In search of vegetarian fare
We sample meatless alternatives at 10 well-known Tampa Bay area restaurants.
By Laura Reiley, Times Food Critic
Published October 11, 2007
There's little agreement about what percentage of the American public is vegetarian.
A 2006 poll of 1,000 adults by the Vegetarian Resource Group found that 6.7 percent of respondents never ate meat. If you account for all the "flexitarians," the no-meat-but-sometimes-fish eaters and folks just not in the mood for animal protein at any given moment, that number might approach 10 percent.
In all likelihood, environmental concerns, issues of social justice and health scares will keep the number inching up. So, shouldn't Tampa Bay area restaurants anticipate the needs of vegetarians with meat-free options that have had the same thought brought to bear on them as anything else on the menu?
I wanted to find out how some of the bay area's better-known restaurants accommodate vegetarians. For 10 meals I was a wolf in herbivore's clothing, and the results were illuminating. I found a number of satisfactory dishes in my troll around the Tampa Bay area, but in general, it ain't easy eating green.
Veggie bull's-eyes
I started at Mise en Place because it has been at the cutting edge of Tampa dining for years, and chef Marty Blitz is a local culinary legend. Seated so we could look out at the minarets of University of Tampa, we scrolled through the oversized, one-page menu. Yep, there's what I was looking for: Szechuan tofu $18 on a bed of soba noodles and stir-fried bok choy and onion, the whole thing flavored gently with a peanut lime sauce and a swirl of orange chili oil.
Flavors were good, but the whole dish has a certain homogeneity of texture (firm tofu, noodles, slightly soft veggies). If the tofu had been cornstarch-dredged and lightly fried, it would have provided just a little crunch to lend interest. That's a quibble.
Before that, a bowl of the evening's special tomato soup ($6, but with chicken broth, so it was my cheat) and a tiny composed warm wild mushroom salad ($8) with a pouf of mixed herbs and fragile shaves of reggiano satisfied. Our only disappointment was a summer heirloom tomato salad ($7) with ho-hum tomatoes.
One of the best cheese courses in town (3 for $14) finishes meals off on a high note. Our choices were a firm, smoky, aged sheep's milk cheese, a Grafton Cloth Bound cheddar and one most excellent runny-stinky selection from the Cote d'Or.
After 15 years at the forefront of Tampa's gastronomic scene, B.T. Nguyen may have reached her pinnacle in Restaurant BT, dead center in Old Hyde Park Village. Classic Vietnamese and French dishes appear in an eddy of lemongrass and hot chilies, always presented in stylish, architectural constructions that echo the sophistication of this indoor/outdoor dining room.
One of my favorite dishes period - even when I'm not pretending to be a vegetarian - is her vegetarian pumpkin soup ($7.95), swirled with coconut milk and sparked with the ginger/limey flavor of galangal and a sprinkling of peanuts.
Vietnamese cuisine's reliance on fish sauce renders many dishes not quite vegetarian - the stunning green papaya salad ($8.50) loses its balance if you ask for no fish sauce - but the vegetarian entree section includes a deeply satisfying curry ($16.95) with organic tofu cubes, bamboo shoots and bok choy served alongside fragrant jasmine rice.
Across the bay, Cafe Ponte is a tricky one. At lunch the vegetarian has lots of options; at dinner there's not a designated vegetarian entree.
Fine, we went for lunch (you're on your own with dinner). Chef Chris Ponte's sophisticated restaurant at Clearwater's Icot Center is a proper showcase for his luxurious palette. It's got a spare, understated elegance achievable only at the best New American bistros.
Lunch harkens back to the boom-boom '80s power lunch: Everyone looks like a high-powered executive in the midst of clinching a big deal - wealthy, healthy and self-satisfied. Maybe it's just because the food is so good.
Presentations tend to be simple, and flavors are clean and steady, with a gutsy reliance on great produce. For vegetarians, this means a lush heirloom tomato bisque ($5/$7) with snappy little croutons, or a shallow bowl of eggplant ravioli ($9) plumped with mascarpone and served in a pool of red pepper sauce with strands of arugula and basil.
