Amanda "Vegetarianesque" J.'s Profile

I would kill for a downtown Zen location within walking distance of my office. Gods of Japanese fast food, are you listening?

This place is cheap, fast (duh) and full of fantastic vegetarian possibilities. You can get brown rice, white rice or noodles. You can get tofu, veggies or both (or meat, if you're into that sort of thing). You can get it with any sauce you want. And it's out within just a few minutes. Why, oh why, can't there be one downtown? I have to settle for overpriced, mediocre teryaki bowls at Wiki Wiki when I've got a craving for Japanese grub at lunchtime. Yeesh.

Over the years I've known the Hideout as a live music venue (awkward), a comedy club (awesome), a coffee shop (mediocre), and a vegetarian lunch haven (splendid). I work just around the corner from this odd Frankenstein of a business, and I cherish my weekly lunch there. For under six bucks, I can get a spinach/cheese sandwich, a piece of fruit and a pomegranate iced tea. The veggie chili lunch special is filling and delicious, but catching them on a day when it's actually available is like hunting for Bigfoot. The service can also be touch-and-go, depending on who happens to be standing behind the counter.

I wouldn't recommend trying to visit if you're not already downtown for some other reason, unless you enjoy feeding meters or paying $7 for parking. But if you work downtown and you need an hour of quiet contemplation/book reading/internet surfing, this is your best bet.

The clothing at Hush Hush is often pretty out there, style-wise, but this stuff is so cheap that you can afford to buy a dress on a whim and only wear it once. It's like a miniature discount/outlet store with a much improved fashion sense. This is not the place to find a staple piece that will last you for years to come; the clothes here will be out of style within the next five minutes, so it's a good thing they're easy on the ol' wallet.

As a vegetarian, I am required by law to love Magnolia Cafe; every section of the menu has at least one or two fantastic meatless options that would tempt even a devoted carnivore. It's restaurants like this that make Austin such a veggie-friendly city. Thank goodness it's always crowded, or I'd be tempted to eat there every meal of every day. I could die happy if my last meal was their spinach/mushroom quesadilla. Or gingerbread pancakes. Or Mag Mud. ...Let's just go with "all of the above."

This is a gross restaurant that serves gross food in a gross area of downtown. I walk past it a few times a day (it's on the route between my office and my parking lot). Half the time it seems to be closed, even during normal lunch and dinner hours. Just a few feet from its doorway, at the corner of 6th and San Jacinto, one can find a makeshift "toilet" area frequented by our homeless population. Ambiance is not this place's strong suit.

The pizza tastes like cardboard. Don't even think about eating the crust by itself. It's only marginally edible when smothered in sauce and cheese; alone, it tastes like petrified, unsalted bread dough. This joint is my last-resort, I'm-so-starving-I-can't-think-straight dinner choice. Sometimes, when it's 5:30 p.m. and you skipped lunch, even gross pizza is better than the thought of idling in traffic for the next 30 minutes while your stomach berates you for your neglectful ways.

But seriously, how the eff do you mess up pizza this badly?

The veggie burger at P. Terry's is one of my favorites in Austin (at least since they switched to homemade not too long ago). It's moist and flavorful, unlike those dry-as-a-bone Gardenburgers a lot of restaurants stick on their menus to keep the vegetarians quiet. And oh sweet Jesus, the fries. You could eat yourself into a starchy coma with those fries.

The only downside to this convenient little eatery is the disappearing convenience factor. Just try to go during midday on a sunny Saturday. Even the complete lack of shade in the ordering area isn't enough to keep the throngs of sweaty burger fans at bay. Consider yourself warned.