Published in Buzz Weekly on 4/14/05
In order to prepare myself for the final basketball game last week, I did what any self-respecting fan would have done: I ate mass quantities of food. Because I loaded up on cheese, bread and ice cream the game before, I decided to skip the junk food this time and eat a real dinner. Having heard much about Red Herring’s Monday night all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet, I invited along math major, Ethan Bakshy for a little food exploration. Originally, I had intended on dining with someone else that Monday, but due to an unfortunate stingy-wallet problem, the date canceled. So, I figured I’d ask Ethan if I could move his date up a week. I was grateful that he was able to come on such short notice and was not an obnoxiously cheap, vegan grad student. Interestingly enough, Ethan loves animals--especially eating them. But he was fine with eating at a cheap, vegetarian buffet.
When I met Ethan, he was sitting alone on the curb outside the Red Herring, casually smoking a cigarette. We headed down the backstairs into the basement doorway, where we had to stand for a few minutes because the line to be served was that long. I was in no real rush to get through except for my overwhelming curiosity and a little bit of hunger. The atmosphere was pretty communal and semi-hippyish with brightly colored walls decorated with art from local artists, as well as long tables to allow for social interaction amongst strangers, which was appropriate since the Red Herring is associated with the Unitarian-Universalist Campus Center. We made our way to the front, where we were greeted by two Hare Krishnas serving several mouth-watering dishes. For only $5, we had unlimited access to 5 dishes and a delicious mango milk. The serving portions were very generous and the servers were very informative about explaining the various dishes. Also, I was delighted to learn that they were more than willing to share their recipes. But first I would need to see if it was worth it.
The menu for the week included kichani, zucchini pakora, tomato chutney and chips, cream of potato soup, and pumpkin cake. I started with the cream of potato soup, which had been seasoned with dill. I appreciated the light consistency of the soup and addition of fresh dill, countering the traditionally starchy feeling eating potatoes produces. I moved on to the kichani: a rice dish with lentils, fresh vegetables and spices. I was impressed by the unique flavors that were clearly an influence of home cooking. Very filling but definitely not heavy. It combined particularly well with the other items. The tomato chutney was a sweet medium for the vegetable chips it was served with, as well as the zucchini pakora. Pakora is a delicately pan-fried vegetable in a spiced chickpea batter. Though I am usually wary of fried foods, I thought the pakora’s fried flavor was not overbearing. Needing to cleanse my palate and take a breather at this moment, Ethan courteously offered to grab me a cup of water and mango milk. When he returned, we made some small talk about the big game and our impressions of the restaurant. Like myself, Ethan appreciates a good meal and seemed to be satisfied with his.
We ended the meal on a sweet note with the pumpkin cake. A delicious combination of pumpkin, cloves, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg, the cake was moist and spicy. Generally, I associate pumpkin spices to be served in autumn with a cup of coffee, but this dessert was an ideal complement for the zesty meal we had just consumed. I felt full, but content. Granted, I felt a bit worse later during the game, but at least it wasn’t due to the meal. I barely even snacked, except for a little bit afterwards when I was trying to comfort myself. Thankfully, I can relive my moment of happiness now that I have the recipes in my possession and I can try them out myself. I look forward to checking out the other menu items offered for the remainder of the school year and perfecting my cooking technique as well. I was also pleased that I ended up dining with Ethan instead of some picky miser and that he enjoyed himself as well. Savory and nourishing, I thought the Red Herring vegetarian buffet was a feel-good meal at a inexpensive price. If you too happen to suffer from stingy-wallet syndrome, loosen it up and indulge $5 for delicious dining at the Red Herring.