On our jaunt to the mountains this past weekend, my husband and I had the occasion to pass through Asheville and have dinner at an all-vegetarian restaurant there, the Laughing Seed Cafe (www.laughingseed.com). Oh, how I wish the Triangle had a truly all-vegetarian restaurant. The menu at the Laughing Seed is extensive, ranging from soup and salad to sandwiches to entrees. We had had an appetizer in the bar downstairs (humus and pita at the Jack of the Wood pub) so we ordered dinner after about a 35-minute wait for a table. Hubby got the vegetarian chili plate, which came with nicely spiced bean-based chili, brown rice, a side salad, a cornbread muffin, and a very spicy sundried tomato salsa on the side. He liked all of it, though the salsa was too spicy to finish. I ordered the butternut squash fettuccini, which was a pasta dish with a cream sauce, on a bed of kale, topped with walnuts and soft goat's milk cheese. It was truly excellent, although I could have lived without so much kale. The cream sauce had a hint of sweetness from the squash and apples, but tasted primarily like a sherried tetrazzini-type sauce, which I really liked. The portions were very generous, although I thought that $14 was a little pricey for a pasta entree. The chili dish was only about $7, though. We totally stuffed ourselves on dinner, so we didn't try any desserts there. The waitstaff was very friendly, and the restaurant had a nice atmosphere. We did wait over 30 minutes for a table, but it was a Saturday night at about 7pm. It appears to be a very popular restaurant, since when we left after 8pm there were still people waiting for tables. If we ever go back through Asheville again, I would definitely stop at the Laughing Seed. They have a great vegetarian menu and excellent food. -KK
North Carolina