19 May 2010

DeepWood (the vegetarian menu)


DeepWood is a fantastic Columbus restaurant that caters to its vegetarian clientele with as much passion as it does to meat eaters on the other side of the aisle. Previously, I reviewed my lunch experience at DeepWood; this time, I will cover the even-more-spectacular vegetarian menu.

The menu consists of five vegetarian appetizers, two salads, a soup and five vegetarian entrees. Prices are noticeably more inexpensive than those on the general purpose menu.

The meal started with an amuse bouche, a breaded ball of saffron rice and soft white cheese. It was flavorful, with hints of saffron and basil combined with the bright, rich taste of cream.

Appetizer choices for the night included a fresh mozzarella trio, pretzel dumplings with honey mustard and fresh horseradish, avocado spring rolls, a portabella mushroom tart in a muscat reduction, a pea and parmesan dip, a currant and pecan salad with red and green lettuce, a beet salad and the soup of the day (I missed its description).

I chose the mozzarella trio, which consisted of a vine-ripened tomato and citrus crostini, shaved asparagus and mozzarella in a balsamic reduction and a Caprese preparation with a mozzarella slice, tomato and basil leaf in a light drizzle of olive oil. The trio ran the gamut from hot to cold, sweet to sour, and even bright to understated. The asparagus on melted cheese with hints of lemon was particularly great, although all three preparations were excellent.

The entree options were a portabella tian with roasted eggplant, peppers, wilted spinach and chick pea cake in an herb sauce, a lentil patty with spinach, carmelized onion bread and avocado ketchup with a grilled onion and and tomato salad, roasted pepper stuffed with white bean, currant, pine nuts, spinach and parmesan brulee in a minted sauce verte, soft poached eggs with asparagus, mushroom grits, manchego cheese and truffle oil, and house-made spaghetti with broccoli, white wine, garlic, chili flake and toasted bread crumbs.

The tian was a great contrast of earthy and fresh flavors. The chick pea cake was a crispy explosion of flavor. The herb sauce, mushrooms and eggplant ribbons provided great accents. The plating was striking. The dish was a winner.

The beverage menu at DeepWood is outstanding. Wine choices from the bottle and by the glass are a trip from Old World classics to New World favorites. The cocktail and beer selections are also fantastic.

The range of options on the vegetarian menu means that the staff should have no trouble offering a vegetarian degustation. No matter which way you approach the DeepWood experience, however, it's definitely worth the trip.


DeepWood Vegetarian

DeepWood on Urbanspoon

6 comments:

queenbea said...

Oooh, sounds great! Did you notice whether any of these items were vegan? And did you just request the vegetarian menu upon arrival?

deraj1013 said...

You can ask for the vegetarian menu when you arrive. I didn't inquire about vegan choices this time; however, the staff is fairly accommodating, so I imagine that if you called ahead, they might be able to prepare vegan items.

If I had to guess, the salads were both vegan, I believe the avocado spring rolls were vegan, and the only entree that was obviously not vegan was the poached egg. Again, I failed to ask about vegan dining concerns, but if I had to guess, I'm sure they could work something out with advance notice.

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queenbea said...

The husband and I celebrated our anniversary at DeepWood. It was great! I never would have known they have a vegetarian menu if not for your blog-- thanks!

P.S. We had the pretzel dumplings (divine) and the avocado spring rolls to start. I had the tian, and husband had the lentil patty-- it was all delish!

deraj1013 said...

It's an great place that I always wish was more crowded.

Someone Said said...

I've walked by there several times and as a meat eater, liked the menu I saw in the window but my wife is vegetarian. I had no idea they offered a separate menu, thanks.