Reader's Choice Awards - Reader's Choice Food

POSTED: Monday, Dec. 08, 2008

Best vegetarian cuisine: Swan Cafe

FIRST PLACE

SWAN CAFÉ

Location: 1220 N. Forest St. (inside the Community Food Co-op), 734-8158, hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

Web site: www.communityfood.coop/deli/

From the boss: "We've got a very unique menu for Bellingham: we have alternative foods and options for food allergies. We try to buy from our local farmers and focus on organic whenever we can." Alice O'Donnell, manager of Swan Café

Reader rave: "It's quick and easy and healthy - all those things Bellinghamsters want. They're also conscientious about waste and I feel like I'm making a sustainable choice when I grab lunch there." Tara Nelson, Blaine

Highlights: Located centrally near the Western Washington University campus and Bellingham's bustling downtown, the Swan Café offers tasty options for any palate and budget. The daily selections of soup and salads - chock-full of whole grains and fresh vegetables - are sure to please everyone from picky gourmands to carb-loading Spandex-clad bikers. Veggie-vores vouch for the tempeh teriyaki or the roasted asparagus with almonds. But if your vegetarian buddies dragged you here, you can't go wrong with the saffron-poached chicken with green beans or the Tuscan white bean and tuna salad.