Jason's Deli

I ended up having dinner at Jason's Deli last weekend. It's a restaurant that I really like for a quick meal, but that I seldom go to because of its location on the dreaded Hanes Mall Boulevard. (I hate traffic!) My visit reminded me, though, of just how vegetarian-friendly it is. There are quite a few vegetarian items to choose from, and they're clearly marked.

Some of the vegetarian choices are: vegetarian pasta, portobello wrapini, garden po'boy, spinach veggie wrap and macaroni & cheese. You can get steamed vegetables or fruit as a side. I love being able to choose healthy side options instead of, say, French fries or onion rings.

I usually get soup and a salad at Jason's Deli, and this visit was no exception. They always have three vegetarian soups -- tomato basil, vegetable and, wonder of wonders, French onion. It's practically unheard-of to be able to get a vegetarian French onion soup, and theirs is terrific -- deep and rich with lots of onion flavor, plus cheese melted on top. Carnivores wouldn't miss the usual beef broth for a second. What a treat!

It's easy to make a meal off the salad bar. They have a lot of fresh vegetables to choose from, as well as several prepared salads. They'd added a few new items to the salad bar since my last visit, including red pepper hummus (delicious on the garlic toasts) and a tasty, slawlike Asian vegetable salad. I was pleased to see that they were touting a couple of organic items there, too -- apples and a lettuce mix.

Plus, you get free mini gingerbread muffins and soft-serve ice cream for dessert! And the entire restaurant is nonsmoking! The only real drawbacks are that it's often crowded and can be noisy, especially with lots of children at the tables.

Cat's Corner

One of the restaurants that is in our lunch "rotation" is Cat's Corner. It's just down the block from the Journal, so it's very convenient, although it can be a bit slow and crowded when the convention-center hordes descend. Cat's has always been pretty vegetarian-friendly (apart from an unfortunate penchant for putting bacon in otherwise-vegetarian quiches), so I was a little bit concerned that their new menu might take a step backward in that regard.

Happily, that isn't the case, although it's personally a bit of a mixed bag since they took off two of my favorite vegetarian sandwiches, the Portabella Wrap and the hot Veggie Pita (both messy but oh-so-good). They kept their other vegetarian dishes, such as the Veggie Burger and BBQ Tofu Sub, and added several more. Additions include a Spinach Cakes appetizer, several veggie sandwiches (including a vegan wrap), and a Moroccan Vegetable Salad, which includes tofu and I can personally attest is quite tasty. You can still make your own sandwich and salad -- but now, instead of three free salad fixings included, it's only two.

Another drawback of the new menu is that it now costs $2.00 to get fruit as a side with your sandwich instead of the previous 50 cents -- quite an increase there! What, do they marinate the fruit in gasoline?

They don't yet have the new menu up on their Web site but promise that it's coming soon.

Oddfellas Cantina, an unexpected treat

This past Saturday, a friend and I went to the Wine Down the Musical Trail wine festival along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. Despite some subpar directions that had us backtracking to find the correct turn more than once, it was a great day. After the festival, we went to nearby Floyd, Va., for dinner. I had found a place online, Oddfellas Cantina, that boasted tamarind tofu on its menu. Alas, when we got there, the actual menu was very different from what was posted on their Web site. I hate that!

However, they did have a dish of tofu in an Oriental brown sauce, so I "settled" for that. It turned out to be absolutely divine, with an unusual, wonderful sauce whose flavors I couldn't quite pin down. Probably some soy sauce, possibly some plum sauce, something slightly spicy, maybe even some tamarind. It was sweet and savory at the same time, and I wished I could have the recipe to take home. I only just managed to avoid licking the plate. It was served with rice and the vegetable of the day, steamed broccoli with a hint of a tangy, vinegary marinade.

What made it extra-special was that it was so unexpected to find a restaurant serving tofu in a town with 432 people and directions that referred to "the" stoplight in town. The restaurant is small and packed with tables (you might feel as if you're dining with the people at the table next to yours), and seemed to be a popular spot in town. We were told that we had an hour and 15 minutes at our table -- I'd never been given a time limit at a restaurant before, so that was a bit odd, although we finished well within the time limit. There was a live band playing, including a harpist, which made for a pleasant dining accompaniment. We wanted to get some of the yummy-sounding desserts, but we were just too full.

