We (rita + jason) smuggled a camera into a certain neo-vegan, haute-cuisine restaurant in Columbus, Ohio (whose name we dare not speak). Everything was truly wonderful, kicking the ass of neo-vegan food we have had on both coasts! There was an art opening. We both thought we were snappy dressers; we were wrong.
Everything was good, but here are our favorite selections in rank order from truly exceptional to pretty freakin' good:
1) Two tatins dessert--raw and traditional (the traditional tatin was a baked apple tart...the raw version had marinated apples with an early date walnut crust).
2) Crispy king oyster, beet tartare, wild walnut ricotta (appetizer)
3) Baby lettuces, spaghetti squash, radicchio + chinese cabbage, sea vegetable + peanut vinaigrette.
4) A tie: Arugula and cannelini "waldorf style" toasted fennel, millet, wild walnut ricotta crepe (appetizer) AND hedgehog + chanterelle risotto, totsoi + red miso broth (made to order entree)
5) Oatmeal danishes, passion fruit custard, rum-spiced cream.
And of course the manhattans and martinis were impeccable.
On to the illegal pictures; sometimes you have to break the law for food:


