Uncle Julio’s, Bethesda, Maryland

I have been criticized from time to time about the lack of vegetarian and vegan posts on this blog. Naturally, I beg to differ. I may have more vegan and vegetarian posts than any barbecue blog around. I have posted and re-posted on a barbecue place with a completely separate vegan menu and kitchen, BBQ4Life, and gave it a great review. I’ve heaped praise on vegetarian restaurants like this one. I’ve offered advice about Vegetarian Dishes in Barbecue Places, including the fact that most vegetables in the South are not vegetarian. I’ve posted a round dozen Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes. And that doesn’t count my scores of seafood recipes and posts.

Here’s one more. My dear friends Loleta Thomas-Bailey and Larry Bailey, members of my morning coffee group, do not eat meat. Loleta is vegan and Larry is vegetarian. They also don’t drink alcohol, which shows how broad minded I am. Larry and Loleta recently went to dinner at Uncle Julio’s at 4879 Bethesda Avenue in Bethesda, and were kind enough to sent photos and comments.

At Uncle Julio’s you start, of course, with chips and salsa.

The chips are thin and very crispy and, as you can see, there are two kinds of salsa, a bright fresh one and a smoky salsa.

Loleta treated herself to a mango passionfruit lemonade,

which sounds good and, Loleta reported, tastes delicious. Loleta also ordered vegetarian fajitas.

They contained the usual fajita vegetable plus zucchini and yellow squash — with black beans, guacamole, cilantro rice, and pico de gallo. They also brought sour cream and cheese. Restaurants always bring everything, even if you ask them not to. Loleta was hugely pleased. Her only complaint was that there was much more food than any one person could eat, or at least should eat. I admire her restraint. I admire qualities I Iack.

Larry started with tortilla soup.

Did I mention how well dressed Loleta is? Always impeccable and stylish. No matter what. Larry often is well dressed, and I guess there’s some cachet with a Wharton hoodie if you’re on the board of the business school, as Larry is, and which is a huge deal. But I digress.

The soup, which he knew contained chicken broth, also included pieces of chicken meat, which he doesn’t eat. Larry also ordered the cheese enchiladas, the usual cheese and onion combination.

Larry felt strongly that the enchiladas contained too much cheese, or I should say a too-high ratio of cheese to onion.

I’m very sympathetic to Larry’s concern. When I have cheese enchiladas, especially outside of New Mexico, where the Hatch green chiles forgive a multitude of sins, I usually dump a lot of salsa on the enchiladas in order to defuse what can be a gut bomb. It’s an issue. I suspect that Larry, like the rest of humanity, may not have as much cheese enchilada experience as I. Live and learn.

The upshot was that Larry and Loleta had widely different views on Uncle Julio’s. This may surprise you, but for long and happily married couples to disagree on restaurants is not unknown. Really. I does happen. Indeed, Nancy and I at times have somewhat different tastes, even after 48 years of wedded bliss on my part and audibly rolled eyes on Nancy’s. After all, every silver lining has its cloud, and even when two hearts beat as one, the alimentary canals may skip a beat now and then.

I haven’t been to Uncle Julio’s in a while. I enjoyed it a lot, and I guess need to try it again. I recall it being far above the general run of TexMex places. Loleta plans to try it again, and I suspect that Larry will go with her with a big if unconvincing smile on his face. You should try it, too. And please ask for more salsa for your cheese enchiladas.

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