Michael Mina Pub 1842

Pub 1842 is Michael Mina's pub, located in the MGM Grand The District shops. The San Francisco chef with a global empire makes classic bar fare here with modern twists and a few Mediterranean accents. The bar has a decent selection of beer and great cocktails to enjoy with the burger-centric menu.

The restaurant is named for the year pilsner was first brewed. The grill is a sight to behold, lowered by a pulley system over a roaring flame. The atmosphere is sports bar with a refined spin.

The hummus is served with grilled pita and about any fresh or pickled vegetable imaginable. It had great roasted garlic notes.

The falafel burger is speared with pepperoncini and pickles and dressed in tzatziki sauce. The house fries are fried in duck fat, but vegetarian fries are available by request.

Zorba the Greek

Zorba the Greek is a carry-out Greek and Mediterranean restaurant in a dingy strip mall in West Mobile. Its humble setting doesn't prevent Zorba from offering fresh Mediterranean fare accompanied by service with personality.

Vegetarian options at Zorba the Greek include staples like hummus, grape leaves, spinach pie and falafel. Portions are adequate and prices are low.

The hummus was flecked with parsley and drizzled with a spicy ribbon of harissa. It was accompanied by an enormous quantity of pita.

The falafel sandwich was stuffed with lettuce, tomato and onions in tahini. The discs of falafel were well seasoned and had a nice textural contrast between the crispy exterior and the soft insides. The pita was thick and provided a good vehicle to deliver the sandwich and all its dressing. It was served with a side of saffron rice.

The owner of Zorba is an affable gentleman who knows all his customers by name. If he doesn't know you by name, he learns what you like pretty quickly.

There is limited seating at Zorba. It is an easy spot for a quick lunch. Overall, its quality was superior to that of its neighbor Ollie's, although its menu was somewhat smaller.

Zorba's

Lashish the Greek

Lashish the Greek is a bustling little Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurant on Bethel Road. It adds another layer of international flair to a strip mall that already has Indian, Vietnamese and Korean storefronts.

The proprietor of the restaurant is a affable host that does a great job with vegetarian and vegan diners. Although seating is limited, the kitchen keeps a busy pace that doesn't keep patrons waiting long.

The menu at Lashish is awash in freshly prepared Greek and Middle Eastern classics like hummus, baba ghanoush, spanakopita, stuffed grape leaves, Greek salad, tabbouleh and falafel. The pastry/dessert case looks absolutely divine.

The lentil vegetable soup had chunks of carrots, potatoes and celery in a mild broth with soft brown lentils. The soup is a delightful hybrid of vegetable soup and veggie chili with a Mediterranean flair.

The spanakopita displayed an artful talent for the phyllo dough arts. The perfectly constructed pie was light with a faint crispiness and a burst of flavor. The spinach filling highlights the best flavors in the leafy green. The spinach pie at Lashish the Greek beats the tar out of the frozen garbage served at less reputable Greek restaurants.

The baba ghanoush was smoky with faint hints of garlic and citrus. The soft, puffy pita bread was appropriately allocated to scoop up all of the eggplant dip.

Lashish the Greek has three different falafel sandwiches. There is a standard falafel sandwich with tahini, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. The Greek vegetarian pita has falafel, banana peppers, kalamata olives, cucumber, onions and lettuce in tzatziki sauce. The Mediterranean vegetarian pita is slathered in hummus and stuffed with falafel, fried cauliflower, eggplant and potatoes in an herbed sauce.

The falafel has a hint of spiciness, and it had a pleasant green-colored interior. The pitas are stuffed to capacity.

Lashish the Greek is a great experience. The combination of friendly service and reasonable prices should make it a destination for vegetarians.

Lashish the Greek

Loops

Loops is a new casual faux-Greek restaurant in Upper Arlington. The menu is small and gyro-focused, but the limited vegetarian choices are well made and delicious.

The concept of Loops is loosely based on Chicago's subway system. There are a veggie wrap, spanakopita, hummus, baba ghannoush, feta dip, tzatziki, fries and a couple of salads on the menu.

I'm always vaguely suspicious of a place that only has one vegetarian sandwich. It almost seems to me like these places throw veggie options on the menu as an afterthought. This is not the case at Loops.

The veggie wrap consists of a warm pita stuffed with griddled peppers, onions, mushroom, tomato, cucumber, cabbage, carrots and lettuce with a choice of sauces that include tzatziki, hotziki (spicy cucumber dip), baba, hummus or feta dip. The veggies were perfectly cooked, and the wrap turned out perfectly.

