Great Sage, a vegetarian restaurant in Clarksvile, has gone completely vegan.
"It was just going with our feelings and our respect for all animal life and all life in general," manager Angel Shorter told me by phone just now.
The change is not exactly breaking news. The restaurant made it back on Jan. 1. But I was unaware of the shift until friends who'd been there recently happened to mention it over the weekend.
Shorter said the change has been generally well received. She also said that the restaurant has expanded its gluten-free options, and that many parents appreciate how seriously the Great Sage kitchen takes food allergies.
"Ninety percent of our menu had been vegan. We had some dairy options," she said. "We've just eliminated the dairy options and the customer base is growing more and more by the day. I think we've made a lot more people believe that vegan food can be delicious as well as good for you."
But my friends were not pleased with the change. They were particularly disappointed in the mac-n-"cheese" their young son had ordered. My own kids loved the dish when it was made with real cheese. But the vegan version, presumably made with some sort of tofu-based substitute, didn't go over so well with my friends' son.
Though I'm not a vegetarian, much less a vegan, I've always enjoyed Great Sage, not just because the food was good, but because the owners seemed to care quite a bit about where their ingredients came from. If that concern has led the owners down the path of veganism, I can't quarrel with that. I just hope, selfishly, that some of my favorites are still on the menu.
A Great Sage mac-n-cheese, from when it was made with cheese. Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam