A reader took me to task on my recent comments on the availability of vegetarian dishes at Varanese. I wish she had left a comment so everyone could see her thoughts but since she sent a private email I won’t quote it wholesale. First though here is what I said about Varanese:
I’ve heard the food at Varanese is very good. I myself have never been
and don’t suspect I will until they pay slightly more attention to
vegetarian entrees. A note on the menu that the chef will create a vegetarian dish by request isn’t enough for me I’m afraid.
The email writer essentially said I’d misinterpreted the note on the menu. According to her that note means the chef will take the time and attention to be creative and come up with a special vegetarian dish based on fresh, available ingredients, etc. To me, not having any vegetarian entrees on the menu makes vegetarian dishes seem like an afterthought. I know that a lot of time, attention, trial and error and care goes into whatever dishes actually make it onto a restaurant’s menu. And while I love the idea of on-the-fly dishes based on whatever is in-season and available I’ve seen far too many really boring “pasta with Spring vegetables” dishes to have a lot of faith in restaurants that haven’t dedicated the time and attention to developing at least one vegetarian main course dish.
The email writer says I do myself a disservice by not looking beyond that note and giving Varanese a try. She very well may be right and based on her nudging I may give Varanese a shot. On the other hand though my dining out dollars are not unlimited. So when I plan a meal out I want to know in advance that chances are good I’m going to find something to order and enjoy. When a place doesn’t have a vegetarian entree on the menu I’m not convinced of those chances and will instead choose to spend my limited dining out dollars elsewhere. I think other vegetarian and flexitarians think the same way. We don’t want to risk spending our eating out budget on a place that, on the surface, seems to not care about vegetarian diners. But I’m open to the fact that I could be wrong.
So I ask you am I wrong? Do you think I misinterpreted the note on the menu? If you’re a vegetarian or flexitarian diner would no veggie entrees and a note like that make you more or less likely to go to a restuarnat? You know I’m dedicated to getting more innovative and creative vegetarian dishes in restaurants in Louisville so I really hope we can have a good discussion on this.
Update: OK, so the person who sparked this discussion actually works on advertising for Varanese. I asked her if she worked for or with Varanese and she told me she did but didn’t volunteer the information until I asked. I’m not sure if I feel duped by that or not. I guess it doesn’t really matter though because all of us talking about vegetarian food is a good thing and perhaps she/Varanese will read this post and comments and see that the “vegetarian dish by request” thing doesn’t really seem adequate. Perhaps we can spark positive menu change.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I’m not a vegetarian, but I frequently dine out with friends who are, and it makes for a bad dining experience when the veggie dish is an afterthought. There are way too many restaurants with tried and true vegetarian dishes to risk a restaurant where there’s not even one dish that has been thought out and placed on the menu.
Basa, L&N, and Seviche all come to mind as restaurants with amazing vegetarian dishes. I frequently get their vegetarian entrees because even though I’m not vegetarian, I know they are amazing.
It’s probably not fair to Varanese to pick on them, though. Their chef’s whim might be really good. Are there any vegetarians out there that have taken them up?
August 19th, 2008 at 11:01 am
I think you are entitled to want to see a little more commitment from a restaurant where vegetarian dishes are concerned. An upscale restaurant, I believe, should have at least one or two vegetarian options based on locally available and seasonal ingredients. Perhaps they could include that as a daily or weekly special dish. I say you’re the consumer and that your experience and opinion are valid, just as valid as the one who voiced a dissenting opinion.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I agree completely. While I am far from vegetarian myself, I always appreciate the option. Not including a strictly vegetarian dish on the menu does show a lack commitment to both vegetarian diners and those desiring greater options. I have not been to Varanese, which I am sure is a wonderful place to go, but forgoing a vegetarian option is a troubling oversight.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I agree with you- I think all restaurants should try to keep at least a few vegetarian entrees on their menu. I am biased because I am a vegetarian, but there are other people who eat that way or choose to eat that way from time to time- people watching their weight, high blood pressure, people who keep kosher- it’s just a smart thing to do if you want to appeal to a wide audience.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I’ll go one further and say I want to see more than one vegetarian dish on a menu at a nice restaurant. It really sucks when the omnivores have their pick of many delicious dishes and the vegetarians are stuck picking the lone non-meat option. It’s limiting in a way that makes dining out less fun than staying in and cooking. Also, “upon request” does imply that the vegetarians are high maintenance and need some kind of special accommodation as well as a certain amount of “you’ll eat what we give you and you’ll like it.” My parents can do me that way, but at a decent restaurant, I like options. In this case, I’d pass on Varanese, because there are so many great Louisville restaurants with tasty veg options.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
You are totally in the right here. I agree with Jonas. No diner at a good restaurant should be made to feel ‘obliged’ to the chef for providing what should be offered every day, to everyone. I am not a vegetarian, but I expect to be given a meatless option from any truly fine restaurant.
