🚀 go-pugleaf

There have been a few postings lately asking about kosher and vegetarian
restaurant.  I don't know about the kosher end but I do have several good
vegetarian places to recommend.  Lately my favorite hidden, hole in the wall,
small and cheap place is an Indian vegetarian restaurant in College Park called
Raju's.  It's in a strip mall on Route 1 just north of campus between Lakeland
and Navahoe.  I don't remember the name of the strip mall.  It's right next to
Town Hall liquor store (a true landmark of College Park, I'm sure all the U of
MD alumni now know precisely where it is) and across the street from a Jerry's
pizza.  Anyway If you ever find it after those directions, you'll love it.  Now
don't get the wrong idea it's not really a 'first date' sort of place, there is
no ambiance.  The place is usually run by one or two people so it can be slow.
Another reason for the slow speed is that they are actually cooking your food
after you order it rather then reheating something that was prepared in
advance.  Also it's good to be friendly with the woman who runs the place, She
is very nice.  Try asking for the thing that her mother likes best.  I don't
know what it's called but it's sort of a crepe with vegetable stuff inside.
It's very good.  Also you might like to try the eggplant curry or the vegetable
biryani, also quite delicious.  Another good vegetarian Indian place is Mela in
Columbia.  It's a nicer place, but costs a bit more.  
	Back in College Park there are two other vegetarian places, Beautiful
Day & Planet X (I don't know if the X is a letter or algebraic variable or the
roman numeral of 10 implying that this place is behind the ninth planet,
Pluto.)  Anyway Planet X is way out there, the decor is sort of a late fifties
beatnik and a lot of the patrons are playing along with the theme.  Sometime
they even have poetry readings.  It's a little pretentious if you ask me, but
the food is good and the prices are right.  They serve coffee and cappuccino in
huge French style coffee cups which I like.  My favorite thing on the menu is
the enchilada, almost to big to eat at one sitting, especially if you're going
to try one of there fine desserts.  If you're going to try this place, you
might like to go early, by about eight the cigarette smoke from the local
poetry aficionado is getting too thick to let you enjoy your meal.  BTW Planet
X is at the corner of Route 1 and College avenue right at the front gate of U
of MD.  
	Beautiful Day is a little harder to find, but also worth the effort.
It's near Rhode Island Ave. on Berwyn Ave. which is about half way between the
Beltway and the U of MD off of Route 1 in College Park.  It's really a health
food store that has just a few tables set up in the back.  They have a very
short menu with daily specials which are usually your best bet.  They use
organic vegetables and everything is very fresh.  There are no microwave ovens
or pre-prepared entrees.  The food is very simple and very good.  Another place
I like is Mark's Kitchen in Takoma Park on Carroll Ave.  It's not purely
vegetation.  They have some Asian meat based thing also like Korean dumplings.
The great thing about this place is, like Beautiful Day, everything is very
fresh and they have great daily specials.  There are two other places in the
city that I like, one is Food For Thought in DuPont Circle (on Connecticut just
south of Florida).  The food is good and they often have live music (when I
have been there they pass-the-hat for cash for the musicians, this might add
two bucks to the cost of your dinner).  Lastly is Dante's on 14th at about S or
T near the Woolly Mammoth theater.  I have been there at least four or five
times and I like the food but the service is so bad that I don't think I will
go back.  
	If I seen to favor College Park it's only because I live near there.
If you have any other favorites let me know what they are.  

Joe Vignola
vignola@falcon.nrl.navy.mil