Plant Food + Wine

Plant Food + Wine Restaurant Review:

Food is an artful affair at Matthew Kenney’s Plant Food + Wine. Rightfully positioned along Abbot Kinney's impossibly boho-chic strip of restaurants and shops, this temple to plant-based cuisine is where the vegans go when they want pretty food in a pretty setting. (Although you'll find plenty of adventurous non-vegans in the mix.) The clean, modern lines of the interior – white walls, marble tables, French oak floors – are a soothing segue to the lush, rustic outdoor patio replete with a canopy of light-wrapped olive trees, edible garden and a cozy wine cottage that beckons for a private dinner. (Oh, did we mention the culinary school above the patio? Yes, there's that, too.) Although Kenney has made a name for himself with his raw edibles, the menu here offers mostly cooked dishes highlighting seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, not to mention a sizable wine list of organic and biodynamic varietals. To start, order the house-made cheese plate – choose between two to four – served with pickled fruits and vegetables, whole mustard seeds and dehydrated almond-fennel crackers. Since there is no dairy in the food here, the flavors and textures are different than conventional versions, but the smoked cheddar (made from cashews and macadamia nuts) has a satisfyingly woodsy quality while the white truffle cashew cheese is a savory delight. Speaking of cheese, the tangy cashew raclette drizzled with paprika oil is a must – scooped and slathered on the accompanying grilled toast, this dish hits the right texture ratio of creamy-to-crusty. The sword leaf Caesar salad, as its name aptly suggests, is a pile of giant sword-like romaine leaves dressed in a creamy sunflower dressing dotted with capers and an intense dusting of nori flakes that impart a briny, oceanic taste. When it comes to the entrees, there is plenty to choose from, but you can't go wrong with the wild mushrooms served atop pomme puree (aka chunky mashed potatoes) and wilted greens – it's like a vegan version of meat and potatoes. Finish on a sweet note with the chocolate plate of chewy brownie bites, aerated chocolate crisps, salted chocolate truffles and bon bons filled with passion fruit. But if you want something just as exciting in liquid form, do the turmeric tea latte – this golden milk is a sweet, spicy and simple mouth-pleasing revelation.