August 19th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Though not a vegetarian myself, I often prefer vegetarian dishes when I eat out. Part of that stems from trying to keep kosher, but frequently I honestly do not desire meat. Even if I am eating meat on any given day, my first time at a restaurant I always look to see how many vegetarian options are offered on the menu. And I do think differently of a place that offers only one option or less.
Of course I am a little biased. At Sweet Surrender, our lunch menu is entirely vegetarian. So I know for a fact that it isn’t that difficult to come up with tasty and creative vegetarian options.
August 19th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
I will agree with both your post, and Erin Keane’s comment. While I appreciate a vegetarian option, it’s disheartening that it’s usually that – a singular option. If a restaurant has no vegetarian choice, or the note above, I simply don’t bother.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
While the potential for a truly creative and surprising dish from the chef does exist, more often than not in these cases I’ve gotten some really lame and disappointing stuff that I could’ve made at home myself. “We can do a veggie stir-fry” or “we can do a pasta with marinara” or even better, the old “hunk of barely-cooked portabella on a bun” is not what I want to hear the server suggest, those ho-hum dishes are NOT what I go out to restaurants for. If a place doesn’t have several vegetarian dishes (that look like they had some thought given to them), and at least one or two easily veganizable dishes, I won’t even waste the time to step through their door. This is 2008 and we’re in a fairly major city, there’s no excuse unless the restaurateur has a personal vendetta against vegetarians. Good topic for discussion, (and thanks for the support from all the non-vegetarians)!
August 20th, 2008 at 11:39 am
I am a vegetarian, and to be honest, I have a HUGE problem with “vegetarian dish by request.” Varanese, why do you suggest I should blindly trust that your chef will create something fabulous? Would any omnivore choose a restaurant with a menu that boasted only “will create a dish by request”? That is ridiculous! If I plan a nice, pricy evening dinner out, I don’t want to be disappointed with the composition or ingredients of the dish that has been created for me… I would DEFINITELY rather hedge my bets and make my evening plans based on a pre-existing menu choice.
Seriously Varanese, the key word is COMMIT. Tsk, tsk.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
My husband and I are both vegetarians and we went to Varanese to celebrate an anniversary back in June. We were surprised & disappointed to see the note on the menu and no listed veggie dishes. When we told our server we were vegetarians, he started pointing out the various side dishes that accompany the main dishes on the menu and suggested we could just select a few sides.
After my husband pointed out the note about vegetarian dishes being available upon request, the server said he would go check with the chef to see what they could do. We ended up with grilled, sliced peppers, onions, and portabella mushrooms. While they were very well prepared, they were pretty boring, and not worth the money. We probably wouldn’t go back there – as an earlier commenter said, there are so many great vegetarian dishes at restaurants that we already know are delicious. I do love to try new places and dishes, though, so I hope to see more veg. options popping up on Louisville’s menus.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Weighing in late… while I don’t eat meat, I do eat seafood, so I’ve got more flexibility than others when it comes to restaurant menus. Still, many times I’d rather go for the veggie fare, and I’ve got no interest in a restaurant that can’t even be bothered to put a vegetarian option on the menu. If the Varanese rep is still reading this, Laura’s comment should make it clear that vegetarians are justified in writing that place off. If they’re comfortable with that, fine. Otherwise, there’s an easy fix — come on back and let us all know what has been added to the menu!
September 4th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
It’s funny that all you people can make these judgements without looking at the menu. Why not try going to Varanese.com to check it out first. First of all people today like to eat small bites or tapas. My menu boasts a large appetiezer menu compared to other restaurants of my caliber. There are Cheese spheres with artichoke and spinach, A hummus platter with feta queso and tabulleh, Brie wrapped in puff pastry, House made potato chips, 4 spectacular salads, a hummus and vegetable sandwhich on homemade flat bread, and two great pastas that can be served meatless. And the last time a sent out a vegetarian dish it was composed of a Vegetable hash cake, saute spinach with artichoke and sundried tomatoes, grilled garden vegetables and baby squash. I believe that is more than enough. Finally the reason for a note on the bottom of the menu is to keep the product as fresh as possible. Everone wants to see a vegetarian dish. I have been a Chef in Louisville for over 10 years and never had vegetarian entree sales of over 2% of my total sales. Do you know what that tells me is that the vegetarian dish I create for a menu is rotting in the refridgerator because its not selling. Why not have the option to change things daily when you have 3 local farmer delivering to my back door weekly. For all of you that like to speculate, take the challange and come visit. Make sure you ask for me and I am sure you would not be dissappointed. If I can please a vegetarian like Anoosh Shariot, Chef and owner of his own place, than I am sure I can please your palates.