Vegetarian lovers of Mexican food long for more than beans, rice and cheese

A friend of mine was looking over the menu for Corona Cantina #1 (see review, page 31) and didn't see much in the way of vegetarian fare. There isn't a vegetarian category, which is unusual these days; other than guacamole, cheese-stuffed jalapeño poppers, quesadillas Toluca (made with poblano peppers, fresh corn and cheese), or a combo plate with cheese enchiladas and a bean tostada, I didn't see anything that jumped out as meat-free.

Darren Mark, the restaurant's vice president of marketing — and former KSHB Channel 41 celebridad, who was daytime TV's hot tamale on the otherwise bland, refried and now canceled Kansas City Live — tells me that just because I don't see meatless dishes doesn't mean that Corona Cantina #1 doesn't prepare them. "If a customer wants the fajita molcajete platter with only vegetables, our kitchen is happy to do that," Mark says. "If someone wants one of our combo platters with bean burritos, we can do that, too."

This made me wonder where my vegetarian friends go for their south-of-the-border fix. Chris — who claims that Mexican food is his favorite — says he likes but doesn't love the onion-and-cheese enchiladas at Manny's (207 Southwest Boulevard); Scott says the Taqueria Mexico at 910 Southwest Boulevard offers good vegetarian fajitas.

Poco's on the Boulevard (3063 Southwest Boulevard) just reopened last week, after a smoke fire in the kitchen closed the place for three weeks. The owner, Lorenzo "Poco" Gutierrez, offers one meatless dish on her limited dinner menu but is happy to create special vegetarian dishes for her customers. Rudy's Tenampa Taqueria (1611 Westport Road) has veggie fajitas and a vegetarian taco salad. The cooks at El Patrón (2905 Southwest Boulevard) make a vegetable quesadilla but also serve tacos made with nopales — cactus — that are pretty damn tasty.

And even though the venerable vegetarian Eden Alley (707 West 47th Street) isn't a Mexican restaurant, it does serve a plump burrito stuffed with rosemary-roasted sweet potatoes and tacos made with textured vegetable protein that taste amazingly close to real beef tacos.