Spotted Dog

SPOTTED DOG RESTAURANT

111 East Main Street
Carrboro, NC 27510

www.thespotteddogrestaurant.com

Tom

We chose the begin with Spotted Dog because recently we stopped there for a snack and had the Veggie Wings, which tasted and felt so much like chicken wings (without the bones) that we had to ask the waiter to make sure they were actually soy. Sean was a little late so I got a beer and an order of the wings while waiting. You can choose ‘hot’ or ‘hotter’ and this time I chose ‘hotter’ which were so hot they nearly blew the top of my head off, which I found refreshing since I hate when things are listed as “hot” on the menu and then are sadly-well, not hot.

Sean showed up, finished up the end of the wings, ordered a beer and we were ready to order. The menu is really diverse-offering a variety of choices for meat eaters and vegetarians & vegans. In fact, every vegetarian item (and there are lots of choices) are available as vegan. The first thing we noticed was that they now had a Vegetarian (I kind of hate the word “veggie” and try to use it sparingly) BBQ sandwich, and decided that one of us (me) had to try it. Sean ordered Spot’s Boneless Burger ($6.95) and I ordered the BBQ ($7.95).

I was stunned at the consistency and incredible taste of the BBQ. A seasoned pork BBQ eater would probably know the difference, but BOY was it close. It would be fun to get this (or the wings) as take out and see how long it takes my meat eating friends to realize it’s made of soy. It really was a sandwich for vegetarians who want to eat things that replicate meat, but if you’re not looking for that (a lot of people I know would be grossed out by the similarity) there are tons of other choices on the menu for vegetarians.

The cole slaw was made with a dill mayo they make right there, and was so good it kind of ruined all the Miracle Whip slaw they serve at other places. The bun was incredible-soft and fresh. The bartender –Leslie-was really nice and answered all of our annoying questions. Being a vegetarian herself, she was extremely helpful. She told us that one of the reasons people like their soy BBQ/Burgers is because they are made entirely with soy (no seitan which can sometimes cause an aftertaste). She also told us that the buns are made fresh daily by The Bread Shop in Pittsboro. I was very impressed that Spotted Dog tries to utilize local businesses as much as possible (for example, all of their beers on tap are local breweries).

The big “Hooray!” for vegetarians/vegans is that Spotted Dog cooks all of their meat on a separate grill than their vegetarian food (including all utensils). If you are ordering vegetarian you are not receiving anything that has any contact with meat (which seems to be the point of being vegetarian in the first place).

I’ve never seen a Veggie BBQ anywhere (but in those big bags they sell at Whole Foods), so I have nothing to compare it to, but this sandwich was excellent. I enjoyed every bite, the mellow ambience of the restaurant and the friendly and excellent service. They even had the Mets game on which alone should earn them a good review. Turns out they didn’t need the Mets. Excellent food at extremely reasonable prices.

5 beans (out of 5)

Sean

We’d been here many times, but this time was different. This was no casual dinner visit, or drop-in for drinks before a show. This was the scene of the first veggie burger review for “You Don’t Soy.” And I was ready.

Tom was already seated at the bar when I arrived, finishing up an order of the boneless chicken wings (which, incidentally, are so awesome that they had us discussing whether or not we should review veggie menu items other than burgers. We decided not to branch out at this time, but if you find yourself at the Dog, you owe it to yourself to try them. From me as a former chicken wing enthusiast, they get a rating of five out of five beans. Even thinking about them right now makes me wish I had a plate of them in front of me.) All of the dog-themed beers were on special this evening, so I ordered a Dogfish 60 minute as my first beverage. Not a good choice to accompany my burger. Way too hoppy for a beer with dinner beverage. I love IPA’s but this one is more suited for after dinner. I opted for a Snake Dog next, which was a little milder.

I chose the “Spots Boneless Burger,” the only actual veggie burger on the menu. There were lots of vegetarian entrees available, but this was the only one actual burger so it seemed like the logical choice. Tom decided to branch out and get the Veggie BBQ Sandwich. After we discussed the merits of the Spotted Dog’s veggie burger with our bartender Leslie, who was very nice and was a good sport about accommodating our disjointed and disorganized interview questions, the burger arrived with it’s compliment of French fries.

The toppings included sliced tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts and mayo. I thought it could have used some more sprouts but Leslie informed s that they used fewer of them due to customer feedback that too many sprouts gave the burger a “hairy” quality that was off-putting. The burger itself, although in appearance it was unremarkable, was very tasty. The patty held up nicely without deteriorating on contact like some veggie patties do. It was suitably juicy and had a spicy quality that Leslie informed us was due to the fact that it had chopped onions in it. The toppings complimented it nicely without overpowering the taste of the patty. The bun was delicious as well, a nice compliment to the burger. I found myself wishing I had a second one when I finished the boneless burger. Fortunately there were enough fries on the plate to keep me from ordering one.

Spotted Dog “Spot’s Boneless Burger.”

5 Beans (out of five)!