An unlikely 'veggie-food' haven in the Southern Appalachian mountains

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I should confess that when I got an opportunity to visit Gray, TN - a rural suburb of Johnson City, TN for three days for a business trip, I did not jump with excitement. While I knew driving through the mountains on small freeways from Alpharetta to Asheville was scenic and surreal, three days of stay in Barbecue country for a vegetarian was a bit of a turn-off. But, you know where I am going with this, right? Yes, my 'fears turned out to be liars'.

My first meal was a business lunch at a place called Cootie Brown's (yes, you read it right). My clients said the restaurant had a lot of options (which I thought meant you could get any kind of, or cut of meat) but I felt hopeful that I would be able to get a grilled cheese sandwich with fries. The restaurant menu was the size of a local newspaper (without promotions) and to my surprise, had an entire section (about half a page) for Veggie Sandwiches! This meant I had to spend a few minutes to pick my order. I didn't want to come across as the emotional type with my clients and tried to hide my tears of joy behind the newspaper-sized menu. The Black Bean burger with home-made salsa had a kick to it and the fries were good as well. I hear that their desserts and pizzas are very good too, but didn't get a chance to try them.

For dinner, I looked up Indian restaurants and found Sahib. (Side note: I try to eat at least one Indian meal during my business trips as a way to encourage Indian restaurants in small locations. This, as many of you know, can be a hit or miss. But, I dare to try anyways.) I was surprised to see quite a few guests at the restaurant, even though the place is hidden behind a Days Inn hotel and takes a few times around the parking lot to find it. They have a very good Salt Lassi - spiced up with jeera, pepper and salt (Trust me it is difficult to make a good Lassi). Their 'Malai Kofta' is one of the best I have tasted with fluffy naan.

I had a lot more confidence with my vegetarian options the previous day and was ready to venture out a bit - as in go to downtown for a change. The website of Mid City Grill was interesting, especially their claim that they have a killer vegetarian cuisine and that they fry their vegetables separately from other animal proteins. I have to say that the restaurant definitely deserves all the '5-stars' it has got on Yelp. It has a very unassuming ambiance but over delivers with taste and quality. The 'Grilled Tofu Sandwich' was delicious with the tofu grilled to a perfection. It might be a little bit too tangy but definitely blends well with the avocado and tomato-focaccia bun.

According to Yelp, there are other restaurants that are vegetarian-friendly and I look forward to trying a couple more of them during my next trip. In particular, Barbaritos and Scratch-Brick Oven Foodworks have piqued my interest.