Chipotle

Filled with beans, salsa and veggies, burritos make for a great inexpensive vegetarian meal. Strolling around Davis Square, I was in search of a quick snack to tie me over before dinner. I decided to check out Chipotle in Davis Square for a bite. To my surprise, for a chain restaurant Chipotle was actually quite tasty. As a vegetarian, the nice thing about getting a burrito at a chain restaurant is that you know for sure if the rice and beans are vegetarian. Since I was looking for a snack, I ordered a soft taco for ($2) for a quick bite. Although Chipotle may not be authentic, I love their salsa choices and the sautéed vegetables were filled with flavor. The cheese was freshly shredded unlike the cheese slices other burrito places use. In my soft taco, I had the the corn salsa, (medium spice) and the fresh salsa, (mild spice), the combination of the two is delicious. The rice is vegetarian, made with cilantro and lime. Similar to most places, they offer black or pinto beans. The service at the Chipotle in Davis Square was friendly and they have an outdoor patio which is nice during the summertime. The fillings were overflowing in the soft taco, so if you are looking to roll up your soft taco than ask for less toppings, but I always say the more veggies, the better. Definitely a good place for a cheap veggie bite.

Mr.Crepe

Hmmm a warm crepe filled with nutella, bananas and toasted walnuts, what more could one ask for? I was strolling around Davis Square looking for a quick snack that was not too expensive and decided to go to Mr. Crepe for a bite. I love their savory crepes as they have quite a few vegetarian crepes to choose from. They have a great cheese selection and their crepes, unlike the crepes from other places, are not overflowing with cheese. Today I was in the mood for something sweet and I ordered a dessert crepe with nutella, bananas and toasted walnuts ($6). The crepe was large and crispy but too thick and chewy for what I was expecting in a dessert crepe. The fillings were delicious, you really can’t go wrong with nutella and bananas and the toasted walnuts were a nice touch.

The service is hit or miss, depending on the day or time. On weekends, during brunch, the place is very busy and you may need to wait for a table as service can be a bit slow. When you first walk inside, it is a bit confusing as you have to order your crepe at the register and then they bring the crepe out to you. The place can be a bit loud so if you are looking for a quiet meal than this may not be the place for you. The prices are average for vegetarian crepes but a bit pricey for crepes with meat. The ambiance is hip and casual and in the warm months, the outdoor seating is nice with a view of Davis Square.

Overall I like Mr. Crepe because they offer a wide range of vegetarian crepes and I like the view overlooking Davis Square. The sweet crepes are standard but make for a nice dessert.

Ufood Grill

The other night I went to the Red Sox game leaving a little hungry. I love Fenway Park but other than greasy pizza and popcorn there are not too many vegetarian friendly options. I was in the mood for a real meal. I was heading towards my car when I stumbled upon a place called the Ufood Grill on Brookline Ave in Boston. Formerly KnowFAT, this place changed to Ufood Grill a few weeks ago. The bright colors at Ufood Grill give this place a happy feel. I loved the fact that they have free Wi Fi which is great for anyone looking to have a bite and get online. The menu is quite interesting and there are many vegetarian options ranging from soups, salads and rice bowls. Their food is fresh and healthy as their menu mentions that they steam and grill but never fry there food.

I ordered their “tofusion”, a dish made with organic tofu, steamed veggies topped with a sweet spicy ginger soy sauce. This dish maybe healthy but I missed the taste of stir fried veggies being cooked in the sauce with the rice. This dish tasted like steamed veggies on top of brown rice with a sweet and spicy sauce on the top. It was something I could easily make at home in a few a minutes. I prefer my veggies being sautéed rather than steamed.

For dessert I had the original tart soft serve frozen yogurt. The first few bites, as the name suggests, tasted quite tart. The server said that it was made with plain yogurt; hence it was not the usual sweet vanilla frozen yogurt that I was used to. However the more bites I had, the better it tasted. This dessert is an acquired taste and is a healthy option to traditional frozen yogurt. The menu states that the yogurt has live active cultures and there is only 90 calories in a 4oz serving. Although I prefer vanilla frozen yogurt I could see myself getting used to this healthy treat.

The service at Ufood Grill was very friendly and they are more than willing to explain any of the dishes to you. I do not think I would order the “tofusion” again but I may try their other vegetarian options such as the Hearty Three Bean Chili. Ufood Grill is a healthy alternative to traditional fast food but I think I like stir fries too much to be a regular here

Yoma

Have you ever been to a restaurant and enjoyed it so much that you could not wait to go back? I went to Yoma in Allston about a month ago and loved my meal and finally went back yesterday and it was just as good as I had remembered. Yoma is a Burmese restaurant and is the only restaurant that I have been to that has a separate vegetarian menu. In addition to having a vegetarian menu, all of their vegetarian dishes are cooked on a separate pan. Needless to say I was ecstatic when the owner had mentioned this to me.

But the good news does not end here. The food at Yoma is actually very tasty. Burmese food is cross between, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese food, in my opinion it is most similar to Tibetan food. For an appetizer I had the OhnNoteKhotSwe, ($6.75) a coconut milk tofu soup with wheat flour noodles, shredded shallots, scallions and crispy fried rice noodles on top. This dish tasted like a mild yellow curry soup with thick noodles, it was delicious! For an appetizer this dish is enough for two people.

For a main entrée, I had the AaThotSone ($8.95), a noodle dish with three different types of noodles. The dish is made with vermicelli, somen and wheat flour noodles with shredded cabbage, fried tofu, steam bean sprout, potato, grounded peanut, roasted chili flakes, scallions and crispy noodles on top. This dish is very tasty as I have never had anything quite like it. The noodles are soft and tender, but it is mixed with grounded peanuts and crispy rice noodles that give it a nice crunchy taste. The potatoes and cucumbers add a nice touch, something I have never seen before in a noodle dish. Even though I asked the dish to be made mild to medium it was still a bit spicy for my liking. The sweet palm juice candy that they bring out with your bill is yum! It reminded me of sugar cane juice that I used to have as a kid when I visited India.

The only con of my meal, unlike my last visit, is the dish was actually a bit cold. I had to ask the server to warm it up which she gladly did. My friend dined with me said she has been coming to Yoma for a while and she thought the portion sizes had gotten a lot bigger.



The ambiance is simple it is a quite cozy restaurant with a casual feel. Yoma’s strength may not be its ambiance but its food. Yoma is a great place to get takeout if you live in the area. The service is very friendly and depending on the server, they will gladly explain any dish to you. I will keep going back to Yoma for their unique tasty food at inexpensive prices.

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

Last night I was in the mood for something, light, healthy and tasty. I decided to make a Tuscan Chickpea soup since it is easy to make and I had all the ingredients in the house. It takes less than 30 minutes to make this healthy vegetarian soup and it tastes delicious!

1 15 Oz can chickpeas
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Serves: 2-4

Saute chopped onions , garlic and bay leaf in olive oil until the onions turn a light brown. Saute the onions first before the garlic, since the onions take longer to cook. Add the 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. While the water is boiling, puree 1/4 of the can of chickpeas, ( with a few drops of water ) in a blender until the chickpeas are smooth. Add the pureed chickpeas, the remaining chickpeas, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the boiling water. Once soup is boiling reduce heat and let it sit for five minutes. Add salt & pepper and sprinkle cheese on top.