The negative preconceptions I’ve attached to certain foods throughout my life have rarely ever rung true. Until just a decade ago, I wouldn’t let things like raw fish, brussels sprouts or dried bananas touch my lips. Yet through divine preparations by expert chefs, or when occasional fits of hunger struck while staring at a piece of radiant sashimi, my palate deferred and I’d see the light.

Tofu was among those dirty words in my vocabulary. Befriending a few vegetarians who exposed me to some lively soy curd dishes, however, helped break that barrier. Thus, the time was ripe to open my jaws to the bloodless, pure-vegan offerings at Kung Food.

Since its re-emergence a year ago, the kitchen is now an egalitarian operation, where approximately eight employees pitch in their time-tested and experimental recipes for a daily lineup of hot and cold dishes displayed cafeteria style. Customers get to view, sniff and sample the items that pique their curiosity before plopping their final choices onto an electronic weigh scale. At $6.95 per pound, the price of your meal is what you make it.

My vegetarian dining companion led me down the trod, beginning at the salad case stocked with the usual greens and veggies. The fodder is livened up, however, by several exquisitely unique dressings that you won’t find at other salad stations. Cucumber-dill is a cool puree bursting with clean garden flavors; the pinkish strawberry-pecan was ambrosial and summery; and we both agreed that the vegan ranch tasted convincingly better than its milky counterparts elsewhere.

About 40 percent of the dishes from the cold and hot sections are considered “raw” recipes – foods that are either uncooked or heated to no more than 110 degrees. Among my favorites was the chilled stuffed tomatoes filled with minced nuts and seeds that are germinated and soaked over night to rid them of their carcinogenic enzyme inhibitors. So pure and natural, you could gorge on them without experiencing a single rumble in the intestines afterward.

Dense and uneventful were the barbecued “tofu sticks,” which my companion commented would’ve tasted better warm instead of chilled. I agreed hands-down while proceeding undiscouraged to flavor-popping red bell peppers stuffed with a somewhat creamy vegan ricotta. Surprisingly, more good stuff ensued after we nearly pushed the checkout scale beyond its measurable limit.

The Bye Bye Birdie is a riot of garlic, ginger, tamari sauce, brown rice and nourishing tempeh, an Indonesian staple of cooked, fermented soybeans. The end result brought to mind a snappy chicken salad stocked with healthy fiber rather than fatty molecules.

Perfuming the atmosphere was the aroma of herb-spiked marinara sauce used in the restaurant’s big-selling “chicken” parmesan and spinach lasagna. The vegetable protein used as faux poultry was passable in taste and appearance. And the lasagna came closest to fooling us that there was real cheese bubbling within these plant-based entrées. (The enchiladas, though, left my non-vegan tongue crying for even an atom-sized morsel of Jack or cheddar.)

Among the other winners in our oh-so-natural repast was Soy Chorizo and Beans featuring nice chewy textures and a pleasing afterburn from jalapenos. Hearty and tomatoey was the Pumpkin Stew – its main ingredient cooked gently and soft to the bite. And of the Chicken Pot Pie boasting hints of sage, my companion rated it accurately as one of those dishes that would bring comfort to both vegetarians and vegans on Thanksgiving Day.

Kung Food also offers a drive-through window, where vegans get to enjoy the same eat-in-your-car ritual as their junk-food counterparts do after motoring through fast-food joints. Here, you roll out with burgers, fries, chicken nuggets and burritos of the veggie ilk. Or you can park after ordering and take a table inside or on the roomy patio for your meal to be served on diner-style trays.

Organic beer and wines are available as well, along with intriguing desserts that change weekly. Among them, a brownie that we tried was made with raw cocoa powder, hemp seeds and spirulina, a high-protein algae that might have imparted bitterness if it weren’t quelled by the addition of dates and cinnamon.

The restaurant, which serves as a friendly and comfortable hangout, taps into the community’s talent banks with regular entertainment. Friday nights are open mic, when customers bring their musical instruments for jamming. On Saturdays, the space showcases local musicians. And weekend brunches put live jazz into the mix. As a card-carrying meat eater, Kung Food was a fresh and tasty experience worth repeating.