We went to Kotobuki Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar on a Sunday night and they were not busy at all.  We walked in and were greeted and sat down right away.   The atmosphere is Asian/Modern.  After ordering our drinks, we were ready to order right away.  They have an extensive vegetarian menu for a Japanese restaurant.  To name a few:  Vegetarian Shrimp Tempura, Vegetarian Salmon Roll, Vegetarian Lobster Roll, Vegetarian Ham, and Vegetarian Chicken Teriyaki.  We decided to go with the Eggplant “Ham” platter and the Sesame “Chicken”.

After serving us Miso Soup and salad (both were delicious), they came out with our meals.  I loved the presentation.  The food was also superb.  They brought it out with a potato cake and a spring roll.  The spring roll had a bit too much cabbage for my taste but I loved the potato cake.  My sesame chicken was excellent and my fiancé’s Eggplant “Ham” platter was TO DIE FOR!  After trying it, I had to second guess myself and make sure that there was no Eggplant Ham platter anywhere else on the menu.  It tasted just like what I remember Ham tasting like and the consistency was close but I think not as chewy as real ham.   Since they only offer a vegetarian version, this was definitely vegetarian.

I had a wonderful first experience with Kotobuki and will definitely be going back soon.  The server was very friendly and very willing to help.   I highly recommend it.  You can find out more about Kotobuki at their US Directory listing: http://kotobuki.usdirectory.com

Baker's Crust - Norfolk, VA

This was my first time going to the Baker’s Crust.  After we walked in, we were greeted and sat down promptly.  There wasn’t a wait at all and on a Saturday night, that’s amazing.  We had the option to eat outside but decided to eat inside because it was kind of muggy out and getting dark.

Once we sat down and ordered our drinks (I had some great tasting peach tea), they brought out some bread and butter.  It wasn’t out of this world but was still pretty good.  I’m a bread-lover though so I have to say I’m a bit picky.

They only serve breakfast until 11am so that made our menu choices a little more limited.  Still, there were some good options.   I was craving some French Onion Soup but unfortunately, it isn’t vegetarian (when asked, the waitress wasn’t sure if it was beef or chicken broth but she knew it wasn’t vegetarian).  They do have a Mushroom and Brie soup that is vegetarian.  I tried some of my friend’s and it was really good.  The mushrooms weren’t too overpowering.

I ended up ordering their Baker’s Combo which allows for a cup of soup, half of your choice of sandwich and/or half of your choice of salad.  You can choose two of either and I chose to get their Roasted Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Panini and their Wine Country Salad.  This combo was $8.99 which I didn’t think was bad.  When it came out, the salad was enormous (for being a half-salad).  The panini was delicious and was smothered with pesto sauce – yum!  The salad was mixed greens garnished with strawberries, grapes, diced pears, and candied pecans.  It came with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  This salad could be too sweet for some people.  I am a sweet-tooth so it was perfect for me.

For dessert, the Baker’s Crust has plenty of options though they seemed slightly overpriced.  I was in the mood for chocolate so I ordered their Ultimate Chocolate Lava Cake for $6.99.  This cake comes with a side of Vanilla Bean ice cream.  I was surprised when they brought it out because they also included some whipped cream with strawberries on top free of charge.    The chocolate was extremely rich and the ice cream made it a perfect combination.

All things considered, I was very pleasantly surprised with the Baker’s Crust.  I didn’t realize they would have such great food.  They had a couple different options for vegetarians in salads and a couple paninis (besides what I got, there’s also an Avocado Goat Cheese panini), as well as at least one soup option (Mushroom & Cheese soup is probably vegetarian too).  Of course their breakfast menu has many vegetarian options as well if you go before 11am.