Latest trip to Athens

I have finally jumped through all of the graduate school hoops at Ohio University, and after turning in my final final final thesis draft, I ambled around Athens eating and drinking everything in site in celebration of completion.

My lunch was a veggie Mama grande burrito from Big Mama's Burritos. Big Mama's is a West Coast-style burrito outpost owned by Ohio University grad Quinn Schaller. The flagship veggie burrito can be made with a selection of toppings. I chose black beans, hot salsa, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and onions. Burritos are available large and small. Unless you possess a prodigious appetite like I do, a grande burrito is a filling lunch.

I also walked past Killer Tomato, Schaller's new salad bar/pasta concept. This menu looks very vegetarian-friendly. First, if a vegan or vegetarian can't eat at a salad bar, they probably need to reconsider their dietary choices. Second, the pasta dishes are also vegetarian optional, so Killer Tomato looks like an interesting herbivorous safe haven, much like Big Mama's.

A-Town Pies and Fries is another newcomer to the Court Street landscape. Parked across the way from the famous Burrito Buggy, A-Town sells New York-style pizza and thick-cut French fries. The French fries are labeled vegan, which I'm guessing means that they aren't fried in the same oil as chicken. The pizza is decent but hardly spectacular, and it might have trouble competing with Goodfellas pizza-by-the-slice (which is slightly cheaper pizza) or Avalanche (which is immeasurably better pizza). Only time will tell (The Post article linked earlier in the paragraph also discusses the differences in charges for buggies on different sides of Union Street, which is actually pretty interesting).

Back on the subject of Avalanche Pizza, I needed to stop by my favorite Athens pizza place while I was in town. Owner John Gutenkast is currently in Italy to compete in the World Pizza Championships in Italy according to a Columbus Dispatch article. Since Gutenkast might be out of town (and because I promised to order a sandwich in a previous post), I decided to order the veggie boulder sandwich. This sandwich is about half the size of your head, constructed on three layers of thick bread with onions, peppers, black olives, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, onions, melted cheese and pesto sauce. This sandwich is a full meal for $6.49.

I also stopped in Jackie O's, Athens' brew pub, to check the taps. Jackie O's expanded its offerings of drafts from other breweries to supplement the brew pub beers. The barrel-aged honey ale slumbered in Woodford Reserve bourbon casks. The flavor starts off with a flowery, malty and molasses-driven sweetness that is tempered by a robust smokiness and a bracing hoppy bitterness that peaks out through the layers of flavor. The color is deep brown and the carbonation dissipates quickly. With 12% alcohol, this is a sipper and not a chugger. Jackie O's makes great beers, and if you get a chance to enjoy their menu (which includes many vegetarian options and a green pizza made out of recycled spent grains from the brewing process), you should do so.

Latest Athens Trip

New Salaam Location

Salaam in Athens should have their new location operating very soon.

From an email and the Web site:

Come for dinner at "old Salaam" this weekend; it's the last chance you'll get, as we're closing there at the end of the evening on Saturday! We're working feverishly to have the new space at 21 W. Washington ready to open on MONDAY, APRIL 6th.

Athens Trip

I have spent a little time in Athens. In previous posts, I have written about general good vegetarian eateries in Athens, Ohio Brew Week (in two parts), Star of India, Purple Chopstix, Avalanche Pizza, Salaam (which is slowly but surely changing locations), Mistretta's, and half a million posts on Casa Nueva. It will be half a million and one when I'm finished here, but first I'll cover a few other favorites lurking in the Appalachian foothills.

I stopped into Donkey Coffee on Washington Street. Donkey is pretty much the cream of the Athens coffee crop. The varietal coffees offer as much quality as the espressos, cappuccinos and the other coffee beverages. The food is also from a series of local establishments and tastes delicious when washed down with hot coffee.

I never thought to go to O'Betty's Red Hot in Uptown Athens before for one simple reason...I'm a vegetarian, and O'Betty's is a hot dog joint. Then one afternoon, I saw my vegan friend coming out of O'Betty's, and I thought I had busted him. It turns out they have a vegan hot dog that can be prepared in a variety of ways. I went with the Salome (pictured above), a Chicago-style veggie dog delicious enough to make the Superdawg go vegan. It comes with nuclear green relish, yellow mustard, tomato chunks, onions, sport peppers and celery salt.

And of course, I always have to go to Casa Nueva every time I'm in Athens. Casa Nueva is a locavore's delight, with seasonal offerings that highlight the regional bounty. The infused vodkas are amazing (coffee and vanilla bean infused soy milk white Russians, anybody?). The cocktails are great. There are many local brews, including Athens' own Jackie O's and Marietta Brewing.

