Full Disclosure: I paid for this meal with my own money and I was in no way reimbursed for this blog post. The opinions are completely my own.
Some might say I have an addiction to buying group-deals. Especially when it comes to restaurants. This is one of those cases. This is also a case where I fail to use the Groupon until days before the expiration date. One day before, in fact.
I had heard many good things about Green Owl Cafe, which is why I bought the Groupon in the first place. However, I was a bit concerned because every person who gave it rave reviews was also a lover of veggies. Green Owl serves only vegetarian and vegan food. I’m not saying that I’m not a fan of veggies, but meals that are centered around them are often not what I prefer. In the spirit of me trying new things, I decided to go for it in hopes that it wasn’t as bad as I was afraid it would be.
I started out my meal with a beverage, because it sounded delicious. I don’t remember the name of it, or exactly what it was, but I believe that it was Whiskey, house made apple syrup, and cranberry juice. It was delicious. Seriously one of the best drinks I think I’ve ever had. I need to find a way to re-make this.
Since we got a deal on the meal we decided to splurge and get an appetizer. We ordered the Pan Fried Haloumi Cheese, which came with a sweet chili sauce. I was kind of just expecting fried cheese curds, but these were a different and welcome change. They were not super greasy, and they were very flavorful! The chili sauce was pretty good too, kind of similar to a sweet and sour sauce.
The husband had the Un-Chicken Parmesan – a seasoned and breaded soy patty, pan-fried and topped with a family recipe Marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Served over spaghetti and accompanied by a side of garlic bread. I think he liked it alright, although it did take him a bit to get used to the soy patty as opposed to real chicken.
For my meal I ordered the Caesar Salad With Lemon Marinated Grilled Tofu –
Romaine lettuce tossed with our vegan Caesar dressing, red onions and tomatoes. Topped with house-made croutons and grilled lemon tofu. (vegan)
I also had a side of Roasted Baby Red Potatoes –
red potato wedges, tossed in olive oil, garlic, fresh rosemary, sea salt and pepper and oven roasted. (vegan)
Both dishes were really good!! I was kind of afraid that the salad wasn’t going to fill me up, but it was surprisingly filling. The tofu was cooked amazingly. It was flavorful, and really, the texture was very close to what I would imagine grilled lemon chicken would taste like. I need to learn how to prepare tofu like that. The potatoes were delicious as well of course. Roasted baby red potatoes are definitely one of my favorite foods and these did not disappoint. Between the two dishes I was plenty full in the end, and actually had some salad left over that I couldn’t finish!
Overall, although the space is small and we did have to wait for a while to get seated, it was a good meal. The waitstaff was nice, and accommodating. The food tasted fresh, and it had a feel like each dish was individually made to order, rather than just re-heated pre-made food like many restaurants are.
Taste: A, honestly I liked this meal more than I expected to. I knew it would be well-prepared food, I just wasn’t sure my taste buds would enjoy it.
Cost: A-, the Un-Chicken dish was $13 which is not so bad for a local specialty restaurant.
Would I go there again? I’m not sure. I wouldn’t intentionally avoid it. However, assuming I figure out how they made that delicious tofu, I could easily make this meal at home so I’m not sure that it would be worth going out for.
Filed under: Restaurant Review Tagged: | Green Owl, madison, restaurant review, Vegan, vegetarian
I am a mostly veggie person but not a tofu fan at all. I have not ever found a way to prepare it that I like…so I gave up. 😀 I am glad you liked your meal. I will have to check that place out when I come to Madison. Groupon rocks!
I actually really like tofu – in a lot of cases more than chicken even!
You should try this recipe for Sweet and Sour Crispy tofu, it is really good….and pretty much just tastes like deep fried goodness 🙂
http://www.browniesandzucchini.com/2011/07/14/crispy-sweet-and-sour-tofu/
Hmmm I will try it! I like most things that are fried. I am from the South, what can I say? 😀 Hope you have a great weekend!
Crystal
I’ve actually been curious about that restaurant for awhile, but I think my husband has the same attitude about meals based around veggies and fake meat that you do. Maybe your recommendation will sway him to try it :).
Yeah, I stuck with a tofu based meal, because I do like tofu, but the fake meat tasting things I’m not a fan of. I definitely made sure to check the menu ahead of time to make sure there was something that I’d be willing to try 🙂
I enjoyed reading your perspective on visiting Green Owl. I just went there for the first time in June. I also ordered the Caesar salad with lemon tofu. It’s pretty similar to the easy lemon baked tofu I make at home, and so I thought I’d share the recipe: http://cadryskitchen.com/2012/06/01/tofu-benedict-with-caullandaise/ The key to great tofu (if you’re buying tofu that’s in a water-packed package) is pressing it first. It makes all the difference in terms of texture and ability to soak up flavors.
Thanks! Your recipe looks good, I might have to try that!