Take-out Diary #2: O’Naturals

Working in downtown Orlando, one would think that my options for lunch would be plentiful. Well, in a way, they are, but in a way, they aren’t. My lunch break at work is limited to thirty minutes, which doesn’t really give one time to lounge at a restaurant, waiting for your food or the bill. Instead, the food is planned ahead of time, either ordered in for delivery, or one musters the gumption to walk out into the concrete wilderness to stake out a territory marked out in so many blocks, foraging for a quick meal.

With all this pressure of finding the right meal in the right amount of time, often I resort to bringing my lunch, and enjoying the pre-lunch time with no questions of what to eat, no deliberating of where to go. I am at peace with my homemade food, or the left-overs of yesterday’s dinner out.

Today was not one of those days.

Although I had made two recent trips to grocery stores, I made nothing to show for it as my lunch this St Patrick’s Day, so I went through the stash of menus we have in my department, and made a selection. This was my second go with the O’Naturals location housed on Central Boulevard, as I found myself in a similar situation on Friday, getting their Mediterranean flatbread sandwich, consisting of organic hummus, lettuce, red onion, roasted red peppers and Swiss cheese, although I didn’t realise there was red onion in it, because their printed menu in the store didn’t list it but in a separate place, so I had to toss it out later. The sandwich was okay… but not great. The hummus seemed a little runny, and the bread had tasted bland to me.

However, today I opted for their Goat Cheese flatbread sandwich, which boasted the roasted red peppers, carrots, cucumbers, sprouts and the aforementioned goat cheese. I also asked for lettuce and tomatoes, but emphatically stated “no onion!” to the poor man who made my sandwich.

I picked up the sandwich on my fifteen-minute break, and then sat down to eat it about 45 minutes later, and it was excellent. I was much happier with the Goat Cheese sandwich in comparison to the Mediterranean I had tried previously, as it seemed much more flavourful, with the familiar tang of goat cheese mingled in with some salted herbs and the coolness of the tomatoes and cucumbers. The sprouts and the red peppers gave it quite a bit of heft, and it was packaged well in a bag-type sleeve that allowed you to eat the sandwich without getting the cucumbers and other fillings to fall into your lap. All in all, it was an ace pick, and with the place’s employees being so nice and all, I don’t think I have to fret too much the next time I can’t make my lunch ahead of time.

That is, of course, unless I don’t have any money.

One word of caution: the number listed on O’Natural’s website, and all their printed matter, isn’t working as of this post.  I had given it a dial in an attempt to expedite the service, and there was a recording stating the number was “temporarily out of service.”  Turns out I didn’t really need to call in, as my food was made right away, but still, it would be handy should I ever want to order some selections from their noodle menu to pick up.  Sandwiches can sit around for an hour or so, but the noodles would get cold.

Take-out Diary #1: Ethos

I’ve been wanting to try out Ethos, the sorta-new vegan place on Orange Ave near Antique Row and Lake Ivanhoe, since it was recommended to me by my friends Fran and Joe, as well as a random vegan guy who was at Redlight Redlight when I went there last (see Beer and Cupcakes entry). If vegetarian restaurants get me excited, vegan restaurants fascinate me, as I’m interested in seeing what one can make sans diary and eggs. I mean, I know it can be done, and can be done often, but I want to know if it can be done well.

So, en route to taking Hao to work today, we called up Ethos for take-out. We managed to park on the street with no problem, just as two young women were about to speed away on mopeds, and popped inside.

The interior of Ethos looks incredibly homey, with plenty of wood accents. The design could have just as well been suitable for a neighbourhood pub or even a solid, reliable apothecary. Vegan cookies and other pastries were in a glass case, looking mighty tempting as we waited for the woman doubling as a server and cashier to bring our food out from the back and ring us up. We first saw her carrying a large tray loaded with good-looking food as she headed out to an outside patio area I didn’t investigate while we were there. The wait to be rung up wasn’t long, as the food was ready and wrapped in eco-friendly take-away.

After dropping Hao off, I took my dish, the “Healthy Trio,” to my parents’ place in Oviedo for a late lunch. The description for my trio on Ethos’ online menu is “Black and green olive tapenade, homemade hummus, and tomato-mango salsa served with toasted bread, tortilla chips, and fresh seasonal veggies.” On the whole, I was very satisfied with what I had ordered. The tomato-mango salsa tasted more of cilantro than anything else, which isn’t bad considering I love cilantro, but I had expected more of a mango flavour. This very slight disappointment was more than made up for by the bread; it appeared to have been homemade, and I couldn’t figure out if it had olive bits or perhaps some other flavouring, but it was gorgeous with the olive tapenade. Carrots and celery were provided for dipping, although I’m not very fond of the latter, along with blue corn chips, which were great with the tapenade and the salsa.

Later on in the evening, I spoke with Hao, and asked him how he liked his Peanut Pasta Salad: “Rotini pasta, broccoli, red and green peppers, onions, and Thai basil, tossed in a mild peanut sauce and garnished with cucumber.” He wasn’t as fond of it as I was with my meal; “It was too dry.” Perhaps if there was more peanut sauce to spread around, it would have hit the spot, but sadly, the Peanut Pasta Salad missed its mark with Hao.

Next time, I hope to be able to eat in the restaurant, as opposed to taking food out, but if the need strikes, I know at least one item on the menu that’ll satisfy, which gives me reasonable expectations for the rest of the menu.