The hummus had hints of garlic and citrus. It was served with warm pita bread. Overall, the hummus was somewhat pedestrian and unspectacular.

The fries, on the other hand, were great. They were fried crispy and sprinkled with a blend of herbs and cheeses. The fries were fried to a perfect consistency and burst with flavor.

Loops offers fast-casual service. The inside of the restaurant is accented with metal and decorated with televisions. There is ample outdoor patio seating.

Prices at Loops are inexpensive. While there aren't scores of options for vegetarian diners, the few choices are surprisingly successful.

Loops

Greek Corner

Greek Corner is a tastefully appointed Greek restaurant in Upper Arlington. The UA location is the second Greek Corner; the first is located on Dublin Granville Road in Dublin. As with most Greek restaurants, Greek Corner features a wide variety of appetizers and entrees for vegetarian diners.

Having never been to the Dublin location of Greek Corner, it is difficult for me to compare the two locations. The Upper Arlington location is intimate. The interior showcases wood accents, and there is ample bar seating.

Greek Corner utilizes one of my favorite vegetarian helpers: all vegetarian dishes are marked with a double asterisk. Vegetarian starters include spanakopita, saganaki, Italian eggplant, falafel, hummus, skordalia and a Greek salad. Vegetarian entrees include many sandwiches, such as a falafel pita, a veggie pita and a veggie panini, as well as entrees like stuffed peppers and vegetarian Greek pasta.

I tried a few different starters. The skordalia showcased deep garlic flavors and a light, whipped potato character. It paired well with the warm pita triangles. The only complaint I had was that the potatoes were whipped a little too heavily, making the dip somewhat airy. The flavor, however, was excellent.

The saganaki, a classic dish, was very good. The cheese was hot, and the lemon juice used to quell the flames added a subtle citrus note to the flavor profile.

The Greek salad was typical of the style. It was made with feta cheese and kalamata olives in the classic Greek style.

The vegetarian stuffed pepper, while it is not the most traditional Greek dish, was prepared with enough Greek accents to give it a Hellenic flair. The pepper was stuffed with tomato, red pepper, rice and feta cheese, and it was served with a side of steamed, mixed vegetables. The dish was fresh, flavorful and delicious.

Greek Corner has a full bar, and they offer a wide variety of Greek wines and beers. Business seems to be busier at lunchtime than at dinner.

Greek Corner

Little Palace

Little Palace re-opened recently after a long remodeling process by new ownership. The new crew also operates Club 185 on Livingston and the Rossi in the Short North, two places with a focus on comfort food and bar staples that have been added to the menu at Little Palace.

While the famous neon sign stayed on the exterior, the inside has been tastefully remodeled. The bar also benefits from a fix-up that also added a few microbrew selections.

There are not a ton of options for vegetarians at Little Palace. The main choices are a couple of individually sized pizzas and a stromboli. There are also appetizers and salads.

I started with the garlic bread, which was four thick triangles of white bread, smothered in butter, garlic and melted cheese. It was served with a lightly herbed tomato sauce. The quality of the garlic bread was somewhat lacking; it was either slightly too expensive or could have been prepared with better quality ingredients. I would opt for the salad on another visit.

The vegetarian stromboli, however, suffered none of the shortcomings of the garlic bread. The beautifully browned half moon shell was stuffed with mozzarella cheese, cremini mushrooms, red onions, green olives and fresh jalapeño peppers. When paired with the tomato sauce, it was absolutely delightful.

The individual pizzas are about the size of a dinner plate and are made with a hand-stretched crust. Vegetarian options include cheese, bianco and Margherita.

Little Palace is open late seven days a week. It should provide yet another late-night dining option for residents in and around the Central Business District.

Little Palace

Dan's Drive In

Dan's Drive-In is the quintessential American diner. Full of kitschy knick knacks alongside a menu full of breakfast items and Greek fare, Dan's delivers exactly what one would expect when walking through the front door.

In some ways this is a good thing; and in others, it's not so much.

The decor of the restaurant is actually quite charming. The place used to be a car hop, and the parking lot reflects this. The walls are covered in pictures of Elvis and other classic depictions of wistful nostalgia.

Like most diners, the focus at Dan's is on breakfast food. Vegetarians should take note: there are tons of items on the menu that are suitable for ovo-vegetarians (omelets, skillet scrambles and breakfast sandwiches). I'm not big on eggs, so you'll have to check these items out on your own.

However, aside from the egg-tastic choices on the menu, there are other items available that are suitable for vegetarians. Choices include three different Greek-style pasta dishes, French toast, pancakes, a veggie sandwich and a hummus pita wrap. There are many vegetarian side dishes like fries, onion rings (which were tasty), poppers, hummus and tzatziki. Dan's also gets bonus points for labeling the vegetarian choices on the menu.

