Main Squeeze: Had a Buddha Bowl the other day at this perennially-struggling but tasty downtown vegetarian spot. First time I’ve ever confused tofu with chicken, though I walked away pretty sure I’d be famished by 3pm. Instead, I had that pleasant “not hungry but not stuffed” feeling all the way to dinner. Worth more visits than I’ve given it.
3 more after the jump…
Houlihan’s: Seems to suffer from the scourge of almost all chains: lowest-common-denominator flavor. Basically, Houlihan’s, Applebee’s and the like have no niche. They have to appeal to as many people as possible. So I ended up at Houlihan’s with a thin void of tortilla soup, a inoffensive but utterly forgettable club sandwich, so-so fries and chewy, over-fried calamari. Best thing I tasted was the fried polenta crouton garnishing Mrs. SMEs’ salad.
Bamboo Roll and Sushi: Not-bad sushi in the West Broadway shopping center. The white tuna sashimi was buttery and sweet and the service was attentive. Kids loved the edamame and wonton soup. Nothing earth-shattering, but probably underrated nonetheless.
Casablanca: I have so far avoided the slow service some others have told me about. Affordable, with excellent hummous and baba ganoush, a terrific lamb stew and rollicking Turkish pop music. What else can you ask for?
Tags: 4 Quick Notes, Bamboo Roll and Sushi, Casablanca, Houlihan's, Main Squeeze
February 19, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Main Squeeze rocks. A staple of my grad school years. Go there for breakfast.
February 19, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Casablanca is my favorite take out in Columbia. Always good. Though we have noticed that some nights the hummus is better than others, and the rice is sometimes too spicy. Different cooks on different nights?
February 20, 2009 at 11:23 am
Main Squeeze doesn’t do breakfast anymore, or at least right now. They seem to change that every few years, so they’ll likely do it again in the future.
I’m glad the Buddha Bowl did it for you. I want to love MS more than I do, mostly because of the relative satiety to cost factor, but I’ll give that a try next time. The Good Fortune wrap is also one of my favorites and is fairly filling.
I think Casablanca is one of Columbia’s best hidden gems and more people need to go there. In Como, it’s the closest thing I can get to the Middle Eastern food I grew up eating, but it has a more North African influence (which makes sense because I believe the owners are Libyan). I hope it can stay afloat.