VeganSecretSupper {Goodbye, Brooklyn Part 3}

Chef Merida hosts Vegan Secret Supper-s in her apartment in Brooklyn.

And a 4-course, from-scratch, all-vegan, local, and organic high-end break from cleaning out the last of my life in Brooklyn is just what I needed. Like me, Vegan Secret Supper (VSS) is moving on from Brooklyn. The Chef is heading back to Canada to pop-up in Vancouver and Montreal. And despite CandyPenny‘s and my aversion to communal dining, we were happy to have gotten a reservation to one of the last of her dinner parties in the country.

First course: Cream of celeraic soup with baby bok choy and pain l’ancienne. Flavorful and alive with herbs, this was a great winter soup.

Second course: Russet apple, pear, watermelon radish, diakon and cashew cheese with raw olives, shiso and sesame. The cashew cheese was the star here, tying all the bright and fresh components together in a velvety smooth savory bite. The texture was unreal, unlike any cashew cheese I had ever tasted, as if it was pushed through a fine sieve repeatedly by angels. I would have loved a juicy pop of freshness amongst the roots and greens.

Third course: Sprouted walnut and lentil cake with tahini, avocado, roasted black carrot, crispy onions and yam chips.   This was a hardy yet delicate entree. The lentil cake was earthy and satisfying and topped with gorgeous black carrots.

Missing the chalkboard menu with its description, we were baffled by what this dessert was. First, we thought, a bit disappointingly, that we were being served ice cream. When we broke our spoons into the smooth white lump, it was astonishing. The texture was indistinguishable as I never had anything like it. The smoothness, the creaminess–the vegan world could surely learn a thing or two from Chef Merida’s technique and artistry.

Dessert course: White chocolate cashew mousse in a white chocolate shell with pomegranate reduction, oat tulle and herbal root beer foam. We saw the sign.

Goodnight, Brooklyn.