While the prices are low and the service is friendly, the quality of the food can be somewhat hit-or-miss.

The pasta dishes come with garlic bread and salad. Both sides were exceptionally mediocre. The salad consisted of iceberg lettuce, green peppers, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. The dressing was overly viscous and borderline slimy. The garlic bread was essentially garlic-dusted toast.

The Greek pasta has slightly more redeeming characteristics. A decent portion of spaghetti was served in a tomato sauce with onions, green peppers, kalamata olives and a liberal dose of feta cheese. This dish is pretty much the safety net for most vegetarians in Greek restaurants nationwide. Dan's version is decent if unspectacular.

Despite my protestations, Dan's seems to do a pretty brisk business. The dining room is full of a rotating cast of South Side regulars.

While the place isn't exactly the type of establishment I could enthusiastically endorse, the menu does have a pretty wide variety of choices for vegetarians. If you're in the neighborhood, it will do in a pinch.

Dan's Drive In

Hellas Grill Express

Hellas Grill is a no-frills take-out place that specializes in the Hellenic staple, the gyro. Luckily for vegetarians, Hellas also makes veggie gyros and a number of other meatless Greek options that pack a pile of flavor into a very modest price.

The menu at Hellas Grill Express is somewhat strange in that it features Greek favorites alongside pizzas and subs. Vegetarian pizza options are the mixed veggie and the Margherita. There is also a veggie sub made with tzatziki.

However, considering the fact that I was headed to an establishment whose name is derived from the nation of Greece, I did the proper thing and limited my order to Eastern Mediterranean fare.

The spanakopita was tasty, although it seemed like it was a pre-fab, frozen spinach pie rather than the fresh variety. Considering that it cost $2.50, it was at least passable.

The falafel gyro, on the other hand, was outstanding. The falafel was made with chickpeas as well as fresh veggies including green peppers and onions. It was topped with lettuce, tomato, red onion and tzatziki sauce and served in fat pita bread. Although the falafel gyro was a daily special, it showed that the veggie gyro would also be pretty tasty.

I also have to give the staff at Hellas credit at addressing vegetarian concerns. I asked about the falafel gyro, and the gentleman explained the dish using to word vegetarian three times without me even uttering the v-word. That was more than enough to assure me that like most Greek restaurants, Hellas is a safe place for vegetarians to grab take-out fare.

Prices at Hellas are inexpensive. My bill was about $7.50. From walking in the door to paying the bill, I was at Hellas for 20 minutes.

Hellas Greek Express

Easy Street Cafe

Easy Street Cafe is a diner/bar located in German Village on Thurman Avenue. Easy Street prepares breakfast lunch and dinner that is rooted in American and Greek traditions.

Easy Street is decorated with standard neighborhood restaurant imagery that invokes memories of a bygone era. The crowd can go from sparse to busy depending on the hour in which you arrive.

The combination of Greek food with American diner fare is less strange than it seems at first because the pairing is rooted in American history. Many Greek immigrants achieved the American dream by working in and owning American diners, all the while maintaining the cultural practices of their Hellenic homeland. This link is evident at Easy Street.

The Greek classics like saganaki, gyros and spanakopita are available from Easy Street, as are standard diner items like omelettes, sandwiches and pizza. Pizzas are half-priced on Monday nights.

I started with the Greek quesadilla. This dish wrapped classic Greek ingredients like feta and kasseri cheese, kalamata olives, spinach, tomatoes and red onions in an equally famous Mexican package. It comes with tzatziki dip, and the flavors are savory, fresh and delicious.

My main dish was the veggie gyro. Kalamata olives, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki sauce are stuffed into a thick, warm pita bread. It is served with a side of potato chips. I added the optional hummus filling to the sandwich for an extra dollar, and it gives the gyro a great peppery note.

Other vegetarian items on the menu include a Mediterranean pizza, grilled cheese, and a mixed Mediterranean platter.

The bar has a nice selection of beer and liquor with a limited complement of wines. I am particularly fond of the seasonal Great Lakes tap, which at this time is the beguiling Nosferatu.

Easy Street Cafe

The Mad Greek

The Mad Greek is a bustling little Greek spot located in the outer limits known as Whitehall. As with most Greek restaurants (and contrary to My Big Fat Greek Wedding), The Mad Greek features many options for vegetarian diners.

