• Mary’s Secret Garden in Ventura: No garden, no secrets

    62
    May 21st, 2010mr meanerLA restaurants, mary's secret garden

    UPDATE! Please check out this forum post, following a comment we received below.

    When I arrived in the USA from the UK some years ago, I immediately latched on to Costco as one of the most wonderful places on earth. There I could buy all the toilet paper, Kleenex, USB hard drives and Boca burgers I needed to survive. Costco even had 16-pack of vegan burger buns which I’d stash in the freezer along with the Boca patties so I could prepare myself a hearty snack any time I wanted. When hungry, I’d microwave the whole thing: Boca in first, then the bread bun, and I’d garnish with Vegenaise, some soy “cheese” and whatever fixings I had in the kitchen (usually tomatoes, onions and lettuce).

    I loved my Costco burger invention as it had a lot going for it: Vegan, quick to make, somewhat tasty, low in fat, highly predictable and VERY inexpensive. In fact, I used to boast to my omni friends that my burger cost around 60 cents to prepare, so it became known as a “60 Cent Burger”, and I was frequently called upon to prepare loads of them for late night after-party munchies. Anyway, more on the 60 Cent burger later, after the matters at hand.

    It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of the Pacific Coast: I live in Los Angeles where I can drive up PCH or the 101 any time I like to Ventura or Santa Barbara. Although the coastal route is sparsely populated with restaurants, vegan and vegetarian friends have been telling me for years that I need to check out Mary’s Secret Garden in Ventura as they have some of the “best food anywhere”. So, last weekend, I resolutely drove directly from Hollywood to Mary’s Secret Garden for lunch. And, boy, was the place a letdown.

    First off, when we arrived, we were seated at an awfully tiny two-top table right next to the kitchen/restroom (the restroom is actually in a corner of the kitchen, and it felt really strange peeing less than five feet from where salad ingredients were being chopped). I’m used to being seated at two-tops in busy restaurants, but our table was so noisy, small and boxed in that it would have been very difficult to enjoy our food. I asked politely it we could be seated at one of the three empty four-top tables (it was 2pm, the lunch rush was over) and the server instead suggested we wait for a “better” two-top table if we were unhappy with the one we had.

    Ten minutes later, we were seated at an equally tiny two-top table in between two opulent four-top tables – one of which was unoccupied and the other of which was begging to be bussed. When the restaurant was almost empty, I asked again to sit in a four-top table and was told “Sorry, we can only seat two people at a small table. We’re a small restaurant, you see.”

    Reluctantly capitulating, we settled into our tiny table, surrounded by emptiness and decided about what to order. While we were waiting to gush forth with our requests, our server appeared from the kitchen and placed “RESERVED” signs on all the empty tables, while glaring at us. Yes, those tables remained empty for the entire time we were there.

    After studying the menu, we went for a couple of comfort food items: The Spanish Grande Burrito and the Secret Burger. After all, we’d driven all the way from LA and were rather hungry. The menu descriptions for both were out of this world:

    Spanish Grande Burrito: Sauteed and seasoned Garbanzo Beans, Brown rice, Chipotle Cheeze, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Olives, and Red Onions in a Spinach Tortilla served with cilantro dipping sauce.

    The Secret Burger: (the best burger ever) homemade secret sauce, grilled soy patty, melted cheeze, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and red onions. Served “Mary Style” for an additional charge.

    When our food arrived, though, we could not have been more disappointed. The burrito was a joke: rice and beans with undetectable amounts of the other ingredients (there were no olives or “cheeze” that we could tell) all wrapped in a midget tortilla. See the picture:

    Spanish Grande Burrito: Sauteed and seasoned garbanzo beans, brown rice, chipotle cheeze, cilantro, tomatoes, olives and red onions ina spinach tortilla, served with a creamy cilantro dipping sauce. $12

    For a size reference, note that dip was in one of those tiny plastic dip containers one gets at crappy restaurants, and you can hopefully see to scale how tiny the burrito is, even when you consider the perspective our camera aperture adds. The thing was gone in about 6 bites.

