For a vegetarian, Thanksgiving can be kind of a drag. Sitting down to a steaming turkey dripping in its own juices is not the ideal vegetarian meal. The Daily Cardinal Food page feels your pain. In order to make your Thanksgiving spread more palatable, bring your family and friends to one of these vegetarian-friendly establishments. Happy Thanksgiving'minus the turkey!
115 State St.
251-7687
For a truly vegan Thanksgiving feast, try Peacemeal, which is offering a cornucopia of vegetarian dishes. Until the day before Thanksgiving, you can feast on mashed potatoes or yams with vegan gravy, vegan cornbread, salad, and the ever-popular Tofurkey. Priced at $9.50 for lunch and $11.50 for dinner, Peacemeal offers an inexpensive yet festive way to celebrate Turkey Day.
119 East Main
255-2272
The lack of vegetarian restaurants in Madison has been almost embarrassing to this city whose population contains, well, lots of vegetarians. It is lucky, then, that Madison is blessed with its share of restaurants that serve well-made, diverse vegetarian dishes. The Casbah is one of these restaurants.
The Casbah offers an array of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern dishes including hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouli and falafel. For your first visit to The Casbah, you may want to try the Vegetarian Delight platter, which includes all of the ingredients mentioned above, as well as dolmadakia yalantzi, grape leaves stuffed with rice.
The platter is satisfying, though the tabouli suffers from an overzealous amount of fresh parsley, which tends to overpower the dish. Nevertheless, vegetarians have a place to call home at The Casbah.
232 State St.
257-6393
Those who prefer pasta will find Noodles & Company a refreshing alternative to turkey. From Wisconsin Mac & Cheese to Thai Curry Soup, Noodles has something for every taste. Tofu and extra veggies are options, which should satisfy vegetarians. Some of the more exotic dishes fail to measure up to their authentic counterparts so options like Buttered Noodles & Parmesan are the safest bet. This is a great place for those who want a quick, filling meal that's not wedged between two pieces of bread. This chain offers dishes ranging from $4 to $6 plus the veggie and tofu options.
638 State St.
255-1555
If you are looking for a restaurant offering a variety of vegetarian entr??es to choose from, check out the Sunroom Caf??.
Start out with the excellent bruschetta, then enjoy the salad or soup that is included with each entr??e. For those who like mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach, the marsala pasta is a good choice. The vegetarian-friendly pasta portion of the menu is priced from $7 to $10. If you are not in a pasta mood, try the veggie pizza, a delicious dish and relatively inexpensive at $6. The menu also offers veggie burritos, quesadillas, soups and sandwiches in the same $6 to $10 range. For a break from dorm food or tedious cooking, try the Sunroom Caf??.
