I make a beans and rice burrito: black bean soup, drained of excess liquid, mixed with steamed rice and a drained can of kidney beans. Steam some tortillas and then assemble with favorite toppings: cheese, tomatoes, onions, avocado, guacamole, salsa, chopped black olives, etc.

I'd never thought of spanakopita - great idea!

Oh, that looks so very good. Do you think that there would be a way to bake the tofu? (I'd love it fried, my SO would faint at the thought [though likely love the taste / texture].)

KrumTx, if you go to mamachef's profile, she has listed her email address if you want to contact her.

BURRITOS

This thread might give you a good place to start your quest:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/892822

Ah, then that is the way we'll go, Will. Thank you!

What are your wife's favorites at Abricott, Will? My SO isn't finding a lot that appeals to him, as a vegetarian, on their online menu.

BURRITOS (any variety)
SANDWICHES (any variety, but not burgers)

I'm trying to think of foods that would work for omnivores and carnivores and that are broad enough to stimulate discussion.

Could try Michael's on Olive in Burbank - the menu has a southern bent and I had a very good turkey sandwich there, a year or so ago; don't know if they have a private room, but our ladies group was set off in a fairly secluded area, which was pleasant.

Glad to see you posting, JeetJet - and the fish torta sounds amazing! Any other fish (or shrimp) tortas around that you know about and could recommend? (I've gone the pescatarian route, myself, which is limiting my posting, as well.)

I'm going to suggest a slightly different approach than much of what's been said:

1. Do not serve anything that has to be prepped or cooked at the last minute (trying to track the time to get everything off the burners, out of the oven, etc.) while still being charming? Difficult to multi-task.

2. Do not serve anything that you have to cut / slice at the last minute (such as a salad) - trust me, carrying on a conversation with this person, while standing at the cutting board, can easily lead to slicing one's finger.

3. Simple is good. Do not be too ambitious. Serve simple, tasty, appealing food. He's there to be with you, not assess you on your skills in the kitchen.

4. Relax. Have fun. Be yourself. Let yourself laugh.

*grinning* I only learned how to use one in my mid-thirties, Lillipop - never been much of a wine drinker and always was with someone (when drinking wine) who could open it on their own. Finally decided it was a skill I should learn, though.

Thank you all for the feedback.

I'd reached the same conclusions (of not saying anything), but then thought about it as a business owner and wondered if I'd want to know about the way the manager handled the situation if it were my business.

I cannot see, though, how I can bring up the situation to the owner without mentioning the issue with the server, and I don't want any of this to reflect on her; the manager threw her under the bus, so-to-speak, and that's what upset me. Not that the server didn't know how to use the corkscrew (though that surprised me more than anything).

Thank you, holypeaches, I guess that I was rather naive in thinking that those kinds of things (using a corkscrew and properly opening beer) would be covered in an interview or training (though I assume that you did train your person how to open been).

Several of us went to a local, low- to mid-range restaurant last weekend. We ordered a higher-end (for this place - it was about $50 to $60) bottle of wine. Our server disappeared for a few minutes and then I noticed that she appeared to be speaking with the manager who appeared (my interpretation, of course) to be waving her away.

The server came to our table, placed the unopened bottle down, and pulled a corkscrew from her apron. Then she froze and bit her lip. She looked worried. One of our party asked her if she was okay. She blushed, looked down, and said something. Someone else asked her to speak-up (or something to that effect); the server then said, quietly, that she'd never used this kind of corkscrew and that her manager had told her to wing it, but that she didn't want to ruin our expensive wine by messing up.

I said, "No problem," and basically gave a quick lesson on how the corkscrew worked. The manager saw what was going on (I saw him glancing over), but said nothing.

The rest of the meal was fine, service was perfect, and the wine was decent. Our server received a hefty tip.

When it was time to leave, I went to look for the manager, but was told that he'd gone out back for a smoke break. Lovely.

Is this situation something that you'd bring-up with the owner? I feel badly for the server - and I'm upset with the manager for not stepping in and helping her either learn how to use the corkscrew or coming over to open the bottle himself - but I don't want the server to be dismissed because she didn't know how to use the corkscrew (is this something that is asked about in an interview?).

Thank you for the update! A lot of us out here have been pulling for Wayne - he's an incredible member of the community and I always look forward to his comments and posts.

Thank you again, HappyBaker - another new one to me and the menu looks great for what we're seeking!

Hadn't heard of it, Servorg, but thank you - probably outside of our driving area (we're just coming back to Pasadena), but we're often over that way and the menu looks perfect!

Thank you, HappyBaker! Hadn't thought about Portos (only been to their Burbank location) and hadn't heard of Four Cafe. Both look like great options!

Going to be in the Glendale / Eagle Rock area for a couple of days this week / next week and am looking for early evening (4:30 - 5:00) take-out options that vegetarian-friendly and under $15.00 to $20.00 per person (or well under that). Open to any cuisine.

I'm a newcomer to cheese, but am starting to venture beyond the supermarket offerings and exploring all that cheese offers. I am intrigued by ordering cheese plates or cheese boards in restaurants - and often do so - but I need to be clued in on how one deals with the offerings.

Lots of times the cheeses are accompanied by nuts, honey or a fruit-ish jam, fresh fruit, and bread / crackers / rusks. Does one eat these accompaniments with the cheese (in the same bite) or separately? Does the honey or fruit go on the cheese? On the bread? Is it a "whatever you want'? Is there a proper order to eating the cheeses (soft to hard or vice versa)? Really, any guidance is much appreciated.

I'd like to chime in here with a request that we have a return to the "Reply to Original Post" option at the bottom of a thread. I do read all the way through before replying and (especially on the longer threads) it's a pain to have to scroll back-up to reply.

EGGS!

EGGS (hoping for something for us ovo-lacto vegetarians!)

Another possibility: Wang's Palace in Monrovia.

According to this site: http://www.mandaringardenpasadena.com/ Mandarin Garden on North Fair Oaks in Pasadena has it - never been there, can't vouch for the restaurant.

That's it: I've had some stuff that I've enjoyed there but there was always that feeling that it could have been better - that they thought it was better than it was. Every single thing had something "off" when I ordered it more than once.

Case in point: I've had great cheese plates there. I've also had cheese plates where the cheese had sat out for so long that it had hard / dry parts. I've had a great steak there (can't recall what it's called on the menu at the moment) and had steak so bad that I had to send it back and I'm not one to send food back.

We've had service issues ("I'd like to start with a dinner salad" and had the salad arrive with the entree, repeatedly), but I've wanted to support them.

According the restaurant's Facebook page, this Saturday night will be the last night of Plate38's current appearance - apparently reopening mid-February.

Feel badly for the place, to be honest - like the idea and have always had good service, but the food has been hit-and-miss for us, with some really bad mis-steps (the squash soup, which we were assured was vegetarian, being served with lardons floating on the top was most notable). Always want to like it more than I do.

Maybe Red White + Bluezz in Pasadena?
http://www.redwhitebluezz.com/