Per Zoot

Per Zoot serves Italian sandwiches out of a little white school bus. Sandwiches are made on a tigelle, a thick Italian halved biscuit.

The vegetarian sandwich was roasted eggplant, red onion, asparagus and parmesan cheese. The eggplant had excellent texture and displayed sweet flavors balanced by smoke. It came with a side of green beans.

The sandwich at Per Zoot was fairly priced. I ended up eating two sandwiches in order to make a satisfying meal but spent only $10.

The bus looks great. It's red and white with Cupid worked into the design.

The Burrito Bus

Fans of Athens' favorite food cart the Burrito Buggy will find plenty to like at the Burrito Bus. Steve Stone and the rest of the staff turn out a variety of Mexican favorites.

Almost anything on the menu is available with a vegan or vegetarian preparation. The meatless protein is a marinated tofu. It was a spicy Cajun tofu when I visited the Burrito Bus.

The Burrito Bus offered burritos, tacos, a burrito bowl and nachos. Much like Chipotle, items can be customized by selecting toppings.

The Hot Mama Burrito is rolled with one end open. It is stuffed with the tofu, rice, black beans, lettuce, tomato, onions, salsa, cheese, sour cream and jalepeños.

The tacos are quite large. They were made with the same ingredients as the burrito minus the rice and beans.

This truck definitely has potential for lunches and late-night eats. The Burrito Bus can be followed on the usual social media suspects.

Dempsey's Restaurant

Dempsey's Restaurant opened more than a week ago on South High Street near the Courthouse. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Dempsey's should fit in well amongst its legal environs considering owner Mark Dempsey previously worked as Director of the Franklin County Clerk of Courts office in one of his many government jobs. The decor is classic, and service was capable and brisk for the working crowd.

The menus were developed by Chef Noah Yates. Yates is a graduate of the Hocking Culinary Institute and previously worked at the Refectory. While the menu isn't heavy on vegetarian fare, the staff addressed all vegetarian concerns and did an excellent job communicating with the kitchen. Vegans are mostly out of luck.

The breakfast menu has a variety of French toasts and pancakes as well as omelets and home fries. Coffee is roasted at Impero.

Lunch and dinner feature sandwiches, salads and various comfort food classics.

The grilled portabella sandwich comes on a brioche bun with roasted red peppers, mozzarella cheese, a basil balsamic dressing, romaine lettuce, tomato and onion. All of the ingredients were excellent, although the sandwich might have benefited from additional seasoning.

The veggie melt is prepared on Texas toast and stuffed with spinach, red peppers, portabella mushrooms, onions, mozzarella, provolone and pesto sauce. This was by far the better of the two vegetarian sandwiches.

There is a full bar at Dempsey's. While they are still ironing out some of the kinks after opening, it should still provide a decent, inexpensive breakfast and lunch option.

Street Thyme

Street Thyme is the latest food truck to hit the streets of Columbus. Although the focus is burgers, vegetarians need not fear: Street Thyme also makes a damned good veggie burger.

The Owner of Street Thyme, Steven Zeppetella, is the sous chef at Elevator. This menu gives him a chance to work with items that are more informal than those at Elevator.

All of the burgers at Street Thyme, including the veggie burger, are doubles. Burgers are served on a toasted Klosterman's bun.

The veggie burger, called the High Street Herbivore, is a house made patty with lentils, chickpeas and corn as well as a variety of other vegetables with a curried yogurt condiment. The texture is soft, and the flavor is bright and fresh.

The tater tots are dusted in barbecue spices. The outside of the tots was crispy, and the shredded potatoes are a great canvas to bring out its nuanced smoky flavors.

Street Thyme has a rotating cast of milkshake flavors. The Butterfinger banana shake was a match made in heaven. The other flavor was strawberry rhubarb.

Street Thyme keeps a schedule on its website. Like most other food trucks, they can be located on Twitter and Facebook.