The Grit: The Veggie Tale of The Non-Vegetarian

Karla Misjan, Grady JOUR5590 Food Critic Extraordinaire

I am most definitely not a vegetarian and about the farthest cry from a vegan one could ever imagine. However, for a late Sunday night dinner, I decided to venture into unknown territory and eat at The Grit.

The Grit is a self-declared “Athens’ landmark of loveable food,” and they have made a believer out of me—their food is truly loveable.

Serving up entirely vegetarian and partially vegan cuisine, their menu is quite extensive and also appealing (even to meat-lovers such as myself). Offering a cultural array of Indian, Italian, Mexican and Middle Eastern fare, diners are sure to find something that will tickle their taste buds. The only hard part: actually making a selection.

Diners beware: this restaurant is anything but ordinary. Their menu may intimidate even most knowledgeable foodies with some of their obscure ingredients. I mean, what in the world is tabouli or bulgur anyway?! But have no fear, the servers know what’s up. My server was more than happy to make a few suggestions considering my ineptness and guide me to vegetarian dining bliss.

Walking into the restaurant a little after 9p.m., I was greeted by a merry hostess who then sat my party of two in the back room. Business looked like it was winding down (normal per a Sunday evening), yet the servers were still kicked into high-gear, attending promptly to their tables.

The restaurant immediately gave off a homey, alternative vibe. Having previously thought the restaurant was on the upscale side, I was pleasantly surprised at the diner-esque atmosphere and overly thrilled with the diner-esque prices. $26 bought an appetizer, two entrees and a dessert, not even The Last Resort can come close to that awesomeness.

While the menu is completely stacked with entrée choices, I have to say that the appetizer list paled in comparison. The mere six appetizers offered looked considerably normal next to the rest of the menu: Loaded Nachos, Chips & Cheese Dip and the Hummus Side. Yawn. We opted for the special of the day, Spinach & Artichoke Dip—which wasn’t exactly lightyears more exciting, yet I was confident we made a good choice.

A Spinach & Artichoke Dip at any other restaurant would leave you feeling stuffed, guilty and probably send you running to the gym, but not The Grit’s. The dip was a light mixture with a cheesy kick accompanied by store-bought tortilla chips, which was the only disappointment.

Giving us plenty of time to enjoy our appetizer, our server then came and took our orders. While the dishes seemed very similar, I was torn between the Stir Fry, which included assorted vegetables sautéed in homemade teriyaki sauce served over brown rice or noodles, or the Noodle Bowl of The Day, including seared seitan, broccoli, carrots, button mushrooms and canton noodles in a lo-mein sauce. I knew I sounded silly asking my guru-server which dish was better, but he honestly replied that while the Stir Fry is one of their more popular dishes, the Noodle Bowl would be a better choice for the evening. The Noodle Bowl of the Day it was.

My dining accomplice made up for my indecisiveness in nailing down her order, the Mid-E Platter, a sampling of hummus, falafel, and tabouli served with lemon-tahini dressing, pita points, and assorted raw vegetables.

While we waited for our entrees, we enjoyed the contemporary artwork that was dispersed across the walls and sipped Diet Cokes (the old-fashioned kind out of bottles!). The eccentric atmosphere alone made for great conversation until the entrees arrived and conversation ceased as we immediately started digging in.

The Noodle Bowl of the Day was bangin’ with flavor. Period. The best part of the dish though, was the seitan. Seitan?! Is there a devil lurking in my noodles?! Ha, no. Our server kindly informed me that this substance was indeed, wheat gluten or “wheat meat”. The seitan had a unique texture unlike that of tofu and was seasoned to perfection. The thick noodles and button mushrooms were equally as savory and made the dish an instant hit in my book. Too bad this wasn’t a permanent feature on the menu.

The Mid-E Platter arrived with a face (yes, a face) made out of vegetables in the hummus. It was nice to see that this restaurant even had a sense of humor in its food, not taking themselves too seriously. The hummus was the standout of the plate. Fresh and not oily, it had the perfect mixture of lemon and pepper. As a newcomer to falafels, I had high expectations, but the bland fried bean blobs were less than appetizing. Finally, I discovered the tabouli to be very similar to couscous, which was light and delicious, a dish I will undoubtedly order again.

My favorite time arrived: dessert time. Only after coercing my accomplice to indulge with me, we walked to the display case to choose our victim. With each dessert calling my name, we elected for our server to make some suggestions once again. The most popular is the Vegan Chocolate Death, our server told us. Going against the grain, we chose the Vegan Mixed Berry Pie.

Looking like a granola bar in pie-form, I was skeptical that this dessert could taste remotely delicious…especially due to its vegan nature (i.e. no eggs, milk or real sugar). Yet, this piece of pie was a taste bud anomaly, tasting exactly, if not better, than an Entenmann’s Danish. It was the cherry atop a great meal.

All I have to say is, do yourself a favor and grab a bite, or ten, at The Grit. You can’t afford not to. Literally. Not in this economy.

www.thegrit.com