by Guest Blogger Margie Remmers

It was Plan B, but what a plan it turned out to be.

I was tired of the usual choices–burritos, pizza, bagels, and veggie burgers–so my son and I headed out to a shop that I thought I had heard served vegetarian fish and chips (don’t look so shocked–the amazingly fabulous Clare and Don’s Beach Shack in Falls Church does just that…as well as other incredible veggie stuff).

As we were headed down King Street, I saw the distinctive awning of
Zorkafor’s SandVeg and remembered that I had wanted to try that out sometime, too, so I wasn’t too disappointed when I learned that the fish and chips rumor was false.
With the word “SandVeg” in the name, I thought it was going to be a vegetarian deli, and though that is kind of true (the vegetarian options are very prominent, not tucked away like most restaurants), they do condescend to serve some meat products as well.

The thing that makes Zorkafor’s stand out, however, is their amazing–and I do mean amazing–“fixin’s bar” that comes free with every pita encased sandwich.

My son and I walked into the tiny establishment (“Mom, why do they only have four tables?”) and looked at menu. Part Mediterranean (falafel, hummus, etc.) and part American deli (grilled vegetables, provolone, etc.), there were four vegetarian suggestions as well as a “make your own” sandwich option. Since I was buying for my family of four, and the sandwiches all looked so good, I decided to get one of each of the recommended combinations, saving the “make your own” for our next visit.

First was the Falafel SandVeg. This was pretty much what you would expect: a bed of lettuce and four freshly cooked balls of spiced chick peas. I added some tomatoes and cucumbers from the fixin’s bar and filled several containers of tahini (sesame) and tzitziki (yogurt) sauce to add later.

Next was the Charbroiled Eggplant and Veggie SandVeg. The eggplant was joined by squash, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, and green peppers–at least that’s what the menu said. I only remember the squash and peppers. It was good, but a little skimpy, so I added some fried caulflower from the fixin’s bar (they have fried cauliflower in the fixin’s bar!) and was later glad I had tahini sauce from the falafel to eat with it.

Then, the Portabella Melt SandVeg: grilled portabella mushrooms, melted provolone, and pesto served on a bed of lettuce. To this I piled on some spinach and tomatoes.

And finally, the Fusion SandVeg. This was all the mediterranean treats rolled into one: hummus, baba ghanoush, feta cheese, and lettuce and tomato. To this I added some tabbouleh from the fixin’s bar (they have tabbouleh in the fixin’s bar!).
We also got some fresh cut fries, which were yummy, if a bit overpriced.

The dinner was delicious and filling–with all four of us chowing down, we still only managed to finish three of the sandwiches, and I only got three orders of fries. All in all, Zorkafor’s is a vegetarian’s dream, and it’s worth a visit just for the fixin’s bar, which contains just about every sandwhich topping you could possibly dream up (over 20 of them), including exotic favorites like pickled mangoes (which looked good, but tasted surprisingly disgusting) and pickled turnips (which looked disgusting, but tasted surprisingly good).

One final note: My son and I stopped by on a Wednesday evening at about 5pm, and we were the only ones there. This was a good thing, because I’m not sure how they would handle a crowd. The do-it-yourself fixin’s bar is right in front of the cash register, and though our food was ready quickly, I had to fix it up and hand it back to the staff to be wrapped. The whole process took longer than it should, and since most of their business must be take out (as my son pointed out, this tiny establishment only has four tables, plus some bar/window seating), it could make for a frustrating lunch hour.
Zorkafor’s SandVeg is located in Old Town Alexandria at 703 King Street.

Guest Blogger Margie Remmers has been a vegetarian for nearly 20 years, and her children have been vegetarian since birth. Her vegetarian home cooking was recently featured in Howard Lyman’s latest book, No More Bull, but she enjoys the challenge of eating out and is thrilled to find restaurants that make it easy. Margie is an author, mom, and Life Management Consultant. You can visit her on the web at Stress Free Like Me