Vegetarian appetizers include veggie grape leaves, eggplant salad, hummus, tzatziki, spanakopita, skordalia, cheese and olives, and many different salads. Vegetarian main courses include veggie grape leaves, Greek pasta and a mixed vegetarian combo platter.

The spanakopita was tender and flavorful. The pastry was flecked with soft feta cheese, and the earthiness of the spinach marries well with the cheese.

The vegetarian combo has many pita triangles cut to scoop up the hummus and eggplant salad. There is also a fresh tabouli and two sesame-seed coated pieces of falafel. The eggplant salad is a delicious mix of roasted eggplants and red peppers, olive oil, garlic and walnuts. The tabouli was a perfect combination of cracked wheat, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato and onion. It tasted far more fresh than the average tabouli that has been sitting in the fridge all day. The hummus and falafel were also well done.

There is a fairly broad dessert menu. It includes Greek staples like baklava and classic favorites like cheesecake.

Diners have the option of eating in the restaurant or they can use the carry-out counter in the front of the store. The festive dining room with its loud depictions of the Greek coastline is a choice, as is the small outdoor patio which should remain in use until fall tramples outdoor dining probabilities.

The Mad Greek

Jimmy V's Grill and Pub

I took too long to walk over to Jimmy V's and I was beaten to the press by Columbus Alive. But they dropped the ball by not discussing vegetarian dining options at the Brewery District enclave, so I can at least add something to the discussion.

Jimmy V's Grill and Bar is a restaurant and bar with roomy patio accommodations. The menu is mainly Greek food, but there are sandwiches and pasta dishes if Greek food isn't your thing.

There are tons of vegetarian starters. Saganaki, hummus, grape leaves and skordalia are four of the meatless appetizers. There are also a number of meatless salads. In addition to pasta dishes, there are also veggie gyros available as main courses.

I sampled the cold appetizer platter. It had garlicky hummus, even more garlicky skordalia (a cold potato and garlic dip) and an olive, red peppers and feta cheese dip with vegetarian grape leaves. It was all served with warm pita and a trough of tzatsiki. The plate could easily be shared by two or three people.

The veggie panini has the requisite grill marks. It is made with a mozzarella cheese, spinach, red peppers and onions. It is served with a choice of chips, fries, onion rings or one of the scores of other sides.

Jimmy V's features a large selection of domestic and imported macro brews with a variety of happy hour specials. There is also a cocktail menu with a standard list of sugar shock martinis.

Jimmy V's

The Happy Greek

The Happy Greek is nestled in the campus gentrification project that is the South Campus Gateway (there is also a location in the Short North, but I visited the Northernmost location). They feature a number of Greek and other Mediterranean options in a wooden and steel dining room that also includes outdoor seating.

Happy Greek scores points for my favorite vegetarian technique--labeling the vegetarian items on the menu. Greek restaurants typically feature a few vegetarian options, and when the menu is rounded out with hummus and baba as they are at the Happy Greek, vegetarian diners are challenged by an army of choices.

There are a great variety of starters, but when presented with the option of flaming cheese, how could I order anything else. Saganaki is Kefalograviera (a mild Greek cheese) engulfed in 151 Rum flames. The dish is rooted in Chicago's Greek Town, and the delicious bubbling cheese is sure to leave a smile on your face as well as an amazed look at the tables of your neighbors. Special note: I shot a short video of the flaming cheese. It's sideways, but you can at least get a feel for the experience. Or check out this better video of the same experience.

As with the starters, the main course options for vegetarians are numerous at the Happy Greek. I selected the veggie pastitsio, a Greek lasagna in a tomato basil-cream sauce. The noodles have zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, celery and herbs layered between them, with bechamel, cheese and tomato sauce dripping between the stacked pasta. The plate is topped with a layer of fresh herbs, and it is deliciously satisfying.

I can't speak for the quality of the other location, as I have only eaten at the campus location. The Happy Greek does feature a great selection of vegetarian food for those looking for meatless eats with a Hellenic flair, so I imagine both locations are worth checking out.

Happy Greek

Tria Greek Kuzina

Tria is located in Powell. There is only one reasonable way to get to Powell, and if it's rush hour, that way is a disaster. Despite the circa 1879 traffic design that makes the trip a bit of a headache, Tria is well worth the trip out to Powell.

Tria offers traditional Greek and other Mediterranean fare, prepared in an authentic fashion with high quality ingredients. There is saganaki (flaming cheese) exploding all over the place (and of course I had to try it to satisfy my inner pyro).

The vegetarian entrees are mostly Greek pasta dishes made with varying combinations of fresh vegetables, olive oil, garlic and feta or some other Greek cheese.

