetarian taco is a potato and cheese.  Even though this sounds like a carb overload, in the past I have actually enjoyed this option.  The potato was creamy and spicy topped with a bit of cabbage.  I'm not sure what has happened in the couple of months since I last ate here but everything I tried was bordering on awful.  The potato pieces were cubes of roasted dryness topped with some shredded cheese and cabbage in a flavorless taco shell.  The beans and rice were not as dry but still bland.  I also tried the house chips with three salsas.  The pineapple salsa looked like it had been sitting around for days.  The tomatillo salsa was mild and glutinous while the red salsa, which tasted the best, looked like diluted ketchup.  Thank goodness this was a cheap meal.  I think I need to find a new Wednesday night bargain.

Falafel Fixation

My  favorite veggie 'burger' is a falafel.  Falafels are Middle Eastern in origin but are popular all over the world.  These spheres of goodness are made from soaked chickpeas (or fava beans) which are ground, combined with spices, and fried.  From the name, Falafel King in Emory Village seems like an obvious stop for a falafel sandwich.  It is run by an incredibly sweet Korean husband and wife team who cook falafels to order - which may not be fast enough for some.  The place is tiny and packed at lunch.  When you walk in, you realize that surprisingly there is also sushi and other Asian elements on the menu.  A strange combination but it works.  I honestly haven't had too many things on the menu because the falafels are so good.  I sometimes have the seaweed salad in addition to my falafels but this time I just opted for a sandwich ($3.95).  I was delivered a soft, white pita stuffed with six round falafels, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber.  The interior of each falafel was moist with a hint of cumin but the best part was the crunchy, grease-free outside that came from being perfectly fried.  Falafel King also provides a spicy sauce which adds some needed moisture to the pita and gives the sandwich a nice kick.  The sandwich didn't last long but it was just what I wanted.  Platters with a choice of two sides are also available for a few more dollars.  This isn't the best food ever but eating here gets you your falafel fix and supports a great small business.

So-So Sandwiches

I had read good reviews about Noon Midtown and so when my friend Teresa suggested lunch, I suggested Noon.  We walked in, placed our order after some deliberation, and seated ourselves.  The restaurant's decor is modern and minimalist but not lacking warmth.  It is, however, quite loud when packed at lunch.  We didn't have to wait long before our food arrived on shiny, metal trays.  I had a cup of smoky tomato soup and the roasted eggplant panino.  My friend had the grilled cheese and potato soup.  We dove in trying to eat and talk at the same time.  I ordered eggplant because cool weather has finally arrived in Atlanta and for local eaters at least, eggplant will soon be a past summer memory.  Also, the other vegetarian options seemed to rely more heavily on various cheeses and not too much on vegetables.  Back to my panino - the eggplant was accompanied by sun-dried tomato, goat cheese, and a balsamic glaze - a pleasing combination but hardly innovative.  The filling was tasty but the bread was a bit dry and bland.  The warm tomato soup was indeed a bit smoky but also salty and the consistency was almost smooth but not quite.  I kept trying to find some highlight of this meal but came up empty.  While the quality of the ingredients seemed high and portions adequate, there was nothing that made the sandwich or soup special.  My friend remarked that her meal was quite average as well.  If comfort food is what you seek, Noon may fit the bill.  For me though, there are more exiting options around town.

Pizza Redemption

Pizza was ubiquitous during a large portion of my life.  Four years of college followed by many company lunch meetings provided countless opportunities to experience mediocre, greasy, and just plain awful pizza.  But I kept on eating it primarily because it was free.  Eventually I swore off pizza.  If I was going to take in a huge amount of calories, what I was eating had better be worth it.  Fast forward a few years to recently when I discovered Fritti.  Their pizza looked good enough to make me give it another shot.  Fritti serves Neapolitan-style pies so the crust in on the thin side while still chewy.  I tried the Carciofi e Olive (Artichoke and Olive) and Robiola e Pesto (Goat cheese and Arugula Pesto).  Both were tasty although the olive one was a tad too salty.  My daughter, who is an olive aficionado, thought it was heavenly.  I preferred the other pizza.  The goat cheese was slightly tart and was topped with sweet sun-dried tomatoes and dollops of pesto.  The arugula pesto was so fresh tasting that I wanted to run home and whip up a batch to eat on everything.  There are quite a few other vegetarian options and even a vegan choice on the menu.  Even though I don't plan on eating pizza as often as I once did, if I eat at Fritti, there should be no regrets.

Tofu Two Ways

Chef Hector Santiago has been quite busy this summer with his two new ventures.  The first, El BurroPollo burrito stand, is located in the Pura Vida parking lot.  It is open only on Saturdays and Sundays from noon until supplies run out, which can be as early as 1.30 pm.   Luckily, apart from chicken, there is a tofu option.  Overall, this was a pleasant change from the standard burritos all over Atlanta - no rice, black beans, or cheese - just chargrilled goodness.  The tortilla and the tofu were both grilled to give both a smoky taste.  The tofu itself was not brimming with additional flavor but the lettuce, carrots, radishes, cilantro, and special sauce made the combination both tasty and refreshing.  The burrito costs $6 but chatting with the amiable Chef Hector and the fun, messy eating comes at no additional charge.

Super Pan Latino Sandwich Shop just sounds like somewhere I want to visit.  Finally I made it there around 1pm one weekday (only open Tuesdays to Fridays for lunch).  It was busy but no long line.  I ordered the smoked tofu buns, the only vegetarian sandwich available.  The smoked pilon sugar tofu was topped with cabbage, cilantro, tamarind sauce, and a spicy sambal-like sauce.  The bun itself was a soft, white pillow tasting of coconut.  I practically inhaled the first bun (luckily there are two per order) due to hunger.  I had to make myself eat the second one much slower.  It was amazing that in one bite I could identify all the contrasting flavors - the smoky tofu, sweet coconut, crunch cabbage etc.  Then I realized that the sauce had a kick - just enough to make my tongue tingle but not too much to make my nose run.  Luckily, I also bought the 'farm egg' flan which was just sweet and creamy enough to reduce the burn and leave me happy.

Cauliflower Power

For lunch today, I went to Bocado, located in the Westside.  They offer a couple of vegetarian sandwiches - a portabella panini (which sounded good but not terribly exciting) and a roasted cauliflower option.  Since I don't see too many cauliflower sandwiches on menus these days, the choice was easy.  The crunchy cauliflower was accompanied by creamy eggplant, julienned carrots and cucumber, and lettuce.  Topping it off was a mayo sauce and a few slivers of jalapeño pepper.  The combination was delicious - a little  spicy and sweet at the same time.  The mayo did not overwhelm the veggies and was not too rich.  The bread was also nicely toasted and did not get soggy.  The sandwich was large enough for lunch and for $3, the additional small salad was not worth the money.  If you are really hungry, a small tomato bisque as a side would probably be the way to go.  Overall a great lunch for under $15.  

Is Atlanta That Vegetarian Friendly?

On July 14, 2010, PETA revealed a Top 10 list of vegetarian friendly large cities in North America.  The blog did not reveal the considered factors used to compile this list but based on comments received, no one really buys that DC is more vegetarian friendly than NY.  More importantly, how did Atlanta end up at number four?  Are vegetarians able to eat out at a wide variety of restaurants and get a satisfying, tasty, and innovative meal - not just some side dishes combined on a plate?  Since I love food, I've decided to find out just what Intown Atlanta restaurants have to offer.  I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised...