Restaurant Review: Loving Hut

Believe it or not, I had never been to a vegetarian restaurant before today!

I had the Spicy Cha-Cha which was like breaded shrimp over lettuce and red/green bell peppers.  It had a spicy-sweet dipping sauce.  It was very tasty--very much like shrimp except milder.  (I appreciated that it had less of that strong seafood flavor like shrimp has--some of the "imitation meats" are too similar to meat for my taste.) 

I had a refreshing glass of hibiscus iced tea.  This is destined to become my new favorite drink.  It has a tangy flavor like cranberry, which contrasts nicely with its sweetness.

My non-vegetarian dining partner had a sweet and sour stir fry with cubed, battered soy protein.  He said it was good, even though he was really resistant to eating at a vegan place.  He mentioned he does not like tofu but ordered this instead of going for one of the "beefy" dishes.  Afterwards, he told me he did not realize he was ordering something that might be similar to tofu.  Again, he said he liked it but he wasn't gaga over it either, only because of the protein.  We plan to head back so he can try one of the beef-alikes.

It is extremely clean and a peaceful place to eat a casual meal.  The staff is quite friendly.

Here is their website.  Give it a try!

Verdict:  Excellent!

Restaurant Review: Cantina Laredo

Here's my quick take on this restaurant, as it pertains to vegetarians.

Homemade chips and salsa were complimentary and were very good.  We were given both a mild and a medium salsa to try.  I liked the latter.  Both did contain cilantro.

For around $8 we got an order of guacamole made at the table.  The menu said it served 2-4, but with 2 avocados that would mean very large serving sizes of the calorie-rich dip.  We were asked if we wanted tomatoes and onions.  I don't remember being asked if we wanted cilantro--which would have been preferable, since I don't care for it.  It was very noisy so I may have just missed the question.  The guac was delicious and we had to bring the rest home with us.  We were given an extra bag full of warm, homemade tortilla chips to bring home with it.

On the dinner menu, I found 2 choices clearly marked vegetarian on the menu.  One was a spinach enchilada with Jack cheese (vegetarian); the other was an avocado and artichoke enchilada over a bed of spinach (which sounded vegan).

I was wondering how the avocado/artichoke enchilada could be served over spinach--doesn't "enchilada" mean "in chile"--in other words, dipped in chile sauce?  That entree did sound better to me, but I didn't want to have more avocado, so I chose the spinach enchilada.

hmmm.  It was ok.  The filling was rather bland.  There seemed to be no chile in sight; it was covered in a sauce that I'd liken to a thinned out version of sour cream--way too much for my liking.  The menu said there were mushrooms in the filling but I couldn't find any.

It was served with some flavorful rice and black beans on the side, kind of standard-tasting.  I do appreciate the menu marking what was vegetarian, and for making the effort to include 2 meat-free options on the menu.  I would suggest, perhaps, the restaurant offer a more standard Mexican item on the menu that's meat-free, to widen the choices for those of us who love spicy stuff.

The staff was friendly, the atmosphere was fun, and the restaurant was spotless.

My Xmas Eve Menu

Here it is!  This year I knew I had to make most things ahead or at the last minute, because I didn't have the afternoon free to do my usual cooking marathon.

Several days before, I made the marinated mushrooms.

The day before, I made deviled eggs, crudites, tomato sauce and allrecipes.com's Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cake.  I used Betty Crocker's Gingerbread Cake & Cookie Mix and a small can of pumpkin puree.  I have a personal tradition of making gingerbread cookies and I didn't want to go without them just because I couldn't take the afternoon off...so I came up with this instead.  I am so glad I did.  While the cake doesn't have the cute factor the  decorated gingerbread people do, it's hardly a sacrifice taste-wise.  Maybe this will become my new tradition.

