Veggies Taking Center Plate in Chicagoland’s Restaurants

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“Gone are the days when you’d walk into a restaurant and only have one option on the menu if you’re a vegetarian. Or be reduced to paying $10 for a pile of lettuce or the now ubiquitous and greasy portabella mushroom-based entrée,” jokes Chicagoan Meredith Cella Pellegrini, who realizes that she and her vegan husband have plenty of great options around town, although she admits it gets a bit harder once they hit the suburbs.
 

If there seem to be more restaurants offering as many vegetable entrées as meat entrées, it’s not by accident. Noted area chefs, including Grant Achatz, of Alinea fame, have begun offering a vegan menu at his nearly impossible-to-score reservations for NEXT (NextRestaurant.com) restaurant.

Veggies Hit the Big Time

Cleetus Friedman crafted a menu with vegetarians, vegans and those with other dietary restrictions in mind when he took over as executive chef at Fountainhead (FountainheadChicago.com). “While I love meat, I love to celebrate all forms of cuisine, especially when we are in the heart of summer,” he says. “I think a well-balanced menu is important, no matter what the style of restaurant.”

Although the specials on the menu change every couple of weeks, according to Friedman, half the menu is vegetarian and his non-meat-eating clientele appreciates the fact that their needs are taken into consideration. “The tofu stir fry has been a hit,” he adds.

Marian Jarocki, LEED AP, director of leasing and marketing for the Chicago French Market (FrenchMarketChicago.com), says she looks for local artisans that have a unique niche in their own right when leasing the 15,000-square-foot space in heavily trafficked Metra’s Ogilvie Transportation Center, in the Loop. Those strolling through will find fishmongers, florists, bakeries and quite a few ethnic cuisines such as Vietnamese, Korean, Mexican, Kosher, and Canadian-style meats, she says. “Vegetarian, vegan and raw were a natural fit and give the market a well-rounded assortment,” Jarocki adds. “Frankly, we were not sure of the demand until they began, and what a hit they became.

Carole Jones and Polly Gaza, co-owners of Raw. (ChicagoRawFood.com), don’t focus on the fact that their products are raw, vegan or vegetarian when they pass out hundreds of samples to customers throughout the day. Instead, they describe it as an artisan product. “The reaction, once they find out the lemon square or tuna paté made without fish is vegan and raw, is surprising and pleasing to the customer, and in many cases, they become a customer of Raw.,” says Jones. “We had a customer who lives in Houston and briefly sampled some product, and on a recent trip back to Chicago asked the cab driver to first bring her to the Chicago French Market to Raw.” The most popular entrée at Raw. is a kale salad for $12, she adds.

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Eating Healthy on a Budget Is No Longer an Oxymoron

While it is delightful to see more restaurants expanding their menus to incorporate vegetarian and vegan dishes, it also possible to enjoy great vegetarian meals on a budget and those places are also becoming easier to find.

Pellegrini feels that Chicago has made great strides toward budget-friendly vegetarian dining, and that includes casual venues, as well. “Ethnic restaurants are always a go-to when we are dining cheaply, as many of them have vegetarian offerings built into the cuisine,” she says.

Among her favorite places to dine in her hometown include Belly Shack (BellyShack.com) for their boriqua and Revolution Brewing (RevBrew.com) for pecan-crusted tofu. She enjoys 90 Miles Cuban (90MilesCubanCafe.com) for the tofu in creole sauce and avocado salad; even Kuma’s Corner (KumasCorner.com), better known for its sky-high meat burgers, has “an amazing veggie burger,” she says.

City options for tasty, creative vegan and raw dining also include Karyn Calabrese’s renowned restaurants (KarynsRaw.com), including Karyn’s Fresh Corner Cafe, & Raw Vegan Gourmet Restaurant on Halsted, Karyn’s Cooked on Wells and Karyn’s on Green.

While the budget-friendly pickings are a bit slimmer in the suburbs, Pita Inn (Pita-Inn.com), has celebrated 30 years, and now its affordable Mediterranean cuisine can be found in four suburban locations, including Skokie, Glenview, Wheeling and Mundelein.

Other great suburban budget-friendly options include the Curry Hut (CurryHutRestaurant.com), in Highwood (which recently opened a South Loop spot), and local icon Chowpatti (TpsiClients.com/Chowpatti), in Arlington Heights. Raw Vegan Café (RawVeganCafe.org), in Lockport, has a loyal following and even offers weekly classes for those that want to try new dishes at home. Nearly all of Blind Faith Café’s (BlindFaithCafe.com) entrées, in Evanston, are $15 or less. While the entire menu is vegetarian, many dishes are also vegan or gluten-free, as well. And Highland Park’s In The Raw (InTheRawHP.com) offers organic raw dishes, with a dash of cooked options as well, plus organic juices, wines, beers and other beverages.

Megy Karydes is a freelance writer who is constantly on the hunt for great vegetarian meals. Find her at KarydesConsulting.com.

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