• return to bottlerock: vegan tasting menu in los angeles

    6
    January 18th, 2010quarrygirlbottlerock, LA restaurants

    i fucking LOVE tasting menus! they are so awesome. unlike my partner in crime, who finds them a bit scary and unpredictable, i find tasting menus very exciting and adventurous. several courses, over which you have no control, all extremely well-prepared and presented to you over a long period of time. really, the ultimate dining experience if you ask me.

    other than the special holiday menus that madeleine bistro offers, i’d say the best place to get a vegan tasting menu in los angeles is without a doubt at bottlerock downtown. the establishment focuses on fancy beer and wine, and at first glance their menu isn’t very vegan-friendly…but if you call ahead and request it, they will prepare you an animal-free feast of epic proportions. just be sure to notify them in advance, because they take extra care to clean down the kitchen and avoid cross-contamination.

    i hit up bottlerock with some friends recently, and their vegan tasting menu was completely different, but just as good as it was on my first visit. take a look:

    smoked tofu, lentils, mirepoix, red wine dijon vinaigrette

    the first course was a hearty portion of tofu served over lentils and mirepoix in a dijon vinaigrette. the tofu, in my opinion was nothing short of incredible. apparently, bottlerock has some special smoking device (haha) which was used to prepare it, and produced very delicate and flavorful results. the lentils and mirepoix (a combo of onions, carrots, and celery) were slightly sweet and very delicious.

    banh xeo: vietnamese crepe, bean sprouts, mung beans, thai basil, romain, nouc mam.

    the next course was a vietnamese crepe, which everyone agreed was spectacular. a soft outer shell filled with salty vegetables, this is honestly one of the best things i’ve eaten in a long time. we learned from our server that this is actually a veganized recipe from the chef’s mother…so tasty and authentic.

    miso soup: house noodles, bok choy, shitake mushrooms.

    next up was my absolute favorite dish of the night: vegan miso soup. this was not like any soup i’ve ever had, as it was basically a filling noodle dish with bok choy and mushrooms. it came in a bowl and our server brought out broth to pour on it, such a fun experience! the noodles were very thick and made in house. for a tasting menu, this was honestly a huge portion. bottlerock does not skimp.

    oven roasted vegetables: farmers market vegetables, mole, vincotto

    our 4th course was a serving of oven roasted vegetables, which may sound boring but was anything but! this plate included artfully prepared brussels sprouts, carrots, and squash in a sauce that was nothing short of divine.

    texture strawberries: strawberry gelee, macerated strawberries, basil, lemon.

    lastly, we were served a dessert of textured strawberries which was like nothing i’ve ever eaten. it wasn’t a favorite of everyone at the table, but i loved it. imagine a strawberry puree topped with creamy basil sauce and finished off with a thin jolly rancher candy. i usually don’t like fruit, but this was right up my street and very creative.

    overall, the dine in vegan experience at bottlerock is truly amazing. i would encourage all vegans to call ahead and book a tasting menu, because it really is like eating art straight off a plate. xiv has nothing on this place! 😀

    bottlerock
    1050 S Flower St. # 167
    Los Angeles, CA 90015
    (213) 747-1100

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6 responses to “return to bottlerock: vegan tasting menu in los angeles” RSS icon

  • Wow! Spectacular looking food within Los Angeles!! You mean I DON’T have to drive to Madeleine Bistro’s anymore for amazing looking courses!!!! Way to go Bottlerock!!!!!

  • JUST… Torture… I love good tasting menus. This looks like one. Email to follow shortly 🙂

  • Ummmm next time you go to this place, if I’m not invited I am gonna be PISSED OFF

  • that vietnamese crepe was the best thing that has entered my mouth in a long, long time! serious cravings ever since…oooohhhhh

  • Whoa…sounds like this is not to be missed!

  • Uh, I think that banh xeo should be double-checked as to whether it really contains nouc mam or not.


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