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Shangrila Diner

While I'm uncovering my secret dining places, I guess I'll out Shangrila, too (2201 Cherokee).

If you're a vegetarian, this place is teh awesome. If you're a vegan, it's still pretty darn good. If you're an omnivore and you're looking for adventure, give it a shot, you might like it. If you're heavy-duty meat eater, this place might piss you off. But they have Creme Brulee French Toast, so don't trash it without a try.

As soon as you walk in, grab some goofy reading material off the end table near the door. There are always kids books and weird magazines and odds and ends to read. There are also decks of cards, scrabble tiles and whatnot, kind of like the old Mokabe's, before the yupsters took over. This place could be called kitschy, I suppose, but mostly it's just dorky. Kinda like CAMP, but clean. The dishes don't match, the vinyl on the seat benches is held together with duct tape, that sort of thing. BUT the food is hearty, fiber-filled, and it tastes good. Their guacamole is simple and delicious, better than anybody's but mine, and it's served with these thick, multi-grain tortilla chips.

I tried the Nachos Muchachos yesterday (vegetarian chili, cheese, salsa, sour cream and guacamole over tortilla chips). Do yourself a favor: get a side of the thicker chips and use them to eat the stuff. It reminded me of a mexican casserole. Very good, very messy.

Laine had the French toast again. I had a bite, mmmmmmmm. And even though maple syrup is $45 a gallon now, they'll still give you a tiny silver pitcher of the stuff.

For the first time since we started going there over a year ago, we had room for dessert, so we tried the massive Hostess with the Mostess cupcake ($3.00!).

In the past, I've tried the scrambled tofu (delicious), the veggie burgers (OMG!) and the vegetarian biscuits and gravy (droooool). It's not really on par with the Chicago Diner for vegetarian greasy spoon, but it's like half the price and not 5 hours away, so I think it's the shiznit.

And this place stays open until 10:00 on weeknights, but it's Cherokee, so take your mace and go getcha some.

SOS Su Sala

Su Sala Mexican Cafe on South Kingshighway doesn't like to brag, but it's kind of a big deal. I've been selfishly sitting on this one, as there's a certain giddy prestige to wandering into a neighborhood restaurant on a whim, at any time of day or evening, and finding the whole place poised to service you, and only you, because you're the only ones there. Ever. But I've noticed people are starting to show up, so I should encourage more, I guess.

We've been cheating on Lily's with this rustic salsa joint near Our Lady of Sorrows for ohh a little over a year and a half. Their food is sparkly with bright-tasting goodness. I've tried the soups and the salsas and the salads one by one, and they're all spot on. Su Sala is where you go when you want to go get your Mexican fix, but you're not interested in lard, white flour, cheese and lard.

Not to say that they don't have a bit of unhealthy Mexican food if you want it: Laine's had the megatron beast, "Mexican Enchiladas," at which the owner teased her and looked on in awe as she tackled the gigantor mountain of enchiladas topped with steak and three eggs, sunny-side-up. And our friend Ann tried the Santa Fe Burrito Friday night, which I likened to the size of a sofa pillow. Their regular enchiladas come covered in a red mole sauce the color of cherry Kool-aid, but are quite delicious.

So go fill some uncomfortable, but ugly chairs at Su Sala so they can afford to buy new ones.

Outdoor seating is available and I'll put up a review of their margaritas as soon as I get my notes dried off. If you're into fresh veggies and spices and lots of them, *this* is your new favorite place. And, now that they've got a liquor license, walk there. Seriously. Like whoa.