Image: Jeremy Deputat
The eatery offers pasta with vegan ‘Rabbit’ meatballs for $14.
Last week, American rapper Eminem opened a new vegan-friendly restaurant in hometown Detroit called “Mom’s Spaghetti”.
The restaurant gets its name from the hip-hop legend’s 2002 hit Lose Yourself and as the name suggests it only serves pasta dishes.
The menu features four items and lists spaghetti with vegan “Rabbit” meatballs- which are named after his character in his biographical film ‘8 Mile’ – for $14 a go while the animal-based variant costs $12.
The plant-based meatballs are made with black beans, quinoa, and sweet peppers.
Other takeaway dishes served at this pop-up eatery include spaghetti for $9 and a spaghetti sandwich for $11.
Eminem collaborated with Union Joints (the restaurant group behind the new Union Assembly as well as Clarkston Union, Vinsetta Garage and many others) to develop recipes that have a specific flavor and texture.
“It’s nowhere near a gourmet item,” Mom’s Spaghetti cook Chris Springer said.
Curt Catallo, co-owner of Union Joints, added: “It started as a crazy experiment.
“It was never meant to be the best spaghetti in the world, but rather was conceptualized to taste like reheated day-old pasta.”
Catallo further added: “We’re proud of the fact that we created a scratch sauce that tastes like it’s straight from the jar, and wok-firing the noodles gives it that leftover pasta snap.”
Pricey pasta
Although Mom’s Spaghetti has become the most hyped new restaurant in Detroit and Eminem has been receiving high praise for the pasta dishes, the price has left a bad taste in the mouths of some.
“Ok, I’m not paying 16 bucks for vegan meatballs… I can graze on my backyard grass for free,” wrote one twitter user.
A second commented: “Look at the prices they seem shady as s*** slim f*** chance i would go there.”
“And $11 dollars for a spaghetti sandwich. Who is paying for that, in Detroit no less? I can have water and spaghetti at home for like $.78,” a third comment read.
Similarly fans on Instagram lamented: “Vegan balls more expensive!! Hardly friendly…” commented a user.
“Honestly dumb that plant-based cost because it really doesn’t. I’m really disappointed. He’s trying to really capitalize off vegan menu smh,” added a second.
“Not cool to have a vegan one more expensive. They should make vegan options the same price, saving animals shouldn’t have to break the bank,” a third wrote.
Others also complained that Eminem was only serving plant-based options because there is a market for it and not because he cared for the environment or the animals.
“The menu is inclusive, probably becuse of business purposes, but not necesarily because he cares about animals. If he did, there would be no regular meatballs offered at his restaurant,” one comment read.
“If he’s still serving ‘animal-based’ meatballs, why would any vegan want to eat there and put money in his pocket,” another added.
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