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Cashew Vegan Restaurant

May 31, 2014

Cashew | Chattavore

After a hiatus from the restaurant to focus on catering, Cashew Vegan Restaurant reopened in August of 2016 due to popular demand.

Um, you guys, it has been over a month since I wrote my last review. We’ve had a lot of busy weekends lately! Summer break is here, though, so I’m hoping to get to some outside-of-Hamilton-County places that you guys have recommended to me. We contemplated a few different vacation destinations but I think we’ve settled on doing some mini-trips, some just day trips and some overnighters, to see more of this great state in which we live….but we decided to start the summer off with a trip to Cashew vegan restaurant, located in Coolidge Park.

According to Amy, the incredibly friendly hostess/cashier/server who greeted us and took our order, Cashew vegan restaurant has been around since September 2013. I have heard several wonderful things about it but because of its location-set back a little into a recessed area in the building in which it is located-I had never actually laid eyes on it. For some reason I started thinking about it recently and have been thinking about it for the last couple of weeks.
Cashew Menu | Chattavore
When we arrived, Amy immediately greeted us and we stood at the counter and perused the menu while she explained the brunch special, a burrito with black beans, tofu scramble, and roasted vegetables (served with garlicky kale and fresh fruit). The menu was divided into soups/starters, salads, kids’ plates, sides, plates, sandwiches, and drinks. Philip got water while I was drawn to the bright pink hibiscus-berry tea behind the counter. For $1.50 I decided to go for it. It was unsweetened but delicious-I love flowery drinks.
Cashew | Chattavore
Philip asked Amy for recommendations. She pointed out the polenta stacks on the starter menu as a great appetizer option, and just based on the menu description I had to agree, so I ordered it. The menu describes the polenta stacks as “rounds of organic polenta & sweet potato topped with roasted portobello mushroom, fresh tomato, and walnut-basil cream sauce drizzled with balsamic reduction” for $8.75. There were three on the plate, each topped with a gigantic basil leaf. The polenta was warm, cut into a round and stacked with all the other ingredients. The walnut-basil cream sauce was delicious and the combination of all of the ingredients was pretty much sublime, including the balsamic reduction (and I am not really a huge fan of balsamic vinegar…but it was perfect here).
Cashew | Chattavore
Amy also recommended the Thai loaded sweet potato (the menu features a selection of loaded white and sweet potatoes…I love loaded potatoes so this was perfect for me). I always feel like I should take employee recommendations unless they are for something that I just don’t like, so I decided to get this potato for $5.65. The Thai loaded sweet potato features shredded carrot, chopped cilantro, and chopped green onion with peanut sauce and sriracha. I never would have dreamt up this combination in a million years, but it was pretty much one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. The peanut sauce was amazing and paired perfectly with the sweet potato. The shredded carrot added a little crunch while the cilantro and the sriracha added a little hint of spice and flavor (though this was definitely the kind of dish that got hotter as I ate it…but it was not overpowering, and I am a spicy-food-pansy so if you don’t do spice you could definitely do this). My only regret is that I ordered the full potato-I didn’t realize how big it was. With the polenta stacks, the potato ended up being so filling that I couldn’t eat much of the second half. A half of any of the loaded potatoes is featured on the sides menu.
Cashew | Chattavore
Philip decided to go for the special, which turned out to be a pretty gigantic tortilla wrapped around roasted vegetables (including broccoli, potatoes, and onions), black beans, and scrambled tofu. It was well seasoned and the flavors went together well. He did not love the kale, but that’s just because he doesn’t love kale. It was tender but still a little firm with a mild garlic flavor and just the right amount of seasoning. The fruit was nice and fresh and there was a decent amount of it (who else hates the dreaded fruit cup with a pound of melon, half a strawberry, and two grapes?).
Cashew | Chattavore
There were quite a few desserts in the case and Philip decided that we needed to get something to bring home to pair with our Saturday afternoon coffee. There were cookies, vanilla cupcakes, gluten-free doughnuts, raw cheesecake, and Oreo brownies, but since we had a stop to make after we ate we decided to go with some desserts that weren’t too icing-y. We got a brownie and a chocolate chip-banana bread pudding. The brownie was very chocolatey with a cake texture and since it was clearly baked in a pan with individual cups for the brownies it had a great chewy texture all the way around….but the bread pudding stole the show for me. It was perfectly sweetened (as in just sweet enough) with lots of mini dark chocolate chips and sticky slices of banana mixed in. I am going to have to make this at home. It was so good.
Cashew | Chattavore
Cashew | Chattavore
We aren’t vegan but we do really like great vegan restaurants, which are definitely not abounding in Chattanooga. Cashew fits the bill with a varied and delicious menu and an extremely friendly staff (in addition to Amy, we also met the owners, Bailey and Christiana-sorry if I spelled anyone’s name incorrectly!). It’s a small but bright and inviting space with cool artwork. They are devoted to providing diners with as many local, organic, and high-quality food items as they possibly can. I want to go back ASAP!

