Xener,

That's like saying it's better to have a restaurant that serves everything (Italian, Chinese, Greek, etc.) than just one specialty because not everyone likes 'just' Italian or whatever. (Yings, Wings and Things anyone?)

The fact is, the "vegetarian" options at many restaurant aren't true vegetarian. Often dishes are cooked in a pan that just had meat cooked in it without being washed properly. OR they use beef or chicken broth. Do you know how many restaurants I just avoid because I can't trust that I'm eating authentically vegetarian food. I choose not to eat meat for many reasons and I expect that I should be able to maintain an authentic vegetarian diet when I spend my hard-earned money on a meal out.

Also how much innovation goes into the "vegetarian" options at restaurants that aren't strictly vegetarian? In most cases, not much. But having a dedicated vegetarian restaurant means the chef can experiment with the food and know the customers are going to be excited about trying new things, actually order it, and, if it's good, come back again. We need this type of restaurant here. With any luck, Ben will be the one opening it.

Ben cooks frequently for our non-veg friends. And not ONE has complained about the lack of meat on the plate and no one has turned down a second (or even third or forth) invite for a well-prepared and inspired plate of food sans the meat.

BTW, that bologna makes me want to throw up.

Auburn Ave: Humans are not carnivores. I always knew this/suspected this, but was at the Smithsonian lately and they confirmed it. Ha. #1: Humans can get all of their bodily nutrients from non-animal sources-- and from a nutrition stand-point, are better off (healthier) if they get all of their nutrition from non-meat sources. #2 : Human do not have the long canine teeth that mark a true carnivore.

Maybe Ben should open a restaurant as many of his friends have urged him to do.

Sorry, just trying to get my man to share his culinary gift with the masses. I can attest to his prowess as a vegetarian chef--as I get a wonderful vegetarian dinner cooked by him every night.

Any investors out there? I have ideas about how to make this really work...

I would LOVE to see an article on CSA. I've been interested in farm shares for a while and would love to get involved. I'm guessing it's something you have to sign up for in the spring, but at least we'd be prepared for next year. (Even if we could get into one late, it would be in plenty of time for squash and potatoes.) Also, Christa's right. Bologna is fine with me, especially thick sliced Wunderbar fried with onions on a Costanzo roll topped with Weber's mustard, but that clown bologna is beyond overprocessed.

I would love a vegetarian restaurant that served creative and flavorful meals, but I'd be happy to "settle" for more veg. items on the menu at any and all restaurants. (Besides pasta-I hate paying the money for something I can make so easily at home-unless it's really top drawer-as in the gnocchi at Torches.)

I have been a vegetarian for 9 yrs. and have learned to make whole meals out of the ingredients offered with the meat dishes. But my favorite, when in a good restaurant, is to ask the chef to "whip something up" and surprise me. I am rarely disappointed.

As to methods of cooking-I have taken a "don't ask, don't tell" philosophy. I do ask about the base of the soup, but I do not delve into the hidden ingredients of each dish or where it's cooked. You know how Mom always had the saying about "the pound of dirt"? I lump it into that.

Okay, Captian Condescending, but I'll keep my Wunderbar faceless, thanks.

There was an article in the Buffalo News today that talked about "Locavores," or people who try to confine their diet to locally grown food. Interesting article.

http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/150783.html

See above reference to freakish clown bologna being horribly overprocessed. I'm not really sure how overprocessing applies to pancakes with blueberry smiley faces, unless you use refined white flour. (Which I do, so I guess I could switch to whole wheat. But it's not the same, man. It's just not the same...)

Ben and Jules: The reason that (in some ways, at least) it is better to have lots of vegetarian choices at a "normal" (ha) restaurant is that within any group of say, 10 people, only one will be vegetarian, the rest may want to eat meat (I stress, not "need" to eat meat, but want to). So, a TOTAL vegetarian restaurant does run the risk of narrowing its clientelle.

I think that a restaurant that specializes in local/ organic/ ethically raised chicken, beef, etc.. along with a lot of vegetarian options would be a hit. Case in point: I've been vegetarian for 15 years, but my husband is not. He does, howver, try to eat "ethically."