Crossroads

I tend to write kind of deep blogs, so with the title of this one being “Crossroads,” you might think I am at it again.  But no!  I am keeping it light today, and reporting on one of the hottest new restaurants in the LA!

Crossroads, on trendy Melrose Avenue in LA, is now open for business, taking vegan cuisine to new heights.  No wonder – it’s owned by celebrity chef and author of The Conscious Cook, Tal Ronnen.  I’d heard Ellen DeGeneres was a fan, and sure enough, there she was with Portia DiRossi – a fun celebrity sighting!

But the food stole the show.  Crab cakes, lasagna, chicken parmesan, oysters and other vegan versions of non-vegan foods were to die for.  I hadn’t had some of these types of food since before I went vegan.  In a testament to its tastiness, I was there with my friend, Greg, who had never eaten at a vegan restaurant before.  He said he couldn’t tell the vegan parm (made with Gardein) wasn’t real chicken, and fawned over the crab cakes.  He kept asking, “These aren’t real oysters???  This isn’t real crab???” 

One of the great things about the restaurant is that the entire menu is made up of small plates – essentially appetizers.  So, instead of ordering an appy and an entrée, you order 6-8 small plates for two people, and get to try lots of different things. 

To make things better, the ambiance is that of a high-end restaurant.  Not that I don’t love the bright green walls, bright lights and animal rights pamphlets that decorate most vegan restaurants, but the low lighting, white tablecloths, and dark wood made you want to sit for a few hours and just hang out.  Which is exactly what Greg and I did!

The only critique I have is that many of the small plates weren’t garnished – I took photos of almost everything we ordered, but only have this one of the artichoke oysters that actually looked as good as it tasted.  The chicken parmesan, for example, just looked like a slab of cheesy chicken on a white plate – no parsley or anything to liven up the look.  Given the photos on their site, this surprised me, but it’s very minor in the scheme of things.

If you’ve ever been to Millennium and enjoyed it, you’ll really like Crossroads.  Chalk another one up for delicious vegan cuisine!  Bravo!