BIRMINGTARIAN

Bottletree Cafe 4.5/5

2008-07-03T18:33:00.015-05:00

3719 3rd Ave. S

Birmingham, AL 35222

(205) 533-6288

When we started doing this we had a couple of goals. One: To try to review restaurants that didn't cater to vegetarians and two: to try to review places we had never been before. It only took our second review to break both rules! Bottletree Cafe has a very vegetarian friendly menu, lots of tofu options and imitation meat products. I (Joshua) have eaten here many times but I made it a point to order something completely new. The menu seemed very stripped down since past visits. It was a single page front and back. I was told that since the dinner crowds are smaller they scale down the menu at night. The daytime menu is much larger but there are still plenty of nighttime options.

The atmosphere is very nice. It's decorated with all of the amazing things you find at thrift stores and yard sales. Not the disgusting socks or the stained bedspreads but the weird painting of a guy who is for some reason standing with Jesus while milking a pig. Bottletree is covered with these types of second hand treasures. The place also doubles as a bar and triples as a music venue.

Michael: This was my first time eating at Bottletree. I've been here numerous times for shows, but somehow never got the food. After looking over the menu I decided to go with the Green Apple and Havarti Quesadilla. It sounded good, so I went with it. My order came out with a small helping of vegan sour cream, a dollop if you will. The quesadilla was sprinkled with cinnamon to my surprise and delight. The apples kept slipping out as I ate, but I tend to be a messy eater anyway, so it was nothing new.

We ate outside on their patio. The weather was hot, but they had fans to keep the temperature pleasant. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and dining experience.

Joshua: I ordered "Barker's Buffalo Wrap". This is batter-fried tofu tossed with buffalo sauce, lettuce, tomato and your choice of bleu cheese or vegan ranch dressing (I went with ranch). This wrap is not for the faint of heart! At first the buffalo sauce was fine.. spicy but delicious. By the end of the meal my mouth was an inferno. I'm a fan of spicy food so it wasn't a big deal but I could see how a mild type of person might not be able to handle the fight this sandwich gives you. I was later told the heat of the sandwich varies depending on which chef makes it. It must have been my lucky night.

The batter on the tofu was awesome and the ranch/buffalo sauce mix was amazing. If you can handle the heat this wrap is a must-buy! It was served with a side of chips and a pickle which is always disappointing. I know chips are a common side especially for a small cafe like this but it would be nice to have the option for some fruit or hummus every once and a while.

By the end of the meal I had a beard full of sauce and a mouth full of fire. I drank all of my water and chewed every piece of ice yet the pain still remained. I've always heard the best remedy for an over-spiced mouth is tofu peanut butter pie..

And what luck! They serve just such a dish. People are often confused to hear about tofu being in a dessert. Usually "silken" tofu is used and it acts as a thickening agent. It's very useful for vegan baking. Anyways, this pie was amazing. Mike and I both split it and there wasn't a bite left over. Nice, sweet peanut butter pie on a moist graham cracker crust.

The Bottletree Cafe is a truly amazing place. It is one of the most vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurants in the area and has a very charming atmosphere. Whether you're eating dinner, having a drink, seeing a show or all three it will be hard to be disappointed with the quality this cafe delivers.

Birmingtarian gives Bottletree Cafe four and a half out of five spicy buffaloes!

Cafe Ciao 3/5

2008-07-01T08:38:00.004-05:00

Cafe Ciao
2031 Cahaba Rd.
English Village
205-871-2423

For our first review we decided we wanted to go somewhere neither of us had been before. We looked around online and found a place in English Village called "Chez Lulu" which had an interesting menu with a lot of vegetarian options. After driving back and forth through Mountain Brook like idiots for 15 minutes we finally gave up trying to find the place and figured we would just try something else in the area. After stepping out of the car the first place we saw was Chez Lulu (success!) which was closed (failure!).

