Whole World

In honor of the scientific community linking meat production to global warming, dinner this evening comes from Columbus' oldest vegetarian restaurant Whole World. The Clintonville establishment has been serving carbon conscious cuisine (ok, I'll stop with the eco-friendly references before they become trite and meaningless) since 1978.

Whole World serves many vegan selections. Most items can be ordered with any variation of the vegetarian dietary requirements observed. The dining area is small, seating 25 tops. The neighborhood crowd seems to order a lot of takeout. There is no liquor license at the establishment, and I did not inquire as to whether I could BMOB (which is the first person conjugation of BYOB).

There are many different pizzas available at Whole World. They have vegan soy cheese available, as well as whole wheat crust. Pizzas come in three sizes (9 inch, 12 inch and 15 inch). Specialty pizzas include the herb and guacamole, which is a vegan-optional cheese pizza topped with guacamole, tomatoes, sprouts and sunflower seeds. There is also a very interesting option in the Oregon Apple, another vegan-possible pizza made with apple sauce, sliced apples, raisins, seasoning, sunflower seeds and optional cheese. In addition, there are Southwestern and Greek pizzas.

Appetizers include salads, hummus plates and vegan soups that change regularly. On my visit, there was Spinach Peanut, Hearty Vegetable, Mushroom Rice and Tuscan White Bean soup. The salad dressings include vegan Asian sesame, herb and tahini dressings alongside the lacto-vegetarian selections that include creamy garlic (which is delicious) and sweet and sour mustard. There are also nachos, which naturally also can be made vegan or vegetarian.

There are a ton of sandwiches. Whole World offers the piecemeal Broccoli Burger, which is a patty concocted of brown rice, broccoli, onions, bread crumbs, spices and a touch of peanut butter served on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato and onion. Somehow, the synergistic combination of ingredients propels the sandwich to success. Other interesting options include the tofu sloppy joe and Deb's on Black, a baked sandwich that has mushrooms, green peppers, zucchini, colby, provolone and Swiss cheese on black bread served with tomato, avocado, mustard and sprouts. Sandwiches can be made into a platter with organic blue tortilla chips and a dill pickle for $2.

The daily specials included a Spinach Tofu pocket served with a choice of soup, a Mediterranean cous cous salad, a three bean burger and veggie meatloaf sandwich. The bakery also produces an assortment of desserts, including a chocolate peppermint pie, a vegan raspberry tart and a blueberry streusel along with cookies. If I wasn't such a fat bastard and a diabetic, I probably would have eaten the whole case of savory looking confections. As it was I was eating salad and a sandwich was no sides in a pathetic attempt to lose the spare tire that is my abdomen. But if you're looking for some delectable vegan treats, Whole World has them in droves.

The service this night suffered from a shorthanded staff. Customers waited for some time to get tables. This suggested that having a takeout menu and calling your order ahead might be a superior alternative to waiting to eat in house.

There are pictures of my dinner, the restaurant, the neighborhood and the dog in the handy dandy Picasa slideshow below. Check out the photos and check out the restaurant, if for no other reason then the fact that science says it's the ethically responsible way to eat.

Whole World 1