Torchy's Tacos

Because of the oppressive heat that lasts roughly from April to November and the widely dispersed clusters of shopping and food districts, Austin does not support the kind of pedestrian activity found in most large cities. Yet in spite of this relative lack of foot traffic, street food dispensed from portable trailers has seamlessly become a celebrated part of Austin's culture in recent years. Torchy's Tacos is emblematic of what Austin's street food scene has to offer. Despite the humble appearance of Torchy's 2 trailers and one permanent restaurant, Torchy's offers complex, interesting food that expands the definition of the word taco. On its regular menu, Torchy's offers build-your-own breakfast tacos and two vegetarian creations - fried avocado tacos and the dirty sanchez.
As its name suggests, the main attraction of the fried avocado taco is sliced avocado fried in a light batter, which renders it both buttery and airy. This taco also includes more traditional taco fixings such as vegetarian refried beans, pico de gallo, and cheese. Finally, the taco's contents are topped in a delicious poblano ranch sauce. The interplay of textures and tastes makes the taco a refreshing experience perfect for summertime.
Although ordering the dirty sanchez taco is somewhat embarrassing for the more inhibited among us, the taste is well worth any temporary embarrassment. This taco includes scrambled eggs, sliced carrots, cheese, guacamole, and fried poblano peppers, which resemble the taste and texture of the fried avocado (no complaints there).
I imagine any vegetarian would be amply satisfied with Torchy's regular menu offerings, but I was especially lucky that the special on my last visit was a mushroom taco. This taco may have actually surpassed the usual vegetarian fare - it included juicy sauteed portabellos, cilantro, queso fresco, sour cream, and a creamy chipotle sauce. If you visit Torchy's, demand that they add this taco to their regular menu; it is simply too good to be seasonal.

Torchy's Tacos
Trailers:
1207 South 1st Street
and
520 W. 6th Street
Restaurant:
2809 South 1st Street
Austin, TX

Demo's Greek Food

Two of the things I generally love most about Greek restaurants are their variety and their low prices. Typically, one can pick and choose from a large number of classic Greek delicacies - hummus, baba ganouj, spanakopita, dolmas, etc. - to build a custom plate of delicious and varied food for little money.
Unfortunately, Demo's disappointed on both counts. Although they offer two vegetarian sandwiches - a falafel sandwich and a salad sandwich - I chose the meze plate, which was as close as I could get to the type of plates I have grown accustomed to at other Greek restaurants. The meze plate included spanakopita, tiropita (filo stuffed with feta), dolmas, and kalamata olives. In terms of composition, the plate included too much grease and crunch that was not offset by anything creamy (like hummus or tzatziki sauce, which cost $2.00 extra), so eating it was something of a greasy chore. Moreover, I watched the server get the spanakopita and tiropita out of the freezer after I placed my order. I could reheat frozen spanakopita from the grocery store for less money and an equivalent experience. The food was lackluster and unappealing, and I did not finish my plate (a very rare occurrence for me).
For $8.25 I expect more variety and better flavors than Demo's offered, and it's unlikely that I will return.

Demo's Greek Food
2501 N. St. Mary's St
San Antonio, Texas

Quick Hit: Hometown Vegetarian Cafe

Hometown Cafe is Houston's answer to Austin's Veggie Heaven, although with better ambiance and service. (Although Hometown Cafe loses points for not having Protein 2000). They serve a number of revamped traditional Chinese dishes, such as sweet and sour veggie pork and eggless eggrolls. My partner was adventurous and tried the veggie fried eel, which was incredibly tasty and, from what I'm told, approximated the taste of the real thing. Because I am only occasionally in Houston, I will not be able to sample everything from the menu as quickly as I would like. However, on future trips to Houston I plan to make Hometown Cafe a staple of my Houston dining experience.

Hometown Vegetarian Cafe
9888 Bellaire Blvd # 106
Houston, TX 77036

Quick Hit: India Palace San Antonio

The first time I went to India Palace in San Antonio, I was really turned off because the dining room smelled like sewage. I was convinced to try it again by a friend who said the food is great and the restaurant isn't usually so pungent. On the second visit, the dining room smelled just fine and the food was quite decent. It was not the best Indian buffet I've ever tried, but it is worthy to be placed in my regular rotation of Indian restaurants.