For something with a little more tooth resistance, head for the archetypal pizza margherita ($10) - just tomato, moz and basil on a thin, crisp crust.
The next place on our list was a no-brainer. It's 105 North, the restaurant at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa. Spa food, so there has to be veggie, right?
It turns out that the menu underwent a major overhaul last year. Most of the spa dishes were ditched in favor of a more straight-ahead hotel-restaurant menu. New York strip, ribeye and pork tenderloin elbowed out some of the low-cal, low-carb, low-fat dishes.
But some persevere. Overall, not bad. A roasted eggplant timbale ($12) and a grilled vegetable strudel ($13) made satisfying entrees, the latter served with mixed greens and a raspberry vinaigrette and the former sitting in a pool of lemon caper "vegetable broth" that tasted like nothing more than butter. For me, this calls into question how healthful some of these dishes might be, dishes that are advertised on the menu as 68 and 72 calories, respectively.
Same goes for the delicious but dubiously low-cal spinach and feta spanakopita ($5), assertively flavored with dill. Maybe the tasty Greek lentil soup ($4) was close to its advertised 95 calories, but it's a small bowl.
Sometimes, you have to ask
A menu is a text, a way for us to interpret the vision and aesthetic of a chef. We read through each dish, skimming the ones that don't interest us. Some dishes capture our attention. We scrutinize the details, imagine the sauce, the accompanying starch.
This should hold true for vegetarians, too. If a menu, in small italic print at the bottom, says merely, "We can accommodate special dietary needs," the restaurant has punted.
They have not imagined, executed, tweaked and menu-marketed a meat-free dish. They're just making something up on the fly or, even worse, asking the vegetarian customer to come up with an idea.
It's also not enough for a restaurant to say, "We can make any of the entrees vegetarian" by substituting tofu or by merely deleting the protein. Then it's not the dish the chef intended.
With the protein deleted, there's a gaping hole at the center of a dish, a hole that, texturally, tofu can't always fill. Also, what does this mean for the price? Delete a $36 filet mignon and sub tofu - what's the revised cost to the customer?
These were the questions that ran through my mind at SideBern's in Tampa. They don't have designated vegetarian entrees, but Jeannie Pierola and crew can concoct something or tweak existing entrees. I groused a little under my breath and decided to choose strictly from the menu, selecting a first course salad of sliced roasted red beets, goat cheese and spring mix in a lovely Dijon vinaigrette. I didn't much notice the advertised shaved truffles, but it was a strikingly delicious beginning.
From there the choices were limited: an array of veggie tempura ($4.51) and a veggie lumpia (like an eggroll; $4.51). That's a lot of fried food.
I've had plenty of good meals atSideBern's, and this was no exception. A surreptitious spoonful of my tablemate's heavenly cipollini onion soup with white truffle foam (alas, chicken broth, $10.91) made me wistful, but the greaseless tempura was a delicious consolation.
I'd love to see another hot dish - either on the entree side or amongst the dim sum - that is meat-free but doesn't rely on the fryer. You know the kitchen has the talent to come up with a humdinger.
The interior of Mystic Fish in Palm Harbor telegraphs the kitchen's focus: shimmery rows of abalone shells, aquariums filled with darting tropical fish, chandeliers that resemble swarms of luminous sea eels. It's seafood, front and center.
I spot nothing meat-free on the entree list. But not so fast - our server rattled off the evening's vegetarian platter: soy-glazed edamame and snow peas; matchstick carrots with apricot curry; tandoori grilled onions and zucchini; kona-grilled asparagus; and ajillo artichoke hearts. The kitchen hadthought about it after all.
A delicious and varied array of colors and textures - chili heat, sweet curry, Asian touches - it hardly read like abstemiousness (and all for $14.25).
But that's not all. Our server confirmed that the evening's tomato soup ($1.50) was all-veggie. She warned me away from the rice (chicken broth) and wondered if I preferred olive oil in lieu of butter with my bread.
