Eat Like a Rabbit

This could very likely be my favorite restaurant in all of Orlando. It sits on Central right next to Lake Eola and has a very special place in my heart because it is where we had dinner with my parents and Garrett Nudd after Paul tricked me into a photo shoot/wedding proposal. The food is consistently fabulous, and the staff is always kind, smiling, and fun.

This has got to be one of our favorite restaurants in Orlando. The format is "family-style." Dishes are served from the middle of the table. It's a good thing we visit with other vegetarians. The restaurant is very good about special-request orders, including vegan and gluten-free.

This was the first time we took Paul's parents, sister and brother-in-law to Ethos. I decided to try the pesto pasta with vegetables and pumpkin seeds. Paul chose the Pecan Encrusted Eggplant served with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy and asparagus. The eggplant was drizzled with a berry sauce. Both meals were served hot and appealing to the eyes.

At work one day, I was mentioning to a fellow coworker who loves to cook that I had purchased a beautiful eggplant at the Maitland Farmer's Market the previous day and hadn't a clue what to do with it now that I had acquired it. A patient in my room overheard me and gave me a recipe that has been a success with my family and that has been passed around the office. I've already sent my thank-you letter, but again, I say THANK YOU!

Wagamama's moto is "positive eating + positive living". "Positive" explains our opinion about the restaurant. Paul was able to eat at Wagamama with some coworkers while he finished out his week of meetings. He brought back the following report:

Sorry, we were too excited and hungry to take a picture of this one.

I chose the easiest recipe I could find for Tempura on foodnetwork.tv. I battered frozen green beans, fresh julienned carrots, fresh eggplant, and frozen broccoli. Obviously, I defrosted the frozen veggies slightly. I used the sauce from Moosewood Restaurant's Pad Thai recipe and served it with brown rice.

The result of the first concoction was so delicious, I was afraid it was a mistake. For my parents, I made the recipe again replacing the green beans and eggplant with zucchini and onion rings. The result was the same. However, my mother did turn up her nose when she saw me mixing the sauce. Upon trying it with the meal, she decided it was good.