Before you make this, I highly recommend you read the comments posted below the recipe.  I followed the recommendation to add 2 eggs and a little sugar.  I also added my usual extra spices, and a splash of bourbon.  I topped it with one of the poster's recipe for a simple glaze made from confectioner's sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and milk.  I baked it in 4 small, gift-sized loaf pans.  It is the moistest cake ever.  I'm telling you, it is unbelievable!

The hour before, I made everything else.  For me, I made Veggie Patch Meatless Meatballs.  These are fully cooked, so all you have to do is heat them up.   I don't know why, but I don't think I've ever tried these in spaghetti--what a treat!

For the cheese course, I followed Pillsbury's recipe for Baked Brie with Raspberry Preserves, except I added chopped pecans and almonds.  I omitted the cinnamon stick.

I cut the brie recipe in half so I had extra crescent rolls.  I used a rolling pin to flatten them a bit and sealed the perforations.  Then I spread margarine in them and sprinkled some Parmesan cheese and chopped basil.  Sliced into coins, they were little buttery pinwheels that went nicely with the cold appetizers.

Anyway, back to the brie.  Warm, melty, slightly sweet, creamy, with a flaky crust.  What more could you ask for?  Very good, and different. Lots of compliments!  I am sure puff pastry would be tasty too, but I didn't have time to fuss with that.  The crescents were very tasty and quick.

Then it was on to the Nutella Chess Pie.  I created a recipe involving one of my favorite ingredients--Nutella--into a nice pie reminiscent of warm brownies that aren't quite cooked all the way yet...and you eat them anyway because they are so gooey, fudgy and good.

Well...I'm off to have leftovers of brie and spice cake.  Leftovers that are more HO HO HO than HO HUM!  (OK, I know that was really cheesy! Ha, cheesy!  See what I did there?)

Buon Natale!

Bevande

Cocktails

Antipasti

Marinated Mushrooms ∞ Red & Green Deviled Eggs

Crudités ∞ Basil Pinwheels

Primi

Pasta & Meatballs ∞ Italian Bread with Olive Oil Dip

Secondi

Broiled Shrimp ∞ Broiled Garlic Eggplant

Formaggio

Brie En Croute

Dolce

Nutella Chess Pie ∞ Cookies

Restaurant Review: Spuds

This bar is on the water in North Myrtle Beach.  We went for lunch recently. 

It was spotless and quiet outside on this weekday.  Service was prompt, accommodating and polite.

I ordered for my entree an appetizer of black bean cakes.  I noticed they had grit cakes in one of their entrees so I asked if I could order one to accompany my bean cakes. 

Both were excellent--surprisingly so.  I didn't realize black beans could be so moist and creamy.  They seemed to be partially pureed, covered in a thick layer of bread crumbs and deep fried until crunchy on the outside.  The grit cake, for this Northerner, was a new experience.  Lightly crispy on the outside and lightly creamy on the inside. 

Delicious.

Restaurant Review: Mykonos

At Myrtle Beach recently, we were looking for something with a different cuisine than the standard Southern faire.  We saw an ad in our hotel room for this spot nearby.  It advertised a coupon for a free appetizer or dessert.  We texted the number and received the coupon on our phone a few moments later.

We chose the hummus which was homemade and superb.  They had a nice wine selection, served ice cold in generous portions.  I had the Greek salad for my entree which was excellent as well.

The exterior had a large waterfall and inside was a nice fireplace.  The decor was tastefully done and the service was wonderful.

My only disappointment was the ad said it was casual dining.   We happened to be hoping for something not casual anyway.  This restaurant is fine dining.  To me, when you have such a high end property, smartly dressed staff, low lighting, table linens and candlelight, it's fine dining.  Mr. Bean felt a little underdressed.

Restaurant Review: King David's

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the world.

As you know, one of my pet peeves is a restaurant that claims to have vegetarian options, only to have just one frozen pasta primavera with horrible cream sauce that tastes like canned cream of mushroom soup.  The truth is, I have virtually stopped bothering accompanying my omnivore companions to such establishments.  Eating in restaurants is expensive.  I am not socially needy enough to tolerate a terrible, expensive meal just to be in the company of others.  Restaurants could easily have a meat-free unique item or two.  It's not hard.  You're chefs and restauranteurs--act like it.  You're losing 10% of your potential customer base if you don't--plus their companions, potentially.

