Great Vegetarian Eateries

Meat. I never realized just how prevalent it is until I started to live without it.
When I first made the switch to vegetarianism this summer, I struggled when it came to dining out. It seemed like all I could ever order off of a menu was salads. And salads are great, they just aren't a meal.
The trick with creating a good vegetarian plate is to not know that your meal is vegetarian. It shouldn't be glaringly obvious that you have a pile of vegetables or some questionable looking substitute where your meal should be. When eating your vegetarian dish you should be thinking, "Meat? Why would I want meat when I can have this."
Two local restaurants have mastered this art. Naked Cafe in Carlsbad Village and Lotus Cafe in Downtown Encinitas have made it easy for me to get a delicious and nutritious meal when I eat out by creating wonderful dishes with meat-substitutes.
Their menus feature such dishes as The Yogi Bliss (Lotus Cafe) and The Plate of Prosperity (Naked Cafe), which not only sound like heaven on your plate, but taste like it too. 
Both restaurants offer a variety of soups, salads, tacos, burritos, and other entrees based on the philosophy of using simple, fresh ingredients to make meals that taste good and you won't regret eating afterwards.
And don't worry, these restaurants aren't solely vegetarian/vegan so you can bring your meat-loving friends. Though I would urge them to try one of their meat-less dishes; it just might convert them!