Exploring plant-based dining: Burke County's Growing Vegetarian and Vegan Options
Reptile Cantina’s refried bean taco.
Reptile Cantina’s fried avocado salad with tofu.
Reptile Cantina’s Cantina Dawg (meat or veggie option).
Reptile Cantina’s Reptile Smashburger with Beyond patty.
Maybe you’ve decided to work on eating a healthier diet.
Perhaps your doctor has advised you to make some changes in the way you eat because of blood pressure concerns.
Maybe you’ve done some research and simply can’t live with the thought of eating animals.
The choice to eat a plant-based diet has become more popular in recent years, and even if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool carnivore at heart, reducing your red meat intake can lead to positive results at your annual doctor visit, so trading that ribeye for a black bean burger once in a while might be a good idea.
Whether you are vegetarian, vegan or pescatarian, (see info box for an explanation of the differences) finding meal options when you visit local restaurants in Burke County may be a challenge.
But according to Nancy Hasty, a Morganton resident and longtime vegetarian, your options are not limited to salads and potatoes. Hasty said she and husband Joe (also a vegetarian) have found many local restaurants have amended their menus to include multiple choices for those who prefer no meat.
Reptile Cantina, at 108 E. Meeting St., Unit B (downstairs) has a variety of tasty meat-free foods. Co-owner Cutty Bage, a 20-year vegetarian herself, said the eatery’s vegetarian options have been very well received.
“So many vegetarians are used to only getting one or two options at restaurants, like a grilled cheese or slice of cheese pizza,” she said. “When we opened the Reptile, I really wanted to make sure we had good vegetarian protein options, because sometimes when I go to a bar, I want to sink my teeth into a big burger as well.”
Bage said the most popular vegetarian item at the Reptile Cantina is the refried bean taco, a common choice among meat-eaters as well.
“The chimichurri on top adds a lot of depth,” she stated. “A lot of meat eaters jokingly scoff at the tofu option, but when I pressure them to try it, they’re always like ‘Dang, that’s actually pretty good’. It’s been fun to watch hardcore carnivores order a steak taco alongside a tofu taco.”
Both Bage and Hasty agreed that tofu, a staple for many vegetarians, can get a bad rap.
“One thing I was really particular about was our tofu,” Bage said. “I go to so many places that don’t know how to do tofu. Ours is breaded, crispy, seasoned, but still soft in the middle. Sometimes I just snack on the tofu on its own. I call them tofu nugs.”
Hasty said in the past, some eating establishments didn’t put a lot of thought into tofu dishes, which helped give the food a bad name. She said many Burke County eateries, such as Kin2Kin, offer what she calls “tofu done right.”
Los Compadres, a Mexican restaurant in Valdese, features a vegetarian section on their menu. It includes dishes such as chile relleno, bean burritos, cheese burritos with rice, cheese enchiladas, and rajas con queso.
Local fitness instructor Emily Elder has been a vegetarian for 34 years, since, as a high schooler, she wrote a government class report on the animal rights movement.
“For me, it is my choice for both compassion and health,” Elder stated. “In Morganton and really all of America, the best options for vegetarians are ethnic restaurants, Asian, Italian, Indian, and Middle-Eastern.”
Elder said American-cuisine restaurants tend to be more meat-focused, with their menus featuring foods like barbecue and burgers.
“They seem to think vegetarians will be satisfied with just side dishes or, god-forbid, the go-to veggie dish, something with portabella mushrooms. Can we get a little more creative, please?
“Catering staff look at you like a deer in the headlights when you say you are a vegetarian,” she explained. “My culinary dream is for a local Indian restaurant to open here.”
Burke vegans and vegetarians now have a unique option for food on the go. Pamela Genant and Vaishali Amar recently established Rasoi on the Run, an innovative home delivery service known for its gluten-free and vegan Indian meals.
“Our food is vegetarian/vegan friendly because we know that the options for vegetarians and vegans in this area are limited,” Genant explained. “As vegans ourselves, we have seen a tremendous improvement in our own health, and we want to offer this as a healthy meal option for today’s busy lifestyle.
“All of our meals are freshly ‘home-cooked’ and are the foods we feed our own family,” she said.
Sandra Wilkerson Queen is the arts & entertainment editor for The Paper. She may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2002, or sandra@thepaper.media.
