Two months ago, I revisited the question that motivated me to write this column: Can you eat good, well-prepared, creative food in an ethical manner?

I asked readers for their opinions on the best vegetarian and vegan food in town, and that request generated copious responses. Plenty of readers weighed in on their restaurant preferences, recommending everything from Subway to Shohko (noted for its wide variety of veggie and vegan rolls). Lan's Vietnamese Cuisine made the list for dedicating a full page of its menu to both vegan and vegetarian dishes ("My heart sings every time I go there," one reader wrote). Several of you praised Jambo Café, which offers both vegetarian and vegan options (and has garnered top awards at the annual Souper Bowl fundraiser two years in a row).

Pardon the vegetable pun, but a carrot and high praises also went to several New Mexican restaurants, too — particularly La Choza and Tune Up Café (noted for its "great vegan enchilada with mole plate"). Even Cowgirl BBQ got one nod (the restaurant "surprisingly has a wide selection of vegetarian/vegan items," a reader wrote). Frankly, I'll jump on that bandwagon, too. Cowgirl's butternut squash casserole, served with a lovely mixed-greens salad, has been one of my go-to veggie dishes since the day I first set foot in Santa Fe 12 years ago. (By the way, despite numerous attempts on my part to finagle it from various employees, the recipe remains a secret.)

On a sweeter note, because "most vegans are probably not eating 'health food' at every meal," as one reader admitted, Kakawa Chocolate House and Body of Santa Fe also received accolades for its dairy-free elixirs and chocolates.

On the other hand, a few popular dining establishments — including Santacafé, Zia Diner ("Not even a veggie burger!" one reader complained), the Ore House and Vanessie — got complaints from readers for not accommodating vegetarian and vegan diners. One reader mentioned that "it's impossible to have a cheese-less pizza" at Rooftop Pizza, since the crusts are made with dairy ingredients.

One reader singled out Bumble Bee's Baja Grill for offering "a vegan burrito and tofu options." However, the Cerrillos Road location now focuses almost exclusively on burgers, which means vegetarians may have a tougher time finding good, healthy noshes on the south side of town. The new menu, however, does include a vegan Boca burger. When I sampled one last week, I was surprised to find not one but two patties between the buns. This begs the question: Is a veggie burger a "sissy" option since it's made of vegetables and not meat? Is the only way to keep it from seeming like a "wimpy" option?

Still, as far as I'm concerned, a Boca burger belongs in the category of what the New York Times recently called "penitential wafers" and "bland, freeze-dried nutrient discs." Can't we have better, made-from-scratch choices to choose from? Lately, I have fallen a little bit in love with the veggie burger at La Plancha in Eldorado. It's house-made from potatoes and — believe it or not — actual grated vegetables, including broccoli, squash and carrot. It's a welcome respite from the faux burgers that try to mimic ground beef.

While I adhere to a vegetarian diet most of the time, over the last six weeks I set out to investigate the vegetarian and ethical offerings around town in an "official capacity." In that time, I've eaten a plethora of vegetarian dishes at many restaurants. Although I previously wrote that the "token vegetarian options at many fine-dining establishments taste like they're prepared out of obligation rather than love of food," I might be ready to eat my words.

Santacafé, a member of the city's culinary old guard, has at least nodded in the direction of vegetarians for years. Its quinoa-stuffed roasted poblano relleno has been on the menu for more than a decade. Now, I'm happy to see Santacafé branch out to include offerings like herb-goat-cheese-stuffed Chimayó red chile tortellini. Vinaigrette, too, consistently does a nice job of proving that greens don't have to be diametrically opposed to what James McWilliams has called "foods usually associated with 'fine dining.' "

One famously "uninspired," but still prevalent, vegetarian restaurant dish is pasta primavera. Mark Bittman recently asked, "Is pasta primavera still a good idea?" Definitely, I'd say, if it's prepared by Megan Tucker of Amavi. Tucker's dish of house-made pasta, rich but not oppressive sauce, crisp sugar snaps, asparagus and firm, fresh globelike peas is a revolution. (Amavi, by the way, is also a great destination for carnivores. Every meat dish on the menu is locally sourced and expertly prepared.)

More than anything, my recent exploration of vegetarian restaurant dining felt hitting like the tip of the iceberg. True, Santa Fe doesn't have vegetarian and vegan restaurants like those in larger cities like New York, San Francisco or Philadelphia. But given that more restaurant patrons are considering ethics when they order, restaurants can't continue to disregard them. Maybe chefs in Santa Fe have something new to aspire to.