While Cashew Vegan Restaurant no longer has regular business hours, check out their website for info about their catering and monthly 5-course dinners!

Cashew | Chattavore
Cashew Vegan Restaurant is located at 149 River Street, Chattanooga, TN. You can call them at (423) 355-5486. Check out their website or like Cashew on Facebook.

Other vegan restaurants in Chattanooga: Sluggo’s North
Other River Street restaurants: River Street Deli, OPA, Poblano’s

Cashew on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: By Location, Downtown Chattanooga, Restaurants Tagged With: CLOSED restaurants, vegan restaurants, vegetarian restaurants By Mary // Chattavore 2 Comments

Sluggo’s North Vegetarian Cafe-July 3, 2012

July 4, 2012

Philip and I don’t eat a massive amount of meat.  It’s more expensive (obviously) than vegetables, so we probably only eat it a couple of times a week.  Bacon is the only meat that is regularly on my shopping list, and besides our weekly breakfast that includes bacon, it is usually an “accent” or seasoning in a meal, not the centerpiece.  We tend to lean more toward eggs and dairy products for our protein.

That said, I would certainly not classify us as “vegetarians”, as we do share a torrid love affair with medium-rare filet mignon and tender pulled pork shoulder.  I doubt that we would ever completely cut out meat or animal products in our diet…but we are perfectly happy to eat not very much meat.  One issue I have, though, is vegan products masquerading as meat.  If others want to eat it, that’s fine….but I am not down with tempeh or seitan, or Tofurkey or Chik’n nuggets.  I can eat tofu….I can eat black bean burgers (but not Gardenburgers or Boca burgers).

I have been very curious about Sluggo’s North, a vegan cafe  (the name belies the fact that there are no animal products at all on the menu-no eggs, dairy, etc.) in North Chattanooga.  Sluggo’s has been around for a few years, has a very high rating on Urbanspoon, and I have heard great things about it from several people, including my very carnivorous brother.  My aunt Susan, who is a vegan, is visiting from Texas (this is my cooking kindred spirit aunt) so Philip and I took the opportunity to take her to Sluggo’s and do a little reviewing.

Sluggo’s menu consists of appetizers (like hummus, pesto bruschetta, and pot stickers, which were an appetizer “special” that day), soups (chili, curry-lentil), salads, wraps, burgers, sandwiches (like the seitan Philly and the “culture club” with seitan, tofurkey, and soy bacon), bowls (including a sweet chile Thai bowl and a ginger curry bowl), and entrees (such as a soy taco plate and sweet potato and spinach enchiladas, which I came so close to ordering.  They also have a selection of sides like garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, pinto beans, collards, and pasta salad.

Sluggo’s is an order-at-the-counter restaurant.  They have  a blackboard with their daily specials by the counter and a stack of menus on the counter.  You place your order, get a number, and they bring your food to your table.  On this day, they were curiously out of ice and all of the drinks in their fountain; the options were tea (sweetened or unsweetened, water, and seltzer) or beer (they have a small selection of draught beers and a decent selection of bottled beers).  Their lack of drink selection was not an issue for us, as Philip and I had water (of course) and my aunt chose tea.

