From A Past Issue Of The New Orleans Menu Daily Originally published October1, 2007 Ten Best Restaurants For Vegetarians Most good restaurants can address the needs of vegetarians. If the kitchen buys fresh produce, knows how to cook, and is free to invent new dishes on the fly (or cook what their customers dream up), then it can address the vegetarian's needs. The following restaurants have a particularly good track record of serving first-class vegetarian dishes, either on the menu or off. Don't be afraid to ask any of these to make a specific vegetarian dish. The ranking is according to the interest level of the vegetarian dishes, not the menu as a whole. 1. Bayona. 430 Dauphine, 525-4455. Susan Spicer has long maintained a vegetarian dish or two on her standing menu, and buys fine raw materials to work with, giving it all her usual imagination and verve. 2. La Provence. Lacombe: 25020 US 190, 985-626-7662. Chef Rene Bajeux, who calls himself a farm boy, actually does have a small farm for vegetables and herbs in back of the restaurant. There's no vegetarian dish on the menu, but he will easily create one for you. 3. Andrea's. Metairie: 3100 19th Street, 834-8583. The best vegetarian dish here is an assortment of antipasto, most of which is made with fresh vegetables. But with the pasta and risotto possibilities, and a wide variety of fresh produce to work with, you may create. In fact, Chef Andrea Apuzzo encourages this. 4. Nirvana. 4308 Magazine, 894-9797. The Indian cuisines are largely vegetarian to begin with, and this place takes full advantage of that with about a third of the menu consisting of vegetarian options. 5. Muriel's. 801 Chartres, 568-1885. On his most recent menu, Chef Guy Sockrider included not only a vegetarian dish, but another one that's fully vegan. That shows a friendliness to the idea, whcih is the first requirement of a restaurant appealing to vegetarians. 6. Emeril’s. 800 Tchoupitoulas, 528-9393. No vegetarian dishes on the menu, but they always have a vegetarian special.  Emeril's kitchen has always been driven by an aggressive fresh-food-buying effort, so there's plenty back there to work with. 7. Trey Yuen. Mandeville: 600 Causeway Blvd., 985-626-4476. Most Chinese restaurant can create dozens of vegetarian dishes, but I find Trey Yuen better at that than most. In fact, the vegetable dishes may be the best work they do. A particularly good example if the moo-shu vegetables, dominated by exotic mushrooms, with a great sauce and vividly fresh vegetables. 8. Brigtsen’s. 723 Dante, 861-7610. I just looked over Frank Brigtsen's menu and, although I didn't see a specifically vegetarian dish (I have in the past, though), I was able to think of at least three vegetarian dishes that could easily be made from the vegetables used in other dishes. They buy organic produce to the extent possible, too. 9. Cafe Giovanni. 117 Decatur, 529-2154. Here's another spectacular, mostly-vegetable antipasto assortment (you can ask to have the seafood and meat selections left out). And a wide-ranging pasta department, with interesting mushrooms always on hand. 10. Byblos. Metairie: 1501 Metairie Rd., 834-9773. Uptown: 3218 Magazine, 504-894-1233. Most Lebanese restaurants are good bets for vegetarian dining. The appetizer selections alone offer many possibilities for complete meals in small courses--enough so that there's a name (mezes) for a meal like that. Byblos uses better ingredients than most Middle Eastern places. Its lentil soup, falafel, salads, and spinach pie are a good start, and there's plenty more where that came from. © 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com