So anyway, enough of that.

King David's has many delicious options to choose from, served hot, quickly and with a smile.  The prices are very reasonable as well.  My favorites include eggplant fries, sweet potato fries, eggplant pita, falafel platter, hummus, and portobello pita.  All very delicious--none seem frozen or premade.  I can't even choose a favorite among them.

My omnivore husband is quite happy with his meat-based options as well. 

They serve local beers.  I am not a big connoisseur of beer, but I do like the Syracuse Pale Ale.

The decor and music are modern and ethnic, giving you the feeling of escape to a place far away.  Let me reiterate the service--it is fast.  I am pretty shocked they can crank out a dinner for two in what seems to be 5-10 minutes.  The staff is friendly but not intrusive.  Everyone greets you as you walk by, welcoming you in or thanking you as you're leaving.

Clearly the owners and managers are highly skilled and know how to run a business. 

Restaurant review: Gaga over Carrabba's

Fried zucchini. FRIED ZUCCHINI. Battered, fried zucchini straws. Do I even need to say how delicious that was?! It came with a creamy dipping sauce that reminds me of the sauce served with crab cakes. That was delicious too, but the zucchini certainly did not need any dip--it was awesome on its own.

Then I ordered a salad with artichoke, roasted peppers, and OMG marinated, grilled eggplant (still warm) with a medallion of goat cheese in a hazelnut crust (also warm).

I am actually having difficulty writing this post because I am at a loss for words. So good.

Plus, I am thrilled to be able to order items on a restaurant menu without having to ask the awkward questions about hidden meat. It was apparent these were vegetarian items.

Verdict: Great!

Restaurant Review: Riley's

We had a nice meal here recently.

Let me start by saying that much of what I've seen of Alexandria Bay consists of gimmicky tourist trap sort of seasonal places. It's kitschy in a semi-endearing sort of way. I haven't seen most of it so maybe there are more nicer places.

Riley's was one of the nicer spots. There was a view of the water in the distance, lots of windows, pleasant, roomy, clean surroundings. The service was fast and friendly. There were two vegetarian options.

I had the following (quoting from the menu):

VEGETABLE PANINI
A rainbow of grilled peppers, sweet onion slices, portabella mushroom and zucchini mixed with goat cheese loaded onto flatbread accented with a French onion dressing, folded and grilled; served with sweet potato fries. $9.75

It was so hot when it arrived that I had to wait for it to cool down. Between the cheese and the dressing, it was too messy to eat with my hands, so I ate it with a knife and fork. Ingredients were fresh and tasty. The fries were actually wedges of very lightly battered sweet potatoes which were done to perfection--tender inside and crispy outside.

Mr. Bean had a meat-based sandwich which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Verdict: Highly recommended.

Restaurant reviews: Denny's

Slumming it yesterday! We were really hungry so we took a chance at Denny's. I should have stuck with toast and fried eggs, but I thought--wrongly--the Bacon Avocado Burrito Wrap with Hash Browns might be good.

Wrong. Wrongity wrong wrong wrong.

I ordered it without the bacon of course, no problem there. It was billed as a burrito with avocado and chipotle sauce with scrambled eggs and cheese. There were maybe 2 tiny cubes of avocado with some tasteless salsa [similar to what you'd get out of a store brand jarred salsa], and an excessive amount of flavorless cheese (which I removed because there was too much of it and it was cold).

The egg...OMG...it's really hard to mess up scrambled eggs. You actually have to try hard to ruin scrambled eggs, and they succeeded. It was as if someone poured eggs into a tube, microwaved them way too long, and put the cylinder-shaped result into a burrito. They were tough. I removed most of the egg as well, leaving me with crappy salsa and a burrito.

