With Thanksgiving only weeks away, everyone seems to have one thing on their mind ?” turkey. With all that turkey coming soon, there’s no better way to prepare than going vegetarian.

You’re probably scratching your head right now, but don’t be confused, there are plenty of great places on and off campus for your vegetarian dining pleasure.

It’s somewhat difficult to find grub on campus that is not beef, pork or chicken, but look no further than Java City located in the University Union next to Peak Adventures.

When it comes to meatless cuisine, Java City has got you covered. On any given day, you can find two different vegetarian sandwiches including the veggie and three cheese or the veggie with sun dried tomato mayonnaise.

A few times per month, Java City serves vegetarian chili. Perfect for the cold weather, this veggie packed chili includes carrots, potatoes, beans, and tomatos.

In addition, Java City has a decent self-serve salad bar, a few vegetarian pre-made salads, yogurt, cottage cheese and fruit.

When dining off campus, there are many choices, but few that offer a yummy meatless alternative. However, there are a few notable places that are worth mentioning.

On Fulton Ave, towards the 80 freeway, is Gourmet Wraps next to Noah’s Bagels and Jamba Juice.

Gourmet Wraps is Mediterranean inspired cuisine all wrapped up in a tortilla. The falafel wrap which is fried chickpeas, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles drizzled with Tahini Sauce is portable, filling and delicious for less than $5.

Gourmet Wraps not only has a falafel, but an entire vegetarian section for those searching for something other than beef.

Speaking of beef, the best “burger” with the most options is found at Chili’s. Any one of Chili’s signature hamburgers can be made using a black bean patty. The black bean patty is very flavorful and perfectly accompanies the peppercorn burger topped with onion strings and bleu cheese.

If you are looking for a strictly meat free restaurant, Andy Nguyen’s at 2007 Broadway is a vegetarian haven. The Vietnamese inspired cuisine featuring shrimp, grilled meats and fish sauce is all vegetarian. That’s right; everything on their menu is soy based, but tastes and looks like the real thing.

We ordered the Patience Noodle soup made of soy meatballs, turkey, tofu, vegetables and noodles for $6.50, Treasure Spring Rolls filled with shrimp, veggies and noodles wrapped in rice paper for $5.50, and the awakening noodle salad bowl featuring soy steak, veggies, cucumbers, peanuts and imperial spring rolls for $7.00.

To complete our meal we added a couple glasses of Boeger Sauvignon Blanc from their small, but impressive wine list. Although the list only featured a few reds and whites, the list included sauvignon Blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, and the elusive Barbera. Some of the wines, including the one we ordered, are from local vineyards.

The food was delicious. The bowl of Patience noodle soup was enormous. The broth had a hint of nutmeg, tons of noodles, vegetables and various soy “meats.” One order of soup for $6.50 could have easily served four people.

There are several different rolls to choose from in the appetizer section. The Treasure Spring Rolls we ordered were light, steamed, and accompanied by a peanut dipping sauce. The soy shrimp in the spring rolls looked and felt extremely real. Although the shrimp didn’t really taste like shrimp, it was delicious.

We chose the Awakening Noodle bowl from a list of more than five. The noodle bowl/salad was mainly noodles with some veggies, peanuts, imperial spring rolls, and three types of soy meats topped with a vegetarian fish sauce.

The soy meats and imperial spring rolls in this dish were delicious. The fish sauce was not at all fishy and more like a vinaigrette sauce.

From the outside, the restaurant may appear dingy and pretty rugged, but inside it’s cozy and quaint featuring a small dinning room including a few tables perfect for that romantic experience.

The food was ready and served all at once (including appetizer, soup and entree) in about 15 minutes, but it took a while to get our check and to go boxes.

Our total bill for an appetizer, soup, entree and two glasses of wine came to about $37 including tip.

Overall Andy Nguyen’s receives four out of five stars. It is great to see a restaurant do such amazing things with soy ?” and wine of course.

Whether you are a vegetarian or just in the mood for something different, try one of the places mentioned above and you will not be disappointed.

Andy Nguyen’s Rating: 4 Stars

All of Liz’s dining and nightlife reviews are held to this rating system:

1 Star: Stay at home.

2 Stars: Not worth the gas money.

3 Stars: If there’s nothing else to do –

4 Stars: Better than most.

5 Stars: Proves that Sacramento is more than just a cowtown.