Eat Like a Rabbit

There's a certain sense of pride you feel when you are walking down a street wondering which door to venture through in order to dine for your last meal of the day, when by chance you find one that tickles your palate and leaves you feeling like it was money well spent. Taste of Asia was just such a restaurant. We had originally planned on eating at a sandwich shop, but it had closed. This smaller restaurant had signs in the window advertising Vietnamese cuisine and a separate vegan menu. The menu had an extensive variety--mainly of different sauces to cover a selection of vegetables and tofu. There were three appetizers to choose from: fried tofu, spring rolls, and fresh rolls. The first two are more traditional, so I went for the last. It was a roll of rice paper filled with fresh mint leaves and clear spaghetti. The taste of the roll itself might have been bland, but that is the purpose of additional sauce, which was a perfect, sweet concoction to make the rolls stand out. Paul's entree selection came with celery, peanuts, and a more traditional sauce. My sauce was rich and spicy with strong garlic and black pepper flavor. We could have had brown rice for $1 more, but we felt like the accompanying white rice was just fine.

Take a look at the tiny mushrooms in the picture. The variety of vegetables was fantastic (water chestnuts, mushrooms, onions, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, snow pea pods, broccoli) and all were perfectly cooked. When we first arrived at the restaurant, there was only one other table filled, but throughout our meal more diners were streaming in. It's always good when the public seems to agree with our restaurant decision. I would go back weekly if I lived close enough.