Nope, I'm just a fake vegetarian, not a fake vegan for this project. Thus I was also able to enjoy a plate of crisp spring rolls ($6.95) stuffed with herbed goat cheese and paired with a pool of cabernet-balsamic sauce and a dab of tapenade, and then to finish things off with a homey white chocolate bread pudding with raspberry coulis ($5.25).
Side dishes for dinner?
Restaurants sometimes cope with vegetarians by offering a variety of the side dishes from other entrees. So, a pile of "vegetable medley," mashed potatoes, etc. becomes dinner.
Nutritionally, the lack of protein makes this approach inelegant, and often it's just plain boring. Unfortunately, at a lot of Pinellas County's fun beachside, seafood-focused eateries, this is often the case.
Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores adopts this approach, but there's nothing perfunctory about its sides even if the focus is on enticing seafood and expertly aged and grilled steaks.
Technically, there are no vegetarian entrees, but the sides cobble together nicely: a plate of golden brown roasted root vegetable ($2.90), maybe accompanied with ponzu-laced braised bok choy ($4.50) or a swirl of iron-rich (and garlic-rich) sauteed spinach ($4.50) splashed with vermouth.
The best is the smoky grilled asparagus ($5.90) dotted with bits of orange zest and accompanied with a little shaved manchego. There's no protein, but the view still does a body good.
Viva Italia
Why do we like Italian food? It's the pastas, the risotti, the pizzas - all stuff most vegetarians can get behind. Pasta has the heft and tooth-resistance to anchor a meal, ably chameleonlike and accommodating of sauces.
Not surprisingly, some of the bay area's best Italian, or Cal-Ital, or Nuevo-Ital performed deftly in my meat-free capers.
A bounteous offering began my meal at Pelagia Trattoria at the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza. I wanted to dive into an order of Fabrizio Schenardi's justifiably famous meat-stuffed fried olives or a plate of delicate octopus flavored with garlic and mint. Instead, I pointed, just slightly dejectedly, at the seasonal grilled vegetables ($9). But I'll probably eschew the olives and octopus next time in favor of this: a generous platter of grilled portobellos, eggplant, peppers and squash, their smokiness contrasting beautifully with a bowl of "gazpacho dipping sauce," which really amounted to a warm puree of tomatoes, peppers and cukes, jazzed up perfectly with a splash of vinegar.
Nearly at the end of its season (and thus, of its tenure on the menu), asparagus soup ($5.95) brought a delicate green puree topped with nutty roasted garlic foam and garnished with a truffle-scented cracker. And for an entree, the risotto of the day featured a dense, cheesy disc of perfect arborio (that tough bite in the middle of each grain, but otherwise velvety), shot through with roasted red pepper.
The risotto was intended as a middle course, and thus there wasn't anything else on the plate. It could have used one extra element for color and texture contrast. Still, Pelagia rocked.
One day not long after that we checked into Cafe Alma in downtown St. Petersburg for lunch. It wasn't the pasta that caught our fancy (although their carbonara would fit the bill minus the bacon), but a trio of hummuses ($9.50) served with soft wedges of Middle Eastern bread, greens and cuke rounds. A plain chickpea-and-tahini version, one souped up with roasted peppers and one swirled with pesto all make a delicious starter and boost of protein.
From there, numerous options lay before us. One was the roasted portobello croissant ($8), a soft, buttery pastry stacked with grilled mushroom and eggplant, roasted peppers and sweet caramelized onion, all dotted with feta. A party of a sandwich, it proved easiest eaten with a fork.
The real star at Alma, though, was the stuffed eggplant ($10), exemplifying what every vegetarian entree should be. There was the firm, meaty texture of stacked eggplant, crisply breaded and fried, the luxurious feel of molten mozzarella, a sweet-tangy tomato sauce, thin stalks of asparagus, artichoke hearts peeking out. The salty flavor of Parmesan drawing the elements together. There was a "there" there, a main thing, elegantly balanced by other veggies that contrasted and supported the star.