The burrito itself looked nicely grilled. I chose the hash browns as my side. I admit I know all about these hash browns; I worked at Denny's 80 or so years ago. They came in a carton of powder. The cooks would add water and stir it with a giant whisk to make them shaped like grated potatoes. They are actually not the worst thing in the world and I just felt like it would be funny to have a walk down Bad Memory Lane. They were exactly as I expected. I recommend the grits.

I don't know about the credibility of the author, but this guy claims this breakfast (with the bacon) exceeds 1000 calories and provides nearly 60 grams of fat.

Verdict: Stick with 1 egg and dark rye toast. It will be tastier and healthier.

My life is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

It's been a very difficult month for me health-wise, and I'm happy to see it nearing its end. Good riddance to June 2011!

Interestingly, vegetarian food was freely available in the hospital. I had veggie burgers and was offered grilled cheese, elaborate salads, hot vegetable side dishes, and a hummus plate.

Not only that, but the food was good. It was really helpful to get me on the road to recovery.

Happy Meatless Monday!

Restaurant Review: Bonefish Grill

Ok, I know you're thinking, "Yeah, but that's a seafood restaurant. It's supposed to be focused on meat." Sure, but it's a good business decision to offer a few vegetarian options, and here's why.

On my recent visit, there were no meat-free main course offerings. None.

The only choices I could find were side dishes, and few at that: mashed potatoes or steamed green beans. There was also an appetizer of steamed edamame (soybeans). All pretty bland stuff to have as a main course--why bother eating out if you're going to eat that?

What I did is ask for an entree consisting of the edamame and a side of french fries (no side of fries was offered on the menu). The edamame are good of course but kind of bland to eat for a main course. I asked for a side of a dipping sauce which was quite tasty--a blend of Asian flavors and a spicy sauce usually served with calamari. Unfortunately afterward I found out the sauce contains oyster juice.

Here is a perfect example of a restaurant that could easily offer a vegetarian entree without breaking a sweat--just combine dishes that are already on the menu and discreetly label it "vegetarian" so we aren't forced to choose between eating something we don't want to or having to make an issue of it with the server.

Help us out a bit, restaurants--tell us on the menu what sauces don't contain hidden meat. That way we don't have to ask 1000 questions in front of our friends.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Vegetarian Dishes at Restaurants

All restaurants should offer a few vegetarian selections. It's a smart business decision. First, not all omnivores want to eat meat at every single meal, nor do they need to. Second, most omni customers have at least one potential dining partner who is a vegetarian. When eating out together, they are most likely going to mutually agree on a place that meets both their needs.

A lot of restaurants fail to understand and accommodate this. The explanation I get is, "Well we just don't have a demand for those foods." Sounds a lot more like a failure to do market research than anything else. The customers who don't come through the door aren't demanding vegetarian foods, therefore you shouldn't offer them? Illogical.

We also know another thing about human nature--sometimes we just want to have choices, even if we don't use them. We want the Baskin Robbins 31 flavors but we usually get vanilla. Offering a few choices will play to what I call "vegetarians in the contemplation stage". Those are folks who are thinking about becoming vegetarian, or call themselves one but sometimes eat meat. (And YES, FISH IS MEAT.)

Anyway, it's not as if offering a few meat-free options is going to hurt anything. Keep a few cans of beans on hand and let guests choose between chicken or beans on a main dish salad. In the event you get an order, rinse the beans, add some fresh herbs. They could look really pretty and taste awesome.

Or how about a kick ass baked onion soup made with vegetable broth? Or a creamy mushroom noodle casserole?

If the goal is to bring more customers through the door, restauranteurs should make the vegetarian dishes delicious, not just tolerable. No one wants to pay $20 for some iceberg lettuce and canned beans. Be creative; make it delicious and different.

A lot of these dishes would be popular among all guests, not just vegetarians and people observing Lent. :)