Keene Star Reporter, March 12, 1998

Velma is a Keene resident who keeps current with vegetarian cuisine in the Metroplex. Formerly a carnivore, Velma is now a lacto-ovo vegetarian who searches for affordable cafés that provide exciting alternatives to things that moo. E-mail Velma at stargroup@onramp.net ,or phone 1-888-STAR-009.

So, how ya doin'? It's been a while since we talked, what with so much news lately and that ugly stew out in Amarillo with Oprah and the mad cow raisers. I'm glad the jury didn't think the cattlemen had a healthy beef.

Anyway, I want to tell you about a unique carryout experience I discovered in Burleson, in the parking lot of the new Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, 920 N. Burleson Blvd. at the Alsbury exit off of Interstate 35.

It's Dominic's of New York^®, and it's located in a "mobile food kiosk" (a trailer) parked in front of Lowe's. They feature New York City-style Italian sausage and Philadelphia cheese steak sandwiches.

But they have a veggie sandwich made with Portabella mushrooms that doesn't leave much room for anything else.

Portabella mushrooms have their origin in Italy, but they are also grown in the U.S. They are long, slender, and chewy.

Dominic's has six veggie sandwiches to choose from: the regular Portobello that comes with grilled slices of mushrooms mixed with onions and peppers; a Portobello Blackened; a Philly Portobello that features a Philadelphia cheese steak taste; a Portobello Creole that has a Cajun flavor; a Fajita portabella that has a Tex-Mex taste; and a Jerk Portobello that has a spicy Jamaican, stronger-than-Cajun, taste.

The regular size sandwich is all one person can eat. The large size sandwich weighs about 20 pounds, and cannot be eaten by one person.

According to John Felico, co-founder, Dominic's has its roots in the Italian street festivals of New York City, where his father, Dominic, was the third generation of the family to serve Italian sausages at festivals and fairs.

They have plenty of sandwiches for carnivores too, including Italian sausage, steak, chicken, and hot dogs.