It had been years since we were last at Zen Palate and we wanted to eat there again yesterday. We arrived at the restaurant salivating at the thought of eating really wonderful vegan food and were shocked that we had stumbled into what looked like an aging Chinese take-out joint. It looked like they'd cut the old space in half; the lighting was suddenly too bright; the cheap decor was falling apart; and the menu was no longer strictly vegan.

Our memories of the place were of a wonderful atmosphere, great food, good service, unique fixtures. Now, it's a dump, the wait-staff are clueless, and the food isn't that good. The Autumn Rolls were soggy. The Wonton Soup was OK. My wife had the Celestial Tofu and I had the Wheel of Dharma. Both tasted pretty good, but they didn't knock it out of the park liked they used to and the food came out suspiciously fast, like it was all pre-made or something. We'll never go back.

salty Asian tofu and mock meat make up a lot of the menu. I expected that, but tried it anyway. Got the wonton soup which was OK then tried a dish made of "soy crepes" which would be better described ad tofu skin. They were on a bed of shredded cabbage with carrots, snow peas, and white button mushrooms. The taro spring tolls were good (not toooo greasy) and the rice was good (mix of brown and red), but the sauce that drenched the main dish was really salty and what I would call nondescript Chinese brown sauce. I ate the veggies bc i was hungry, but left half the tofu on the plate and could feel my body swelling as I walked back to my hotel. There are many delicious veg-friendly restaurants in this part of town, with much healthier whole foods on the menu. Unless you are craving salty fast Chinese food, go somewhere else.

Side Note: I noticed that the restaurant wasn't displaying its Dept of Health Letter Grade sign.