DOVETAIL.

I love restaurants that celebrate vegetables. People have such stigmas against vegetarians and the food they graze on, so I get excited when I hear about kitchens that put consideration and thought into their veggies. Starting this week until the end of summer, Dovetail will be offering a completely vegetarian menu every Monday evening featuring produce from the Union Square Greenmarket. When I heard this, I quickly made reservations for the very first Monday veggie feast.

The meal was outstanding. Even if you are a carnivore - I suggest you give the vegetarian menu a chance. Half of the dishes are purely vegetarian and the other half are vegetable-focused dishes that contain meat (so you don't have to go completely cold tofurkey). For a mere $38, you are entitled to choose three courses and one dessert. You simply cannot go wrong.


We began our meal with a drink. I ordered the Riverside - which is vodka, basil, ginger beer, and brown sugar. Super delish!! Like a spiked gingerale.

My dining partner ordered the following four dishes and allowed me to steal bites...a prerequisite of anyone that chooses to eat with me.


The Mason Jar Vegetable Consomme was presented to us in the actual mason jar before it was served to us. Later on, a large bowl holding two dumplings was brought to our table and the tangy broth was poured over the dumplings. The small carrot chunks had an intensely strong vinegar taste (even after lingering in the consomme for a while) which countered the subtle and delicate pouches of mushroom. It was a delicate balance of flavors and done very well.


I also had a bite of my friend's English Cucumbers and Potato Stew. It was topped with shiso, jalapeno, and little drops of sea urchin. All these ingredients were sitting atop a thin layer of congee (Asian rice porridge). A very interesting mix, to say the least. The salty sea urchin worked nicely to dress the softened potato. Cucumbers take on a whole new life when they are cooked, and I loved them.


My friend also ordered the Rye Spatzle - a wall of spatzle surrounded a beautifully poached egg and the fortress was be-sprinkled with a few strips of chicken and stood in a moat of butternut squash puree. Somewhere in the mix, mustard was also involved but I didn't taste this dish on account of the chicken...it was, however, definitely a thing of beauty.


My friend chose the Irish Cream Parfait for dessert. I had only one bite so I couldn't get a great feeling for the flavors and textures but my companion said it was the best part of the meal. And she hadn't been complaining about the previous dishes by any means.

Now onto my choices!!!


The first that came out was the Carrot Cake Crepe. The crepe was filled with a decadent cream cheese and wrapped itself tightly around several sticks of the softest, sweetest carrots in a range of beautiful colors. The puree of smoked split peas brought the crepe back down to earth and off the dessert menu. The whole combination melded so perfectly into one and I could not stop raving.


Next up was the Cannelloni - the texture of the pasta was unlike any pasta I have had before - softer and...drapy. The whole dish worked together so well that the pasta practically disguised itself AS a vegetable. It was filled with a puree of gigante beans and feta cheese, laid in a saucy pool of sundried tomatoes, and sprinkled with crispy brussel sprout leaves. Heavenly.


And my Yucca Bouillabaisse (the waiter kept ANNOYINGLY pronouncing it as BOO-YA-BEZ...and I was just like "OK, I GET IT. It's FRENCH") with lobster, snap peas, and saffron. I have NEVER EVER in my life eaten such AMAZINGLY tender morsels of lobster. At this point I was ready to run into the kitchen and propose to the chef. I couldn't really get over the lobster's level of excellence so the rest of the dish was kind of a blur - but I know I was obsessed with every single bite.


Et finalement (FEE-NAL-MONT), the dessert!! I ordered a Maple Cheesecake with apple compote and (chantilly?) cream. Believe it or not, this puppy was VEGAN!!! And it didn't taste like a wedge of tofu drowned in maple syrup!!! The consistency of the cake was light, soft, and whipped - which is a pleasant departure from your normal, supremely decadent, run-of-the-mill New York Cheesecake. The filling was flavored with the perfect amount of maple and complemented the apple compote well. Bursts of tart flavor from the pomegranate were welcome and the crust added a great crunch to each bite. I would go back again next Monday simply for this dessert.


We ended the meal with a complimentary plate of sweets. The sugared ginger was nothing that interested me...but the PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES. Ohhhh, those peanut butter cookies. I mean. Simply phenomenal. The consistency reminded me somewhat of a Butterfinger - kind of dehydrated/airy/but still cookie-like??? Like a soft chunk of PURE PEANUT BUTTER crumbling in your mouth. Fantastic.


When our checks came, we were each presented a small token of gratitude from Dovetail - a little container of peanut butter granola. How sweet!!

I had an absolutely superb meal at Dovetail and will gladly return again in the near future. The service was spot-on and the food was spectacular. And I hope I was able to convert a few carnivores into being vegetarian for just one meal.