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I LOVE THIS EATERY

4 Posted on 11 / 07 / 2011

First, this is not an all vegetarian restaurant; but, they offer plenty of veg options (more than most). I had the reuben sandwich that came with a side. The side I picked was tomato florentine soup. The soup was beyond delicious. It was creamy and sooo good! I was happy I got it. The reuben, likewise, was delicious. It had swiss cheese and sauerkraut on it, as well a good dressing and was on grilled bread - very tasty. Of the 3 vegetarian reubens I have had in the past couple days in Asheville, this was among the best; it definitly had the most tempeh on it (sometimes restaurants skimp on it).

Besides the good food, the place is charming. The room overlooks the park and has these tall beautiful windows and plants. There's cool artwork on the wall and it's very sunny and bright - just a lot of charm.

Early Girl is always crowded, and usually a wait. So, I decided to go at an off hour (2:30 on a weekday), and there weren't a lot of people there. The service was very good and the server very friendly and pleasant.

I loved this place. With all my vegetarian options here in Asheville, it's getting harder and harder to pick a place to eat. I love it.

Oh, the price was very reasonable. I have seen reubens anywhere from $6.50 to $10. I think this one was $9, and it came with the soup - not bad!

Pros: Cute atmosphere, Great service, Fantastic food
Cons: They serve meat

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Okay

2 Posted on 03 / 11 / 2011

Went here with my vegetarian husband so he could get an omelet or something eggy for breakfast. There weren't a ton of vegan options for me, all I saw was a tofu scramble or granola/soy milk. I got the tofu scramble, which was pretty good but not the best I've had. The tofu wasn't very well marinated or scrambled... it was cubed, plain-tasting tofu mixed in with a lot of peas and some other veggies. I'm not sure how it would have tasted without the ton of hot sauce I added.
My husband seemed to like his omelet, but he's easy to please.
I'm not sure what our bill totaled to, or how much these things usually cost, but the prices seemed a bit steep to me. For instance, my orange juice was $4.50 and it was a tiny glass.
The restaurant itself is cute (like everywhere in Asheville) and the service was quick but not especially friendly.
I wouldn't be interested in going back, but I'm sure I eventually will simply for my husband. Eh.

Pros: cute restaurant
Cons: so-so service, lack of options

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Early Girl

3 Posted on 01 / 04 / 2011

Great food, sub-par service. Usually busy, often closed. Don't worry, there are many breakfast/bruch places to choose from!

Pros: good food, many choices, fun atmosphere
Cons: busy, poor service, limited hours

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Pretty Good

3 Posted on 02 / 17 / 2010

We went to Early Girl Eatery at the end of a long road trip (west to east coast), and with two young children. We were happy to find a very family-friendly establishment with decent food. The vegan options were relatively few, but then it's not a vegan restaurant. I had a tofu scramble that was pretty good.

As of the beginning of February there was honey in the applesauce,for those who care. Also, there were no vegan desserts available when we were there.

You may have difficulty if you have food sensitivities, but otherwise I'd recommend it for a relaxed meal.

Pros: family-friendly, helpful staff
Cons: few vegan options

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Early Girl Eatery

4 Posted on 12 / 21 / 2009

Very good vegetarian restaurant! Had dozens of vegetarian and vegan options such as tempeh reuben sandwich, tofu scrambler, vegan chili, black bean burger, sweet potatoes and black bean patties, potato soup, vegan/vegetarian gravies, avocado and spout sandwich, and much more! I have tried many of these items and they are very good. The menu changes with seasonal produce. They use a lot of organic produce, local produce, and cage free eggs. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and friendly service. It can get busy sometimes, so there many be a wait. Great place to go with friends for a casual dinning experience.

Pros: Many Veg options, Uses organic and local produce, Uses cage free eggs
Cons: Has some some meat products, Busy

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I stopped going...

