Fresh Vegetables in State College, PA

When I'm on the road I find that decent vegetables are the hardest thing to find. You can get a good steak, frothy mashed potatoes, a tasty salad, a Panera sandwich... but finding broccoli or green beans is near impossible. So if you're passing through State College, Pennsylvania and have only gotten vitamins via the Flinstone chewable variety, walk past the Panera and stop in at the Green Bowl.

Make sure you're good and hungry before you go... This is an all-you-can-eat, make-your-own stir-fry bar (but don't call it mongolian grill). For about $8.50, you can go to the bar as many times as you want... and all the ingredients of your dreams are there: veggies, tofu, eggs, noodles, and a bar of sauces you can mix and match to your heart's content, all finished off by selecting what kind of meat you want. Chicken, beef, shrimp, calamari... and it's not those frozen sheets of slivered meat you'd get at a mongolian grill. You pick a colored swizzle stick to denote what meat you want and the stir-frier adds good sized shrimp or chunky steak, plus it doesn't take up space in your bowl. They bring the dish to you at your table and provide you with a bowl of brown or white rice (the brown rice was cooked perfectly, btw). Get creative... if it tastes horrible, you can always go back and try again.

The Place: The Green Bowl, on E Beaver Ave in the same block as Panera. Walking distance from the Day's Inn and a short drive from Toftrees.

The Food: All-you-can-eat, load-up-on-veggies, stir-fry bar

The Price: Under $10