From McSweeney's the Future Dictionary of America:

pasta with grilled vegetables [pah'- stuh with grild vedj'-tuh-buls] n. [archaic] vegetarian entrée struck down by the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Mercer v. Bennigan's (2019). In a 6-3 decision, the Court ruled that pasta with grilled vegetables is an unconstitutional dinner offering and that chain restaurants in the Midwest must, "with all deliberate speed and all fresh ingredients," add another vegetarian selection. The Court stopped short of mandating a specific menu, but it did make a few nice suggestions involving tempeh and tofu. Chief Justice Nickerson wrote the majority opinion: "The court finds untenable the notion that flaccid, tasteless disks of yellow squash languishing atop rubbery spaghetti constitutes a lawful American dinner or freedom of choice," Nickerson wrote, "to say nothing of the cruel and unusual heat lamp." In 2035, the Court upheld Mercer v. Bennigan's by ruling 8-1, in Nash v. Applebee's, that three vegetarian appetizers do not equal an entrée.

Exactly... I mean I love portobello mushrooms as much as the next girl but there's only so much of the stuff that one can take when dining out. Come on people, give me some tofu and tempeh, seitan or a good hearty bean dish. Or, at the very least, get more inventive with your vegetable dishes - I'm tired of steamed green beans! Do not pander to the vegetarian stereotypes! Frankly, I'm getting really tired of Sac's options. Aside from the Co-op there's not a whole lot going on around here. Which doesn't mean we don't eat out - we do, quite a bit actually. But after awhile I get tired of choosing from the same dishes. Especially when I know San Francisco is greedily hording Herbivore, Greens and Millennium among other vegan restaurants. Ah, and don't let me forget the bliss that is Real Food Daily in LA. Or that great veggie cafe in Flagstaff, AZ. Or that amazing vegan restaurant in St. Louis - the one with the amazing pita chips and hearty vegan stew.

I mean really - Flagstaff and St. Louis have us beat. This is just sad and I am hungry.

Update: I just read about this new Mexican restaurant in Midtown...they have a vegetarian tamale pie and a fresh vegetable burrito over mashed sweet potatoes...mmmmm, two whole vegetarian options that one-up the standard bean burrito or veggie fajitas...I'll have to check it out.