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Restaurant Sun Jan 13 2008
The Errors of a Vegan at Wishbone
No dairy, no egg is what we asked for, and that is what we got. I'd forgotten that didn't mean vegetarian — until the collard greens came. I should have known at a restaurant celebrating "southern reconstruction" cooking. Ironically, if I had simply asked for vegan straight away, Wishbone probably would have accommodated just fine, as their Web site correctly suggests: ".. a hard-working staff and a restaurant you can feel comfortable in whether you come with kids, stuffy business associates, boho vegans, or senior parents from out of town."
After we asked if the accompanying kaiser roll or black bread had egg or dairy, our excellent server came back to flash us the ingredient list on black bread's bag, and to tell us it was fine. Our spinach side would be sautéed in olive oil with some brightening lemon by default. It came perfectly cooked just until its crispness subsided, before it lost too much structure. A quarter through a side of collard greens, I realized the sad fact that I'd wrongly assumed eggless and dairy-free implied vegetarian. I felt pieces of chewy meat between my teeth. I brushed it aside and went on with the meal. I'm not one to make a deal of such errors, especially when they're mine. Their menu clearly indicates their greens include "smoked turkey wings," as I see now online. I loved the soft, refreshing mango salsa of the black bean cakes. It moistened the hearty lentil, brown rice and black bean-based veggie burger quite nicely, as did ketchup. My sweetie and I left on my bicycle, her sitting sidesaddle on the bike's sturdy Dutch rear rack like people do in Amsterdam, a style I affectionately call bike taxi. West Loop location (1001 W. Washington Blvd.) reviewed.
