Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/760410
MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, upscale dining forgets about us lowly vegetarians and vegans, and opts to serve our carnivore friends. Not satisfied with these casual offer- ings, Chef Tal Ronnen, author of the critically-acclaimed Crossroads: Extraordinary Recipes from the Restaurant That Is Reinventing Vegan Cuisine, decided to open a plant-based restaurant with a full bar and a great wine program. Launched in 2013, Crossroads Kitchen on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles features plush red booths and white table cloths—you might expect the menu to contain filet mignon and prime rib; it certainly doesn't read as your normal plant-based restaurant. Besides fine dining, one L.A. institution that I miss out on as a vegetarian who doesn't care for eggs is brunch. Everywhere I look on a weekend morning, people enjoy mimosas and a nice meal; cue the sad puppy dog eyes. So imagine my delight walking into Crossroads Kitchen on a Sunday morning to finally check an Angeleno rite of passage off my list. As a test of its crossover appeal, I brought my meat-loving friend, who would very rarely choose a plant-based restaurant if she had her say. With a blackberry mimosa and Aperol spritz to start, we enjoyed kale Caesar salad, "eggs" benedict and "chicken" and waffles. While not typically a fan of faux meat or faux eggs, these dishes didn't have the fake, trying-too-hard taste that you normally encounter. Instead, it's as if Chef Ronnen re-invented the wheel by developing deli- cious alternatives that seamlessly integrate into traditionally meat-centric meals, and even my carnivore guest gave these choices her approval. Regarding his extensive plant-based menu, Ronnen notes, "We are creating dishes that have never been made before out of plants. There is no book or recipe to follow. We have to constantly try new things. " He enjoys surprising his guests with dishes that one never imagines in an omnivore diet, which any vegan or vegetarian can appre- ciate because, let's be honest, the normal offerings for our group can get boring. And the dinner menu doesn't disappoint either; it includes options like artichoke "oysters," "crab cakes" and tagliatelle "bolognese." The restaurant prides itself on being a place where "vegans, flexitarians, omnivores and meat eaters can cross paths," and as I found out, it does just that. 2 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t F NICKY FORK At a Crossroads CROSSROADS KITCHEN BRINGS UPSCALE DINING TO VEGANS IN LOS ANGELES by Emily Coleman Author of the crit- ically-acclaimed Crossroads: Extraordinary Recipes from the Restaurant That Is Reinventing Vegan Cuisine, Chef Tal Ronnen of Crossroads Kitchen on Melrose in Los Angeles. "Chicken" and waffles from the brunch menu at Crossroads Kitchen. Artichoke "oysters." Fig caponata with polenta fries. ■cr PHOTOS COURTESY OF CROSSROADS KITCHEN