Bull City Vegan Challenge- Rue Cler

Blog #4 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

It was nearing the end of the Bull City Vegan Challenge month we still had more places to try. Not all of the places were open to adapting their vegan challenge options to be gluten free, but Rue Cler was! They were able to prepare the three course vegan menu for me gluten free, while John ordered the menu items as they were.

• Frisée Salad with Pommes Frites, House Made Vegan Bacon, Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette, Warm Vegan Cheese Croutons
• Vegetable Rillettes, House Made Hemp Seed Crackers, Arugula Salad
• Spicy Lentil Sausage, Corona Bean Ragout, Sautéed Greens, Mushroom Veloute
  

Eleni, Rob, and Chef Shirle' walked in while we were waiting on our dinner to interview the participating chefs for the documentary. We chatted with them for a while and then they went on their way to the next restaurant. Shortly after, our first dish came out. I couldn't have the vegan bacon or the croutons, so the chef prepared me a frisée salad with a lovely French lentil mixture with a light vinaigrette. John had the salad as it was on the menu. We both loved our salads. I enjoyed the lentils paired with the frisée. I normally wouldn't go out of my way to get frisée, but for this salad I will!

Our second course came out shortly after we finished the salads. Rue Cler was kind enough to buy rice crackers because I could not have their hemp crackers. The crackers were served along with a vegetable rillettes. I loved the flavor and practically licked the plate when I finished. I almost asked them to bring me another helping of the rillettes. John seemed to like this course as well. I can't say for sure what was in this spread. It could have been lentils, garbonzo beans, or another type of bean. It didn't particularly taste like a bean so it was hard to tell. All that matters was that it was tasty!

The third and final course contained a spicy lentil sausage with a mushroom veloute that John said was delicious. The sausage had wheat gluten so I received a substitute of asparagus. Both of our dishes contained corona bean ragout with spinach and carrots. Neither of us had ever tasted corona beans before and we both enjoyed their flavor and texture. They resemble the lima bean, but taste nothing like it. The texture and flavor are not chalky like lima beans tend to be. I'll have to keep my eyes out in the store for these beans.

Overall, this was one of the most impressive presentations that we had during the challenge. The wait staff was so kind and the chefs were accommodating and even went out of there way to buy special crackers for me. (I called ahead, of course). Now that the challenge is over, I am interested in going back to see what other amazing vegan dishes they can come up with. Great job, Rue Cler!