Gary in Chicago
Reviews written by Gary in Chicago
I was driving on Irving Park Road in Chicago and I saw a storefront with a sign that said "Vegetarian". That was enough for me to stop and give Dharma Garden Thai Cuisine a try. I'm very glad that I did.
The vegetarian and very vegan-friendly Thai food is excellent and I was relieved that I did not have to say "vegetable broth only" and "no fish sauce". One of the owners is a vegetarian and she has made sure that only vegetable broth is used and fish and oyster sauce are never used. It's very unusual to find a Thai restaurant that does not use fish sauce at all.
As the owner pointed out, at most Thai restaurants, a vegetarian can request that no fish sauce be used but fish sauce is ever-present in sauces that go into preparing a Thai dish. That never happens at this restaurant.
I wish this restaurant much luck. They just had their one-year anniversary. Even though they offer excellent vegetarian Thai food, business has been a little slow due to the reliance on word-of-mouth advertising. The owners are in discussion on whether or not to add a few meat dishes (other than seafood) in order to stay in business. They assured me that they will absolutely keep the cooking areas completely separate from one another.
The foods that I have tried and thoroughly enjoyed are: Dharma Garden Tofu Spring Rolls, Thai "Egg" Rolls (vegan), Thai Vegetable Crepe, Basil Noodle, Crispy Noodle Lard Nar, Bean Sprout and Tofu in Mushroom Sauce, Sticky Rice with Mango, and Rice Pudding (vegan) with Coconut in Banana Leaf.
Blind Faith is reliably good. I think the prices are a little on the high side but they do give you large portions. I almost always end up taking part of my meal home. I love their Tamales, Guacamole, Vegan Cornbread, and their Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. I have taken vegetarians and non-vegetarians there and everyone has been happy with the restaurant choice.
The only gripe I have is that for a vegetarian restaurant, they are not all that focused on what is vegan and what isn't. It would just be easier if they would indicate on their menu when something is vegan or not. For example, I was there last week and I wanted the daily special and the server had to check with a notebook and then with a cook to find out if the item was vegan. I've heard one too many times, "Oh wait, that isn't vegan" or worse, "I think it's vegan".
Aug 29 04
The food at Chowpatti is definitely tasty but vastly overpriced for the portion size.