India Palace San Antonio
8440 Fredericksburg Rd.
San Antonio, Texas

Green

Green is San Antonio's only all-vegetarian restaurant. It's a little surprising that I waited so long to go.
The menu offers an impressive array of classic dishes cleverly remodeled into veggie-friendly meals. I chose to try a dish that I always loved when I ate meat, the Sesame Chickin. Although it wasn't exactly like its sweet, sticky estranged parent, this rebel child was no less delicious. It consisted of fried wheat protein strips topped with a savory sesame mushroom sauce. It was a creative reinterpretation, and now I can perhaps forget about the original Chinese buffet fare. Green allows a choice of sides with the meals, and I chose the sweet potato fries and a waldorf salad, which was the vegetable of the day. The available sides can be somewhat incongruous with the dishes on the menu, but when onion rings and sweet potato fries are involved, I am loathe to complain.
After a grueling decision-making process in which he pitted the sweet potato gnocchi (which appears to have been removed from the online menu) against the popcorn tofu po'boy, my partner chose the po'boy (perhaps a provident choice?). The size of the po'boy, a hoagie stuffed with popcorn tofu, spinach, tomato, and bell pepper, was somewhat unmanageable. However, as it often does in my world, the taste compensated, although Travis indicated that he would have liked to try the meal as a salad instead of a sandwich. The popcorn tofu and the chipotle mayo were the highlights of the dish.
I am looking forward to visiting Green again. I am intrigued by their many uses of tofu and wheat protein, and looking forward to trying again the dishes from my past, like their reuben and buffalo tofu fingers.

Green
1017 North Flores
San Antonio, Texas

Zuzu

Zuzu's claim to fame is that its traditional Mexican offerings are made fresh and by hand each day, without lard or chicken stock. Accordingly, the food is delicious, although their purportedly healthy dishes tasted anything but. Granted, my choice of their queso-smothered rice, bean, and cheese chimichanga probably wasn't the dish they were referring to when they said they served healthy Mexican food. I managed to push visions of my arteries aside and enjoyed this amazingly decadent meal. I tried to exercise restraint in my choice of sides and ordered the simple and tasty green salad and their corn relish, which tasted too much like canned corn for me to enjoy. My partner had the sunrise breakfast burrito, filled with eggs, black beans, mozzarella, and grilled vegetables. His burrito certainly rivaled my chimichanga, in addition to the perfect combination of breakfast burrito elements, the dish had a vague curry taste which made it especially interesting. Zuzu claims to have the best flan in Austin, which we were unable to try after our huge lunches. But after our great experience, we will certainly be back to test this claim.

Zuzu
5770 N. Mopac
Austin, Texas

6317 Bee Cave
Austin, Texas

Galaxy Cafe and Zocalo Cafe

I should have really included these sister restaurants on my list of Austin favorites. I visit each quite a bit and they never disappoint. They are locally owned, conveniently located (for me, anyway), and offer a large array of vegetarian entrees and sides.

Let's start with Galaxy.
Galaxy Cafe serves a variety of casual dining fare, including sandwiches, wraps, and salads. Everything I have eaten there is remarkably tasty, especially the hot veggie wrap and the fresh mozzarella sandwich, to which I always add avocado. Each dish is served with your choice of side, and I am particularly fond of their pesto pasta salad and macaroni and cheese, which, with its creamy melted American cheese and gooey strands of cheddar, is truly the best mac and cheese I have had.

In a town of plentiful Tex Mex, Zocalo Cafe's fresh, light Mexican food stands out as a unique and appealing alternative. Zocalo offers a a number of vegetarian options at such low prices that it makes their queso mixta and tres leches cake difficult to pass up. The last time I went, I ordered the tostada salad, a bed of green leaf lettuce resting above a tostada and refried black beans, topped with avocado, queso fresco, and cilantro. The chipotle lime dressing infuses the salad with a delightful hint of lime. I also particularly enjoy the vegetarian torta, a sandwich filled with black beans, avocado, and queso fresco. Zocalo is housed in the former location of both West Lynn Cafe and Cosmic Cafe, two doomed former favorites of mine that never seemed to have any other customers. Zocalo, however, does not seem destined to the same fate.

Galaxy Cafe
1000 West Lynn
Austin, Texas

9911 Brodie Lane
Austin, Texas

Zocalo Cafe
1110 West Lynn
Austin, Texas