The Veggielante is on a mission to spread the word about places to order good, meatless grub. Check out this week's pick.
Destination: Wild Flower Restaurant (4590 Laclede Avenue; 314-367-9888)
Neighborhood: Central West End
Cuisine: Fine American Cuisine
See also: Provalo Deli Marries Pretzels Rolls and Pesto for Vegetarians
Overview: For the last eighteen years, Wild Flower Restaurant's goal has been to appeal to a variety of customers with a variety of diets. Owner Phil Czarnec has a wheat intolerance, so he took it upon himself to develop a specialty menu geared toward gluten-free diets as well as an exclusively vegetarian menu. But while you're waiting for that vegetarian menu to debut, Wild Flower's regular menu still has a lot of great vegetarian dishes.
Highlights: Wild Flower's inside-out lentil burger ($10) is both insanely popular and insanely healthy. In lieu of a bun, chef Andrew Grosz uses a blend of lentils garnished with lemon and basil aioli, mixed greens, tomato, red onion and avocado. Both veg and meat-eaters alike are said to be fans of this dish, as it serves a hearty portion of protein for any diet. Don't be fooled by the dish's apparent lack of photogenic appeal -- the inside-out lentil burger is a wonderful mix of flavors that will leave you full.
Wild Flower's "Wild Thing" pizza ($11) is pizza creativity at its best: a homemade crust laden with spinach, mushrooms and the kicker: brie cheese. Another home run for the restaurant's creativity, this dish is very delicious and very photogenic. How can anyone say no to brie?
If you're in need of another killer vegetarian appetizer, try the goat buster ($12), a blend of sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese fondue, served with fresh apples, carrots, celery and artisanal breads.
See also: Eleven Eleven Mississippi Serves Vegetarian Tuscan Cuisine Worth Hogging
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