    The “Secret Burger” should have remained a secret. I wish it so fucking secret that they didn’t even put it on the menu. We’re talking about a TINY store-bought bread roll with basic ingredients and a VegeUSA patty (VegeUSA is like a vegetarian Sysco: contract, mass-produced food cheaply sold to restaurants and served to people who don’t know any better). Oh, and we know the ingredients are as we say because we pretended to have allergies and so our server spilled the beans about where everything was bought from. To make it “Mary Style” is an additional 3 bucks, which basically means it comes with avocado and extra sauce, I think. If it came with anything more than that, obviously it wasn’t memorable.

    the secret burger at mary's secret garden

    The Secret Burger: (The best burger ever) Homemade secret sauce, grilled soy patty, melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and red onions. Served "Mary Style." $14

    The fact they use a crappy mass-manufactured patty is bad enough, but then they have the nerve to call it “the best burger ever” on the menu? That’s just plain insulting.

    It came with a thimble-sized side of cold pasta salad that doesn’t compare to the stuff in the prepared foods section at Whole Foods. I probably would have left it uneaten, except for the fact that the other portions were so small we were forced to eat it for sustenance.

    When the bill arrived, I nearly fell off my (tiny) chair: We were charged $14 for the burger and $12 for the burrito: more than I’ve ever spent on far better items anywhere I’ve ever eaten. Even at MCafe, in the middle of Beverly Hills, you can get a far better burger with a homemade patty and an enormous side for just $9.75! In fact, we were so hungry when we left that we drove to a nearby Chipotle and grabbed a burrito before we hit the road for Santa Barbara.

    Please note our table was so small, both of our placemats couldn't fit on it properly.

    I’ll never go back to Mary’s Secret Garden, as I think the place is a rip-off. No amount of faux-hippie decor, plastic candles and writings on the wall can cover up mass-bought food, tiny tables, crappy service and a toilet in the kitchen.

    Mary, if you exist, try actually making something in your kitchen rather than buying wholesale food, heating it up and marking it up by 1,000%. Oh, and if you’re going to charge such exorbitant prices at least have the decency to serve reasonable portion sizes, OK?

    I’ll take my 60 Cent Costco burger or a $6 Chipotle burrito any day over the crap at Mary’s Secret Garden.

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61 responses to “Mary’s Secret Garden in Ventura: No garden, no secrets” RSS icon

  • I live close to Ventura, and dine at Mary’s Secret Garden a few times a year. Over the past couple of years the prices have skyrocketed and the portions have shrunk (the sides used to be much larger, for example) and I agree that when the place gets full it can be very unpleasant.

    Having said that, the place is nearly always full. Clearly price elasticity is working in their favor. If I had a restaurant that was always busy and I could get away with serving Veggy USA products I’d probably increase the prices too. Supply and demand, baby.

    Even though the place is organic, in reality the slightly increased cost of the ingredients are a relatively small percentage of the price you pay, so that’s not a justification for higher prices (I asked once why things were more expensive, and the server said that they had to charge more as everything is organic).

  • polenta_eater

    So we had a post about a $70 meal earlier this week, now a $14 burger… has Quarrygirl lost touch with her readers? How many people can afford to eat at a place like this?

    Only joking… $14 is surely in reach of most people, but I can tell you that everything I’ve eaten at Mary’s Secret Garden has been bland and overpriced. The hummus plate is insanely boring (and well over ten bucks) and their “no substitution” rule is stupid.

    I see positive reviews about the place all the time, but they are usually from omnis who end up there and are fully expecting to pay through the nose for vegan food. Same as Real Food Daily.

  • Next time go to Farmer and the Cook up the road in Ojai / Meiners Oaks.

    Ventura is like a bad mini OC.

  • yeah, this place has gone downhill a LOT in the past year or two. last time i was there i walked out after sitting at a table for about 15 minutes and being ignored. the same shitty table you were seated at, i think.

    too expensive, too snooty, too full of ignorant old omnis who have no idea what they are ordering and probably get solace in the fact that it’s so damn expensive that it must be good.

  • @polenta_eater Expensive and bland… you said it.

    Also, what’s with the bathroom in the kitchen? I went there once and felt very strange pinching a loaf while the sounds and smells of the kitchen were wandering in. It got me thinking that if I can smell the kitchen, they can probably smell me.

    shudder.

  • the first time i went to mary’s, the burger WAS amazing. it was better than the big macro. i don’t know what they’ve done recently, but in the few times i’ve been there since my first visit, the burger has been super bland and disappointing. huge let down!

    i just remember being pissed about a $13 hummus plate.

  • Thanks for posting your thoughts on Mary’s Secret Garden. This place is the closest vegan restaurant to where I live, but I have been hesitant about trying it, having read very polarized reviews. At this point, I’m pretty convinced that Mary’s isn’t worth trying. It’s unfortunate that the only vegan restaurant in a not-very-veg-friendly town is such an apparent disappointment.

