JournalNow.com: Veggin' Out

Contrary to a popular stereotype, vegetarians are not all champions of self-denial, pathetically munching a sprout on the sidelines while watching the omnivores have all the culinary fun. Instead, the vegetarians we know love good food and know where to get it. They aren't about to settle for a bland meal, either at home or at a restaurant.

Sage Vegetarian Cafe

I finally got the opportunity last week to eat at Sage Vegetarian Cafe in Chapel Hill. It’s a place I’ve long wanted to try but hadn’t had a chance to. I’m happy to report that it was excellent! It’s always a thrill to be able to order anything on the menu. I might not always want to order everything, but I could. Sage’s menu isn’t expansive, but it has a nice variety.

We started with a mezze platter, which changes daily but always includes hummus and pitas. We also got stuffed grape leaves (I’m not usually a big fan, but these were excellent), pasta salad and a Persian potato dish that was unusual and yummy, with flavors of the Middle East.

And the sweet iced tea! We all agreed that it was some of the best we’ve ever had, infused with jasmine and cardamom for an exotic, refreshing treat that the waiter kept having to refill and refill and refill for us.

All three of us ended up ordering the same entree, Fesen-Joon, which the menu described as “A Persian classic. Sweet and sour flavors of pomegranate juice, ground walnuts and herbs blended with grilled tempeh, served with basmati-saffron rice [you could substitute brown rice, which I did] and a side of shirazi [a tomato-cucumber salad].” It was a bit of a shame that we didn’t each try different things so we could share, but we all agreed that the Fesen-Joon was so fabulous, if only one of us had gotten it, the others would have had excruciating food envy. It was rich and filling, and the flavors of the walnuts and pomegranate shone through.

There are other delicious-sounding items on the menu—Bud-m-Joon ("eggplant paradise with tomato, split peas, saffron, sauteed onions, hint of cinnamon and other spices"), a vegetable kabob and soy chicken cutlets in a mild coconut curry and mushroom sauce—but I’m not sure I could NOT order the Fesen-Joon the next time I visit. It was that good and different.

There are also sandwiches and wraps available for lunch, and the menu clearly marks which items are vegan or have vegan options available. Sage is at the Timberlyne Shopping Center on Weaver Dairy Road.

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By Cassandra Sherrill on 05/09/2008 (12:44 pm)