I decided on a spinach and roasted red pepper hummus wrap, grilled and filled with spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, raw veggies, and their tahini goddess dressing, which I had heard lots of good things about prior to visiting.  Sandwiches, wraps, and burgers can be ordered alone or as a plate, which come with one side and a side salad.  I decided on kale, one of the day’s side specials, and citrus-basil vinaigrette on my salad.  When I got my meal, the first thing that struck me was how gigantic the wrap was.  Like, it was the size of two wraps that I would make at home.  If we had not had a million other stops to make, I would have brought half of it home to eat later.  It was delicious, drippy with the tahini (sesame paste) goddess dressing plus hummus where you might expect mayo.  The fact that it was grilled made the tortilla crunchy and toasty-delicious, but the ingredients inside were still nice and cool, as veggies in a wrap should be.   They did not skimp on the spinach, which was piled on thickly, or the roasted red peppers, which retained their crunch.  There were also plenty of slices of cucumber and plum tomatoes.  Sadly, there were red onion strips (which make me cry), so I had to pick those off, rendering my hands unbearably smelly for the rest of the day no matter how many times I washed them.  The kale was delicious, perfectly cooked so that it was soft but not lifeless and seasoned just right, with a hint of lemon.  The mixed green salad also had carrot shreds, cucumbers, and red onions (which I gifted to Philip).  The vinaigrette had a perfect citrusy tang but also tasted like it contained some sort of pesto-ish something, which was very nice indeed.

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Philip and my aunt both decided on the mushroom-walnut burger: a homemade “paddy” (that’s what the menu says) served on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and soy Russian dressing.  Philip ordered his with mashed potatoes and gravy (which are apparently a huge hit here) and tahini goddess dressing on his salad, and my aunt decided on the macaroni and cheese as her side.  What I appreciate about these burgers is that they are what they are, if that makes sense.  This isn’t a burger made of mushrooms and walnuts but trying to be a burger.  It would never make the cut.  No, it’s a mushroom-walnut burger.  It was (just slightly) sweet and (just slightly) spicy, with a nice chew and a delicious flavor.  The bun was not cardboardy as whole wheat buns are wont to be, and the soy Russian dressing was delicious.  It tasted just as Russian dressing should (and that is coming from someone who typically despises things that are made from soy-milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.).  Philip’s potatoes (which, he pointed out, are actually smashed, not mashed, potatoes) were perfectly cooked, creamy, salted just right, and covered with a delicious brown gravy that had a spice to it that made it reminiscent of a sausage gravy flavor.  As for my aunt’s mac & cheese, I have to admit I was apprehensive.  I mean, vegan mac and cheese????????  I am pretty passionate about what macaroni and cheese should (and shouldn’t) be….but this really was delicious.  The color was slightly off-putting, but that feeling was laid to rest once I tasted the creamy, salty, and, yes, cheesy goodness.  Vegan mac & cheese can be tasty!

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It may take a while for me to warm up to certain aspects of vegan food (specifically, non-meat masquerading as meat) but I am sold on Sluggo’s.  The fact of the matter is, it never hurt anyone to eat a little less meat, and when you can get food this good you really don’t miss it all that much.  I highly recommend that those nay-sayers among you give it a try.  You may find that you are swayed to be a little more meatless from time to time!

Sluggo’s North is located at 501 Cherokee Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-752-5224. They are open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. They do not have a website, but you can check them out on Facebook.

Sluggo's North Vegetarian Cafe on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: By Location, Downtown Chattanooga, Restaurants Tagged With: downtown Chattanooga restaurants, vegetarian restaurants By Mary // Chattavore 5 Comments

Taco Mamacita, Vegetarian-Style-December 23, 2011

December 28, 2011

Over the last couple of months, Philip and I have cut way down on our meat consumption in an attempt to be a little more healthy and save a few bucks as well. It’s funny, it started as a “let’s see how this goes a couple of days a week” sort of thing, which morphed into a “let’s try it every other day” sort of thing, then eventually my inner over-achiever took over and lately we haven’t been eating much meat during the week at all. Now, we are far from observing a vegan diet during the week, as we still eat lots of milk, cheese, eggs, and butter….but we really don’t miss the meat, which has been quite surprising to both of us.

We visited Taco Mamacita on “Christmas Eve Eve” with some friends who were visiting from out of town-in town for 16 hours before heading out of state to see family for Christmas. Philip had already mentioned ordering some of the vegetarian items off the menu, and I was perusing the menu trying to decide if I was going to go for strictly vegetarian options or if I was going to have something with shrimp or fish (interestingly, eating too much meat seems to take its toll on my digestion now, so since I knew I’d be eating pork and prime rib for Christmas Eve and Christmas, respectively, I had already decided to forego pork, beef, or even chicken on this jaunt). One of our friends, however, is a vegan, and when she asked our server about vegan options, the server produced a vegan menu. I had no idea any such thing existed!