I started with the guacamole and chips. The guacamole won Casa's annual Guac-Off (where a local recipe becomes part of the menu after a vote), and it was made with avocados, cilantro, lime juice and local cayenne peppers. It was tasty. I also got the broccoli, cheese and fresh sage soup. Instead of being a goopy Velveeta broth with soggy broccoli strewn throughout the dish, Casa Nueva's version of broccoli cheese soup was in a vegetable base with huge chunks of broccoli, sage leaves, onions, carrots and sprinkles of organic white cheddar, served with a side of corn bread. The soup was flavorful, understated and comforting.

My entree was a winter seasonal enchilada. It was skin-on mashed potatoes with melted white cheddar cheese and a four-chili relish in a corn tortilla with onions and marinated peanut tofu in a garlic black bean salsa. Yes, it was even better than it sounds.

I also rolled past a few other veggie favorites in Athens (Big Mamma's Burritos and the Veggie Mamma Grande, the Burrito Buggy and the black bean and rice burrito with tofu, Bagel Street Deli and the steamed bagel and tofu sandwiches, Brenen's and the multitude of veggie soups and sandwiches, and the Pita Pit's falafel pita with hot sauce and tzatsiki). I have to stop in a few more times before I finish school. I'll add some more updates, and I'll definitely order an Avalanche Pizza Veggie Boulder sandwich on a return visit.

Athens Trip

Casa Nueva's fall enchilada is delicious

Seriously, what else can I say? Just about everything made at Casa Nueva is delicious. I shouldn't have expected less from the fall offerings. The autumnal enchilada is made with spinach, scallions, mushrooms, carrots, lettuce and jack cheese. I chose the marinated tofu as my main ingredient. It was topped with a delicious apple salsa. If this looks good, you can also check out my previous musings about Casa, one of Athens' finest restaurants.

Random vegetarian links

If you are a vegetarian who has to be stowed away in a small Ohio town, there are worse places to be sent than Athens, Ohio. Home of the Ohio University Bobcats, Athens is a college town with a decidedly hippie flair, and one of the fringe benefits to the patchouli set is that they create a need for plentiful vegetarian dining options. I'll place a few links with descriptions below for the best options in this Appalachian town.

• Casa Nueva -- This cooperative features vegetarian items made with organic and sustainable produce. They infuse their own vodka and offer many micro brews on draft and in bottle. This place is a vegetarian Bobcat's best friend, and it also features menu options for their carnivorous companions.
• Purple Chopstix -- This restaurant offers ethnic food from all over creation as a result of the establishment's owners working at every type of eatery under the sun. It's also BYOB, allowing you to bring your own refreshments to dinner.
• Skipper's -- A cross between a sports bar and a West coast T.G.I. Friday's, Skipper's could also described as having tons of draft beer as well as a plethora of food for vegetarians. They get the extra A+ for marking all vegetarian items on the menu with a convenient "V."
• Salaam -- They're moving over the summer, but Salaam produces excellent quality Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food in a cool environment, sometimes with accompanying belly dancers.

There are also a number of restaurants that aren't majority vegetarian that still offer great food for vegetarians, such as...

• Stephen's -- A restaurant with Italian, Mediterranean, American, French, Spanish and Thai options, Stephen's will satisfy vegetarians and carnivores alike.
• 7 Sauces -- This place is in a similar vein as Stephen's. The food is better than it's college-geared neighbors. They probably aim for professors and parents on visiting weekends to generate most of their business.

There are also many fast food places aimed at those who eat food without a face.

• Avalanche Pizza -- Avalanche Pizza makes the best pie in Ohio (sorry Hound Dog's and Adriatico's fanatics). They make vegetarian and vegan pizzas as well as a giant veggie sandwich that can be ordered with a pest dip that is absolutely delicious.
• Big Mamma's Burritos -- The Veggie Mamma Grande is delicious, but be warned--if you remove the foil from the football-sized monstrosity, the giant burrito will explode.
• Burrito Buggy -- This place is the answer for your lack-of-spare-time (or 3 am drunken haze) dining needs. Plan accordingly.
• O'Betty's Red Hot -- Shhh!!! Don't let your meat-eating friends see you coming out of this hot dog joint. They might find out that O'Betty's makes vegetarian and vegan hot dogs.
• Pita Pit -- Pita Pit makes massive stuffed pita sandwiches filled with a variety of items (I like falafel). They are also open fairly late.

There are a number of other cool places in town (Lui Lui, the Oak Room, Bagel Street Deli, The Union, Star of India, et al.). Check out 45701.com, various vegetarian sites and the local Web site as well as other channels for more information.