All the dish: the joy of vegging out

In the survival-of-the-fittest atmosphere of New York City, the ethos of vegetarianism can sometimes seem a little out of place. Over the past year or so, however, a handful of local restaurants have begun to reimagine the vegetarian experience, not just as the sort of thing that could sustain a committed non-meat eater's interest, but that has the potential to hold real appeal for the city's red-blooded carnivores as well. Here are three of the best.

GOBO 401 Avenue of the Americas; 212-255-3902

Gobo does not have the advantage of a particularly appealing location, nor is its variety of cuisine--vegan--the sort that typically inspires hosannas, but despite these odds, it boasts the kind of devoted following many other restaurants dream of, and not just among those who for ethical or health reasons decline to eat meat and dairy. It's a good-looking place, in a West Elm sort of way, with lots of blond wood and stone floors, and as such it goes a long way toward updating veganism's drab image. And then there's the cooking itself, which Gobo bills as "food for the five senses." Common sense might tell you that's a few more than you need, but even if you're not putting your ear to your dinner, chances are good that a meal at Gobo will speak to you. Vegetarian cooking is most successful when it doesn't try to mimic something it isn't, and that's a lesson Gobo has mastered. Instead of soy masquerading as beef, you have soy as, well, soy, but in a variety of preparations and flavorful sauces, many of them inspired by Asian cooking. On the appetizer side, there are crispy little wontons stuffed with spinach and soy cheese, while the entrees include a sizzling soy cutlet platter in a black pepper sauce. Scallion pancakes with mango salsa are bright and tasty, eggplant stuffed with an herbed tofu cheese is zesty and fresh, and the carrot and cabbage moo shu with plum sauce is the sort of compulsively eatable dish that disappears within minutes of its arrival. A dairy-free dessert might seem lacking in promise, but Gobo's hazelnut napoleon made with tofu cream suggests otherwise; so it isn't as light and flaky as the original--diners around the room can still be seen wiping their plates clean. The restaurant also has an uptown location at 1426 Third Avenue.

PURE FOOD AND WINE 54 Irving Place; 212-477-1010

Though the principles of veganism are likely to strike most diners as quite worthy enough, thank you, Pure Food and Wine has done the philosophy one better, offering many New Yorkers their first taste of the raw foods trend--an approach towards healthful eating that has no ingredient cooked above a temperature of 118 degrees. As if to downplay the asceticism inherent in this conceit, the folks behind Pure Food have created an environment that's both stylish and welcoming, with dark wood, tomato-red upholstery, and, perhaps most tellingly, soft-focus portraits of peaceful-looking ducks lining the walls. It's a setting that goes a long way toward banishing the pulped-carrots-and-wheatgrass image the words "raw foods" tend to conjure. So do the ambitious, carefully constructed concoctions that make their way out of the kitchen. Relying on blenders, food processors, and dehydrators, executive chef Sarma Melngailis and his team transform nuts and vegetables into close approximations of pasta, cheese, even sour cream, which show up in a variety of inspired combinations, among them the uniformly excellent beet and coconut pad thai, fennel and red shiso tart, and samosas stuffed with creamy cauliflower and crowned with a mango and mint chutney. Entrees include hearty white-corn tamales, and a satisfying plate of avocado-stuffed tortillas, though the lasagna made with strips of marinated zucchini and sun-dried tomatoes demonstrates the limitations of range-free cooking: It may look the part, but it tastes like salad. Ice cream, at least--available in the form of a mint or a "classic" sundae--presents one logical, satisfying way around the problem.

SARAVANAAS 81 Lexington Avenue; 212-679-0204

In a few key respects, dining at this popular Murray Hill operation is a little like dropping into a school cafeteria or office lunchroom--bright fluorescent lights and tightly packed tables and chairs pretty much assure an experience you will not be inclined to linger over, despite a few perfunctory attempts at atmosphere (Indian pop music over the sound system, art in vivid shades of pink and orange on the walls). What Saravanaas does have going for it, and why it is not unusual to find diners patiently queuing up outside its door waiting for a table, is an array of terrific southern Indian dishes, all of it vegetarian, and none of it even remotely institutional. The lower latitudes of India are the birthplace of such classics of Indian cooking as vada (fried lentil "doughnuts"), utthappam (rice and lentil pancakes), and those long tubes of golden-brown cr6pes known as dosas, all of which are exactly what you'll find at Saravanaas. To begin, there are terrific steamed rice-and-lentil patties nicely offset with a coconut chutney, as well as spongy little lentil balls that prove the perfect vehicle for their mildly spicy sauce. Entrees include more than a dozen dosa options (one with spicy mashed potatoes, another with nuts and raisins), an appealing stew of rice and mixed vegetables flecked with slivers of crispy Indian bread, and lentil pancakes topped with a fiery mix of onions and green chilis. Follow this five-alarm experience with Saravanaas's cottage cheese and dry milk dumplings in rosewater syrup, and skip the multiple glasses of water.