Whole World Restaurant & Bakery: Because Sometimes, You Don't Have to Eat Meat...

A few nights ago, the family and I enjoyed a fantastic meal at the newly re-opened Whole World Natural Bakery Restaurant in Clintonville. Unfortunately, I'm a terrible blogger (sorry friends), and forgot to take pictures of any of the actual dishes--just two cookies that I saved and ate the next day for lunch. (Which, for the record, were delicious!)

Did you know that Whole World is Columbus' oldest vegetarian restaurant (founded in 1978)? Their lengthy menu includes appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, and pizza, all made with fresh veggies in small batches. The daily soup options for the evening I was there included African Peanut, Gazpacho, Unstuffed Green Pepper (a rice-stuffed green pepper, deconstructed into soup form), and Verde (chunks of tender potatoes in a puree of five green veggies.) Among their daily entree items were Truffled Penne & Cheese, a Potato & Brie Quesadilla, and a Red Lentil Burger.

I went with the Verde soup--dark green (MUST be healthy!), rich, flavorful, and served with a whole grain toast that was great for dunking. To share, the seven of us ordered the Guacamole Pizza--essentially a cheese pizza topped with a layer of Whole World's house made guac, diced tomatoes, and alfalfa sprouts. Creamy, with a bit of crunch from the sprouts, on a flavorful whole wheat crust. Our entrees included the Seitan Gyro (gigantic, and delicious, according to tasters), the Truffled Penne & Cheese (I liked the peas and carrots that were tossed into the pasta, but could have used a little more truffle), and the Avocado Croissant Sandwich.

For dessert we shared a plate of assorted cookies, and I can definitively state that the chock-full- of-chocolate chocolate chip cookies and molasses-spice cookies were top-notch: uber-buttery, crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle. (Clearly, these were NOT vegan cookies.)

If you've been hitting the cookouts a little too hard and are feeling a little over-carnivorous, head up to Whole World, load up on their great veggie dishes, and know that you can always have that bacon-wrapped hot dog another day...

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