The wines are well chosen. The Rioja by the glass was a great value, with bright cherry fruit and a clean finish that grows as it lingers on the palate. The mixed drinks are also very good, with Three Olives flavors as the house plain and flavored vodkas.

Despite the treacherous wagon trail ride to Powell, Tria is worth the trip. Check out the photos below.

Tria

It Was Nice To Have Known You

Finally, they got rid of the bad guy. No, I'm not talking about Michael Vick, although even that speedster couldn't outrun his dogfighting charges. Vick should be congratulated on finding Jesus, albeit after he mistreated and potentially killed a cadre of God's creatures he was entrusted to protect. No, the bad guy in question here is Alberto Gonzales, who finally offered his resignation after much heel dragging ensued. The case against Gonzales was strong. It's a shame that he and Vick won't get an opportunity to be roommates in the Federal Pen.

The American quest to find leadership in Iraq may be taking a turn down familiar streets soon, with former failed leader Iyad Allawi campaigning in Washington to take over for the current failure in leadership Nouri al-Maliki. Most Americans at this point are doing the same, contemplating the possibility of putting former failure Jimmy Carter back in office to stop the bleeding before President Bush II REALLY gets a chance to screw something up.

On the other front in the war on terror, the Taliban has harvested a record crop of opium, making the group the only religious order consisting of equal parts Tony Montana and James Dobson.

The death toll in Greece continues to rise after the county's battle with wildfires, once again illustrating the imminent danger of saganaki.

The battle between sports loyalties and corporate muscle flexing continues to fester with the Big Ten Network and most cable companies "worlds apart" in reaching an agreement that would allow Ohio State fans the pleasure of watching their football team crush powerhouse programs like Youngstown State and Akron on cable television. The quandary could spill over into basketball season as well. Luckily for me, my college football teams are Otterbein, who I will be able to watch on the local cable network as they get throttled by Mount Union 118-6, and Ohio University, who spent most of last season playing on Court TV, meaning that it sucks to be you, Big Ten fans.

Also in sports news, Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs was cited for crashing his $400,000 Lamborghini on the highway and abandoning it there. Good thing he signed that franchised player contract, because I'm sure that the lease office might be more than a little upset receiving their high-performance automobile back in pieces.

Finally, news of the weird crosses the war on drugs in Mexico, where one of the most important pieces in the country's battle with drug smugglers has been replaced by a mutt. Rex IV, the Tim Duncan of drug sniffing dogs, was kidnapped while being shipped off to a mission, and replaced by a mixed breed puppy. I have no idea what happened to poor Rexy, but if I had to guess, I'd say somebody borrowed him to perform some additional evidence searches at Owen Wilson's pad. Don't quote me on that, however.

Salaam = Peace

Tonight the mission to eat dinner at Salaam was accomplished. I went earlier in the week to discover that they don't serve dinner Sunday through Tuesday. Wednesday, however was a different story. After slipping into an alley off of Court Street, the plot unfolded.

There are a few details worth noting about Salaam. First, Salaam used to be a hookah bar/restaurant in a former life before the statewide smoking ban. In those days, it was known as Shisha Cafe.

Also, Salaam has no liquor license. It is BYOB. They have a $1.50 beverage service fee which is referred to as corkage fee here in civilization. That means you can spend $701.68 on a bottle of 1990 Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline which should pair wonderfully with the Mediterranean fare, and you and your date will only have to shell out $3 to have it poured for you. What service!

Salaam typically features entertainment in the evenings, which varies from Dimitar Zarev playing classical guitar in the Bulgarian style to the good old fashioned belly dancing accompaniment on other nights. Dimitar plays in a classical style that closely resembles Spanish guitar. He plays more traditional numbers as well as Classical Gas.

The food is a hodge podge of Mediterranean cuisines, with Greek, Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisine. They offer hummus, baba gannouj, vegetarian grape leaves and a combination platter for appetizers. There are specials every night. Although many items on the menu and in specials feature lamb, there are often vegetarian and vegan alternatives to these items.

The baba gannouj is quite good. It comes with warm pita bread and olives. At a previous visit, the vegan harira was very good. It is a hearty vegetable stew made with tomato and lentils.















Tonight was a spanakopita night. Feta, spinach and dill wrapped in crispy phyllo pastry served alongside a green salad with cubed feta and a raspberry vinaigrette really hit the spot.
















Although the hours are a pinch tricky to navigate, Salaam offers a great variety of vegetarian dining options. They also feature a fantastic wall mural, which was painted by Khoa Dang-Nguyen, a Vietnamese man with a son in school at Ohio University.