  • You missed an important tidbit: what is Mary’s Secret Garden’s stance on honey?

  • @kevin oh god, there goes the neighborhood. you just had to mention honey. now, these comments will descend into the gutter. BTW, they make no mention of honey anywhere on the menu, but as we know from Cru that doesn’t always mean there’s none in the items.

  • I’ve only been there once and it was when I had been sleeping on the sidewalk for Morrissey at the Ventura Theatre. When they found that out, they gave me a free cupcake. A kind gesture, I’d say. That was delicious, and so was the burger.

  • oh man, that blows. i was there with the bf just a few months ago and we loved it! looks like you went for lunch but we went for dinner and had two amazing pasta dishes, some great beer and wine, and i (without much of a sweet tooth) even really enjoyed a great dessert. our portions were pretty large and we left with some pretty full to go boxes. i our experience was so extremely different it’s bizarre (aside from also being at a tiny table that we had a hard time fitting everything on).

  • It would be over an hour’s drive for me, so I haven’t stopped in at this place yet. Hoping more cruelty-free restaurants open up for you Ventura vegans. Do the Whole Foods in Ventura have a good vegan selection at least, as far as prepared foods, deli items etc?

  • I am 6’5″ and if I was offered that table and and was refused a bigger one I’d tell the server to bugger off and leave. I can sense an experience like that brewing in the first few minutes and I refuse to endure it.

  • hmph:( i had a wrap, the burger, and a date shake there and really liked it!!

  • Honestly, the fight over the table would be enough to send me out the door. And then to have him put “reserved signs” everywhere – how obnoxious. I would have had to leave.

  • Damn, looks like it’s getting worse, which sucks because it’s one of the only places to eat when we visit Ryan’s family in Ventura!

  • I read this post and was very shocked. I’ve eaten at Mary’s Secret Garden many times and have never been disappointed. Their customer service is exceptional, and the food is freakin’ amazing. I don’t know what Mr. Meaner is talking about. Seriously. Bland Burrito? I’ve had the Burrito, and there is no way you can deem it small and tasteless. And the same for the other defamatory comments about the restaurant. This restaurant is a ‘Gem’ up here in Ventura, and everything that I’ve tried was delicious. Perhaps, those chiding this restaurant should keep eating at the crappy Vegan restaurants down in LA. I’ve tried most of them down there. With the exception of Shojin in Little Tokyo, they are all sub-par. Shame on you Quarrygirl.

  • Wow $14 for a frozen burger pattie? Rape!

  • @Shocked – Any restaurant review is a description of a moment in time. I’m sure on other occasions the restaurant completely reinvents itself and the service is excellent. However, I fail to see how anybody could consider the food to be “freakin’ amazing”, though. I guess if you live up in Ventura you don’t have a lot of choice, so you can’t really compare.

    I’ve eaten at vegan restaurants all over the world, and can honestly say the burger here is the most boring thing I’ve ever eaten at any of them. Oh, and the service wasn’t at all nice either.

    Perhaps they were saving the empty 4-top tables for locals like you?!

  • Shoked, i live in, oxnard and would rather drive to LA ANY DAY for vegan food than go to Mary’s Secret Garden. The burger at Veggie Grill is half the price and twice as good and so is the big macro at m cafe. seriously, mary’s secret garden caters for tourists and trapped locals. the food is uninspiring, the service slow and indifferent and it’s way overpriced.

    i guess that’s what having no competition does.

  • @Shocked, I don’t believe you have eaten at any vegan restaurants down here in LA…

    This statement pretty much proves it, or shows you have an ulterior motive.

    “Perhaps, those chiding this restaurant should keep eating at the crappy Vegan restaurants down in LA. I’ve tried most of them down there. With the exception of Shojin in Little Tokyo, they are all sub-par.”

  • @Screwdriver, I bet @Shocked works there, is seriously delusional or (it wouldn’t surprise me) both. How anybody could throw down a blanket criticism as an argument like this astounds me!!

    @spoon, my mom lives in Oxnard and I’m with you on driving to LA for decent food. Every time I go to Mary’s I regret it. It’s just. Not. Worth it.

  • i’ve eaten their in the past and almost always had a great experience. But the two detailed descriptions given above seem way outside of my experience, if things have changed that bad since last I was there (6 months ago), then there is no reason to go back. It is expensive, but i don’t recall them using frozen vag patties the last time i got that burger….. shame.

