Side Dishes

Wheatsville

3101 Guadalupe, 478-2667

Daily, 9am-11pm

Austin’s well-established vegan/vegetarian community relies on the Wheatsville deli for an inspired selection of politically correct comestibles and never more so than during the holiday season. They’ll have quantities of vegan stuffing, fresh cranberry relish, plain- and garlic-mashed potatoes, delicious vegan gravy, and green beans almondine as well as vegan pumpkin, coconut cream, and chocolate peanut butter pies for dessert. Shop early for the best selection.

Whole Foods Markets

West Sixth & Lamar, 476-1206

Gateway Shopping Center, 345-5003

Daily, 8am-10pm

Vegan and vegetarian gourmands will find menu items to delight the most discriminating palate at Austin’s homegrown natural foods giant. A Hazelnut Herb-Crusted Field Roast can be paired with both vegan and/or vegetarian side dishes: orange-mashed yams ($7.99), roasted brussel sprouts ($11.99), wild rice, pearl onion and cranberry stuffing ($9.99), wild mushroom and sage gravy ($6.99 for a quart), and pumpkin mousse ($4.99 per pound), or creamy mashed potatoes ($7.99), spinach in roasted garlic cream ($11.99), apricot-glazed sweet potatoes ($11.99), and a lovely selection of fruit pies.

Cipollina

1213 West Lynn, 477-5211

Monday-Thursday, 7am-9pm; Friday-Saturday, 7am-9:30pm; Sunday, 7am-8pm

Though the cooks at this Italian-inspired Clarksville gourmet shop will gladly sell you roasted turkey, prime rib, ham, or duck, we were intrigued by their unique side dish offerings: chestnut stuffing ($8.95 per pound), balsamic-glazed Cipollina onions ($14.95 per pound), green beans with apples and bacon ($12.95 per pound), maple-pecan sweet potatoes ($6.95), and roasted root vegetables with escarole ($8.95 for a pint). The cranberry-orange cheesecake ($34) here looked particularly festive, as well. Forty-eight hours’ notice is required on all holiday orders.

Ruby’s BBQ

512 W. 29th, 474-9675

Daily, 11am-midnight

Ruby’s obviously offers quality smoked meats for the holidays (their signature brisket is featured this holiday season in Esquire magazine), but we also found their side dish and dessert options very attractive. They’ll need 24 hours’ notice to whip you up some of the following: scalloped potatoes; onion-mushroom and sage dressing; creamed brussel sprouts; caramelized garlic green beans; baked acorn squash; or cranberry orange relish. Old-fashioned American heartland desserts include pear ginger cobbler, cranberry-apple buckle, or an apple crisp.

This article appears in November 22 • 2002.

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Mick Vann is a retired Austin chef who is a food writer and restaurant critic, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and recipe developer. He moonlights as a University of Texas horticulturist with a propensity for ethnic eats and international food, particularly of the Asian persuasion, but he also knows his way around a plate of soul food or barbecue.