Simply Being | Simple Being

Tag: Marietta (page 1 of 1)

Casual and Delicious at Mediterranean Grill

Walking into Mediterreanean Grill one afternoon, I was stumped.

Let me explain. I have become very used to the hostess-directing-guest-to-table-handing-menu and all the standard actions one encounters at restaurants and so, when I entered Mediterranean Grill and found a roomful of diners, eating and talking, a busy counter where platters of food were periodically placed, a guy at the register… you can figure out why I was stumped. But I recovered quickly. Found an empty (and clean) table, sat down and looked around. No server in sight. Ok, I get it. I walked to the counter, scanned the menu, placed my order, paid for it, went back to my table. Soon afterward, a guy called out, “Vegetarian Plate!” and I went to pick it up.

Mediterranean Grill is one of those little hole-in-the-wall places. The decor is plain and functional, the dining room is busy-noisy, there are no servers or fancy menus, the food comes quick! And it is delicious and cheap. Take a look at my Vegetarian Plate.

Vegetarian Plate

Vegetarian Plate

It featured green salad, one pita bread, two falafel patties, baba ghanouj, hummus, Jerusalem salad and tzatziki sauce. The platter generally features Tabouli Salad but it’s too sour for my taste. So I asked for Jerusalem salad instead. Actually, I had asked for Fetoush Salad but the guy told me that he’d have to make it specially. Ah, well… whatever that means. The falafel patties were excellent. Fresh and vibrant in flavor, easy on the garlic, fried to perfection with zero grease. The Baba Ghanouj was one of the best I have eaten in the United States, so also the Hummus. Tzatziki sauce was a little too sour for my taste but the texture was soft and creamy. All the items tasted wonderfully fresh and flavorful. It has been a while since I enjoyed food this much.

Can’t keep a good thing secret for long, so I went back to Mediterranean Grill with P. This time, he ordered the Vegetarian Plate and I got myself the Grilled Vegetables.  I also ordered a bowl of the Lentil Soup. P liked the Falafel a lot but he thought that the Pita bread was too chewy. Actually, I felt the same. It was soft and fresh-tasting but way too chewy. My platter of Grilled Vegetables included eggplant, zucchini, squash, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, mushroom with hummus and rice. Pretty good although I didn’t care much for the rice. It was cooked well but lacked seasoning. As for the Lentil Soup, it was wonderful. I am guessing it is made from Masoor Dal… Lightly spiced, piping hot, very homely and comforting.

On a whim, I ordered a piece of Walnut Baklava. The place had all but shut down but the guy behind the counter was nice, so he let me buy it. And he almost waived the price! But it was a sad piece of Baklava… 🙁 The filo layers fell off the walnut filling, sheesh. It was tasty (not overly sweet) but maybe we picked the wrong time to get it?

I can easily recommend Mediterranean Grill to a vegetarian. There are a few more vegetarian items on the menu remaining to be sampled, so another visit may be in order!

Mediterranean Grill
1255 Johnson Ferry Rd
Marietta GA 30068
678-996-0045

www.mediterraneangrill.com

Pure Bliss Organics, Marietta

I am always looking out for tasty-healthy snack options. My fondness for Larabar has been well documented on this site. For a long time, I wondered if I would find another product like Larabar. As tasty, as healthy, as reasonably priced and as easily available… a tall order, I know! In addition, I am also known to be extremely picky when it comes to the ingredient list. As tasty and cheap a product may be, a long list of unfamiliar ingredients generally leaves me uncomfortable, and I find myself putting the product back on the shelf.

One day, I chanced on an Acai Coconut bar at a local Robeks outlet. Can’t recall the exact price but it didn’t make me wince. Plus it was made by a local company! I picked it up. Tasty, tasty! I have an issue with many energy bars in that they tend to be dry, almost cardboard-y in texture. Not this one. It was definitely not as soft/moist as Larabar but not dry/dense either.