  • Every time I’ve eaten at Mary’s, I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve only been there twice, but the portions have always been pretty large.

    I enjoy another vegan restaurant on Hollywood Blvd. just as much though, and it’s less expensive.

    I got to Mary’s on special occasions like my birthday because I like not having to worry about whether things are vegan on special days.

    But I’ve gotten the grande chickpea burrito both times, I think, and really enjoyed it.

    And there were tons of olives when I went. Tons.

    I hate olives. So I noticed. I picked out at least six and ate probably four more.

    Maybe you went at a bad time. Slow times are really crappy at restaurants. The servers get complacent.

    I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy it. I probably won’t go back for awhile because they seem to be losing touch with reality.

    More vegan restaurants should sprout up in Ventura County!

  • if I wrote up a review for Mary’s mine would be identical to yours. I live in SB, and have had Mary’s once.. I’ll never go back! The only items on the menu that are good are raw. I would reccomend going once, to try and raw tacos.. but thats it!

  • I’ve considered trying out this place a few times when I drive up to Santa Barbara from LA. I think I’ll keep it off my list of places to try.

  • Thank you for this review… I couldn’t agree more! I ate there about 3 times before giving up on the place. The people there are weird and creepy…. the prices are OUTRAGEOUS (I remember it being $4 or $5 for a little pot of tea… and 1 teabag + boiling water does not equal $4 or $5!), and the food is just mass marketed stuff.

    But the most ridiculous example was that they once had 2 kinds of cake available (like a chocolate mint and a chocolate peanut butter, or something) and my husband wanted the chocolate peanut butter, but they REFUSED TO GIVE IT TO HIM! Why, you ask? Because they reported they only had one slice of the chocolate mint cake left, and they wouldn’t cut into the chocolate peanut butter cake until they sold the last piece of the chocolate mint cake! That was the stupidest thing I have *ever* heard at a restaurant, and that was the final straw. We’ve never been back, and we’ll never go back again. Yuck.

  • “their “no substitution” rule is stupid.”

    It’s because everything is obviously pre-made.

  • can someone please, for the love of all things vegan, just suck it up and open a vegan/raw restaurant in santa barbara? we grow the best produce in the damn country! if i didn’t have a more than full-time job that i love, i’d quit and do it. this is a shoe-in success, people! aside from pizza guru, it’s a vegan-food desert here. and this review just cuts down the only option.
    i totally agree with the comment about “no competition leading to complacency”.

  • @Shocked. Ouch. You shouldn’t have left that comment…

    http://forums.quarrygirl.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=696

  • @shocked I haven’t even HAD the burrito and I can deem it at least small (though not tasteless) since I can see it about the same diameter as the sauce dish. Maybe you define “small” differently to me, but under no stretch of the imagination is that burrito “grande”.

  • @shocked, thank you though for your comment. I always take great delight in people trying to anonymously leave praise for themselves or their loved ones and being caught. Oh such fun. Like where you can tell Tommy Wiseau is trying to anonymously praise ‘The Room’ on IMDB. Gold!

  • polenta_eater

    Screwdriver and I totally called the fake positive comment from @Schocked ….. you suck big bad balls. I’ve been googleing you. Dont try and pretend to hate LA yet love shojin and mary’s secret garden. fuck you you asshole.

  • I can’t believe that burrito was more than ten dollars! Wow.

  • thank you for this honest review… I need to drive up to Ventura for shopping trip, next week. I was trying to find a decent vegan place. I rather save my money and pack my own lunch:)

  • I also have to admit that I am shocked by this review. Every time I have been to Mary’s, I loved it, and I have been vegan for a while. I usually go around lunch time, when it is jam packed full of people, and I still get pretty good service. I love their lime mint chiller. It is PERFECT after a warm day at the beach. Really refreshing. Also, I love the BBQ sandwich. It is really big, the bbq sauce is delicious, and the “chycken” is really tender. My SO loves the burrito, and has had it a few times. It’s unfortunate you had a bad experience, because I think for an all organic, vegan, restaurant, it is really a gem.

  • I wondered how long it would take for Hugo to appear. I once posted a less-than-glowing review of his wife’s restaurant and he mercilessly harassed me until I had to leave Yelp (ie, following me and every time I posted a review of something, he would leave an abusive review about me!). Internet bullies are pathetic.

    And the food is bland.

  • After being tipped off about the review here, I almost felt obligated to chime in. I personally like the food at Mary’s; and though a little expensive, I honestly believe that it’s all been money well spent. I’ve never had the burrito there, so I can’t comment on that. I will say, though, that it’s seems unfair to base such a disparaging food review based upon two entrees. That’s just my opinion.

