Friday Food Face Off: Restaurant vs. Vegetarian Restaurant

January 16, 2009

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Thanks to Breanna, my friend Nicki and I went to Cafe 668 to beat the cold weather.

While the location of this restaurant is a bit odd (885 Dundas St., West), it’s worth visiting. The atmosphere is relaxed and while the waiter wore jeans, a dress would not be out of place (for me, not the waiter).

Let me tell you how great it is to go to a restaurant where I can eat almost anything off the menu. Everything looked so good, but we finally settled on soup, some black bean eggplant and taro wrapped yam.  Things were a little bit pricey (we paid $50), but for the sake of this post, we did order more than we usually would. Normally, the soup alone would suffice as the portions are very generous.

I have only two criticisms:

First, the bathrooms–while clean–have very low ceilings and I bumped by head. I’m tall-ish for a girl, but I was wearing flats.

Second, there were a lot of foods in quotes on the menu. You know, brown rice and assorted vegetables with your choice of  ”beef”, “chicken”, or “salmon”.  I hate it when vegetarian food is made into “meat.” I may be wrong, but for the most part, I’m assuming that since vegetarians have chosen to give up meat, they would not want to eat things that look and feel like meat, but don’t taste like meat.

While I normally prefer to head out to restaurants that serve meat, fish and vegetarian entrees, Cafe 668 is an excellent vegetarian/vegan alternative. The food is well-flavoured, fresh and they offer a lot of choice–including vegetable sides that can be steamed or stir-fried (Meghan would be so proud!)

Normally, vegetarian restaurants get a bit of a thumbs-down from me, especially when they serve “meat”, but the final verdict for Cafe 668 is Four Thumbs Up–two from me and two more from Nicki.

Not into restaurants and prefer to cook at home? No problem! Check out these courses from Meghan Telpner:

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Entry Filed under: 12 Grain Program, Diet Rehab, Food, Friday Food Face Off, Grain of the Week, Health, Local, Meghan Telpner, Recipes, Restaurant, Toronto, Vegetarian, organic. Tags: , , , , , , , , .

4 Comments Add your own

  • 1. vegetarianperspective  |  January 17, 2009 at 9:10 pm

    Check out http://vegetarianperspective.wordpress.com
    I’m trying to convert in my own sweet way!

  • 2. Breanna  |  January 18, 2009 at 4:48 pm

    Hey liz, I’m glad you and your friend enjoyed it! I would have felt a bit bad if you hadn’t!

    I agree – i was sketched out a bit on the meat in quotations, but it tastes surprisingly good and very similar to the real stuff.
    I think they have it because a lot of chinese dishes rely so heavily on meat – and additionally i think its supposed to signify that it represents the same nutrients meat offers.

    The fake meat is a good way to also break in carnivorous boys. I took a boy there who rarely eats vegetables (brings a whole new meaning to the term meat head), and he loved it.

  • 3. Jen  |  January 18, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    I totally agree with your fake meat views, Lizzie. I usually dislike foods that too closely resemble meat; it wasn’t taste that made me become vegetarian, so I’m not exactly sure why this is, other than perhaps because I start thinking about the dubious chemical “feats” that make these products taste like meat.

    About veg restaurants, although my experience of them is admittedly quite limited, I find that those with an Asian theme are sometimes a bit disappointing in the food department. Most “regular” restaurants featuring Asian cuisine have a number of vegetarian offerings anyway (although fish sauce can be an issue), prepared to a high standard that veg restaurants can’t always match. I guess what I’m saying is that if I’m going to eat the same thing anyway, I’d rather go to a really fantastic restaurant.

    But of course, this isn’t meant to be a blanket statement, and I am looking forward to checking out all the suggestions from the other day :)

    In the non-veg-but-veg-friendly restaurant category, I highly recommend one of my absolute favourite restaurants, Thai Paradise on Baldwin. It is very inexpensive, but also really pretty and date-worthy inside. The staff are very knowledgeable about veg options on and off the menu. Another good option is Cafe Asia on Front at Jarvis. It too is cheap and while a bit more casual than Thai Paradise, it has a pretty cool vibe and delicious food.

    By the way, I made your dahl recipe a few nights ago. I don’t have a slow cooker, so it may have come out a bit differently, but either way it was wonderful! Thanks for sharing the recipe :)

  • 4. eremnedly  |  January 25, 2009 at 2:59 am

    But not all processes are the same!
    http://remnd.we.bs

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Grain of the Week: MILLET is a tiny, round grain that can be white, gray, yellow or red. Like barley, it can be pearled and hulled, but it can also be cracked and this is often how it is found in cereals. Millet is a great source of phosphorous and magnesium. Phosphorus plays a roll in virtually every cell in the body. Phosphorus also helps the body to metabolise fats. A cup of cooked millet provides approximately 24.0% of the daily phosphorus needs. Plain, cooked (boiled) millet can be a bit bland--be sure to season your millet well.

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