Thanks to our readers for recommending tofu produced by The Bridge of Middletown, CT. I've tried it twice now and am pleased to report it is delicious and as satisfying to me as the Ithaca Soy tofu I wrote about a couple weeks ago. And best of all, it's readily available at Edge of the Woods in New Haven, and Mrs. Green's market near where I live in Fairfield.

I also found a new and exciting way to enjoy tofu: grilled. On Friday evening, my (one and only) vegan friend came over for dinner and we decided to enjoy the nice weather and grill on our patio. I brought out the usual veggie burgers and corn, but also decided to try grilling up some tofu. I cut the Bridge tofu into thick slices, and pressed it under a heavy pot to drain out some of the water. Then I simply coated the grill top with cooking spray and put the tofu on.

It was delicious! I served it with a peanut dipping sauce, which was nice, but the texture of the tofu--crispy on the outside, soft on the inside--and the smoky flavor was perfect on its own. Next time I'll try marinating the tofu in a sauce before I grill it. Got any suggestions? This is one food I plan to enjoy all summer long.

While visiting family in Ithaca, NY over the weekend, I was introduced to handcrafted tofu made by Ithaca Soy. And now, I'm in love.

Before this weekend, I thought tofu was tofu. It's pretty bland, got a decent texture, and mostly useful for adding protein to whatever you're cooking. But this stuff is so good that when I was preparing a stir fry with it last night, I kept popping it into my mouth uncooked and unadorned.

It's much denser and chewier than other tofu I've had. It reminds me a lot of paneer cheese used in Indian cooking.

The only problem is, it doesn't seem to be available anywhere around here. And given the 6 hours it took us to drive home from Ithaca yesterday, I don't plan to make regular trips there to buy this product. But I'm craving it.

Does anyone have a favorite handcrafted tofu that's locally available and can fill the void that, before this weekend, I didn't know existed in my life?

On a side note, Ithaca is something of a vegan's paradise. We visited the most expansive farmer's market I've ever seen and ate brunch at Macro Mama's, a delicious all-vegan food stand. We had dinner at the famous Moosewood Restaurant (it did not disappoint). Even the local bagel store had several vegan sandwiches to choose from. And the well-known grocery store Wegman's had a large prepared food section complete with a vegetarian bar, as well as a huge selection of weird produce and the aforementioned Ithaca soy tofu.