  • “I will say, though, that it’s seems unfair to base such a disparaging food review based upon two entrees.”

    Hey, them’s the breaks. A review of anything is nothing more than a person’s experience. They’re just telling you the experience they had.

    First impressions are everything. If this was YOUR first trip to a particular restaurant, would you seriously go back?

  • “First impressions are everything. If this was YOUR first trip to a particular restaurant, would you seriously go back?”

    No… But I wouldn’t write a review bashing it either. Would you watch ten minutes of a movie and write a public review on it?

  • uh. that’s what this website is for.

  • you know, this place WAS on my list of gastronomical adventures, but now–not so much. thanks for saving me some disappointment.

  • @Scott, not even close to a valid comparison.

    If you watched an episode of a tv show and it sucked in pretty much every facet – crummy writing, shitty acting, etc, would you keep tuning in week after week to see if it got better? Those of us who value our time or money probably wouldn’t.

  • @ Kevin, Generally speaking, a food critic usually samples a variety of different menu items before writing their review, but that’s a small part of what I was trying to say.

  • Forget this blog post, take a look at this forum thread instead about the owner’s husband leaving derogatory comments in disguise on THIS post. Shame on you, Hugo.

    http://forums.quarrygirl.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=696

    Also “T” commenting above sounds exactly like @Shocked. Even using the word “gem” to describe the restaurant…

  • “t” must stand for troll 😉

  • Mary’s food is decent. Not amazing, but decent and respectable. For the prices they charge, they should be much better. If the burger or burrito was $8, nobody would bitch.

  • I honestly feel vindicated reading this review. I read soooo many great reviews of the place on yelp and happy cow (now it’s clear that that is because the creepy husband stifles all negative press) and I went last week and it was just okay. We went for dinner and when we got there there were several open tables when we walked in and the waitress stood there glaring at us for a moment before asking if we had a reservation. I said no, sorry, didn’t know it was required. She literally sighed and rolled her eyes! Then she said we would have to sit outside. A little weird but okay, we’re flexible. I especially thought it strange because no one else showed up the whole time we were eating right by the door, the several empty tables remained empty during the entire duration of our dinner.

    I too found the bathroom-in-kitchen pretty bizarre and gross. Our food was okay. My friend got a shake and enjoyed it. We ordered the rawvioli as an appetizer and it was okay. A bit bland, but not bad. My boyfriend got the bbq chyken sandwich and liked it. I got the other chycken sandwich and thought it was tasty enough, but not amazing. The pasta salad they served was pretty good but again, the thimble sized portions. The only thing that I can say was truly amazing was the chocolate almond cake I had. If I ever went back I would probably just get a piece of cake to go.

    The menu was really tiny and the prices were shocking. I have never, ever spent this much at a vegan restaurant and I usually end up with way yummier and way more food for it. After bringing us the check the waitress gave us a to-go and menu and looked at me pointedly and said “Remember to make a reservation next time.” Their exasperation over the whole reservations thing made us really uncomfortable. I’d rather go somewhere where we’re welcome.

  • “We went for dinner and when we got there there were several open tables when we walked in and the waitress stood there glaring at us for a moment before asking if we had a reservation. I said no, sorry, didn’t know it was required. She literally sighed and rolled her eyes!”

    I would’ve been gone at that point. There’s NO reason to get attitude from a server as soon as you walk in the door.

  • wow, mr. meaner…that thread you linked to is an eye opener.

    hugo: pretending to be someone you’re not while bashing other establishments is beyond lame. i’m sure it happens more than i know, but you got busted and now you’ll have to pay what i can only imagine will be a stiff price from the vegan community.

    i, for one, will never visit your restaurant after learning about your tactics.

  • i have been to Mary’s twice. Once was the morning after the last Morrissey concert in Ventura.. i remember it being really delicious. i had the burger mary style and i don’t even remember the cost. i was with other people who were very excited to eat there and their excitement probably wore off on me. Later i went there (from LA) on an evening trip to Ventura specifically to eat there and we were soooo disappointed. for two kombuchas, a raw cheez plate, a soup, a burger and a wrap we spent over 100 dollars and did not feel satisfied at all. we probably won’t go back.

    in defense of the seating thing though— the restaurant CAN fill up really fast and suddenly and i am sure that if i was in a group of four waiting for a table and a set of two people were taking up a four top with two seat tables available i would want to die.

