Veggie Delight at Vermilion

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, September 17th, 2009

I can remember eating a lot of “Veggie Delights” from Subway,  a sub that amounted to basically the garnish vegetables from the sandwich menu stuffed into foamy wheat bread with such copious amounts of mayonnaise that Larry the Lifeguard from the 1970s PSA “Don’t Drown Your Food” would have immediately broken into warbly admonishings if he had been present. A side of potato chips (original Lay’s) and a tall root beer completed some half-hearted flirtations with vegetarianism, but never very inspired (or healthy) meals.

Even though quite a bit has changed in regard to meatless offerings on restaurant menus, it’s hard to ignore that vegetarian dining options, save for a hastily thrown together mish mash from the back of the house, are still slim pickings, even at fine dining establishments.

Going veg in Northern Virginia just got A LOT better, however, with Vermilion’s unveiling of a vegetarian tasting menu.

Gut Check reported last week that Chef Tony Chittum was on the precipice of presenting his vegetarian line-up, a tasting menu that one of the restaurant’s owners, Michael Babin, describes as a “higher commitment” to its vegetarian clientele.

And last night Chef Tony made good on that commitment to Vermilion’s meat-avoiding customers in both technical preparation, creativity and taste. 

The evening began with a refreshing tomato and watermelon “consume” with pickled okra paired with heirloom tomato, spicy pimento dip and crispy okra that was bright and refreshing in both liquid and solid form.  Then we were off and running, ready to see if a total vegetarian menu could classify as satiating for the carnivores in the room.

One of the first courses to come out was on ode to summer squash manifested in the form of a rainbow of “carpaccio” complemented by a crispy squash blossom that housed a piece of meaty, smoked mozzarella enveloped in red pepper puree. A dish that was just as satisfying as any meat based entrée thanks to the heft of the mozzarella.

A real stunner was the cauliflower soup. An ambitious combination of grilled tofu, Marcona almonds, golden raisins, and a smoky golden curry froth. The sweetness of the raisins contrasted well with the soft kick of the curry, while the Marcona almonds acted as an amenable bridge between the two creating a tertiary taste all its own. It was hard not to forgo the spoon and inhale the whole bowl in one gigantic slurp.

Although pesto roasted cremini mushrooms with russet potato gnocchi was not the most dramatic item on the menu, it sang with all of the conviction of summer’s last gasp as the comforting familiarity of crispy Thai basil and soft gnocchi worked together to bring memories of mid-summer front and center.

And speaking of drowning, the closer of affogatto with malted chocolate ice cream and chocolate donuts (complemented by a fortified Jumilla made from Monastrell grapes) left cocoa addicts quite pleased with the ability to dunk the soft center of the donuts into the cup of affogatto to absorb the caffeine-infused goodness of the espresso.  The anti-chocolate offering (it was hard for me to believe, too, but some individuals do not adore chocolate) of orange meringue, cantaloupe ice cream and honeydew soup was summer in a spoon. Orange meringues were as firm as sugar cookies, but dissolved instantaneously upon popping them into your mouth, and the orange infusion of flavor was reminiscent of Grand Mangier, not overpowering, but decidedly present.

Come to think of it, a vegetarian friend of ours is coming to visit in a few weeks and now I know just where to take him for a meatless night out. That is if I don’t go back myself to indulge in some veggie delights before his arrival.

–Amy Loeffler

 

*The tasting menu will change according to the availability of seasonal ingredients, but if last night’s iteration is any indication of what diners can expect from Vermilion you may start holding your other favorite restaurants to this standard of vegetarian dining.

Tags: Tony Chittum, vegetarian, Vermilion