rev:text
| - I didn't realize that Quiet Storm was a completely vegetarian restaurant until I noticed the word "seitan" printed after every meat item on the menu. Normally I'd find this annoying, as I'm an unabashed and unapologetic meat eater. That doesn't mean I don't love a good veggie dish, but fake meat masquerading as real meat is one of my pet peeves. If you're going to serve vegetarian food, don't try to pretend it's anything else.
That grievance having been aired, I ordered the Blackadilla, a quesadilla boasting no false meat items, but stuffed with black beans, basmati rice, sweet potatoes, pineapple and cheddar cheese. It was delicious and filling, and at $8 for the enormous quesadilla and a small house salad, a pretty good deal.
The menu at Quiet Storm is large, with breakfast and lunch/dinner items as well as an array of cafe drinks and desserts. In spite of the prevalence of seitan and tofu, there are a number of dishes that I look forward to sampling upon return.
And I do plan to return. As those of you who have read my other Yelp reviews know, the atmosphere of public places is very important to me, and the atmosphere at Quiet Storm does not disappoint. It's got a retro cool '50s diner vibe and a more modern but equally cool soundtrack that entices customers to stick around. The wait staff encourages this practice, giving diners plenty of space to hang out long after they've finished eating.
The one downside of Quiet Storm is its location, floating among gas stations and abandoned houses in Garfield, an area sandwiched between the more pedestrian friendly neighborhoods of Bloomfield and East Liberty, but not quickly accessible from either. It has to be a pre-determined destination rather than a drop in for random passersby. But that might just be OK.
|