  • just found this post. thank GOD that somebody is calling mary and hugo out. he is a total creep, and kinda touched me once (he likes fatties). i will never go there again. ever ever ever ever.

  • Good to know. I’ve seen that place on trips up to Ventura and I’ve always wanted to stop and try. I think I’ll go for Chipotle instead 😉 And to shocked, boy you must be kidding me! There are some awesome vegan places here in L.A. Your ignorance is showing.

  • That was such a great review QG!!! I love the comments here. I’ll make sure not to stop by this establishment. TY for the “heads up”!!

  • Take a look at one of the filtered reviews on Yelp where this restaurant was described as a “gem”:
    “Cozy little restaurant on the square. Excellent staff ready to describe the restaurant’s philosophy and the various dishes. Delicious food. Eclectic art. An unexpected gem between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.”

    I posted the actual review on QG forum!!!

  • Hey QG…..

    You have no idea how glad I am that you wrote this review. I almost went to Mary’s this week and instead wrote them an e-mail telling them why I changed my mind. Grant it that I almost never listen to reviews because I like trying things for myself. The pricing and table selections are forgivable….even the portion sizes are considering the organic ingredients, BUT the reason why you convinced me not to go is the fact that I am paying more money for organic Vegan food. Based on the info you gave about the patty used in her secret burger I called to confirm the use of the commercial patty, but also and more importantly that it was made from GMO soy. I may be a Vegan but organics can be much more important especially when restaurants use it to deceive people and charge more money for the ” pleasure…… The following is a copy of the e-mail I sent to Mary’s…..

    Hello….

    I have been waiting a long time to try your restaurant since you boast organic, raw & Vegan which is wonderful.

    I knew I was going to be in Ojai this week so I made a reservation.

    While waiting I see mainly great reviews on the internet especially for your Burger. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, I came across a website called Quarry Girl that gave your cafe a horrendous review and normally I always have to try a place for myself since there are so few organic Vegan restaurants especially in Ventura County. What bothered me is the fact that the patty you use is commercially made. And even that I could over look, but since it is made from soy and she suggested it was a Vege USA type product I knew that it couldn’t be organic. I just called your cafe and confirmed this with the girl that answers the phone. Very disturbing.

    It is an awful thing for a restaurant like yours that boasts its Organic Raw & Vegan status and then serves GMO soy for what seems to be your most famous and talked about menu item.

    Unfortunately this tells me to stay as far away as possible and all that I can say is maybe you should start to make all of your own food with Non-GMO ingredients so that you can avoid the worst thing that has ever happened to organic crops…. Monsanto.

    I cannot support anyone that supports Monsanto under the guise of Vegan Organic.

    What a let down!

    Stephanie

  • Ouch! I had never heard of this restaurant until recently when we were planning our vegan wedding. A chef we spoke to told me they catered a vegan wedding he’d attended & the food was fantastic!! I was so curious about this place & had even been contemplating the drive myself-though mixed online reviews caused me to think twice about investing the gas…
    because they’re vegan & we need more vegan restaurants worldwide, I really do hope they get their act together. Too they were SERIOUSLY caught slippin’ as giving QG sub-par food & terrible service proved the WRONG move! Wowsa..if ever somebody didn’t know who they were dealing with!
    Thanks for the great reviews & keepin’ it lively :).
    Bless!
    🙂 Candy

  • That was meant to read “too bad they were seriously caught slippin”…
    Don’t know what happened w/the keystroke. Thanks again for the info,
    🙂 C

  • like!

  • I just ate at Mary’s Secret Garden for the first time and both my wife and I were delighted. I had a smoothy and a tostada and my wife had a Thai noodle dish. The food was intensely flavorful and undeniably fresh. The casual friendly atmosphere was just what we were hoping for.

    As for the prices, they seemed fair when you consider that ALL the ingredients are organic, no preservatives are used, so everything has to be bought fresh. The portions were ample but we were able to finish almost all of it because it was so good. All restaurants have raised their prices because food has gone up. Yes, the place is tiny, but that is part of the charm. With as many restaurants as you have reviewed, you should be more aware than most about the high cost of eating out.

    Some people think that vegan should be cheaper than animal based products, and yes, if we all ate that way, the economies of scale can work that way. Meat is a very costly way to feed a planet of people, and could not be so affordable here were it not for US govt. corn subsidies.

    Yes, Costco is awesome. I save boodles on my meals at home so I can splurge a little when I eat out.


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