Food Feature: Eat, don’t run

Vegetables have never been a problem for me. I could never relate to sitcom plotlines driven by a recalcitrant child who wouldn’t eat his vegetables. The vegetables were there, on the side of the plate, I ate them and went on with my life.

But after moving to the South, I soon noticed that vegetables are a much bigger deal. People seek out restaurants that have hearty selections of side items. In fact, side items sometimes become the only items. That’s the concept behind Veggies to Go.

Honestly, the name threw me. Walking into the place, I didn’t know what to do. Should I order in a hurry and bolt as soon as I got the green beans? But there are tables, you can sit down, and I was kindly instructed to do so, perhaps because they could see the panicked look on my face.

In reality, Veggies to Go is pretty traditional. A large chalk board on the wall states the days’ vegetable choices, which also include non-vegetable options like macaroni and cheese and cornbread stuffing. In total, there were 14, count ‘em, 14 vegetable items available. Non-veggie items also are available. Fried catfish, fried pork chops, country fried steak, chicken fingers and (the only non-fried item) a barbecue pork sandwich were available on my visit.

The interior is supposed to evoke feelings of being in your grandmother’s kitchen, I suppose, with its black-and-white tile floor and endearingly corny sayings hanging around the place, including one in the men’s restroom, “We aim to please, you aim, too.” You can peer into the kitchen if you desire and see what’s happening to the vegetables back there, but it’s thankfully hidden away once seated.

Instead of having to order at the counter, which I thought was also part of the to-go concept, a server came to my table. I originally chose a three-veggie plate ($4.49) with sweet potato soufflé, Brunswick stew and mac ‘n’ cheese. You also can order a whopping four-vegetable plate ($5.99) or take the meat-and-two route ($6.99).

The menu items arrived promptly on a plastic tray with triangular compartments to hold the three “vegetables” plus an unexpected cornbread muffin. Restaurants swear by their cornbread, and since it wasn’t lauded upon entering the door, I didn’t expect much from this puny specimen. It was sweet but somewhat dry, probably sitting in the heating oven a bit too long.

Having never tasted Brunswick stew outside of a barbecue joint, I assumed it would have meat in it. The tomatoey base was filled with small kidney beans, corn, green bell peppers, chunks of tomatoes, finely diced onions, rice and what appeared to be lentils — but no meat. The stew had a spicy quality similar to a chili, but wasn’t overpowering. Despite the many components to it, the stew remained light and the ingredients didn’t become soft and pulpy. Overall, it’s simply the best stew I have had in years. When I asked about it, I found out that the man who prepares it, Carlo, is Brazilian and the stew is his own special recipe. A little more Southern than expected.

The other menu items, macaroni and cheese and the sweet potato soufflé, were solid accompaniments to the stew. The soufflé contained noticeable hints of nutmeg and tasted more like a dessert than a vegetable side. Thankfully there were none of the gooey marshmallows that many pot-luckers include. That would have put the sweet quotient over the top. Macaroni and cheese can often be too cheesy or dry and unappetizing. That wasn’t the case here; the noodles were perfectly cooked and the cheese was extra creamy.

After experiencing the veggie sides, I really wanted to see how the meats fared, so I ordered a fried pork chop and increased the price a few more dollars ($7.99). The chop took a noticeable amount longer to prepare than the vegetables and arrived piping hot and lightly battered. Looking much like the chicken-fried steak a table over, the chop wasn’t greasy and the meat was still tender inside. The right amount of salt, pepper and spices was present in the batter, giving it a proper fried flavor and flakiness.

Desserts available include Key lime pie ($2.49), but there was no attempting dessert for me this late in the game. I got my pie, not my veggies, to go.??