Whole-Food, Plant-Based options?

My wife and I are entertaining and one of our guests is on a whole-food, plant-based diet. Does anyone have any recommendations on any restaurants with a menu that might be a good fit? Thanks for any suggestions.

[Robin Garr]

Roots and Heart & Soy for the plant-based. I'd want to hear a little more about what "whole foods" means to you for the rest ... Roots serves white rice, for instance, although I'm pretty sure brown rice is an available alternative.

Earth Friends Cafe in the Piazza Felice on East Market might also be a good fit for you with this.

Honestly, we had to look it up and based on ForksOverKnives.com, it's a whole-food, plant-based diet is centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants. It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes; and it excludes or minimizes meat (including chicken and fish), dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oils.

We do know that they occasionally eat seafood, but that's it as far a non-veg protein.

Sorry, it's new to us too.

[Robin Garr]

Well, D ... I honestly can't think of any restaurant in Louisville that features "whole foods" at that level, but for plant-based, both Roots and Heart & Soy and Earth Friends Cafe can accommodate you - not even any seafood. The folks who run Roots and Heart & Soy are all about health and kindness to the earth and to each other, and I imagine they'd be on a similar wavelength. Perhaps you could call and chat with them about this?

For a different approach, a lot of places nowadays are focusing strongly on "farm-to-table," "field-to-fork" cuisine, not necessarily plant-based but locally procured and organic where possible. Harvest is strong on this. Wiltshire, Rye and Decca are also generally in that ballpark, I think, just to name a few.

Thanks Robin. I had thought about calling Harvest, Decca & Rye (3 of our favorites) but didn't know if there was somewhere else that had escaped me.

if they do occasionally eat seafood, you may want to call and/or check the menu at Seviche . . . several of their dishes may very well qualify now, and (if not) you may be able to modify others

I think Mayan Cafe would be a good option - they have a few vegan dishes and their vegetarian burrito would fit the bill if you left out the cheese and egg.

Queen of Sheba would probably be a good option as well.

[Robin Garr]

I think Mayan Cafe would be a good option - they have a few vegan dishes and their vegetarian burrito would fit the bill if you left out the cheese and egg.

Queen of Sheba would probably be a good option as well.

If "plant-based" is the primary criterion, then almost any Indian restaurant will offer great meat-free options. They seem to be working the "whole foods" idea, though, and I'm less confident about ethnic places for that.

(Edit: I agree about Mayan Cafe, though. Good point!)

I'm curious about the omission of eggs. They are maybe the least processed food out there. Straight from the bird, one might say.

[Robin Garr]

I'm curious about the omission of eggs. They are maybe the least processed food out there. Straight from the bird, one might say.

Not to speak for the original poster, Ronnie, but i can think of a couple of possibilities.

First, for strict vegans, they don't want to eat animals or animal products. No eggs, milk, butter, cheese, honey. For some vegans, it's a perception of health. For others a philosophical sense that it's taking from the animals without permission. (Yeah, I'm not here to debate that. )

Alternatively, it may be the perception - which I happen to share - that eggs (and milk and meat) produced in the industrial system are both profoundly inhumane to the animals and to the factory workers, and potentially unhealthy through bacteria (e coli, anyone), hormones and other goodies introduced in the industrial process.

Gimme some free-range eggs from a certified humane/organic producer and I'll build and eat omelets from morning to night. But I'm not interested in industrial eggs, myself.

Sorry, rant out ...

I am aware of the things you mention, Robin, I guess the answer lies in the "plant-based" aspect of the OP's explanation, but the word "minimizes" is what threw me. If you were going to minimize meats and do it under the "minimally processed" philosophy, I figure eggs are one of the few things you would hold on to.

Again, just curious.

[Robin Garr]

I am aware of the things you mention, Robin, I guess the answer lies in the "plant-based" aspect of the OP's explanation, but the word "minimizes" is what threw me. If you were going to minimize meats and do it under the "minimally processed" philosophy, I figure eggs are one of the few things you would hold on to.

Again, just curious.

Yeah, I just dropped into anti-industrial-food rant mode instinctively, Ronnie! Not aimed at you, and I hope you didn't get collaterally damaged by any incoming.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. We had completely forgotten about Mayan Cafe and that might be the best fit for us.

As I said, we're new to the term & diet ourselves. Not too sure why they have chosen it or what it fully entails, but I'm interested in learning a bit more about it. I'll share what I can.

Cheers!

IMO, this is one of the biggest drawbacks to very particular diets (that aren't chosen because of medical necessity): they easily become a significant burden to hosts and a barrier to easy fellowship.

IMO, this is one of the biggest drawbacks to very particular diets (that aren't chosen because of medical necessity): they easily become a significant burden to hosts and a barrier to easy fellowship.

Or, looked at a different way, they encourage creativity in dining, trying new places, and seeing how our talented local chefs can craft a special dish based on a person's particular dietary requests. Expanding one's food horizons can inspire new conversations and introduce one to restaurants and ingredients never-before-sampled but soon added to one's list of favorites.