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by Danielle Bussone

Mint Exterior

Thank you, Goldie Nabatoff, for introducing our vegan meet-up group, VegBoone, to this fantastic restaurant.   Mint has only been opened a couple of months as of August 10th and it is already jam-packed with customers for lunch and for dinner.  Don’t despair, there is plenty of seating.  The food is outstanding!!!   We first sampled the cuisine when we attended a party there with VegBoone. There were nearly fifty of us and we all ate until we could eat no more.

Rich and I returned a few days later to do a video of the chef, Kanubhai Rabari, preparing a dish called Aloo Baigan, a fantastic stew of eggplant and potatoes.  All I can say is OHMYGOD!  It is SO delicious.  The thing that sets Mint Cuisine of India apart from other Indian restaurants we have visited is the obvious freshness of the food and the care in which it is prepared.

Aloo Baigan

We spoke in depth with the manager, Yogi Rabari.  He explained to us that when the chef prepares vegan food, great care is taken so that no part of the vegan dish comes in contact with anything that is non-vegan.  He takes his vegan customers seriously and diligently oversees the preparation of their food personally. The homemade tomato sauce and homemade onion sauce, which are the bases of most of their dishes, are made fresh daily.  What is not used in a day is discarded.

Vegetable Biryani

Mint Fresh Salad

Lentil Soup

There is a daily lunch buffet which includes three vegan options, a vegetarian option, plus a salad bar.  Of course there were the usual options for carnivores.  There were also several vegan chutneys to enhance the meal.  Try the mint sauce.  It is another OMG moment. Monday through Friday the buffet is $9.00.  Saturday and Sunday the buffet is more extensive and the price is $12.00.  You may also order off the menu at any time.

Dal Tarka

Mint Chef’s Special

The menu has extensive vegan options.  There are six appetizers which can be made vegan upon request ranging in price from $5-$8, the majority of them $5.00.  There is a delicious lentil soup and two vegan salads.  The vegan bread available is called Roti, which was quite good and is $3.00.  There are six vegan entrees on the menu and two other dishes which can be converted into vegan at a moments notice.  Their prices are $12-$13.  For dessert they have vegan mango pudding, vegan chocolate pudding, and sweet semolina.

Chana Chat

Bhindi Masala

Rich and I will be making Mint a regular dining event when we are in Boone, NC.  It is worth noting that the owner has four other restaurants which we have not experienced as yet.  Yogi says the menus are nearly the same in all the restaurants:  There is another  Mint in Chapel Hill, NC, Nawab in Winston-Salem, NC,  Saffron in Greensboro, NC and Viceroy in Dunwoody, GA.

I predict Rich and I will be making frequent visits to the Mint in Boone in the foreseeable  future.