Back in Tampa, we sat outside one evening at one of the two sidewalk tables at Pane Rustica. It was lovely, listening to the din from within each time the door opened, but left to quietly look over the menu. I love Rustica, but at dinner, my chief worry is that I'll miss something if I order straight off the menu. I like to wander inside and see what looks good at the long counter.
Even so, you can't go wrong with the salads, especially the rustica ($8.75) with its striking wedges of warm polenta croutons garnishing the field greens and fresh mozzarella.
There's a pasta of the day, multiple pizzas, always something vegetarian. Hard decision, but we set our sights on a tomato sauce-free olive tapenade pizza, ultra thin-crust and delicious.
The evening's special ribeye - I know, I can't get a ribeye - had side dishes I coveted: broccolini, deliciously smoky somehow, a disc of fried gorgonzola polenta, a heap of soft portobello slices.
As always, herbivore or carnivore, the best part of the meal at Rustica was dessert - gelato, cookies, a stunning chocolate mousse.
The take-away
Savoring my last spoonful of mousse, I reflected on what I'd learned during my vegetarian adventures. First, as paying customers, meat-free diners are entitled to the same thought and care from the kitchen as carnivores.
Preferably, this means standing veggie dishes on the menu beyond green salad, vegetable medley or a portobello cap.
These dishes should be healthful (watch the cheese and the reliance on the fryer) and every bit as complex as their meatier brethren in terms of flavors, textures and colors. As more people turn to a veggie lifestyle, or even a veggie hour or two, restaurants need to work harder to go green.
Laura Reiley dines anonymously and unannounced. The St. Petersburg Times pays all expenses. A restaurant's advertising has nothing to do with selection for review or the assessment. She can be reached at (727) 892-2293, lreiley@sptimes.com or by visiting her blog at www.blogs.tampabay.com/dining.
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Mise en Place
442 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa
(813) 254-5373
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations suggested; full bar
Prices: Entrees $18-$32
Restaurant BT
1633 W Snow Ave., Tampa
(813) 258-1916
Cuisine: French/Vietnamese
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations suggested; full bar
Prices: Entrees $16.95-$25.95
Cafe Ponte
Off Ulmerton Road in the Icot Center, 13505 Icot Blvd., Clearwater
(727) 538-5768
Cuisine: Mediterranean-American
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 5:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations suggested; full bar
Prices: Lunch entrees $9-$18, dinner entrees $26-$36
105 North
Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, 105 N Bayshore Drive, Safety Harbor
(727) 726-1161
Cuisine: Spa cuisine/American
Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations accepted; full bar
Prices: Entrees $12-$26
SideBern's
2208 W Morrison Ave., Tampa
(813) 258-2233
Cuisine: Eclectic
Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 6 to 11 p.m. Thursday; 6 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations suggested; full bar
Prices: Entrees $22.51-$39.91
Mystic Fish Seafood Grill
3253 Tampa Road, Palm Harbor
(727) 771-1800
Cuisine: Seafood
Hours: 4:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations suggested; full bar
Prices: Entrees $14-$27.50
Salt Rock Grill
19325 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores
(727) 593-7625
Cuisine: Seafood, steaks
Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations suggested; full bar
Prices: Entrees $14-$27.50
Pelagia Trattoria
4200 Jim Walter Blvd., Tampa
(813) 313-3235
Cuisine: Contemporary Italian
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations suggested; full bar
Prices: Entrees $15.50-$35
Cafe Alma
260 First Ave. S, St., Petersburg
(727) 502-5002
Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, until midnight Thursday and Friday; 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to midnight Saturday
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations suggested; full bar
Prices: Lunch entrees $8-$11.50
Pane Rustica
3225 S MacDill Ave., Suite 119, Tampa
(813) 902-8828
Cuisine: Italian/Bakery
Hours: 11 a.m. to p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
Details: Amex, MC, V; reservations suggested; beer and wine
Prices: Entrees $10-$20