Where Should Vegetarians Dine on the Outer Cape?

Above, tasty fish tacos from The Juice. Someone should really open a vegetarian eatery in Wellfleet. The place would get lots of business. This summer I have been trying to keep track of all the vegetarian guests on my fingers, and I’ve run out of fingers. I received the following message in my in-box today: “About food allergies - Paul is a vegetarian and I can't eat cheese, but I do eat other dairy products - is this a problem? And, finally as Paul is a vegetarian can you recommend somewhere local for dinner on Thursday evening?”

Early in the season I thought of doing a personal survey, because I like vegetarian food, in fact, I’m almost a vegetarian, but it would be hard to justify the expense of going to all the local restaurants simply to try vegetarian options. The idea of a survey came when we received vegetarian guests who would not eat fish or shellfish. That's a tough one, because so many local restaurants specialize in oysters. So, here’s a rudimentary idea of what’s available …

Last night our Green Room guests came home from dinner with the news there was a one hour and a half wait to eat at Mac’s Shack. I call that success, don’t you? They compared the atmosphere to a Manhattan discotheque. However, Mac’s Shack is not the place to go if one is vegetarian ... The Portebello mushroom, topped with grilled tofu and zucchini, plus polenta with tomato coulis, sounded yummy. I dug in with relish. The flavors combined perfectly. Bliss! That is, until I bit into the tofu. I called over the waitress and said, “Is the tofu supposed to be cold?” She looked worried and removed my plate. Five minutes later, the same plate returned with grilled tofu this time. Mac came out and apologized, saying the oven needed calibration, and no one had realized that yet. I appreciated the apology, but the fact remains that the tofu was served cold. There was no offer of a free dessert, or anything, so I’m going to have to give Mac’s Shack a thumbs-down for this vegetarian option. Also, if you do go and order this dish, get a salad first, because although delicious, I left feeling hungry.

The Juice, on the other hand, offers a great tofu dish: Asian Tofu Stir fry.

Terra Luna, in Truro, caters to vegans, as well as vegetarians.

PB Boulangerie Bistro does a nice risotto. Our vegan guests also reported side dishes of succulent veggies, upon request.

Moby Dick’s has a black bean veggie burger and salads, if others in your party want shellfish and fish.

The Bookstore has great Eggplant Parmigiana.

I’ve heard Van Rensselaers offers several vegetarian options, as well as a salad bar. And, it's the only restaurant that boasts of those vegetarian dishes in the Wellfleet guidebook.

In Provincetown, vegans and vegetarians flock to Sanette's Karoo Kafe, for South African casual cuisine.

Now your turn. Has anyone enjoyed a particularly good vegetarian meal recently on the Outer Cape or elsewhere?