Sophie's Gourmet Pierogi

Sophie's Gourmet Pierogiis a new food truck specializing in the famous Polish dumpling accented with international flavor. It makes regular appearances at the Columbus Commons Food Truck Food Court, Dinin' Hall and other spots around central Ohio.

Sophie's prepares all of its pierogi in butter, so vegans are out of luck except for salads. The staff capably answered all vegetarian questions, and prepared a fresh order of veggies as a side after I asked questions about vegetarian items.

The Vintage is an order of potato and cheese pierogi served with sauteed onions, sour cream and compound butter. The pierogi are boiled and then pan fried golden and delicately crispy. It is an excellent example of a traditional pierogi. The only two minor issues were that the compound butter was a little cold and difficult to incorporate into the dish, and the number of pierogi varied in three different orders.

The summer salad was cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions in a vinaigrette topped with crumbled Asiago cheese. It was only available at my first visit to the truck.

The crew actually does a great job handling large crowds. There is a hot serving bar in the truck window, allowing pierogi to be churned out rapid-fire to waiting diners. At slower stretches, pierogi are prepared to order. 

OH! Burgers

OH! Burgers is a food truck specializing in sliders. There are two mini-burgers per order.

The veggie burger patty is quinoa, black bean, rice, onions and peppers. It is served on a soft white bun from the French Loaf in Grandview, and it is topped with bean sprouts, cucumber, tomato and mustard.

The flavor of the burger has layers of smoke and sweetness. The texture of the patty is soft, and the burger crumbles so much that it resembles a sloppy Joe more than a burger. The preparation of the veggie burger at OH! Burgers is evolving, so consider the recipe a bit of a work in progress.

The house made sweet potato chips were an addictive delight. They were paper thin, and the paper bag that contained the chips soaked up some but not all of the excess grease. It's a nice upgrade over ordinary bagged chips despite the minor shortcoming.

Market District Foodie Truck

The Market District Foodie Truck was my first experience with a mobile food vendor with big-time corporate backing. The menu is Asian influenced, and they operate most days during the week.

The menu at Foodie Truck has stayed consistently the same. Their most common location is the Giant Eagle Market District in Upper Arlington, but the truck can be found around central Ohio.

The vegetarian items on the menu are Indian and Chinese. The truck also makes dishes from Vietnam and Singapore.

The samosa is stuffed with potatoes, peas and onions. The shell was perfectly crisp, but the samosa's flavor might benefit from mint chutney rather than the mango chutney that was served with it.

The vegetable jalfrezi is prepared with carrots, peas, green peppers and cauliflower in a tomato sauce with garam masala and ginger. It is served with naan, Basmati rice and mango chutney. The dish does not taste particularly authentic. The curry flavor needed additional cooking, and the tomato was flat and unappealing.

The truck has potential, but the menu could use a revamp. It's hard to recommend the place when there are so many excellent Indian restaurants in central Ohio.

B G R The Burger Joint

BGR is a gourmet hamburger joint in Mobile. It's part of a small chain that has about 22 locations in nine states. Locations are mainly in the South, but other BGRs can be found in three different time zones.

The menu features a veggie burger and a variety of vegetarian sides, including vegetables and French fries.

The veggie burger patty was made with brown rice, black beans, oats and molasses on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and condiments. While the dressing was nice, the burger patty was dry, mealy and flavorless. It needed every bit of mayo on it and an ocean of ketchup to make the patty able to be swallowed. 

The fries were excellent. They varied between soft and crispy depending on the thickness of each potato. The grilled asparagus had a smoky flavor and a pleasant presentation.

Overall, it's nice that this chain makes an effort to include a burger option for vegetarians. They just have to work harder on the veggie burger recipe.

Newk's Express Cafe

Newk's Express Cafe is a fast-casual sandwich shop based in Mississippi. It is most comparable to McAllister's, a concept that could be described a Panera Bread with Southern touches and pizza.

Where McAllister's has a Southern accent, Newk's seems to have fully embraced its inner hillbilly. Despite its Southern roots, Newk's does offer plenty of options for both vegans and vegetarians. 

The menu is made up of toasted sandwiches, salads, soups and thin-crust pizza. The entree salads are definitely large enough to serve as a meal.

There are two vegetarian sandwiches, both served on a white sandwich roll. The veggie club is made with mushrooms, roasted red and yellow peppers, pesto and goat cheese.

The grilled cheese sandwich is prepared with Newk's house-made pimento cheese, which is also available for sale on its own. The sandwich is rich and slightly sweet, and it is a great use of a Southern staple.

Newk's has three vegetarian pizzas.The dessert menu consists of assorted baked goods and numerous cakes. 

Freedom a la Cart

If dining out during these economically trying times weighs on your conscience, Freedom a la Cart eases your mind by transforming your craving for a sandwich into an act of charity.

Freedom a la Cart is a Latin-themed food cart that always offers a vegan or vegetarian sandwich and side dish. The cart is run by Doma International, and proceeds go toward fighting human trafficking in central Ohio as well as organizations that support area survivors. 

The meatless sandwich is called the Papa. It is a vegan potato sandwich with a lemon white bean relish and a vegan garlic aioli made from almonds. The aioli added a richness to the bright cirtus flavors of the sandwich.

The vegan side was an orange blossom cole slaw made with organic red cabbage. The slaw was crunchy, and it displayed delightful floral notes from the orange blossom.

Freedom a la Cart can be found using social media. They are regularly at Double Happiness in the Brewery District on Wednesday.

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.