ZenKitchen is an award-winning, upscale, gourmet vegan restaurant serving artfully made, inventive, beautiful food.

Is this your first restaurant?

Yes.

When did it open?

July 2009.

Do you want to have more than one restaurant?

Good grief, no!

What’s your favorite dish on the menu?

Our ravioli. Fresh, handmade, egg-free pasta stuffed with a blend of aged soy and bitter herbs, in a smoked tomato sauce.

What’s your most popular appetizer?

Polenta fries! Crisp outside and creamy inside.

What’s the most popular entrée on the menu?

Eggplant Parmesan. We make a Parmesan from pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and layer the eggplant with a vegan Mornay sauce.

What’s your most popular dessert?

Mexican chocolate cake—rich, dark cake with a spicy chocolate sauce, served warm.

What do you feel is special about your restaurant?

We have a warm, inviting dining room and a friendly staff. Our food is beautifully presented and very flavorful. And we offer a full wine, beer, and cocktail list.

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

We have a chef’s tasting menu that changes monthly. Other dishes change as produce becomes available through the seasons.

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

Diners requiring gluten-free meals have become a huge part of our customer base. Most of our menu is gluten-free and we take great care to prevent cross-contamination. We also address a wide range of food allergies and sensitivities, including soy, sugar, and everything else.

What do you do to reduce your environmental impact?

We rent a recycling bin for cardboard and recycling bins for cans and bottles. Our cooking oil is picked up and used for a biofuel project, saving us money and keeping the oil out of the landfill. Food scraps and leftovers—approximately sixty gallons each week—go to compost. We refuse to carry bottled water, preferring to filter and make our own sparkling water. And we purchase produce from local farmers as much as possible.

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

The root of our vegan restaurant came from three principles: We wanted a place anyone could come to and enjoy a good meal, without worrying about what was in it; we enjoyed the challenge of creating flavorful and beautiful dishes from plant-based foods; and we had a strong desire to have a business that’s environmentally sustainable, healthful, and cruelty-free.

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’re seeing more demand for vegan food from nonvegans, in particular. In fact, about eighty percent of our customers are omnivores who just want a good meal. The message of introducing more plant-based food into your diet seems to be resonating, and that’s good for everyone.

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?

Global influences have continued to have an impact on vegan cuisine, both through the availability of ingredients that we didn’t see ten years ago and through cooking techniques that are fairly recent developments. We do more molecular gastronomy now, including some very cool elements in many of our dishes. At the same time, we’re building on very ancient techniques, such as the ones used in our cheese and tofu production.

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

The world is our oyster mushroom. Diners are becoming more health-conscious and aware of factory farming and other cruelty issues, while demanding more flavorful food. It’s up to us to step up to the plate—the dinner plate—and offer our supporters the full dining experience while still respecting our values.

This is a complex but delicious salad that showcases beets in many different ways! We serve beets roasted, boiled, pickled, dehydrated, and even as a “paint” with ume vinegar. There are many different components to this dish, but don’t be intimidated by it; if you truly enjoy food, you might just decide to keep some of these items on hand at all times anyway!

Tasting of Beets

Serves 4

For the pickled beets:

5 medium purple beets

1 cup red wine vinegar

½ cup red wine

½ cup water

1 tablespoon pickling salt

1 tablespoon granulated cane sugar

1 teaspoon pickling spices

For the ume-beet paint:

2 medium purple beets, boiled, peeled, and cut into chunks

1 tablespoon ume vinegar (Japanese pickled plum vinegar)

1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon mirin (Japanese rice wine for cooking)

3 tablespoons unsweetened rice vinegar

For the roasted beets:

3 small chioggia beets

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil

Pinch kosher salt

For the boiled beets:

3 small golden beets

Water as needed, to cover

1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the dehydrated beet chips:

1 small chioggia beet, peeled

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons granulated cane sugar

For the black olive dust:

1 cup Kalamata olives

For the tofu feta:

4 cups water

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

1 16-ounce block firm tofu (vacuum-sealed, not water-packed)

For the toasted pecans:

1 cup pecan halves

1 tablespoon maple syrup

½ tablespoon grapeseed oil

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch ground black pepper

To assemble:

