So while we have been here in Virginia, we finally got a chance to try Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant, about which I had heard great things! My mom also wanted to try this place and had been waiting until Daiku and I were in town, so one afternoon, we headed over. I have to admit, I was a little afraid of how my mom would react to such "hard-core" vegan foods, but I am happy to report that we all loved the food! (I don't know why I'm so neurotic, but I feel like all vegan foods have to "represent" and be really good, or someone will go away with a bad impression of veganism and never want to try anything again!)

The menu is pretty huge- and I had lots of options- macrobiotic? Raw? Sushi? Rice? Noodles? Pasta with tomato sauce? They had it all. In the end, I decided to go with a "normal" choice (again, with attention to what my mom might like) and ordered the grilled chicken sandwich which came with lettuce, jicama, tomato, a savory red tomato and vegetable sauce, and a small mixed green salad on the side. This turned out to be a yummy choice.

I also love this appetizer, teriyake eel, as did everyone else. As you might know, I am endlessly fascinated with faux meats- how certain chefs and restaurants excel at recreating the taste and texture of flesh, in cruelty-free form. These eel didn't exactly taste like the eel I used to order in Japanese restaurants, but they were very fish-like, with the help of seaweed. The flaky meaty texture fascinated my mom, who is a big fan of fish. Small steps...

For his entree, Daiku ordered the Thai Tom Yam (spicy & sour) & basil fried rice. This huge dish came loaded with veggies such as edamame and carrots, and little cubes of soy protein. The sour flavor was unique and almost startling. My mom and Daiku liked this dish more than I did, but even I had to admit that the flavor was new to me.

My brave mother ordered the "Adventures in Tempeh Land" even though she had never tried tempeh before. Sunflower's organic multi-grain tempeh, however, was nothing to fear and we all loved the tempeh and veggies in the thick curry sauce, that came with a side of brown rice.

Even though we were stuffed, we all decided to share a dessert, a chance to try vegan desserts should never be passed up!

We settled on the lemon tofu cheese pie. Once again, I was a little nervous- a vegan cheesecake can either be watery, gray and flaovrless, or it can be marvelous. Fortunately, this happened to be marvelous. Instead of trying to imitate a cheesecake, they had instead made this intriguing concoction using tahini, cashews, and pine nuts, served over a lemon sauce. It was not too sweet, but had a winning flavor.

The service at Sunflower was a bit wonky- my sandwich was brought out way before the appetizer or any of the other entrees, and we had to ask for knives and spoons (it's difficult to eat a liquid curry with a fork!) but the crowd-pleasing food and friendly staff made up for this.

I really appreciate my mom for taking us to dinner and being so open-minded (open-palated?) and I really appreciate Sunflower Restaurant for giving such a great impression of vegan food!

Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant is located at 2531 Chain Bridge Rd, Vienna, VA 22181. Their phone number is (703) 319-3888.

Reviewed by Bazu

Bazu's website, Where's the Revolution?, can be found at http://wherestherevolution.blogspot.com.

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