The LightSwitch Lama Speaks

I have the munchies and a couple hours to kill, a quick shout downstairs to Christie and Viola! Lunch time!  Where to go?  Butternut Squash on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, a talk-of-the-town new Vegetarian place.

Its raining and cold and dreary outside, but inside this contemporary new London influenced hot spot the vibe is weatherless and fun.  Its 30 minutes to closing for the lunch hour, but I feel no pressure to eat and go, and the smiles greeting us as we walk in are warm and friendly.

We sit in a comfortable booth and survey the layout. Very contemporary, clean, with giraffes as a decor theme, and local art on the walls.  The place is small, but with the large open windows it feels bigger than it is.

Our waitress is Kelly. She is a beautiful woman with a kind face and a British accent. I lost the bet that she was from OUTSIDE London, but in fact she is from London. Lunch is on me.  Butternut Squash is vegetarian/vegan restaurant, something I am not used to. The menu is very appetizing and I have a hard time choosing what to eat.  I decide to try from the menu instead of one of the daily specials, they all sounded so good.  I am having the Butternut Squash spaghetti, Christie is having the Blackbean and Hemp nut burger with sweet potato fries, and we start with the sampler plate and some fresh bread, toasted in an intriguing olive oil mix.

HOLY SMOKE!  Straight out the gait... I am impressed.  The grapes were delicious, the chips are home made fried flour tortillas, the guacamole delicious, and the star of the plate - quick fried goat cheese with a raspberry reduction sauce. I may have drooled on myself. Polish it off with fresh salsa, and fresh veggie sticks, and you end up with an entire lunch. I should have stopped there. I am full.

Entre?  The spaghetti was nothing like I imagined.  It was slightly sweet with a spicey bite to it, full of flavour and texture. Carrots, squash, bell peppers, a taste of honey all come together is an amazing combination which I could only eat half of due to the over indulgence of bread and starter plate, so I boxed it up and ate it later for dinner.

The burger was HUGE with a mountain of perfectly cooked sweet potato fries with their crispy skins and soft insides. I even tried to weasel the secret of their perfection out of Kelly, but she was lock-lipped. My first thought was to brush up my Spanish and hit up the kitchen staff.  The burger was rich, thick and in need of a flip top head to eat it, but once you manage to bite in, WHAT A TREAT!  Personally I would have used a brioche instead of the bread they used, but it was still yummy! The patty was dense and didnt try to pretend to be meat, it was beans and veggies and it let you know it. We agreed it would be awesome alone on a salad also.

The down side is the lack of a raw entre.  Their raw entre is nothing but veggies and dipping sauce.  I am going to suggest a bit more creativity in a raw entre, though you will have to talk to Christie for suggestions.  We didnt try any of the deserts, or see the restroom, so you will have to check it out for yourself.  As it turns out, our charming Brit of a server, is also the owner/manager.  She was a pleasant server with smiles, good service, and who doesnt like a British accent. I cant wait to go back and try more of the menu.  Anyone for lunch?