RESTAURANT REVIEW + PHOTOS: The Veg in Little Rock is full of surprises

Wait a minute.

Pulled BBQ Sandwich? BBQ Nachos? Lobster Roll? Buffalo Wings? Philly Cheesesteak?

Isn't this place supposed to be vegan? As in, plant-based, no meat and no dairy? As in, we don't serve anything that had a Mom and Dad? As in, here, eat these bean sprouts and kale?

Fear not, nonmeat eater. This is The Veg, the vegan, gluten-free outfit that operated out of a spot in the Ottenheimer Market Hall in the Little Rock River Market for a while and has been at this Sixth Street space -- the former home of Lulav -- for about two months.

So ordering that BBQ Sandwich ($12), which uses jackfruit instead of pork, will still keep you on the side of leafy greens and away from Carnivoreville.

Call it clever marketing by owner/chef Shiem Swift, who specializes in something akin to vegan comfort food, dishes that are hearty and filling despite their lack of more familiar protein sources. It's much easier for a vegan food novice, such as your meat-loving correspondent, to get his head around an order of Buffalo wings than, say, a plate of carrots.

Those Buffalo Wings ($12 meal, $6 appetizer), of course, aren't made of chicken bits. Perish the thought. They're cauliflower, fried in a sort of tempura style with Buffalo seasoning. With their crunchy, well-flavored exterior giving way to the tender, tasty cauliflower inside, these wings fly to the top of the surprises on the limited Veg menu. You won't even miss the ranch dressing.

Vegan Co-worker, who lamented a bit that there were no straight-up salad or bean dishes offered, was genuinely surprised and pleased with the appetizer-size order we shared.

She pursued the theme by ordering the Fish Sandwich ($12), another fried cauliflower concoction that came with sweet potato fries. Topped with a Thousand Island-like sauce and tomato with a salad of greens, onions and tomato on the side, the sandwich was almost the size of a Frisbee and, VC said, rich. She liked its lightly fried crust and said that, unlike the wings, had more of a true cauliflower taste, which was perfectly fine with her as she loves the stuff.

I went with the Veggie Burger ($12), a patty of black beans topped with tomatoes, avocado and mustard as well as a salad and sweet potato fries. Black bean fans would rejoice over a burger like this, which at first glance could pass for charred beef. The sandy texture of a slab of legumes is a bit of a shock, but once I got past that, all was well. The ketchup for fry-dipping had a good kick and the fries were nicely done, with the ends slightly blackened.

On an earlier visit, I had a nacho awakening.

Substituting beef with lentils and sweet potatoes, the BBQ Nachos ($12) were a revelation.

"That's a salad," my wife said when I showed her a picture of my dish. She later coined the term "Not-chos."

Whatever. These were good. Swift takes fried tortilla chips and tops them with lentils, roasted sweet potatoes, fresh greens, onions, tomato, avocado and bell pepper. All of that is then drizzled with Sriracha and a vegan-approved "cream." The chips at the top of the pile were good and crisp, while the ones toward the bottom, beneath the lentils and potatoes, were soggy but not too much so. The warm potatoes and lentils mixed with the cool greens were thoroughly satisfying.

I've said it more than once: I'd rather have this than traditional restaurant nachos.

In keeping with the "this is vegan?" theme, Swift offers up Chkn & Waffles ($13). How these waffles were made without dairy products is beyond me, but you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between these and the regular version. Fluffy and sweet, they were topped with vegan cream, strawberries and blueberries. The ''chicken'' was made of soy and tasted like the chicken nuggets you'd get for lunch at school, only about 100 times better. Sadly, there were just three small pieces atop the waffle.

Because my sweet tooth is in constant need of satisfaction, I ordered Fried Cheesecake ($5) for dessert. The hot, golden orbs arrived alongside a dipping sauce that looked like oatmeal but had a subtle, lemony tone. The fried coating was a bit thick, but the vegan cheesecake middle was heavenly.

A word to the wise. The Veg is a small operation and service, while friendly, can be slow. In my three visits, I saw Swift and one other person in the kitchen while a single server waited tables. On two trips, my food, which I ordered at the bar, arrived promptly. The lunch with VC, though, took almost an hour. We weren't perturbed, because we knew there was a chance we'd be there a while and were in no hurry. Ordering ahead may be best for those crunched for time.

Also, I saw a menu only once in my visits, and that was a partial document; there were no prices or descriptions of the dishes. I learned to check The Veg LLC's Facebook page, which is usually updated with daily specials and offerings, before heading over.

There is a full bar but, since we were working, our lunchtime drink choices were limited to water or Ginger Lemonade, the latter another a refreshing surprise from The Veg.

Weekend on 06/22/2017