Veg Out: Happily holed up at Hobbit Cafe, LOTR style
Hobbit Cafe is one of those rare themed restaurants that manages to be cool without being annoying. The Lord of the Rings-themed decor is omnipresent, to be sure, yet subtle enough that it doesn't invade your dining experience like a horde of raging Orcs. A section of the menu features sandwiches with whimsical names such as Dwalin and Smaug's Delight, but most of the menu is that of a regular burger and sandwich cafe. Unlike your average hole- in-the-wall cafe, Hobbit's food is actually tasty. A glance at the menu shows sandwiches in two sizes, slim and regular, but don't be fooled - slim is so enormous I had to take half of my sandwich home, and I almost never do that. I can only imagine how big the regular sandwich is. Each plate also comes with a variety of sides - some for an extra charge - like fruit, a heaping pile of fries or potato chips or, oddly enough, a mound of shredded carrots. Considering the amount of food served on each plate, you definitely get your money's worth at Hobbit Cafe.Size issues aside, the quality of the food is tasty as well. The Bilbo the Magnificent sandwich is a lovely blend of soft guacamole and crunchy cucumber and actually manages to make sprouts taste good, which I thought was impossible. Hobbit's fries are well-seasoned, with just a hint of a kick.
However, it would have been nice to have the condiments on the table, rather than having to awkwardly ask for ketchup. Twice. Otherwise, the service was exemplary. The waiter was well-versed in the ingredients of each of the dishes and was able to steer vegans away from any stray mayonnaise or cheese. The food and check both arrived promptly, which is always nice when you have homework to do.
The dessert offerings at Hobbit Cafe are decadent and rotate out, meaning that you can try different ones every time you visit. The key lime pie was delicious and, in keeping with Hobbit's tradition of huge portions, appeared to be almost a quarter of the pie. Plus, the whole thing was topped with luscious whipped cream.
The only downside to Hobbit Cafe is the meager amount of vegetarian offerings on the menu. This is particularly disappointing as Hobbit began as a vegetarian cafe. One would have thought that the tradition of feeding veggie lovers would continue but the variety is limited to just a few, rather standard vegetarian plates.
Hobbit Cafe is a wonderful restaurant that, aside from being a pilgrimage spot for Lord of the Rings fans, manages to provide an enjoyable enough dining experience that even people who never got past their second Tolkien book like. Vegetarians will find some good, though not plentiful, options and can rejoice in the fact that their sandwich may very well feed them for two days. A meal at Hobbit Cafe is an experience worth having, whether or not you're vegetarian.
Abigail Dock is a Jones College sophomore.
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