Veggie Tales

[August 2nd, 2006] After opening in 1993, Paradox Palace Cafe quickly gained popularity with its retro-deco diner atmosphere and vegetarian-focused menu. Customers learned to expect a little grease here, a little filth there, and springs sproinging out of torn vinyl seats to grab them in the butt. Still, the Southeast Belmont Street cafe was cheap and served easy comfort food, a place where carnivores and vegetarians could coexist in peace over an amazing plate of vegan biscuits and gravy. In 1999, owner James Defeo opened a less-quirky-looking sister spot on then up-and-coming Northeast Alberta Street, called Vita Cafe. Both were sold this year. Do they still have the (veggie) love?

New owner Bonnie Downey (a local restaurant consultant) has cleaned up Paradox's act slightly since taking over last January, but it still feels like the same rumpled neighborhood spot. The vegan biscuits and gravy ($2.75 half/$4.50 full) have grown slightly more savory but are still rib-stickin' rich; the corn cakes ($4.95) can still be heavenly platters of dense deliciousness one day but flabby blobs of grit the next. The Boca burger has been replaced with a Gardenburger ($5.50) but the vegan "mac and cheese" ($5.95) still tastes like the inside of a hippie's dreadlock—dry and funky. But it's a good spot for filling breakfasts (including various egg, tofu or tempeh combos) and the much-beloved vegan corn dog ($6.95 with fries).

At Vita, changes are also in the works. New chef-owner Aaron Woo was a line cook at clarklewis until earlier this spring. "Vita has a good soul, but I think it just needs a little more love," he told WW. Since late April, he and his wife, co-owner Karen Woodbury, have made cosmetic improvements to the Alberta space, building a huge new patio and 50-foot bocce court.

But the meat of the matter is the food. Recently, an impressive Tofurkey Florentine ($6.95) turned up draped in a creamy, vegan hollandaise with a nice hint of tartness; the butternut soup with rice ($4.25 a bowl) balanced flavor with heartiness. A darned tasty tempeh "chicken-fried steak" ($6.95) even won over my mom, a country-dwelling Republican who's accustomed to buying beef by the whole or half. Sadly, the cheeseburger ($5.45), tofu "fish and chips" ($6.95) and tempeh Reuben ($5.25) were unremarkable, and the miso ($3.25 a cup) tasted bland with a hint of soggy cabbage.

Under previous ownership, both cafes had reputations for mind-bogglingly erratic service: Would your server be brisk and efficient, incompetent and hostile, or slow and stoned? In recent months, the friendliness factor is up at both cafes, though service is still inconsistent. Luckily, both spots promise to continue to offer old-school faves—including those biscuits and gravy.