Dining Out Review: Fresca on Addison

Sometimes, I feel sorry for vegetarians.

Before you jump all over me for being some bloodthirsty carnivore, let me explain.

Every time I go out to dinner with one of my vegetarian friends, the same thing happens. The meat-eating faction at the table happily chows down on a smorgasbord of options while my meat-free friend is forced to choose between pasta or the "chef's vegetarian special" (read: a different shape of pasta).

While words like "seitan" and "textured vegetable protein" may keep some nonvegetarians from jumping at the chance to check out a meat-free eatery, I can't imagine anyone turning up their nose at creamy mustard potato salad, homemade ratatouille and something called OMGarlic Hummus.

I also can't imagine anyone with even the slightest interest in good food passing up a restaurant with the Sneed name behind it.

Jimmy Sneed, the man behind Richmond legend The Frog and the Redneck, and his daughter Jenna, former manager of Carena's Jamaican Grille, have teamed up to open Fresca on Addison, an eclectic, veggie-friendly spot that bears the motto, "We're not vegetarian; we just don't serve meat."

If you're a carnivore who equates meat-free and flavor-free, the Sneeds will show you heavenly and herbivorous aren't mutually exclusive. And they're frank about it.

"We're driven by a desire to shun the foods that the big producers want us to buy. We're focusing on local, organic, fresh, healthy and damn tasty," says Fresca's website.

Fresca's bright interior is marked by a mishmash of thrift-store seating and shimmering wine bottles, fresh-from-the-farm ingredients and deli-counter casualness. Diners order with a cashier, grab their own silverware and pull up a chair under the chalkboard menu to wait for their meals.

But casual doesn't mean careless. When I stopped in with three friends, the cashier rattled off wine recommendations and menu details with finesse. After we ordered, she relayed our selections to father and daughter, both cooking that evening, with explicit instructions on timing appetizers and entrees.

Served with spongy house-made pita, a "snack" of OMGarlic Hummus ($6) lived up to its namesake, yet lacked the biting sting I sometimes associate with fresh garlic. Cauliflower, broccoli and carrots delicately cooked to a toothsome tenderness balanced the hummus' wonderfully chunky texture.

Curried butternut squash soup (cup $3, bowl $6) was tantalizingly complex, creamy with appropriate hints of sweet and spicy.

Cooked in Fresca's stone oven, a faux chorizo, roasted garlic and red pepper pizza ($7.50) was topped with vividly fresh tomatoes, but the wow factor wasn't there. The veggie sausage's spice occasionally interrupted the overall blandness, but I wish I'd ordered one of the other topping combinations — kale and pine nuts or fontina, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.

Sandwiches (all $7.50) are served on a choice of pita, spinach wrap, roasted garlic or whole-grain bread, but we were so in love with the pita from the hummus starter that we tried it on two sandwiches — roasted broccolini and Greek salad.

The broccolini's natural bitterness was quelled by a decadently thick swipe of white bean spread. The flavors and textures couldn't have meshed more successfully.

The Greek salad sandwich was small but packed a flavor wallop. Salty feta, briny Kalamata olives and spicy pepperoncini nestled happily between romaine leaves.

An entree of curried carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and red peppers served over quinoa ($12) was infused with the subtle essence of coconut milk, but it needed a little more oomph to be on par with the sandwiches.

You must leave room for The Elvis dessert pizza ($7.50), a peanut butter lover's dream topped with thinly sliced bananas, gooey dark chocolate chips and a drizzle of honey. Ah-mazing.

If you're a vegetarian, I don't need to tell you to give Fresca a try. If you're a meat-lover, let Fresca show you that meat-free doesn't mean missing out.