We stepped next door to a place called Cafe Ciao. This was a nice little bar and grill that had a decent selection of salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes. There weren't a ton of vegetarian dishes but enough to give us somewhat of a selection. The prices were moderate and the atmosphere was nice (we sat outside in a courtyard area in front of the cafe). Our waiter was friendly, Texan and quick with our order.

Joshua: Every now and then I like to order an appetizer as my meal (don't judge me). There are usually quite a few vegetarian options in the appetizer section of every menu and since they are meant to be a snack for 4-5 people it works pretty well as a sufficient meal for one. Cafe Ciao has an appetizer called "Baked Artichoke Bottoms" that really piqued my interest so I ordered them with a glass of riesling.

When our Texan friend brought out our meal I was initially surprised. Three tiny artichokes sat on a little plate. Maybe it's my fault for ordering an appetizer instead of a meal but I can't imagine this being enough food to wet the appetite of an average group of people. I suppose in a group of six each person gets a bite?

(This picture makes them look much bigger. The plate was a little larger than a saucer. When they were brought out Michael just started laughing.)

With portion size aside, these artichokes were delicious. They were cooked perfectly, not too soggy and not too dry. They were topped with marinara sauce, a sprinkling of feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes which complimented the vegetable wonderfully. As the number one artichoke fan in the southeast I can announce that Cafe Ciao has done this heavenly vegetable justice. The three baby artichokes were delicious but unfortunately weren't enough to tame my appetite. Luckily this gave me an excuse to order dessert (I would have found an excuse even if I was served a mountain of artichokes).

Our waiter informed us the dessert choice was either a brownie or key lime pie. I went with the brownie and I wasn't let down. The brownie was hot, moist and topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. It was very rich but not overpowering and was (unlike the artichokes) a very generous portion. Overall I was happy with my meal. I would have liked to have more than three baby artichokes but I suppose that's what I get for ordering an appetizer as a main course.

Michael: Unlike Joshua, I actually ordered an entree for my meal. After looking the menu over and finding out all the soups were based of chicken or beef broth, I decided to go with the Fried Green Tomato BLT minus the B. It came with a choice of chips or fries as a side item. I went with the fries. I've only had fried green tomatoes one other time in my life, but I thought it'd be good to try something new.

The sandwich came out sliced in half, just how I like it. The portion was nice. Especially looking across the table and seeing Josh's tiny "meal". The sandwich was surprisingly spicy. A friend once told me, "The hottest I can go is salsa at Mexican restaurants." If this is you, I wouldn't recommend ordering this sandwich. I, however, loved it. The heat nicely complimented the tomatoes. The fries were a little too salty for my taste though. I didn't get a dessert, but there was no need. I was thoroughly stuffed by the time i finish. I was definitely pleased with my meal.

Overall Cafe Ciao was a good experience. The food was decent and there was a moderate vegetarian selection. Available vegetarian dishes include: fettucine alfredo, pasta prima vera, fried green tomato sandwich, toasted cheese, calzones, pizzas as well as a nice salad and appetizer selection. If you're ever in English Village it's definitely worth stopping by.

Birmingtarian gives Cafe Ciao three out of five blocks of tofu!

About Birmingtarian

2008-06-30T10:26:00.001-05:00

Birmingtarian is a blog for vegetarians, by vegetarians, living in the Birmingham Alabama area. Our goal is to provide restaurant reviews from a vegetarian's standpoint highlighting available vegetarian/vegan items and reviewing the restaurant's food, atmosphere and price. We try to visit restaurants that aren't specifically catered to vegetarians so we can focus on the meat free options that are available at establishments that a vegetarian might not otherwise visit.

This blog is written by Joshua Williams and Michael McCraw. We are two vegetarians originally from Pensacola Florida though we have lived in Birmingham for a few years now. We will give our honest opinion on the food we eat and hopefully increase the options for other vegetarians in the community. We are open to any comments, criticism and feed back as well as suggestions for restaurants to review. Please send suggestions, love notes and hate mail to: birmingtarian@gmail.com. Thank you for reading!