Pure Bliss Organics, Marietta

Pure Bliss Organics is a Marietta-based company that sells gourmet nuts, energy bars, granola, etc. I sent a note through the website asking if I could sample the products and write about them on the blog. Soon after, I heard back from Jon, one of the owners, asking if I wanted to come check out the company’s facility. I jumped at the offer. And so it turned out that one warm Tuesday morning, I found myself at Pure Bliss Organics. I couldn’t have been more surprised at the location; it was mere minutes from my home! Literally in my backyard, you can say!

Jon and Antonio, the owners, welcomed me warmly and showed me around. The tiny office provides abundant evidence of the company’s philosophy on life, happiness and food. A sweet space with a cute little altar, incense and pictures… I couldn’t have felt more at home if I had tried!

Antonio (L), Lakshmi, Jon (R)

As Jon showed me around the bakery and store room, he mentioned that all Pure Bliss products are certified organic. A few of them are vegan while some are wheat-free. Not all ingredients are sourced locally. For instance, Jon mentioned that there are not many organic blueberry vendors in Georgia, and so, the blueberries come from Michigan. I saw two huge ovens, each capable of roasting up to 40 trays of nuts and seeds. Many of the products are made by hand. I saw one of the employees mixing blended banana with dry ingredients for making Banana Gorilla granola. Jon also showed me the packing and cutting machines acquired recently by the company. Pure Bliss Organics products are stocked at Whole Foods and Sevananda, among other locations.

Making Banana Gorilla Granola

I left the office clutching a generous bag of complimentary samples… Mmm.

Samples Galore!

P and I went through the samples pretty quick. The energy bar bites are a great idea… excellent for sharing! Each little bite packs a nice punch, perfect for the 3 p.m. snack craving. The Mocha Java Bites have sharp notes of espresso that jive beautifully with the crispness of brown rice crisps and the soft chewiness of dates. The Appleachia is a great combination of apples, walnuts, brown rice crisps, flaxmeal and a host of other delicious ingredients. Some of the gourmet nuts have a lingering heat, courtesy cayenne and chilli. Good in small bites!

Pure Bliss Organics is a company grounded in its philosophy of creating foods that nourish the mind, body and soul. Now that is a mindset I can totally get behind… 🙂

Vatica Indian Vegetarian Cuisine

Six years ago, I wrote a post about Vatica, a quaint little Indian vegetarian restaurant nestled in a nondescript strip mall in Marietta. I even created a fan group for the restaurant on Facebook! Today, the restaurant is as busy, if not busier, serving home-style Indian vegetarian food to delighted customers. Vatica is busy in the afternoons, as the hungry office crowd surges in, looking for a homely bite. And they get it at Vatica. The food is simple, unpretentious and a lot like what many Indians eat at home. Saag paneer and chhole are not what we eat on a daily basis unlike what the menus at Indian restaurants might lead one to believe. Dal, sabzi, rotis, yogurt, pickle (the Indian kind, not kosher dill spears!), salad. Simple fare, yes.

Dropped in at Vatica a couple of weeks ago. As always, Dhiru Uncle welcomed me warmly. As I awaited my order of lunch thali, he sat across the table and chatted with me. Uncle is always up for fun and adventure. Constantly hatching new plans and ideas, he is choc-a-full of energy and enthusiasm and good cheer. Soon enough, the thali came to my table.

Indian lunch thali

The food was exactly like I remembered it. The dal was wonderful, hearty and tasting just like home. The vegetables were lightly spiced but a little low on flavor, I thought. The dessert was a delicious ghee-sugar-rice (or tapioca?) concoction. You can ask the server to refill the bowls but I opted not to. It was too late enough in the afternoon to succumb to gluttony! As little as I ate, I felt weighed down, as if I had overeaten. Maybe it was the rice that did it. The lunch thali costs a little over $9, if I remember right. A tad expensive, in my opinion.

Nevertheless, Vatica offers a unique dining experience and I doubt there is any other eatery like it in metro Atlanta. You can pick up a packet of Indian snacks, munch on a healthy date-nut roll (or two), even place an order for an eggless cake! Didn’t I mention that Dhiru Uncle is full of ideas and ingenuity?

Vatica Indian Vegetarian Cuisine
1475 Terrell Mill Rd, Suite 105
Marietta GA 30067

Phone: 770-955-3740
www.indiagourmet.com