Chicago's Grace Restaurant Has an All-Vegetable Tasting Menu That Costs $185

Gone are the days of the token vegetarian dish. Now chefs are building elaborate tasting menus around seasonal produce

July 25, 2013

Hear that ruckus? It's the sound of sweet carrots and baby lettuces storming the menus at some of the world's best restaurants. Their co-conspirators? Big-deal chefs like Rene Redzepi and April Bloomfield, who are celebrating produce with a reverence formerly reserved for Wagyu beef. They're turning ingredients that used to be side dishes into centerpieces (even if it does involve some pork now and then--it's not a vegetarian revolution). For the ideas, tips, and recipes that prove there's never been a better time to eat your vegetables, see the whole feature here.

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First Course
Parsnip with dried pineapple and tarragon ice

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Second Course
Sweet pea with lime and radish

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Third Course
Beet with black garlic and sorrel

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Fourth Course
White asparagus with opal basil

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Fifth Course
Australian black truffle creme caramel with chive blooms

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Sixth Course
Maitakes with preserved daikon and coffee

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Seventh Course
Kalamansi citrus with Asian pear and black lime

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Eighth Course
Rhubarb with toasted brioche

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Ninth Course
Dark chocolate with cherries and hazelnuts

Gone are the days of the token vegetarian dish. Now chefs are building entire tasting menus around seasonal produce, as at Grace in Chicago, where the nine-course, $185 vegetable "Flora" menu is one of the restaurant's draws. (This one was photographed on June 7, 2013.)