Posted by: Frederik (report)
Feb. 26, 2008, 4:42 p.m.
To Z-Boy -
Comparing Manna to Riverwest Co-op or Beans is like apples to oranges. Beans isn't known for using organic ingredients, and frankly, I'm afraid to eat at Riverwest sometimes because that place is straight-up dirty looking.
Beans is decent, but come on, that menu hasn't changed in 10 years, since back when I ate meat. It's old, outdated, overcrowded and overhyped. Maybe if they ever thought that something new would be good I'd go back, but every month or two when I shop there, same old menu again and again. Not only that, but their menu is very, very different from Manna, so it's no comparison.
Why wouldn't someone pay $14 for a tofu dish? I mean, meat is cheap, and just because someone pays $20 for a filet mignon doesn't meat it cost $10 to procure it, it just means you're getting gouged. It's like saying that you'd rather go to Sizzler for a steak than to Sanford because the cost is less. It's the preparation, my man, and the quality that makes the difference. If you go to Riverwest, they simply take a pack of tofu off the shelf, fry it up, slather on the vegenaise and put some nachos on the side of your sandwich - tasty sometimes, but not comparable to a dinner that's prepared with better ingredients and done in a much better way.
Also, to ask, have you ever eaten at an upscale vegetarian restaurant in areas outside of Wisconsin? I've eaten at veg restaurants in about a half dozen other states, and Manna is actually the cheapest I've come across by far. Go to CA, finding the same meals prepped the same way would cost you $15-30 depending on the place. Even in Virginia, at one of the best restaurants I've eaten at, which is just an all-vegetarian Chinese restaurant, nothing on the entree list was under $13, and appetizers were around $7-10 each. Manna has quite a few things that are reasonably priced - you sound like you picked the most expensive dish, and if you think that tofu is tofu no matter where you go, why pick the one that costs most?
Don't mean to rant here, but I HATE, HATE, HATE when people complain about pricing at vegan and vegetarian restaurants, particularly when they're not that bad like Manna. Then, when people decide not to support places and they close, everyone gets all sad and complains about the lack of options for veg dining. People need to understand that it's not just about the food, it's about SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY and keeping your money in unique businesses that deserve their place in our area. If you want cheap, get a pack of ramen and you've got a 30 cent meal. If you want to eat organic and well-prepared food, support places like Manna that are doing something different. Last thing we need in the city is another freakin' steakhouse - support a vegetarian establishment that rocks and has good food.
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