4 cups local, seasonal salad greens

1 tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil

For the pickled beets: Place the beets in a large pot and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and allow them to cook fully, about 45 minutes. Check their doneness with a sharp paring knife by inserting it into the center of a beet. When you can pierce a beet with little resistance, they’re done. Remove the beets from the water and allow them to cool until you can handle them comfortably. Remove the skins from the beets, then slice into bitesize wedges, and place them all in a clean container into which you can pour the pickling liquid without it overflowing. In a saucepan, bring the vinegar, wine, water, salt, sugar, and spices to a boil. Pour over the beets and allow them to sit until the liquid cools to room temperature. Place a cover on the beets and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. These beets can be eaten after 2 hours, but allowing them to rest in the pickling liquid for at least a day is recommended.

For the ume-beet paint: Place the cooked beets, ume vinegar, mirin, and rice vinegar in a blender and puree on high until it is completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender as necessary. If your blender is not powerful enough to make it completely smooth, do your best and pass the mixture through a fine strainer with a ladle to get out as many chunks as possible. Refrigerate until ready for use.

For the roasted beets: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the beets with the oil and salt. Create a small pouch out of tinfoil and place beets inside of it. Seal the pouch tightly, and place on a small tray in your preheated oven. Bake until the beats are cooked, approximately 45 minutes. Check with a sharp paring knife. If they are still a bit firm, place back in the oven at 10-minute intervals until they are done.

Remove from oven and allow to cool so that you can handle them. Remove the skins and slice the beets crosswise into half moons about ¼" thick. Reserve in the fridge until you need them. They can last for up to 3 days in the fridge.

For the boiled beets: Follow the same cooking method as for the pickled beets. Peel the beets when they are cool enough to handle, and cut them into ½" chunks. Reserve in the fridge until you need them. They can last for up to 3 days in the fridge.

For the dehydrated beet chips: Place the water and sugar in a small saucepot and bring to a simmer. Allow it to cook until all of the sugar is dissolved. Cool the mixture down in the fridge. This simple syrup will keep for a month.

Slice the beet paper thin, being sure to slice it crosswise as to show off the beautiful pattern of it. (If you have a mandoline, this is a perfect use for it. If you do not have one, then use your sharpest knife.)

Toss all of the slices in a small bowl, and coat gently with the simple syrup.

Layer the beets on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a silicone baking liner if you have one) in a single layer, so they are not touching. Set the oven to 150 degrees. Place the baking sheet in the oven overnight (or at least 8 hours), until fully dried out. The following morning, carefully remove them from the tray and try not to break them. (They will be very fragile!) They should have a nice sheen on the side that was facing down, thanks to the syrup.

Reserve at room temperature until you need them. These will keep for weeks if covered and left somewhere not too humid.

For the black olive dust: Remove the pits from the olives. If you have an olive pitter— perfect! But if you don’t, simply crush the olives with the palm of your hand, a small pot, mallet, or side of your knife, then remove the pits.

Place the pitted olives in a single layer (with as little brine as possible) on a parchment paper–lined sheet tray. Heat the oven to 150 degrees. Place the tray in the oven overnight, until the olives are fully dried out.

The following morning, remove the tray and chop the dried olives with your knife until they resemble a dark powder. Do not use your food processor, as you might be tempted to, as the heat generated by the blade will turn the dried olives into a paste! Reserve the olive dust at room temperature, with a lid on. This will keep for a month easily.

For the tofu feta: Make a brine by mixing the water, salt, and herbes de Provence together. Cut the tofu into 4 even pieces and submerge it in the brine. Allow it to sit for at least 2 days, and up to 1 month in the fridge. Over the course of time, the outside of the tofu will turn slightly gray. This is normal and not hazardous. When ready to use, take a piece of the tofu and crumble it like you would a traditional feta cheese.

For the toasted pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss all ingredients together in a bowl and lay out on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, mixing every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking, until the pecans are fully toasted.

Remove the sheet from the oven, allow the nuts to cool, then store them in a closed container at room temperature until they are needed. They will keep for up to 3 weeks before they start to taste a bit stale.

