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L.A. may currently be obsessed with meat, but plant-based cuisine is beginning to give steakhouses a run for their money. By roger grody
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Yes, carnivores seem to have hijacked the local dining scene with $150 slices of Japanese wagyu beef, massive slabs of bistecca fiorentina and Brazilian churrascarias that celebrate well-marbled gluttony. But "plant-based" cuisine is experiencing its own renaissance as stereotypes—struggling poets consuming tasteless sprouts at worn Formica-clad cafés—are being shattered by sophisticated chefs and designers. Plant-based cuisine, generally a more sophisticated way of saying “vegan,” has long been dismissed by traditionalists who believe that vegan chefs can’t possibly take their culinary craft seriously. But in contemporary L.A., plant-based kitchens are attracting outstanding talent, resulting in mainstream recognition and commercial success. Their guests are not exclusively herbivores but include meat eaters looking for a change of pace, just as they might approach a Thai or Peruvian meal. No restaurant in L.A. provides a better example of a classically trained chef turning out sophisticated and innovative vegan dishes than Crossroads. There, chef Tal Ronnen elevates plant-based cuisine, turning out nuanced, aesthetically plated dishes with superb ingredients. Author of cookbooks The Conscious Cook and new Crossroads, Ronnen has been a gourmet vegan caterer with a celebrity clientele and consults with top hotels in Las Vegas, where demand for vegan meals is greater than one might imagine. And with white-linenclad tables, trendy chandeliers and high-end finishes, Crossroads is no Hollywood Boulevard sprouts joint. Ronnen creates a roasted-beet salad with candied walnuts, Kite Hill artisanal almond cheese, Granny Smith apples and a balsamic gastrique, and uses hearts of palm as a substitute for fried calamari, serving them with cocktail and tartar sauces. Recently, an inspired seasonal “seafood” tower featured carrot “lox” standing in for smoked salmon with kelp caviar and almond milk “crème fraîche,” as well as tempura-battered lobster
mushrooms that were transformed into something more indulgent. A wood-fired Bolognese lasagna approximates the real deal, and a New York cheesecake prepared with sweet almond ricotta is plated with a caramel-pecan praline. Chef Phillip Frankland Lee, a frequent contestant in cable-TV culinary competitions, is emerging as one of L.A.’s most creative chefs, whether he’s working with red meat or red rice. He recently relocated his Beverly Hills restaurant, Scratch Bar, to Encino, where Scratch Bar & Kitchen offers seven- to 25-course tasting menus and made-from-scratch charcuterie, cheese and olive oil. At The Gadarene Swine, seven- to 12-course vegan tasting menus showcase Lee’s equal guile with plantbased cuisine. The young chef might send out lemon-pistachio kale chips, fried olive-stuffed olives, a play on peanut butter and jelly using sourdough and port-poached figs, or cayenne-scented maitake and shimeji mushrooms in portobello puree. Silky sauces and ethereal foams remind diners they aren’t sacrificing technique simply because no traditional proteins are in sight. What makes the Swine so fascinating—and serves as evidence of veganism’s newfound acceptance—is that Lee himself, long an unapologetic carnivore, is driven not by orthodoxy but flavor. Musician Richard Melville Hall—better known as Moby—grew up on suburban fast food but is now a slow-food vegan. Combining his passions for organic food, veganism, community, architecture and design, the Grammy-nominated recording artist and producer recently opened Little Pine in Silver Lake, where he and chef Kristyne Starling created all-organic menus with frequent Mediterranean themes. The intent is to serve food that appeals to everybody, whether lifelong vegan or carnivore. Dinner at Little Pine might begin with a panzanella salad with market vegetables and avocado, or a
Plant Food + Wine’s cider-braised Tokyo turnips
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