Since we were in Arizona this year, we decided to define our night by dining at a nice restaurant after a long day of hiking and activities. Ahead of time, I had extensively researched restaurants in the area. I found a restaurant called Posh Improvisational Cuisine. My family all agreed it would be fun to try something new. So after briefly confirming they could cater to a vegan, I made a reservation.
I don't want to make this into much of a restaurant review. I'd rather just talk about my evening, so I'll skip the nitty gritty details of the restaurant and just get onto the food I ate.
We chose the 5 course menu, and since the restaurant serves what's called "a tasting menu" the portions were quite reasonable and everyone was served something different.
Dinner started with a teaspoon of black eyed pea hummus served on a spoon. The waiter said it was to "wet the appetite". But literally, it was a teaspoon amount! Sorry, I didn't take a picture.
My first course was my favorite (the following picture).
Beets tossed in a little oil and thyme, fresh and light cranberry jelly, blood orange and avocado puree.
Next, baked apples on filo dough with an endive leaf (baked or cooked or something) with fresh dates and topped with fresh oregano.
Braised daikon radish with edamame, julienne vegetables, and soy sauce garnished with mint. [I accidently started eating before taking the picture. That's why its a little disorderly and the mint leaf is sitting on the side of the plate. Oops ;)]
Glazed carrots and white asparagus tossed in olive oil and topped with fresh oregano, lemon zest and shaved black truffle. [I love when restaurants serve whole carrots with the top still on. And isn't the plate gorgeous!]
Last but not least, dessert! Cider sorbet with lemon sauce topped with a berry crisp and blueberries.
I was a little upset saddened when the served me sorbet while the others in my party got desserts like chocolate torte, apple pie, and panna cotta. I feel like that is the easy way to serve dessert to a vegan [I know, I know maybe it's a little unreasonable to say that, but that is what I feel]. I was pleasantly surprised! The sorbet had a certain tang. I thought it was a Champagne-y taste, but the others in my group didn't think it tasted like alcohol. Then I was thinking maybe they said apple cider vinegar sorbet and that is what the tang was from- that would truly be a unique dessert! But my brother corrected me by confirming they had said cider sorbet. Either way, it was very good. The pool of lemon creaminess it was sitting on was also particularly delicious: creamy, thick, sweet. It was a lovely end to the meal.
Although the meal was basically vegetables (I was hoping for a little more creative use of proteins), it was still very delightful and truly reminded me the potential vegetables can hold. Sometimes eating a plant based diet gets monotonous as the daily routine diminishes creativity within meals. The meal excited me to try new methods and vegetables in my daily dishes.
So I'll leave you with one last picture, and I hope your New Years Eve was full of excitement, fun, and filled with goodbyes to 2012 and hellos to 2013!
