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Tag: sandwich (page 1 of 2)

Fresh To Order

The world of Twitter got me in touch with the lovely Sucheta Rawal from Go Eat Give, an innovative website/blog that combines three great passions of people – food, travel and service. We met for lunch at Fresh To Order. Despite it being Friday lunch hour, we got seats easily. If it wasn’t for the rain, we would have sat on the patio.

The conversation was illuminating, the food was nice too! The online menu didn’t show many vegetarian options (probably just one) but Sucheta pointed me to some others in the menu handout. She picked the Club Salad that combined mixed greens, toasted almonds, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, cheese, golden raisins and cranberries. The salad usually includes bacon but Sucheta asked for seared tofu instead. She mentioned that she orders it often; so I am guessing that it’s a good pick. I picked the Soup + Salad combination that included Wild Mushroom Soup and Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich (fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, whole leaf basil, tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette).

The soup was wonderful! I am happy that it was a half portion; eating an entire bowl would have probably weighed me down all day long. Mushrooms are heavy to digest. In fact, they are regarded as Tamasic in nature; they can aggravate all three Dosha imbalances, I have heard. In any case, mushrooms are an occasional indulgence for me. I don’t cook with them and hardly ever order them when we eat out. I have to admit, even with half a bowl, my tummy felt unusually heavy post-lunch. Not sure if it was the cream (assuming the soup contained cream) or the mushrooms themselves… But I thoroughly enjoyed the soup. The sandwich was nice as well. There was a generous stuffing of roasted red peppers in there, and the whole leaf basil added a fresh flavor to the sandwich. Neither was the balsamic vinaigrette too strong, and the fresh mozzarella tied all the tastes together with its creaminess.

At the cafeteria at my older workplace, the menu used to feature Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella Sandwich with Balsamic Vinaigrette. It used to be my favorite lunch option those days.

I can see myself going to F2O again, if only to sample the salad Sucheta ordered – it looked delicious!

Fresh To Order
1260 Cumberland Mall
Atlanta GA 30339
678-564-1400

Fresh To Order - f2o on Urbanspoon

A Vegetarian in Cherokee Nation

Technically, we were not in Cherokee Nation but we were fairly close… maybe a mile out? The last weekend saw a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. We stayed at a hotel in Cherokee and drove out to the National Park on Saturday. Fabulous weather (cool and warm, no better combination, really!), sparse crowds, winding trails, and an interesting chat with one of the park officials (he showed us some extraordinary photographs he had taken at Midway Islands; a well traveled person with some amazing stories to share)… we were off to a rocking weekend.

Around lunch time, we got out of the park to look for a place to eat lunch. Drove around, checked out menus for various restaurants and fast food joints but there was not a thing we could find at any place. Really, not a single vegetarian item… Wow. Finally we arrived at Marco Polo’s. Decided to take a chance and go see what they had to offer.

We were lucky.

A cheery place with loads of music paraphernalia strung up all over (vinyl records were actually stuck up on the ceiling), graffiti scrawled on the walls, blinking light signs, huge posters, message boards with funny messages… I am sure you get the funky message. The guy behind the counter was a jolly person with a demeanor mirroring the decor.

P ran into a gentleman dressed in the regalia of the Cherokee tribe. You can see them conversing in the far left of the picture (right). He carried a spear with a shiny steel tip, sharpened to perfection. He had feathers attached to his hair and clothes. It was quite a striking presence that he had. P and he spoke about the commonality between ancient Hindu customs and Native American practices. I didn’t hear much of it but I bet it was an interesting discussion.

P got a Veggie Sandwich and a Greek Salad. I got the Greek Vegetable Sandwich which was really P’s Greek Salad encased between two slices of bread. Lots of Feta cheese, Greek olives, red onions, shredded red cabbage, lettuce, cucumber slices, sprouts, Tzatziki sauce… Good stuff. I cannot recall much of what went into P’s sandwich but he picked a Mango-Pineapple Viniagrette that was simply lovely. Spicy and sweet in equal measure, it was a great complement to the sandwich filling (that I barely remember).

We were SO happy that we found a decent place to get a vegetarian meal without having to drive miles away. That, my dear friends, is a BIG relief especially when traveling.

Next up? How does Cork & Bean Wine Bar & Coffee House sound? I would rate this place as one of the sweetest and coziest breakfast places I have ever visited. Or a cafe. Or a hangout joint.

Marco Polo’s Sandwhiches & Treats
1655 Acquoni Road
Cherokee, NC 28719
828-497-1777

Jasons Deli… Delish.

Jason’s Deli is not a place I frequent a lot.

No specific reason really; it isn’t exactly a dining place and so P and I haven’t visited for dinner. At work, one time someone got me lunch from there. It was a huge Muffaletta sandwich, I remember. Only a quarter sandwich but it was H-U-G-E.

S and I went to my favorite salon in Tucker last week and stopped by at Jason’s Deli in a nearby strip mall for a sandwich lunch. I got the Quarter Muff deal that comprises of quarter of a Muffaletta and a cup of soup. I picked the Tomato Basil soup (vegetarian).

I love the combination of fresh tomatoes and basil, as is evidenced by all the posts from last summer. The Muffaletta contains grilled portabello mushrooms, provolone, organic spinach, tomatoes, red and yellow bell peppers, purple onions and an olive mix. Sounds like a helluva lot of ingredients to stuff into a sandwich, doesn’t it? It really is! I wonder how they pack them all in there but a good job they do! However, eating the sandwich is a messy affair, as you can imagine.

It is a delicious sandwich. Choc-a-full with healthy and tasty ingredients, this is a satisfying lunch. It could even do well for two people, especially when combined with the cup of soup. My husband is not particularly fond of this sandwich simply because he felt rather weighed down after eating it (the one time that he ordered it). I can see that happening possibly due to the grilled mushrooms. Take them out, and you should have a relatively light sandwich. Wasn’t very cheesy either.

The soup was delicious. The serving size was perfect too. Tomato, fresh basil, cream, a smattering of cheese… Oozing deliciousness.
Jason’s Deli is a place I can definitely recommend to vegetarians. The menu has many other options too, and they all look reasonably priced. I am sure I’ll be back there again, one of these days, sampling another one of their delicious sounding dishes.
Jason’s Deli
4073 Lavista Road
Tucker, GA 30084
770-493-4020
www.jasonsdeli.com

Yet another summer sandwich

Nothing says summer like basil. Or peaches. Or figs. Or tomatoes. Well, you get the picture. Summer brings us such a bonanza of fruits, herbs, vegetables. Everything tastes juicier, fresher… oh so succulent! Whether you bite into a ripe tomato or a peach, it feels like such a complete indulgence.

So this last weekend, we went to the Sandy Springs Farmers Market and got home a big bunch of basil among other things. I made a batch of pesto. What you see below is lunch today. Sandwich flats and mozzarella came from Trader Joes, tomatoes from Harrys Farmers Market (I ensured that the variety I picked came from Tennessee – no more West Coast produce for me!), freshly ground black pepper.

Summer is fleeting; Fall is almost here. Let’s celebrate the remaining days of this magical season!