Babble

Just returned from yet another Wondrous Wednesday lunch. Blue sky, autumn leaves and a nice 2-mile walk to the farmers’ market off the square. I’ve written about this experience before, but thought I’d elaborate on my lunches now that I’m on the 3-mortgage, “lunch-under-$25″ plan. Specifically, we’re talking lacto-ovo-vegetarian lunches in the State St. area. And that’s $25/week, in case you were wondering. I can hear both Schroeder and JeffO making the throw up noise as (if?) they read this, but given the whole economy is going down the toilet and we might all become vegetarians, I’m considering myself ahead of the game. Read on….

Top 8 veggie/cheap options in the area, according to Julie:

• Potbelly’s cup of the soup of the day or vegan soup (served daily) with oyster crackers + oatmeal chocolate chip cookie: $3.68. For a bit more ($4.29) they have a variety of large sandwiches – I like the toasted PB&J on whole wheat.
• Mediterranean cafe: There are a number of items here for $5 or less. Try the humus & pita, the soup with rice, or my fav, the Med sandwich. Their tabouli is also excellent.
• The Dandelion food cart which, I’m happy to say, is relocating from its current location on MLK Blvd to Library Mall, just steps outside my office. Awesome AWESOME food, and for the budget-conscious, $3.25 gets you a bunch of steamed, seasoned veggies and a peanut butter cup for dessert.
• Slightly off State St., but with unbeatable lake views in the summer, is the Memorial Union. Der Rathskeller has a create-your-own-custom sandwich bar where it’s pretty difficult to make a veggie sandwich that costs more than $5. My favorite is the egg salad with romaine lettuce on wheat with extra pickles and Dusseldorf mustard. The price varies with the cashier but it’s usually around $3.75. [Jan '09 update: the create-your own-custom-sandwich bar is no longer. Sad.]
• Venturing to the west, UW-Madison’s Dairy Store in Babcock Hall offers a variety of subs, soups and ice cream at reasonable prices. Their daily specials are hard to beat – Thursdays for example offer a very large sub on cracked wheat, a bag of chips, pickle and (chocolate) milk, all for $4.98! As the name alludes to, vegans won’t find much here, but dairy-eaters will not leave hungry.
• Ian’s pizza has two locations within a mile and a decent-sized slice of cheese (or pepperoni) pizza is just $2.00. A large assortment of other veggie slices are available for $3.00. Or, for $3.50 (sm) or $5.50 (lg), you can get a salad of mixed greens and 3 or 5 toppings, most of which are locally grown. For the price, it’s arguably the best salad in town.
• Einstein bagels. While not the healthiest option, the egg & cheese on an Asiago bagel is delicious. And $4.01. There are also of course a variety of bagels & cream cheese options, if you happen to like cream cheese. -bleh- Also, not to be missed next-door: Espresso Royale’s $2 any-size lattes every Wednesday.
• Lastly, Noodles. The prices there have skyrocketed in the past few years, but you can still get a bowl of buttered, seasoned noodles for around $4, which happens to be my favorite.

For those not selling homes in a depressed market, a dollar or two more will get cha good veggie and even vegan options at Sunroom Cafe, Amy’s Cafe and Qdoba. Bon appetit!