Quick hits on the meatless beat

Yes, We Said Free: Oct. 1 is World Vegetarian Day and to honor the holiday, The Counter, a burger place in Reston, is offering a free mini veggie burger with the purchase of any burger.

The Fruits of Our Labor: Tomato season is over, but that doesn’t mean the politics of this vegetable-like-fruit is settled. Barry Estabrook, author of Tomatoland, comes to Georgetown’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor on Oct. 4 to discuss the economic realities of growing tomatoes. Details here.

Heed the Veg Heads: After WaPo exposed that ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen was less than upfront about its fish sauce-filled curries, Chipotle’s sister restaurant added new language to the website and now double warns customers (at least those accompanying Joe Yonan) about the non-vegetarian friendly sauces.

Just One? Earlier this month, Seasons restaurant switched up its brunch service “action station,” retiring last round’s Mexican tacos and now featuring Indian-inspired dishes. Unfortunately for meatless eaters, “Indian-inspired” doesn’t translate into the usual plentiful vegetable options from this subcontinent. Seasons whips up just one: black chickpea pakoras. But the salad, sides and omelet station offer plenty of options for meatless consumption. (Sundays from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.; $80 per person.)

Critics Choice: Even though the sentiment only deserved a parenthetical nod, props to WaPo critic Tom Sietsema for calling out the lack of nutritious meatless bites in his review of Old Town’s Virtue Feed & Grain: “For my taste, there aren’t enough vegetables in the mix. I’d gladly sacrifice some deviled eggs or garlic mushrooms for something greener and leaner.”

Photo by Stefanie Gans