First impressions are not always accurate. We learned that this evening.

Ugghh . . . we dined here about two years ago, soon after it opened. It was a similar circumstance: we were in line for breakfast at Jim’s. The wait was lengthy and we decided to cross the street to try the new place. The place was empty and we had a very expensive meal of eggs and toast. We were not impressed whatsoever and we have not been back since.

But we tried again tonight. Happily, we had a much better experience.

There were a couple tables filled when we entered, but soon afterwards, the place filled up. The Looking Glass is an eclectic place. There is a new age feel to the restaurant. A bookcase along one wall is filled with herbology and other such books. There is a juice bar, couches to flop onto, and folk/jazz music on the weekends.

The menu consists of a lot of vegetarian fare and tofu is king. But it is not all crunchy food. Gert and I eyed the grilled chicken sandwiches. She ended up ordering one with pesto and mushrooms. I was looking at the roasted pepper and provalone. Beetle had the quiche du jour: broccoli and cheese quiche with a salad. I changed my mind and had Indian lentil curry over rice and vegetables.

My wife described the waitress perfectly . . . windy. I had asked about the rice bowl and neither she nor the more experienced waitress explained the dish well at all. Nonetheless, I ordered it.

Beetle decided she enjoyed screaming so I took her for a walk outside. She had a blast running up and down the sloped floor in the corridor. Once we saw dinner had been served, we re-entered.

The portions were healthy. The slice of quiche for Beetle was quite sizable. And to my daughter’s credit, she ate almost all of it. Gert’s sandwich was served on Panini bread. It was tasty. My curry was a healthy portion and tasty. It was a mild curry, but flavorable. With the lentils, I was full after cleaning the plate. The vegetables included broccoli, mushrooms, and peppers.

The band was still setting up when we left. The Looking Glass is a BYOB place. The menu is sizable and there is something for everyone. There are nightly specials and while we stayed with some of the less formal food, there are full entrees to select from.

We passed on dessert favoring a stop at Edible Art instead. But with the rain, that was shelved for dessert at home. We enjoyed our meal and will definitely dine here again.