On Greens in Fort Mason Center

I finally got around to having dinner at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. My vegetarian friend Jer and a handful of others have been encouraging me to try it out for well over a year.

While I tend to eat a close-to vegetarian diet, I also try to stay away from heavy carbs, which dishes served at veggie-only places tend to have a large selection of....pasta, cous cous, risottos and really amazing breads.

Of course Greens is no different, however even with a price-fixe menu which they do over the weekends and certain holidays, there's plenty to choose from to avoid the serious starches if you choose. The exception: the vegan dark chocolate cake topped with coconut glaze - no dairy but they do include the sugar. It's well worth the splurge.

Their wilted salad is worth trying out, as well as their regular french lentil salad with feta, lemon and mint, which often comes as a sample with a few other things, like the chioggia beets with mach, spicy tomato jam and fromage blanc.

Make sure you have your wine ordered before you indulge in any of these cheeses. If it comes up from the cellar, it can take awhile and since they have a very extensive wine selection, including organic varietals, its worth the splurge here as well.

I had the filo purse with artichokes, portobello mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, leeks, fennel, asiago and thyme, which was served in a roasted tomato, pepper and garlic sauce. All of this was swimming in braised French lentils and Knoll Farms chard with pepper flakes. Give it a try even if you are one of those people who must always have meat on their plate. The flavors, sauces, portion sizes and wine menu are sure to leave you more than satisfied.