If a previously frozen Vietnam-era protestor were regenerated, he or she would feel right at home in Busboys and Poets. In fact, while some '60's-era customers don't look twentysomething anymore, the place plays host to distinguished Vietnam names like Tom Hayden. They rub elbows with modern activists, digging the city's new conscience-raising zone. Part restaurant and bar, part theater and bookstore, Busboys and Poets is fast becoming an institution for those in search of peace and tolerance. One wall is covered with a collage depicting the struggles of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela, while periodic films (usually free) highlight the need for racial tolerance. The bookstore, geared to multicultural understanding and anti-bias, offers great titles. Comfy couches invite the coffee-slurping cyberfan. And some folks just come for the great, if simple, food, like bargain-priced crab cakes, whopping burgers and peanut butter-banana-honey Elvis specials. Catch an eggplant Napoleon between debates, and don't miss the microbrews. -- Tracey E. Meloni (Photo: Denise Iacangelo)