Dallas Beer Snobs: Restaurant Review

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Restaurant Review - Cosmic Cafe

Cosmic Cafe

If you were to make a list of restaurants that your average Texan would be least likely to try, a vegetarian restaurant would surely top the list. "Could I get a steak with that"? "No, sir, this is a vegetarian restaurant". "OK, then I'll take chicken instead" "We are vegetarian, we don't serve meat". "No meat? What kind of whackos don't serve meat"? Bubba, you see, finds it hard to believe that vegetarian ("No meat"? "No Bubba, no meat".) can be filling and delicious and the Cosmic Cafe does vegetarian very, very well.

You may remember it as Duck's Cosmic Cup, or the Cosmic Cup and now as the Cosmic Cafe. Regardless, the restaurant has been around for quite a long time. Finding the Cosmic Cafe is not so difficult, finding a place to park can be a challenge. Their tiny lot holds only about 10 cars so save yourself some frustration and park in the neighborhood to the east and walk. As you walk up you cannot help but notice the rather extravagant decor. Murals, mystic symbols and multitudes of statues and figurines are quite a distraction, but in a fun, whimsical way and not scary like your dope smoking cousin's bedroom with the satanic blacklight posters and goat skulls.... well, maybe not your cousin. After you have been seated, make your way toward the back and serve yourself some freshly made chai, then sit back, relax, and enjoy some terrifice people watching as you wait for your meal.

Start your fun with a hummus plate (describe it to Bubba as bean dip with toast, he'll get the idea) or better yet, samosas, which are like fried pies filled with potatoes and peas. Bubba likes potatoes and Bubba likes fried stuff, so Bubba will like Samosas, trust me.

Budda's (not to be confused with Bubba, definitely not the same) Delight is an Indian themed flavorful mix of curried seasonal vegetables, dahl (spicy lentil soup), rice, pappadam, a samosa and naan. Delicious, flavorful and filling. My favorite are the spinach enchiladas. Red tortillas stuffed with spinach and topped with creamy cheese sauce. Served with black beans and rice as well as with a salad of fresh greens this dish will satisfy almost any appetite and you don't even need to tell Bubba that it is healthy.