1 Posted on 08 / 15 / 2009

I was never the biggest fan, but I used to think it was OK until I had several poor experiences in a row. I can't really comment on lunch and dinner fare except that there wasn't much veggie food even worse for vegans and what I had was not very good given the other choices in Asheville. At breakfast or brunch they have some veggie options, but just one or two options for vegans. Breakfast was OK, but overpriced and lacked quite a bit in the flavor department. They just don't seem to get vegetarian taste there. For example the gravy (I love some good soysage gravy)tastes like flour water and rosemary giving it a funky flavor. They seemed to use the same gravy recipe at their now closed restaurant, "North Star Diner". Everything else there was much better than Early Girl. I don't get why the good menu got junked with the bad location and the good location has the bad menu.

I used to go if an out of town guest or family member wanted to go, but after my last visit over a year ago I now refuse. I got cold food and the waitress was sour enough to spoil any appetite. Every time the two servers hustled past us they would slam against the back of our chairs making for a bumpy ride, I mean meal, in a tiny little restaurant. I even asked them very politely to please stop or asked if we should move over and she rudely took off and sent someone back who reprimanded me for "complaining about the tight quarters". I guess they can do just fine without my family's business and I really don't miss the food, the cramped dining room, the bad attitudes, or the long waits. And they keep traffic out of other really good breakfast or brunch joints on the block. So please go to Early Girl and leave the others for us. :)

Pros: they have food, they have water, they have shelter
Cons: food nothing special, nasty staff members, cramped/ bad atmosphere

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Spartan restaurant but good food

4 Posted on 06 / 20 / 2008

On my recent trip to Asheville, this was one of the 3 restaurants I ate at. The place has a long hallway to the dining area and they have some cool tables. I spied that the big tables for large groups were made completely from plywood, but they were so cool, you may never notice. There are a few pieces of modern art prints-on-fabric hanging on the walls, but other than that, the decor is very "white walls with blue trim".

I ate here for breakfast and ordered the Vegan Tofu Scramble. It was much better than I expected. There wasn't a lot of tofu (may 20% by overall volume). But that didn't disappoint me because the veggies: spinach, peas, onions, and mushrooms, tasted especially fresh. Most tofu scrambles I have had were 90% tofu, so that was what I was expecting. I like their vegetable-to-tofu ratio better! Also, it had a light, delicate and well-balanced seasoning going for it. They also offered up a locally produced smoked habanero hot sauce that added some good flavor and heat.

I added in vegan sausage as a side item. It looked nothing like sausage. It's texture was nothing like sausage. But it had a sausage flavor! Not exact, but close. You have to turn of your sight and texture senses and only listen to your tastebuds. My tastebuds tasted sausage.

I can't review their vegan veggie burger just yet, but the tofu scramble is awesome and I didn't see such a thing at any other restaurant.

There may not be many vegan options here, but there are a few more vegetarian options. They do serve meat, just to note. There are other restaurants in this area with better veg selections, but don't discount this one.

Pros: Semi-veg friendly, Good food
Cons: Medium to high prices, Not many vegan options, Not 100% veg

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very good, but few options

4 Posted on 02 / 10 / 2008

I like this place with it's take on lighter Southern fare, but I don't go often because there's really only one vegetarian entree at dinner and I get tired of having the same thing. The one entree is really good, though. Nice, relaxed place. Breakfast is good with several vegetarian options, only one vegan...

Pros: tasty, friendly, local
Cons: limited selection

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Not so veg friendly

1 Posted on 01 / 05 / 2008

We try to go for brunch and all they had was tofu scramble. The place was crowded and all the carnivores looked at us like we were weird. Not veg friendly...

Pros: Tofu scramble
Cons: Not veg friendly, crowded, meat everywhere

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not a lot of vegan, but its good

4 Posted on 12 / 05 / 2007

You're better off at the Laughing Seed, but if you're warn out or there's a long wait Early is worth going to. The Tofu Scramble is really good.