Fern fronds dangle from the ceiling. Charming portraits of native nocturnal creatures and Victorian period drag queens and kings line the partitions. There’s an attention grabbing black and white checkered flooring. DC Vegan’s subterranean Botanical Bar looks like a fantastical mashup of the Backyard of Eden and Alice in Wonderland.
The fanciful boîte, which opened on the finish of Might, is the brainchild of co-owners Leah Curran Moon, who handles logistics, strategic work, and the catering arm, and her husband Michael Jantz-Moon, who oversees operations. Chef Stephanie Tarnowsky (aka Chef Steph), a veteran of Fancy Radish and Fare Properly, executes the menu, which is identical within the bar and within the upstairs deli. (Every dish is thoughtfully annotated if it’s soy-free, gluten-free, or consists of nuts.)
The meals was designed with everybody in thoughts, not simply vegans. “I really like successful over a carnivore,” Curran Moon says. “It’s my secret mission. That’s why we work on approachability and acquainted flavors, textures, and substances. Vegan meals might be thrilling. It’s not the bowl of lentils and steamed kale of the previous.”
The couple determined to make Italian-American delicacies the muse of their menu as a result of it was meals Curran Moon grew up consuming together with her Italian-American household in Rochester, New York, and that Jantz-Moon loved as a baby in Cleveland. “After we gave up consuming animals, we didn’t wish to quit our tradition, our traditions, and the meals we cherished,” says Curran Moon, who veganized lots of her household’s recipes.
Simply popping in for a drink and snacks? “Calamari” is a should. Normally, the squid rings are simply contrasting textures: crispity crunchy coating hiding a toothsome spherical. Made right here with king trumpet mushrooms, the golden fried circlets burst with earthy, umami flavors whereas retaining the trademark textures. Dusted with house-made cashew-based parmesan, they arrive with lemon wedges and a facet of just-sweet-enough marinara primarily based on Curran Moon’s grandmother’s recipe. They’re the sort of starter you simply can’t cease consuming.
One other winner: batons of grilled focaccia topped with almond ricotta and recent herbs with extra of that sop-worthy marinara on the facet. You may skip whipped cannellini bean dip, which has an off-putting candy tone regardless of the puddle of Calabrian chili oil on prime. Complemented by crunchy dippers—carrots, cucumbers, watermelon radish, and snap peas—it will be a pleasant app in any other case.
Mains are at the moment divided between salads, sandwiches, and bowls, although extra formal entrees can be added later this month, together with eggplant rollatini, wild mushroom ragu with polenta muffins, Chianti-braised jackfruit with root greens, chickpea piccata, tofu steak marsala, and varied pastas.
Sandwiches are substantial and satiating. Take the one bulging with rapidly fried artichoke hearts complemented with tofu mozzarella, tangy lemon aioli, and candy sundried tomato jam. It’s wealthy; it’s flavorful; it’s a winner. Ditto the burger solid out of shredded beets and carrots, pepitas, and quinoa. Topped with a bedhead of sesame slaw and zingy sriracha-mustard aioli, it’s every part I would like in a burger. I introduced half the burger residence and secreted it behind my fridge for my lunch the subsequent day, detest to share it with my spouse (sorry-not-sorry, honey, it was simply that good).
For many who totally embrace a plant-based way of life, the herbed tofu bowl was constructed for you. A mound of rainbow quinoa is topped with the plant-based protein, watermelon radish rounds, carrots, pea shoots, pepitas, and a lashing of inexperienced goddess dressing.
Save room for sweets, particularly basic carrot cake and cannoli full of whipped soy with an opulent Cool Whip consistency.
The concept for Botanical Bar was a results of the couple surveying the prevailing plant-based choices in D.C. They recognized a lot of quick informal eateries—together with Bubbie’s Plant Burgers, Shouk, and NuVegan Café—and a few finer eating spots—amongst them Fancy Radish, Elizabeth’s Gone Uncooked, and Oyster Oyster—however they noticed a gap within the fine-casual house. “A spot you can go hang around to have just a few drinks and a bar snack, or you can have a full meal that wasn’t too fancy, nevertheless it wasn’t tremendous informal both,” says Curran Moon.
Talking of drinks, there’s a number of beers, wines, seltzers, and ciders, in addition to a robust cocktail record. Fan favorites embrace a vibrant purple strawberry Negroni accented with rosemary and the Flower of Life, a straightforward sipping, vodka-powered eye-catcher sweetened with raspberry hibiscus tea syrup. For these not imbibing, there’s a quartet of zero-proof decisions, together with the G&T riffing Balcony Views made with Seedlip Backyard, a spirit-less gin, together with tonic, lime, and basil oil.
After all, every part behind the bar is animal-free, a troublesome feat when placing collectively the wine record. Distributors typically don’t know if winemakers use any animal merchandise of their filtering or ending processes, since these components aren’t listed as substances. Usually, the co-owners needed to contact the winemakers on to divine the main points.
All the additional effort was price it. The couple has created a whimsical Shangri-La of a bar that can give vegans all of the feels, in addition to anybody else fortunate sufficient to go to.
DC Vegan’s Botanical Bar, 1633 P St. NW (downstairs), (202) 297-0886, dc-vegan.com/botanical-bar
Bought a tip on a brand new restaurant opening? E mail goodtaste@washingtoncitypaper.com. Observe Nevin on Instagram @nevinmartell and on Twitter @nevinmartell.
