Best Vegetarian Sushi

Sushi lovers who are not fond of raw fish -- and the two aren't synonymous -- will be delighted with Lotus, a seven-month-old restaurant that aims to put a new slant on vegetarian food. Lotus owner Andy Fletcher, who has been rolling his own sushi "forever," has invented a smorgasbord of exotic combinations -- forget bland pairings of carrots and cucumber. The restaurant's signature Lotus Roll is Fletcher's personal favorite. "There's nothing better than mango and avocado, with a little bit of green onion to give it a twist," he says. Served with sides of wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce, these rolls will make anyone hanker for seconds. There's also the Pear Blossom (pear, avocado, and asparagus), the Pickle Roll (sweet Japanese pickled vegetables, Romaine lettuce, pickled daikon radish, and avocado), the Cosmogony Roll (dates, green onion, and asparagus), the Shiitake Teriyaki Roll (shiitake mushrooms infused with teriyaki sauce, carrots, and green onions), and the Spicy Tofu Roll (diced tofu marinated in a spicy sauce). Fletcher doesn't see a need to slap the "vegetarian food" label on his creations, which are rooted in the culinary traditions of such countries as India, Japan, and China. "We're just doing food that has existed for thousands of years, and it just happens to be without meat," he says. Anyone who's not stuffed after downing a few preliminary orders of rolls will be pleased with the meal selection as well: delicious stir-fry dishes, curries, seared vegetables, and pasta dishes.