Millennium restaurant seems to blend in with all the other fancy restaurants tucked into the cavernous streets of downtown San Francisco. It has a hip bar, white tablecloths, sleekly dressed servers, and a host stand crowded with people seeking tables. But while Millennium offers a five course tasting menu and wine pairing like other upscale restaurants, it does not offer any meat.

When I called to make a reservation for dinner, the hostess asked whether there was any special occasion for the visit, prompting me with suggestions: "Birthday? Anniversary?" You can see why this is a perfect special occasion restaurant. In a world where vegetarian dining often means casual fare of sandwiches and sprouts, Millennium is a gourmet dining experience for die-hard herbivores.

The restaurant has special events every month, including "Convert a Carnivore" every second Wednesday of the month when those dragging in carnivorous friends get a 25 percent discount, excluding alcohol. Then there is the "Aphrodisiac Dinner" every Sunday closest to the full moon, a five course menu composed of aphrodisiac ingredients, for $45 per person. You can even spring for a hotel room at the adjoining Hotel California with the $192 overnight package.
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As a final litmus test for the restaurant, I asked my meat-loving husband, "Was it a good dinner? Or was it a good dinner for a vegetarian restaurant?"

His answer was definitive: "It was a good dinner. Period."

Contact Aeron Noe at aer.noe@gmail.com.

{ 580 Geary St. San Francisco. Hours: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations: (415) 345-3900 or www.opentable.com. Details: www.millenniumrestaurant.com }

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full story:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/ November/18/style/stories/15style.htm