Have you ever found a gem of a restaurant or a vegetarian dish where you least expected it?

Lunch at 6th and Vine

Working downtown, I sometimes head to 6th and Vine for lunch. It's a nice, relaxed place, and I've always been a fan of their grilled-vegetable salad and portabella panini sandwich. Julie and I went there earlier this week and were surprised to see that they have changed their lunch menu, making it more like their dinner menu. There are more vegetarian options now, especially salads. The grilled-vegetable salad is gone, which is sad. But there are many other unusual -- and yummy-sounding -- vegetarian salads now: nuts and berries; watermelon-and-strawberry: poached pear; baked goat cheese; oven-roasted beet; caprese. If I'm in the mood for a light (but filling) lunch, this is where I'm going to want to head. I've got to try most of those salads! (Not the beet one, though. Eeew, beets.)

You can also sometimes find vegetarian options in their daily specials -- soup, hummus, salad, risotta or flat pizza. Make sure you ask your server, though. The day we were there, the sage-and-shitake risotto sounded like it might be vegetarian, but it wasn't. The cream of asparagus soup, however, was vegetarian.

A Bleu Review

It's always exciting to try a new restaurant. Last weekend, two friends and I made our first trip to Bleu, a recent addition to Winston-Salem's restaurant scene.

Athough the menu has just a couple of vegetarian entrees - a cheese ravioli dish; and a brie, tomato & arugula sandwich - there are more choices among the appetizers and soups and salads.

The three of us shared the trio of dips (hold the jokes; we already made them). The dips were tasty - lemon-fennel mascarpone; red pepper & spinach ricotta; and preserved tomato & leeks - and the portions generous enough that even splitting it three ways, we ended up with leftovers.

For my meal, I ordered two more appetizers - the panko-crusted tofu and the warm beet salad.

The tofu dish could easily have been a meal in itself. And at $7, it won general acclaim as the best deal of the evening. Two large slices of tofu were encased in a crisp crumb crust, with a touch of a mild miso sauce. They were accompanied by rice wrapped in sheets of nori, and a salad that tasted lightly pickled, which added a welcome bit of punch to the tofu and rice.

The beet salad, so pretty and tasty, was my favorite. The brilliantly colored cubes of beets - in both the familiar magenta version and a lighter red version - nestled atop a peppery bed of arugula. Golden raisins accented the beets' natural sweetness. A light sprinkling of cheese could be left off without impairing the bold flavors of the beets and arugula.

All in all, I was pleased. Bleu isn't a must-go destination for vegetarians, but I would be happy to go back.

Winston's Eatery

This week, Julie and I tried out a new restaurant on the Winston-Salem dining scene, Winston's Eatery. It's just south of Business 40 on Liberty Street, between the Downtown Middle School and the Children's Museum, and is open for breakfast and lunch.

It's a small place, with about 10 tables and a comfy-looking sofa. You place your order at the counter and they bring it out to you. We were very pleased with the vegetarian options. You can see their menus at their Web site, which is linked above. There are several vegetarian sandwiches to choose from for lunch, plus several yummy-sounding salads. The Camelized Apple, Pecan and Cranberry with Havarti salad sounds particularly enticing. The sandwiches come with a side: fresh fruit, pasta salad, slaw, sweet potato salad (with black beans) or the side of the day. The day we were there, the featured side was pesto potato salad, and it was wonderful. All of the desserts in the case looked great, especially the chocolate peanut butter pie.

Unfortunately, neither Julie nor I got exactly what we ordered for our sandwiches. I ordered the Vegetarian Godfather sandwich (roasted red pepper, portabella, basil, mozzarella and a balsamic aioli). Julie ordered the Vegging Out panini (roasted portabella, red pepper, grilled onion and provolone). Instead, both of our sandwiches came with what appeared to be the filling for the Roasted Veggie Wrap (roasted squash, green peppers, red onions and mushrooms). It was very good, though, and we cut them a bit of slack because they've been open only a couple of weeks and are obviously still working out a few kinks. In spite of that issue, we came away with a favorable impression of the restaurant and will try it again. The bread (Julie had panini, I had herb foccaccia) tasted particularly fresh. In fact, everything seemed very fresh. We just hope that next time we go there, the sandwich fillings will be as advertised on the menu.

