Not all veggie plates in mainstream eateries are created equal

When you’re a vegetarian married to a carnivore, you tend to eat out a lot. At a restaurant, it’s easier for each person to get what they want.

That’s how I ended up trying Southlake’s new rotisserie-chicken palace: Redrock Canyon Grill. The sole veggie option there is an unsatisfying vegetable plate, which led me to think about good ones.

A veggie plate feels very old-school these days, as many chefs and kitchens work to come up with at least one appealing meatless entree.

That’s something Reata has never much bothered with. Its “Martha’s Vegetable Plate” has been on the menu forever — well, since Martha Stewart visited (or was it a Martha Stewart Living editor?) and suggested adding something exciting on the meatless side.

The dish dates back to the 1990s and the restaurant’s original chef, Grady Spears. Spears even had a similar plate at his now-closed Grady’s restaurant on Forest Park.

I used to find it too overwhelming and carb-y, and I may have gently dissed it in this space that one time. But after trying veggie plates around town, I’m now grateful that this exists (thank you, Martha) and that it hasn’t changed over the years. It’s still great. It’s a Fort Worth classic.

Martha’s vegetable plate includes a complex corn relish, good rice, good ranch beans and sometimes a star-shaped piece of cornbread (though you will already have scarfed some fine cornbread if you had the sense not to refuse the free bread basket).

There’s some simply cooked spinach, a full serving of asparagus drizzled with creme fraiche, and grilled and roasted vegetables — tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots and a balsamic glazed Portobello mushroom — to fill out the huge platter.

It costs a hefty $16.95, but I find it easier to swallow now that I’ve tried some other options around town.

Reata, 310 Houston St., Fort Worth; 817-336-1009; www.reata.net.

My next-favorite veggie plate is at The Tavern in Fort Worth’s Tanglewood neighborhood. The menu styles it “Farmer’s Market Vegetables — chef’s hand-picked seasonal vegetables and wild rice salad.” But actually, for this plate, you choose your own items from a list of the restaurant’s sides. (I’m more interested in having good chefs compose a plate for me, but that’s actually hard to find.)

Not everything on the list is vegetarian, so be sure to speak up if avoiding meat is your motive. In addition to the pecan wild rice salad, I opted for spinach, tomatoes and blue cheese, and a special cabbage that was not listed on the menu.

Chef Felipe Armenta really knows how to cook without meat, and everything on this plate was a big flavor bomb. Vegans should note that almost everything got a generous hit of cheese — the sautéed spinach was almost a Parmesan dish. Mmm.

This is $16. Again, pricey, but it’s good food, and it’s the only veggie option on the menu other than starters — all five salads, even, feature meat or seafood.

The Tavern, 2755 S. Hulen St., Fort Worth; 817 923-6200; thetavernfortworth.com.

Two less successful veggie plates in this same price range make me appreciate Reata and The Tavern even more. At Redrock Canyon Grill the only meatless entree is the “seasonal veggie platter with couscous” ($15). Sounded fine.

When I inquired about this plate, the server asked if I’d ever heard of couscous, making me wonder what goes on in Oklahoma, where Redrock is based.

Once I’d scarfed that little bit of couscous, the rest of the plate was mostly something to slog through dutifully, like the absurd heap of raw, not-great tomatoes that must have been at least a pound’s worth. Even vegetarians don’t want vegetables this boring.

Redrock Canyon Grill, 221 E. Southlake Blvd., 817 912-1510; www.redrockcanyongrill.com

At least the grilled vegetable plate ($12) at Texas Bleu Steakhouse in Keller really brings the flavor. It had generous squash, eggplant and carrot slices seasoned with a heavy hand (which I like) and bearing the sort of big, smoky grill essence that we all want from a steakhouse. It was delicious and visually appealing, but with no protein or grains, it’s one-dimensional.

In fairness, it’s listed under salads, and probably not intended as anyone’s main meal.

If you don’t want to faint from lack of protein, Texas Bleu’s Wisconsin cheese plate with Texas olives and local honey is very good and it’s enormous ($12). Find someone to share these two plates, and you’ll be happy.

Texas Bleu: 124 Main St., Keller; 817-431-5188; www.texasbleu.com.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 9:15 AM with the headline "Not all veggie plates in mainstream eateries are created equal."