a dong

my husband brought me some a dong for lunch today.  I had the stuffed tofu, which comes with veggies and rice on the side.  he had a vermicelli dish with lots of tofu, bean sprouts, and lettuce.

for anyone who does not already know, a dong has a pretty huge vegetarian menu, and they have really great egg rolls.  vietnamese cooking uses lots of fresh ingredients, especially lettuce and herbs.  one of my biggest complaints about a dong is that i think they need to use more basil and cilantro.  they don’t give you as much of these in your spring rolls and vermicelli dishes, and other vietnamese restaurants in des moines are much better about this (the problem is that some of these restaurants don’t have many, if any, vegetarian options listed on their menu).  it adds a lot more flavor and is more authentic.

my second concern with a dong is that i am worried they use fish sauce in some of their dishes, including the sauce that you pour on the vermicelli dishes and the egg roll dipping sauce.  i have asked in english, my husband has asked in vietnamese, and we are always told no, that it is a lemon sauce.  it tastes a LOT like it is made with fish sauce though, and i have read another person’s comments somewhere online about a dong using fish sauce.  i feel badly for not taking their word for it, but this concerns me…

other than those two issues, i highly recommend a dong.  it’s a great place to go with a group of people as well, because there is something for everyone.  there are the more authentic vietnamese dishes and there are dishes that will be familiar to any person who has eaten at a chinese restaurant.  and i really enjoy having a big list of vegetarian options right there in front of me, and not needing to try to cobble something together.

unsolicited advice

I love eating out and discovering different approaches people have to food. Since becoming a vegetarian, my appreciation for variety has grown. Along the way I’ve noticed some general patterns, both good and bad, regarding restaurants’ approaches to vegetarian diners and vegetarian food. Here are some pieces of advice for any restaurant owner/manager/chef who recognizes that we are a growing share of the market (somewhere between 4 and 10% self-defined vegetarians), and that health-conscious non-vegetarians don’t eat meat in every meal.

• Don’t write us off. We do like to eat out and we will be incredibly loyal if you provide us the opportunity to do so in your establishment.
• Provide us with options on your menu, and don’t relegate us to side dishes (ahem…Joseph’s) or salads.  Some people will go along, but many will just not come back.  We are not asking for you to provide only vegetarian options (though it would be nice if one or two in the Des Moines area did).  We just want SOME options.
• If you stake your reputation on providing high-quality food and charge prices to match (Azalea, for example), respect yourself more than making your only vegetarian option (outside of appetizers and various cheese pizzas) some sort of generic “pasta with vegetables” dish. When I go to your restaurant I expect and deserve, just as your non-vegetarian patrons do, to enjoy creative and high-quality food. Don’t think that just because you put capers in the pasta with vegetables you are creating something special. Think outside the box and embrace the great variety available to vegetarian cooking. Of the restaurants in this genre, Dos Rios has done the best job of living up to expectations. There were at least a couple of great vegetarian (and vegan) options the last time I ate there. Their menu changes sometimes but hopefully this is still the case.
• Fish (and other seafood) is meat. We’re not operating with biblical definitions here.
• Don’t make soups like broccoli cheddar or other potentially vegetarian soups with chicken broth. This is something you can change very easily to open up at least another option for vegetarians on your menu. I know that some broths have different flavoring, but in my experience chicken broth is really not that different than vegetable broth, especially in rich or creamy soups where broth is not the focus of the flavor. If you do insist upon using meat-based broths in soups/sauces that might otherwise appear vegetarian, denote that on your menu.
• Do NOT use canned mushrooms. Ever. Sickos.

tamari-roasted chickpeas

Yesterday for a snack I made some of these tamari-roasted chickpeas (except instead of tamari I used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos) from Dreena’s Vegan Recipes. Since then, I’ve made two ADDITIONAL batches of this recipe, one with cumin. I’ve been known to just eat plain chickpeas out of the can as a snack, so of course I think these are pretty delicious, but my husband also found them pretty addictive, and he generally hates beans.

hello des moines!

i can’t help it. i feel an urge to move des moines, by sheer willpower, into a more veg-friendly place. you might be thinking, here we are in the middle of iowa, where bacon-eating contests are more likely events than anything vegetarian-friendly. but i’ve had some success and seen much improvement. this is my first year living as a vegetarian in des moines, so i’m still exploring. i also want to share what i have discovered along the way.

i’m too tired and busy for a complete mission statement right now, but the flash of inspiration has sparked, and hopefully at least a few people will find their way to this site and help to make it useful.

ted’s coney island

Ted’s is not exactly health food, but we’ve been rushed a lot lately so have eaten here a few times in the past month. I’ve lived in Des Moines for nearly my whole life but had never been to Ted’s, though I had been to another Coney Island location back when I ate meat.

I did not think there would be much for me to eat here; your basic grilled cheese was all that I expected. The selection of vegetarian options, however, is a bit larger than most fast food locations in Des Moines. They have a falafel pita sandwich, a red-pepper hummus pita sandwich, and a veggie pita sandwich, in addition to grilled cheese!

The first time I stopped in with my husband, I ordered the hummus sandwich and he ordered the falafel (both are in the $4-5 range). Both were pretty good, fast, and very filling. Fresh vegetables and good leafy green lettuce help to make these sandwiches feel less heavy, though I feel like there is a bit too much of the main ingredients. Either the flavor or the quantity of falafel makes it get old a little too soon; neither does Ted’s skimp on hummus, which overflowed out of the warm pita with every bite.

We’ve returned to Ted’s a few times, and I’ve tried the grilled cheese pita, which is not nearly as good as either the falafel or the hummus pita. Also, if you are really starving order a basket (adds a couple of dollars to the cost), which will include coleslaw and both french fries AND onion rings. The coleslaw tastes like it came from Long John Silvers and the fries from McDonalds, but the onion rings are pretty good.

Bottom line, if you need fast food and you are a vegetarian (and probably vegan with the hummus sandwich), Ted’s is a pretty good option.  They also have a drive-thru.

Address: 3020 Ingersoll Avenue