Jack's Corner

If you find yourself in Greensboro near the UNCG campus looking for a bite to eat, I highly recommend Jack's Corner Mediterranean Deli. Every time I go there, I wish that I could somehow magically pick it up and transport it to Winston-Salem. It's not a fancy place -- you place your order at the counter and they bring it out to you -- or a large one, but it offers a big selection of Greek and Middle Eastern dishes at reasonable prices. And, wonderfully, the menu clearly labels which items are vegan and which are vegetarian with dairy.

Among the vegetarian items on the menu are spanikopita, falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, baba ganoush and stuffed grape leaves. There's also a lentil-and-rice dish that sounds intriguing. I've never ordered it, though, because I can't not get one of their vegetarian combination plates. There are several to choose from, with various combinations of items. It's wonderful as a vegetarian to have so many options to choose from, it's hard to decide. And if you want just a small bite to eat, you can order any of the items separately. There's also a lot for carnivorous friends to choose from.

Jack's Corner is on the corner of Spring Garden and Aycock streets and is open 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Vegetarian Brunch

It’s nice to go to a restaurant and have a tough time deciding what to order, because there are so many delicious vegetarian-friendly choices. This happened Sunday at Finnigan’s Wake, an Irish pub at 620 Trade St. in Winston-Salem’s Arts District.

As I settled in to wait for friends, I was excited to see that almost everything on the brunch menu was either vegetarian or could be made so with the substitution of faux “bacon” or “sausage.”

It took a while, but I finally chose the Winter Harvest boxty – two savory, thin, potato pancakes enclosing a filling of sweet, cooked pears and apples, and candied walnuts. This was served with a grilled tomato, hash-browned sweet and white potatoes, and a cheese toastie – the sides that come with most of the brunch entrees. It was all delicious.

There are other boxty fillings available – on this visit, all were either vegetarian or could be made vegetarian.

I’ll definitely be back to try the other boxties, and such intriguing-sounding offerings as the portobello and eggs, and the artichoke-cake benedict. (The artichoke cakes turn up elsewhere on the Finnigan’s Wake menu. They might be best described as like a crab cake, but with artichokes instead of crab.)

With the kitchen’s creative use of faux meats, Finnigan’s is vegetarian-friendly at every meal. It’s particularly satisfying because the vegetarian items, such as the tasty vegetarian shepherd’s pie, fit in with the Irish theme of the restaurant.

Mary's Of Course

A vegetarian-friendly restaurant that I've recently "rediscovered" is Mary's Of Course, a small cafe at the corner of Brookstown Avenue and Cherry Street. Vegetarians will find a lot to tempt them, with hearty entrees that are more than just a token meat-free vegetable dish. I mean, how many other restaurants in the area serve tofu AND tempeh?

Breakfast and brunch are available all day -- try the tofu scramble, the tofu burrito or an omelet made with tofu or vegetarian sausage. In the mood for lunch? You can get a vegan burger, tempeh rueben, tofu satay or a barbecue tofu (or tempeh) sandwich -- the latter is a bun overflowing with cheese, slaw and cubes of tofu or tempeh in a tasty barbecue sauce. It's definitely messy, but oh-so-good.

There's always a vegetarian soup of the day, and they also have interesting specialty grilled cheeses -- one day it included pears!

A bonus to going to Mary's is the ever-changing artwork exhibits on the walls -- as well as the standing collection of toys and geegaws sitting around the restaurant.

Mary's Of Course is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekends.

Restaurant Roundup

A reader recently asked the Journal's food editor, Michael Hastings, for advice on vegetarian-friendly restaurants in town. The reader has vegetarian guests coming and wants to take them to places where they will be comfortable.

The fist thing to consider in this situation is whether your guests are vegetarian or vegan. In general, vegetarians don't eat meat, poultry or fish, but include dairy products and/or eggs. Vegans don't eat any animal products at all. In my experience, it's easier to find a vegetarian restaurant meal than a vegan one. But there are vegan options out there - you just may need to do extra research before choosing a restaurant.

Some cuisines are usually a good bet for vegetarians: Italian, Asian (Chinese, Thai) and Indian, for example. Some are not – obviously, barbecue restaurants and steak houses are not going to be your best choice. You may want to inquire before choosing a Southern, family-style restaurant or cafeteria – even the vegetables may be seasoned with meat.

