If you're a vegetarian, Penn Avenue must be your main street. On one side of town is the Strip District, where you can find any kind of food your heart desires. On the other side is the East End Food Co-op, the best place in Pittsburgh to find specialty organic and vegan foods. And right in the middle of them is this cozy little café, the Quiet Storm, the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee, sandwich, or other light meal.

The atmosphere is the most appealing feature of the Quiet Storm. The square bar in the center of the café gives the place a diner-like feel, while the booths and tables offer a quieter place to eat. Paintings by local artists cover the walls. There's a stage in the back, too: the Quiet Storm has been a concert venue for local rising stars for the last five years. (Unfortunately, it has closed its stage due to noise issues.) The Quiet Storm definitely has a quirky sense of humor, too, with decorations like a big stuffed spider on top of a speaker. They also have a bunch of board games and magazines so you can spend some time there, if you like. They even have one called the "Patriot Act Game" – but don't bother playing it unless you appreciate the sentiment; it's pretty boring.

The menu evokes the same sort of comfort as the rest of the café. The Quiet Storm's main offerings are quite inventive sandwiches: they have everything from the traditional Reuben and club sandwich to an "Apple Panini" and a tofu sandwich called the "Graham Street." The café also offers salads, rice plates, quesadillas, chili, and breakfast dishes like home fries and eggs. The drink menu is equally expansive: the espresso offerings would put Starbucks to shame, and they also have dozens of varieties of tea, sodas, and milkshakes.

And, it's all vegetarian. Nothing at the Quiet Storm has meat in it.  The café uses meat substitutes like "fakin' bacon" or "soysage" instead. Most of the food is vegan, too, or at least can be made vegan. If you're a fan of meat, don't let that stop you! Most of the dishes are very healthy, and if you've never tried vegetarian food, you might be surprised at how it tastes.

However, you might not. I had the falafel, which was mediocre. It was baked, not fried as falafels usually are, which turned out to be a mistake: it was rather bland and lacked the crispy texture that I've come to expect from falafels. However, I tried a piece of their zucchini bread, which was quite tasty. The GLE tea (ginger, lemon, and Echinacea) was very good too. It had just the right hint of lemon and was served very attractively in a little teapot.

The price was right, too: the most expensive item on the menu is $7. At that price, I'd be glad to come back to the Quiet Storm. It has a lot more personality than a chain coffeehouse, healthy and unusual food offerings, and a great atmosphere.

Restaurant type: Vegetarian coffeehouse. Very casual.
How to get there: Driving is the easiest. Or ride your bike! 5430 Penn Avenue, on the intersection of Penn and Graham.
Price for an entrée: $6-7
Rating: 6.9
Website:http://www.quietstormcoffee.com/

Editor's Note: The author of the weekly food reviews is studying abroad in the Netherlands for the spring 2007 semester. The Pulse will miss him and hopes he enjoys his time in Europe!

 talkback to the pulse