The Suburban Herbivore

It’s been years since I’ve been to Margaret’s Cantina in Chapel Hill. And I don’t know why. They have multiple options for vegetarians, including - my favorite - the tempeh burrito. It tasted exactly like I remembered - absolutely delicious. They also have a new (at least, new to me) item on their menu: Vegetarian Posole. I would have totally gotten this if my mouth hadn’t already been set on the burrito.

Now, on to the more interesting part.

About halfway through the meal, I suddenly noticed what was hanging on the wall right next to me - a large photo entitled Sharkslayer. It was a black and white photo of someone on the beach holding three dead little sharks. (Dogfish, I think.) Those of you who know me know of my deep and abiding fear of sharks, but I honestly don’t wish them dead. I’m afraid of sharks, but I don’t hate them. And of course, I find photos of dead animals to be in extremely poor taste.

After about ten minutes of alternately shielding my eyes from inadvertently catching the eye of the dead little shark and outright staring at the photo, I finally asked the server if she could possibly take it down. “Oh, is he looking at you?” she asked. I pathetically nodded, and she reached over and removed the photo. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and went on with my meal. But I think the image of the dead sharks will stay with me for a while.

While the Durham Bulls performed excellently yesterday, I was very disappointed to find that Flying Burrito is now absent from the DBAP. Flying Burrito offered fat-free burritos, which was basically their Flying Mayan (black beans and sweet potato) and I believe they had the Flying Vegetarian burrito as well.

They’ve been replaced by Tortilla Junction, which does have pinto bean and cheese burritos. I did not confirm if these were vegetarian or not, because I just can’t eat pinto beans. Very bad things happen if I do. I did confirm, however, that they don’t offer anything with black beans.

So, off I went to find something else for lunch. I ended up with a $4 veggie hot dog on a whole wheat bun. I am still pleased that veggie fare is available at the stadium, but the loss of Flying Burrito nearly moved me to tears.

Today was my first time going to Toast since I started my blog, so it’s time to add to the accolades it’s already received. Located in the Five Points area of downtown Durham, Toast’s menu highlights locally-baked bread and locally-grown produce.

One of their two daily soups is always vegetarian, and there are currently three veg-friendly sandwiches (paninis) on the menu: Kale, Ricotta, and Sweet/Hot Peppers; Egg, Tallegio, and Chive; and three-cheese. I haven’t tried the three-cheese, but the other two are wonderful. The kale panini is particularly great for the simple reason that there is nothing else around like it. Too often, vegetarian sandwiches equate to lettuce, tomato, and cheese, plus some array of condiments.

Toast offers a variety of vegetarian crostini. Today’s special was strawberries (from Eco Farm), goat cheese, and balsamic vinegar, and was very yummy. They also have breakfast, though I have not tried it out yet.

Toast is definitely a welcome addition to Main Street, and I will be going back many times!

I’d like to start off by saying something good about this place. The servers were really nice and attentive. And I was pleased that they had several vegetarian choices on the menu. There. That’s all I’ve got.

The food was bland and boring. I ordered the wrapini, which came with black beans and some kind of possibly pickled vegetable, though neither was actually listed as an ingredient on the menu. It was supposed to have cilantro rice and cheese, but did not. I get concerned when the menu appears to list the ingredients for an entree, and then it actually is made differently.

The “pico de gallo” was absolutely tasteless, and was made with green bell peppers, not any kind of hot pepper. Though I didn’t sample it, the portabella mushroom sandwich was described by a lunch cohort as “okay”. I could have also ordered a salad. I believe those were the choices for me.

So if you find yourself on Main Street near East Campus and are so starving that you have to stop, you will be able to eat here. But I’d advise you to keep walking if you can. You should at least be able to make it to the Federal.