Cassandra and I write about notable restaurants from time to time, but we haven’t done a "roundup" before. The following is not comprehensive, but suggests the variety of options in town. These are moderately priced restaurants that I tend to go to again and again.

Athena Greek Taverna, at 680 S. Stratford Road. From a simple vegetarian pita sandwich to an elaborate vegetarian moussaka, this restaurant offers a lot of tasty choices.

California Fresh Buffet – 1370 Peters Creek Pkwy – (On the Web at www.californiafreshbuffet.com) This may have the best salad bar in town. And on the hot bar, vegan items are clearly marked. A restaurant with something for everyone.

Cha Da Thai (on the Web at http://www.chadathai-nc.com/) at 420-J Jonestown Road, Winston-Salem. A beautiful, intimate restaurant with many vegetarian and vegan options.

Finnegan’s Wake – 620 N. Trade St. Through the use of faux meats, this Irish pub offers everything from a vegetarian shepherd's pie to a vegetarian reuben.

La Botana Mexican Restaurant – 1547 Hanes Mall Boulevard. An extensive regular menu has all the usual suspects, done well. But the specials menu (you may have to ask for this, since it is separate) includes several vegetarian dishes that you won't find anywhere else.

Nawab Indian Cuisine, at 129 S. Stratford Road. The menu in the restaurant (although not online) indicates the vegan specialties among its many vegetarian dishes.

Szechuan Palace, at 3040 Healy Drive. Elegant Chinese food, with a knowledgeable waitstaff that will help you choose vegetarian or vegan options from the extensive menu.

West End Café, at 411 W. Fourth St. From soup, salad and sandwiches to fancy dinner specials, this Winston-Salem institution has it all, and a fair bit of it is vegetarian.

Again, this is by no means a comprehensive list, but just a starting point. Readers, please let me know about the must-go places that I’ve left out.

Veggin' on the Road, Part II

Here are a few more restaurants that are worth a drive for a hungry vegetarian. This time, the road leads to Greensboro:

BOBA HOUSE is a completely vegetarian restaurant, with many vegan options. It's a small, laid-back restaurant at 332 Tate St. near the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Most of the items feature faux meats - "chicken," "duck," "beef" or "seafood" - in addition to tofu. Everything I’ve tried has been delicious, and attractively presented. In addition to the vegetarian dishes, Boba House features a large menu of teas. The most unusual is the array of boba, or bubble, teas. These fruit- or coffee-flavored drinks include "bubbles" of tapioca or coconut jelly that you drink up through an extra-wide straw. The boba teas are colorful, sweet and fun; more like dessert than a beverage. You can read more about Boba House's food and bubble teas on its Web site at www.bobahouse.com

Also near UNCG, at 1601 Spring Garden St., JACK'S CORNER serves tempting Mediterranean food in a casual, deli-style atmosphere. It's not completely vegetarian, but there are many choices, and vegetarian and vegan items are clearly marked on the menu. I generally choose a combination plate that has such delights as hummus, baba ghanouj (eggplant dip), falafel with tahini sauce, tabouli salad, and warm pita bread.... All so tasty.

At 2505 BattleGround Ave., HEALTHY SPICE is an elegant, sit-down restaurant. Though the menu includes some seafood, there are so many vegetarian and vegan choices that it takes a long time to consider them all and make a decision. The menu is innovative, combining influences from across the globe. As the name suggests, the restaurant focuses on making food healthy as well as delicious. Many meals include soup, salad, entree and dessert for a very reasonable price. The restaurant has a Web site at www.healthyspicerestaurant.com but does not yet have its menu posted. There are photos of several dishes, though, so you can get an idea of what to expect.

Veggin' on the Road

I spent part of the past week out of town, so now that I'm back I wanted to just quickly mention one of my favorite vegetarian road-trip destinations. Sometimes just a short drive can bring you to a whole new world. For example, take Starr's New Southern Cuisine in Mocksville. Although it's not obvious from the name or the first look at the menu, Starr's is extremely vegetarian-friendly. The kitchen stocks veggie burgers, veggie "bacon" and veggie "chicken" patties that can be substituted for meat in many of the menu items. So, yes, you can have that fried green tomato BLT - great with a side of sweet-potato fries - or the sweet-potato ravioli with flash-fried collard greens. And they've added fried dill-pickle chips to the menu since the last time I was there. Clearly, it's time for a return visit....