To assemble: For each plate, use a brush or spoon to “paint” the ume-beet sauce onto the plate in a decorative fashion. Next, lay a few pieces of the pickled, roasted, and boiled beets on the bottom of the plate. Mix the greens with the olive oil and place on each plate, topping the first beets. Arrange the remaining pickled, roasted, and boiled beets on top of and around the greens, mixing the types up as you go to create a kaleidoscope of colors, textures, and flavors.

Crumble the tofu over top of the dish— it is salty, so you don’t want to overdo it. Garnish the salad with a few pecans and a sprinkle of black olive dust. Carefully place 4 to 5 pieces of the beet chips around the salad, standing them up if you like, to add a nice final touch to the plate. Serve immediately, as you do not want the salad to wilt!

This is a very popular dish at ZenKitchen. One of its attractions is that you can use pretty much whatever fresh produce you want! It varies with the seasons, based on what is local and available: bright fresh leafy bok choy and carrots in the summer or root vegetables in winter. The curry sauce provides a range of flavors, from lemongrass and galangal to chilies and cilantro. Note that we cook the sauce and vegetables separately, to ensure the vegetables retain their texture and color. We serve the curry over jasmine rice infused with Kaffir lime leaf, and offer pickled red onion and mango chutney on the side.

Thai-Inspired Green Curry

Serves 4

For the curry sauce:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 medium Spanish onion, coarsely chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 1½" piece galangal, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 stalks lemongrass, bruised and coarsely chopped

4 Thai chilies, stemmed

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 lime, peeled and minced

3 cups full-fat coconut milk

1 cup coconut cream

½ bunch cilantro, including stems

½ bunch Thai basil leaves

¼ cup lime juice

3 tablespoons agave syrup

1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the vegetables:

2 heirloom carrots, diced into ¾" cubes

½ head cauliflower, separated into bite-size florets

2 pieces Hakurei turnips, peeled and cut into 16 wedges

¼ cup grapeseed oil, as needed

Kosher salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 green zucchini, sliced lengthwise and then bias-cut (45-degree angle) ¼" thick

½ cup edamame, shelled and blanched

8 baby bok choy, halved

To assemble:

1½ cups jasmine rice

2 Kaffir lime leaves

½ cup crushed toasted cashews

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

For the curry sauce: Put the cumin and coriander seeds in a hot, dry frying pan and stir until they begin to brown. Remove immediately. (They will burn quickly.) When cool, grind in a mortar and pestle or clean coffee grinder. Put the onion, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, chilies, black pepper, and minced lime in a food processor with the cumin and coriander. Pulse until the mixture breaks down into an even consistency and everything is mixed together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go to ensure everything is being combined. Transfer the contents of the food processor to a heavy-bottomed saucepot. Add coconut milk and coconut cream and bring to a simmer; cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender.

Using a blender, puree the coconut curry mixture in batches with the cilantro and basil. After each batch has been blended completely and no large pieces of anything remain, pass it through a fine mesh strainer, using a ladle, into a clean bowl. Add the lime juice, agave syrup, and salt. Mix thoroughly with a whisk and taste. If the curry is too spicy, add a bit more agave syrup. Or, add more salt, lime juice, or chilies to taste. If not using the curry right away, cool it and store it in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

For the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the carrots, cauliflower, and turnips lightly with grapeseed oil, salt, and pepper and place on a tray in the preheated oven. Roast until slightly colored but still remaining slightly firm in the center— approximately 20 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and allow vegetables to cool to room temperature.

Get 4 dinner bowls ready.

Heat a deep-walled sauté pan or a wok over medium-high heat. Add grapeseed oil to coat the bottom of the pan, heat it up, then add the zucchini and sauté it for 1 minute to get some color on it. Next, add the carrots and turnips and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add the cauliflower and edamame and cook for 1 minute. Add the bok choy; 30 seconds later, add the curry sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and allow to cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes so that it reduces slightly and the vegetables will all be cooked through and hot.

To assemble: Rinse the jasmine rice in cold water and drain. Place the rice and Kaffir lime leaves in a heavy pot, and add 2¼ cups of cold water. Place the pot on a burner over high heat and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for about 12 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove the lime leaves before serving.

Transfer the rice to the center your bowls. Use a large spoon to scoop the vegetable mixture into the center of each bowl, on top of the rice. Try to divide the vegetables evenly among the bowls. Scatter some toasted cashews and sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately and enjoy!