There are no pictures to accompany this post. However, the meal really didn't look much different than our first trip. Unfortunately though, the situation was significantly more depressing than the first trip. And along with that, I must ask for sincere apologies for not pointing out previously that the rice is not vegetarian. I just found out myself.

To celebrate Paul's birthday early, the Hardinge's took us out to dinner. We discussed a number of restaurant options that would offer a child-friendly environment and menu items that would fit Lisa and Kyle's allergies. We chose Paxia and drove to College Park.

We were seated and the waiter came up to tell us the specials. We patiently listened until he asked us if we were familiar with "carnitas." I said "We are vegetarians," and he smiled. "OK, well, lucky for you our beans are vegetarian. However, our rice is not. It's cooked in chicken stock." I asked if there was a possibility the rice could be cooked with water for us. He said he would find out.

Now it's time to enumerate the issues with the meal:

• This was the fifth time I had been to Paxia. Paul, who had brought coworkers there, had more visits under his belt. We've told them we were vegetarians, and yet no one bothered to tell us about the rice even though there were many comments about the beans being vegetarian.
• The manager came to answer our question with a "No" to cooking the rice separately. I found this very interesting as the bottom of the menu says the food is made to order and the patron's patience is appreciated. Obviously, the rice is made ahead of time, and there is no desire to adjust life for the customer.
• Lisa asked about gluten-free options and if the kitchen could be careful about contamination. Again the waiter said "No" because they are not certified as a gluten-free kitchen. She said "You can't make sure the corn tortilla isn't warmed up right after a flour tortilla?" "Oh, sure. They can try to do that." His attitude was so depressing. He clearly had no desire to work with us.
• Each entree comes with family-style black beans or refried. Lisa asked for both since we couldn't eat the rice. The waiter said he would ask, but when the food was served did not serve both and never mentioned the question. There was no offer for any other substitue to the rice.
• A table of two is served a bowl of chips and some salsa. Our table of six was served the exact same amount. If we had asked for more, it would have cost us an additional $5 or so. This seems very cheap and unfair along the lines of a restaurant. Surely the chips and salsa are not worth the high price tag, and there should be an additional serving for a larger table.
• Lisa pointed out that the restaurant posts on its menu that they reserve the right to add a gratuity of 18% or more to tables of 6 or more. This seems so obscure. It sounds like you give the management permission to add as much as they want to your bill. And for some reason, they didn't add it to ours. Does it depend on how rowdy the table is or did it not count if two of our six were kids? It was just a little fishy for us.
• Last but possibly most important to me, I'm appalled that because of their failure to be clear what menu items were not vegetarian, the staff at Paxia has decreased my credibility among vegetarians looking for easy ways to dine out with their dietary requirements. And for that, I'm truly sorry.

In my mind, Paxia is no longer anywhere near the quality of Paco's that we once thought it was. If we go back to Paxia, my recommendations will include a) just a group of two or three, b) order an appetizer (like the large quesadilla Kyle had) instead of the entree so that you won't feel gipped about lack of rice, c) go with lower expectations so you won't be disappointed as we were. But then, isn't the reason you eat out at a restaurant because you want continuously good food and service? I'll let you decide.

Again, please accept my apologies for not asking specifically if the rice was vegetarian. I will try to be more careful in the future.

Brent, Lisa, Kyle, & Elena, thanks for the meal. Your patience with our poor choice was very appreciated. I'm glad what we were able to eat was good. We really enjoyed our week with you.