True Bistro serves extraordinary vegan cuisine created from the highest quality and freshest plant-based ingredients, providing an upscale vegan refuge for the Greater Boston area.

Is this your first restaurant?

This is the first and only True Bistro.

When did it open?

November 2010.

Do you want to have more than one restaurant?

Not at this time.

What’s your favorite dish on the menu?

The Vietnamese crepe: hon shimeji mushrooms, fried tofu, and mung sprouts, served with a spicy dipping sauce.

What’s your most popular appetizer?

Our house-made ravioli with sweet potato and galangal filling and a citrus-infused coconut cream sauce.

What’s the most popular entrée on the menu?

The blackened seitan with creamy grits and collard greens.

What’s your most popular dessert?

The Death by Chocolate cake.

What do you feel is special about your restaurant?

Our ability to reach out to customers beyond the vegetarian community is what’s special about True Bistro.

How often do you change your menu items? Do you have daily or weekly specials?

Seasonally. We do not have specials, but do offer prix-fixe menus on holidays.

Do you have gluten-free, soy-free, and sugar-free options on your menu?

We have several gluten-free options.

What do you do to reduce your environmental impact?

We compost our vegetable scraps. Our fry oil is collected and used as biodiesel by local companies. And we participate in our city’s recycling program.

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned as owner or chef of this restaurant?

The most important lesson I’ve learned is to continue to be open to new ideas.

What led you to want to open a vegan restaurant, and/or what led you to the vegan diet yourself?

There was a need for an upscale vegan restaurant in the Boston area, which led to the decision to open True Bistro. I personally became vegan as part of my commitment to animal welfare.

In the time since your restaurant first opened, how has the plant-based food movement changed? Do you find more demand now for vegan food?

We are relatively new and have not gained this perspective yet.

Since your restaurant first opened, has your view of what constitutes healthy or delicious foods changed? Have you changed the types of foods you offer?

I try to put an emphasis on showcasing plants rather than replicating animal-based foods. This has been my view for a number of years, but I was unsure if others would be like-minded. I am grateful that the response to my approach has been positive.

Where do you see the plant-based food movement going in coming years?

I believe that the movement will slowly increase with time and that one day the variety of factors that draw people to this diet (animal welfare, environmentalism, health) will lead to a majority of people adopting a plant-based diet.

Phyllo Triangles with Sorrel Cream

Serves 4–6

For the stuffing:

4 yellow onions, sliced

8 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

1 bunch red Swiss chard, stems removed

½ bunch fresh Italian parsley, leaves picked

8 stalks oregano, leaves picked

1 pound firm tofu, drained

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1½ teaspoons Champagne vinegar

1½ teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the sorrel cream:

½ cup sliced shallot

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup Sauvignon Blanc

¾ cup sorrel

2 tablespoons chervil

1 cup cashew cream (or other nondairy cream substitute)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

A few shavings nutmeg

To assemble:

1 1-pound package phyllo

¼ cup toasted almonds

¼ cup toasted and peeled hazelnuts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

To garnish (optional):

Toasted pine nuts

Blanched haricots verts

Chervil leaves

Combine the sliced yellow onions, garlic cloves, and sunflower oil in a heavy sauté pan. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, bring several quarts of water to a boil and put a bowl of ice water to the side of that. Salt the water and then plunge the Swiss chard, parsley, and oregano in to the boiling water. Cook the greens for half a minute and then move them to ice water. When the greens are cool, remove them from the ice water and press out as much water as possible, and then chop them finely. In a stand mixer combine all of the stuffing ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate. Set aside.

For the sorrel cream: In a pan over high heat, sweat the shallot in the olive oil with the sea salt. When the shallot is translucent, add the wine and reduce by half. Add the sorrel and chervil and cover the pot for 3 minutes. Stir in the cashew cream, mustard, and nutmeg, and gently bring the mixture to a simmer. Blend the sauce and return it to the pot and keep warm over very low heat. Taste and adjust the salt to your palate. Set aside.

To assemble: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the phyllo dough from the fridge to thaw on the countertop. Place the almonds and hazelnuts in a food processor and grind them until they resemble a fine meal. Take the phyllo and remove a single layer. Cut the sheet in to a strip approximately 3 x 8. Brush the phyllo with a thin layer of olive oil and then sprinkle lightly with some of the crushed nuts. Place ¼ cup of the tofu stuffing at one end and then fold the phyllo to form triangles, in the manner of folding a flag. Brush the top of the triangle with more olive oil. Continue this process with the remaining tofu mixture. Place the triangles on a baking tray and bake the phyllo in the oven until golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.

Spoon warm sorrel cream on a plate and stack 2 phyllo triangles on top. Top with one of the optional garnishes, if using.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon–Brown Sugar Cream

Serves 12

For the crust:

5 dates, soaked in warm water

1½ cups pecans, lightly toasted

Pinch salt

For the filling:

3 cups cashew pieces, soaked 1 to 2 hours

1¼ cups almond milk

¾ cup dark agave syrup

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons liquid lecithin

For the bourbon–brown sugar cream:

4 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons bourbon

¾ cup almond milk

½ teaspoon agar powder

3 tablespoons almond oil

Drain the dates and peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Process the pecans with the dates and salt in a food processor until a fine meal is formed. Press the meal into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.

Add all filling ingredients to the blender, minus the coconut oil and the liquid lecithin, and blend until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the coconut oil and lecithin to the blender and incorporate fully. Pour the contents of the blender in the springform pan containing the crust. Tap the pan on the counter several times to remove air bubbles and then smooth the top. Place in the freezer for 2 hours, then transfer to the fridge overnight to set.

In a saucepan, melt the sugar with the bourbon over low heat. Whisk in the almond milk and agar. Cook at a simmer for 5 minutes, then transfer to a pan to cool. When the mixture is cool and has set, stir in the almond oil. Use the cream as a plate garnish by placing the slices of the cheesecake atop it.