There is a handful of vegan appetizers on the menu, one being chips and the choice of one of their three salsas and another being the salsa sampler, which is, of course, chips and all three salsas (mango-chunky; roasted tomato-red, slightly spicy; tomatillo-green, a little tart).  As you can see, we ordered the salsa sampler.  We also ordered the chips and queso, but I’ve already shown you a picture of that, so no reason to take another one!  Anyway, the chips are hot, fresh, and yummy, and I liked all of the salsas, but I have to say that the tomatillo is my favorite.  I just really love tomatillo salsa (AKA salsa verde, or “green salsa”).

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Salsa Sampler: clockwise from left-roasted tomato salsa, mango salsa, tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)

I decided to go for an avocado taco, because I have been completely obsessed with all things avocado of late, and a “Freakin’ Vegan.”  The avocado taco included, naturally, slices of avocado, lettuce, pico de gallo, and escabeche.  The Freakin’ Vegan had rice with spinach, petite red beans, lettuce, pico, guacamole, and escabeche.  I tried to find a good description of escabeche online, but everything I found kept saying that escabeche was a method of preparing fish using a pickling liquid (similar to ceviche, I presume).  This led me to assume that the escabeche on my taco was the large shreds of onion on top that were kind of limp, as if they had been soaking in some sort of liquid-perhaps the pickling liquid????  Anyway, I guess I should have asked.  But I didn’t.  I did, however, remove said large strips of onion from my tacos.  You know I’m not a fan!  I also asked for my tacos to be served on corn tortillas instead of the standard flour tortillas.  I was glad that I did!  Not that there’s anything wrong with their flour tortillas-they’re quite good-I just prefer corn.  Much prefer.  Anyway…..I was surprised to find that I actually preferred the Freakin’ Vegan to the avocado taco.  The avocado taco was good, it just seemed a little messier and more difficult to eat than the Freakin’ Vegan, and the beans gave the Freakin’ Vegan a little more substance.  Both tasted great, though!  I also got the vegan option of the black bean and corn salad, which was absolutely delicious, with a white balsamic vinaigrette.  I ate every bite of it and considered drinking the liquid out of the bowl.  I definitely recommend this as a side.  I liked it best of any of the sides I have tried here.

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Freakin' Vegan on the left, Avocado on the right, black bean and corn salad in the middle!

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An upclose and personal view of the Freakin' Vegan

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And the inside of the avocado taco

Philip didn’t go quite as far as I did; he had a vegetarian meal but not a vegan meal.  He chose the black bean taco, which I had on the trip I wrote my first Taco Mama blog about, which has a black bean cake, monterey jack cheese, crema, lettuce, pico de gallo, and escabeche (there it is again!) and a vegetarian jerk taco, which included sauteed plantains, shredded cabbage, refried black beans, mango salsa, peach aioli, and spicy Caribbean jerk sauce.  For his side, he decided on chipotle turnip greens.  I was honestly surprised that Philip ordered the plantain taco, because plantains are similar in texture to bananas, which Philip hates (for the texture!), but he really liked the plantain taco.  He was also extremely happy with the black bean taco, and he loved the chipotle turnip greens, which I actually tasted.  They were very smoky and seasoned just right.  I am not a huge fan of turnip greens-in fact, I despise the smell of them-but these were good!  By the way, I didn’t take a picture of the inside of his black bean taco; you can go to my original post if you’d like to see one.

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This is what the inside of the vegetarian jerk looks like!

I was definitely pleasantly surprised by how fantastic the vegan and vegetarian items at this great restaurant were.  That’s one of the truly great things about some of the up and coming local restaurants: they are really working to keep all of their clientele and potential clientele happy and provide options that meet everyone’s dietary preferences and needs.  Support local business!  Eat at Taco Mama!

Taco Mamacita is located at 109 North Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 37405 (the old Durty Nelly’s location).  They can be reached at 423-648-6262.  Check out their website or Facebook page.

Taco Mamacita on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: By Location, By Type, Downtown Chattanooga, Restaurants, Southern & Barbecue, Vegan & Vegetarian Tagged With: downtown Chattanooga restaurants, vegetarian restaurants By Mary // Chattavore 2 Comments

About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

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