Maybe it’s time to start doing the research about owning my own restaurant.  Cleveland has a lot of great places to eat, especially in the Tremont area.  The problem is usually that, although the food is unbelievable, there are limited number of options for the vegetarian diner.  I would love to create a vegetarian only place to eat…something affordable that isn’t just wraps and soup.  I want to have great dishes that will make people feel like they are truly eating out, instead of looking for the one pasta dish that does not have any meat in it.  Or, at least, a place where they don’t have to question what a certain ingredient is or how it is prepared because it’s already known up front that the food is vegetarian friendly.

I want to play with it a bit, but I enjoyed the Tofu Parmesan that I made the other night.  I’d like to improve it and create a great meal out of it.  My wife just made an unbelievable mac & cheese the other night as well (using Ziti and four different cheeses).  We also made home-made pizzas.  The dough is completely vegan, and the toppings would be up to the consumer.  I also want to work on some other dishes as well, but it would be great to fully cater to the vegetarian customer.  I mean, all because it is vegetarian, it doesn’t mean that meat-eaters couldn’t find something on the menu as well (plenty of pasta dishes).  Also, I would like to have most (if not all) of the food be made fresh – no “fake” meat from packages.  It’s great at home, especially when you’re in a crunch for time, but, at the restaurant, I’d like everything to be made by hand (wherever possible).  Also, for all the Vegetarian dishes created, I would like there to be a Vegan alternative as well.  I would think a place would fit in well in the Tremont area in Cleveland…maybe even in Lakewood.  Or, find some place no one would expect.  I wouldn’t want to quit my job or anything because the income is needed, so I know this is just a dream.  Who knows – maybe we could turn our kitchen into a test kitchen and have a “fake” restaurant night or something to test how things play out.

Even if I never get to do anything like that, it would be great if I could find a place that I’m thinking about…a cool place my wife and I could go to on our anniversary (for instance) and have plenty on the menu to choose from.

Tonight – I’m planning to make Falafel.  I’m making it from a boxed mix that I bought – not from scratch.  If tonight works out well, then I will try to see if I can do from scratch.  I will post tomorrow.