Dining out: Spotted Dog (2017)

A revisit of my 2012 visits to The Spotted Dog in Carrboro, NC. They've updated their menu, as my usual dining companion and I found out. (She was craving their food from her college days.) The only negative is they've changed the thickness of the tempeh on their Reuben to a somewhat pitiful filling, so maybe skip that choice. Otherwise, their food is still delicious.


Fried pickles with vegan ranch

Vegan cheese plate of blue corn tortilla chips and vegan pimento cheese, as well as a smoky cashew cheese with pepper jelly and pita triangles. There were quick pickled cucumbers that were mostly sweet and slightly tangy. I actually liked the pickles, despite my usual dislike of sweet pickles.

The trick here is to take a slice of the smoky cheese wedge, schmear it across the pita and then drizzle with the pepper jelly. Trés bien!


Vegan pork BBQ plate with slaw, beer-battered fries, and hushpuppies. One of those classic Southern "meat and three sides" meals.

The slaw is vinegar-based, but inadequately marinated to be tasty. The fries and hushpuppies are fried perfectly as only commercial fryers can do. However, the interior of the hushpuppies would benefit from a greater ratio of cornmeal relative to flour--it's a little gummy. At any rate, the vegan BBQ is quite juicy and I'd eat it a bajillion times over.

Eating Out: The Spotted Dog of Carrboro

I occasionally go to visit the hippies and hipsters and wealthy upper-middle class in Carrboro, NC. (Or at least that is my sense of the population.) A friend I have, who once attended UNC there, suggested The Spotted Dog as a restaurant I would be delighted with, and after trying the place I was reminded that I have friends with good taste.

So, to encourage a visit from those searching the Internet for info about vegetarian eateries and dining in the Triangle area of North Carolina, I've decided to post pictures of the kind of excellent food one can expect from this particular restaurant.

Vegetarian Options

Knock Out Nachos: "Tortilla chips, melted cheddar and Jack cheese, black bean chili, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and jalapenos." Ask them to leave off the cheese and cream if you want it vegan, obviously. (I know this is a vegan blog, but just deal with the sight of white glop already.)

Green Tofudabeast Salad: "Our signature salad: marinated and grilled tofu mixed greens, white cheddar cheese, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, cucumbers and carrots." Again, ask them to leave off the cheese and it's vegan. You might also inquire about switching out the sauces for the two vegan dressings they have: balsamic vinaigrette and Asian sesame.

When I had this dish, I didn’t get any artichoke hearts. Ah well. No big deal. If they were from a can I probably wouldn't have liked them. 

My aforementioned friend had the veggie "chick'n" BBQ sandwich with cole slaw on one occasion, choosing beer-battered fries as an accompaniment. My friend kindly let me taste the BBQ. It was good, and did taste like chicken, but not like the particular eastern NC, vinegary BBQ I remember.

Mushroom & Garlic Pasta: Creamy mushroom and garlic tossed with linguine, fresh tomatoes, spinach, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. (This is my friend's favorite dish at this restaurant.)

Tempeh Ruben: Tempeh with sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, and provolone cheese on toasted bread. (On the menu as of March 2013.)

 

Vegan Options

Carne Asade Torte: It is on their special lunch menu (as of Aug. 2012) and described as: "grilled baguette filled with soy beef carne asada, guacamole, lettuce, chili beans, salsa verde, and jalapenos."

On this occasion, I had my entree with mixed greens as the side, rather than their 'Crazy Chips' or beer-battered fries, or other offerings. Feeling health-conscious makes you miss out on potatoes...Damn inner health dweeb. 

This sandwich was all kinds of savory goodness, with a mild spiciness that I think the general NC public could easily tolerate. (I guess everyone doesn't want to burn the tongue from their skull like me, huh?)

The soy beef appeared (to me) to be canned seitan strips that had been grilled. It was missing something to make it taste more like beef. Maybe juniper, or just some garlic...anything, really, to get rid of that residual "canned seitan in weird brine fluid" taste it subtly had when eaten alone. Still pretty good when chewed simultaneously with those delicious beans and sauces…

With all that soft, juicy yummy stuff inside, you'd think the bread would be soggy, but it wasn't. I would have liked my baguette to be crunchy on the outside, rather than lightly toasted, but overall the sandwich was still good. And, yeah, I'd definitely eat it again.

Black-Eyed Pea Burger: House-made black-eyed pea burger, chipotle sauce, cilantro, lettuce and tomatoes.


While eating, I didn't get much chipotle coming through, but the cilantro was a very good addition.

As for the burger itself: it was pretty good. It is of the standard bean burger sort, whereupon it does not have a firm texture, but it still holds together well and doesn't squish too much. It didn't taste only of beans, but savory goodness; not outstanding, but still satisfactory.





Special Menu item as of 1/23/213...Chiptole Soy Chicken "Tinga" Soft Tacos: "Soy chicken, slow cooked with chipotle peppers, tomatoes and onions, topped with shredded lettuce, fresh cilantro, tomatoes"--sans feta. You get three tacos, a side of black bean salad, plus salsa verde and guacamole. The black bean salad was fine, but nothing outstanding. Meanwhile, I'm still craving another soy chicken taco...