The veggie loaf of the gods on a white plate on the blue table at Monty's Blue Plate. Plate includes broccoli and mashed potatoes.
It had been a while since I’d eaten at Monty’s Blue Plate Diner, 2089 Atwood Ave. Despite the menu seeming a little shorter than I’d remembered (“more curated”?), the old favorites are still there. Although I’m not vegetarian, I always have to go with the Veggie Loaf of the Gods, comfort food without peer and an excellent plate for the chilly evenings of fall. The loaf is a carrot-mushroom blend held together with bread crumbs and egg, like any meatloaf, with cheese to amp the savory. The carrots more or less disappear; it’s not appreciably sweet. The loaf doesn’t replicate the flavor of meat; it’s milder, softer — savory without any of the complicating umami notes. It’s like a culinary hug. The ginger-cashew gravy doesn’t have a lot of ginger oomph, but performs the essential diner function of tying the loaf to the excellent mashed potatoes. The garlic butter broccoli almost steals the show, with the florets cooked exactly to the point where crunch is about to give way to mush. Yes, the whole entree would be good for someone who’s recently had wisdom teeth removed; it’s nursery food, but of the most craveable kind. And you can feel good about eating your vegetables.
