Metro Magazine, February 2010

The Irregardless Café

901 W. Morgan St.

Raleigh, NC 27603

Arthur Gordon, with not a lick of restaurant experience but a passion for healthy, tasty food, opened Raleigh’s first vegetarian restaurant in 1975. Thirty-five years later, his hospitable establishment still satisfies vegetable lovers at its original address on Morgan Street.

Though the first café burned in 1994, Gordon rebuilt the eatery. His simply decorated space exudes permanence, as if it has been nurturing the neighborhood forever, and always will. One reason for longevity is the flexibility of the owner who met popular demand and added seafood and meat to the menu years ago. But his menu still offers many meatless items, including a few vegan specialties.

The dishes we tried, executed by Chef Daniel Cohn, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, were rich and generously portioned, ostensibly geared more to athletes than ladies who lunch. A huge grilled Portabella mushroom cap on polenta, topped with a large dollop of pesto, was served with spinach and carrots.

The traditional baked macaroni and cheese was big enough for three football players, as was the voluptuous apple crisp. The goat cheese salad was more about the cheese than the lettuce, though I heard no complaints from my dinner companions. Billed as an appetizer, the Middle Eastern platter — butterbean pâté, hummus and tabouli — is a meal in itself.

Gordon has always been a nurturer — of his loyal staff, his patrons and his community (he was awarded Green Business Leader of 2009 by the Triangle Business Journal).

Characteristically, his restaurant’s dishes are all about comfort. Those looking for a low-fat, spa experience should stick with the salads.