Within the city of La Jolla, CA—roughly 15 miles northeast of sunny San Diego—locals are flocking to Ambrogio by Acquerello for town’s hottest, meat-free tasting menu.
Developed by Michelin-starred cooks Silvio Salmoiraghi and Choi Cheolhyeok, the vegetarian tasting menu at Ambrogio by Acquerello is described as “trendy Italian delicacies” and attracts further inspiration from France, Korea, Japan, and California.
The vegetarian tasting menu, aptly named “A Stroll within the Backyard,” is well made vegan by request. The prix-fixe menu treats diners to seven Michelin-star-worthy programs for $139 per particular person.
The vegan-friendly tasting menu at Ambrogio by Acquerello
At Ambrogio by Acquerello, restaurant visitors begin off with a vegan reimagining of sea bass made utilizing celery root and turnip ready within the vogue of Italy’s Liguria area. Tomato tartare that includes a contact of citrus and parsley is the star of the second course.
Ambrogio by Acquerello
The third course, Uovo al Verde—which interprets to “inexperienced egg”—is well veganized by the kitchen’s world-class culinarians. To accommodate vegan diners, cooks make the most of inexperienced greens to imitate the looks of an egg, Salmoiraghi notes. The yolk is recreated in additional methods than one; cooks depend on vegetable purée made out of leafy greens, chickpea- or almond-based spreads, or a carrot-based purée.
The restaurant’s fourth course, white chocolate and rhubarb sorbet, treats visitors to a contact of sweetness amid a primarily savory dinner service. The sorbet—which is vegan as-is—options citrusy notes of grapefruit juice, a splash of sugar, and a splash of martini. With the appearance of available vegan white chocolate, Salmoiraghi explains, vegans are simply accommodated.
Ambrogio by Acquerello
The fifth course is the tasting menu’s sole pasta dish: vegetarian parmesan linguine with a contact of mint for added freshness. For the plant-based crowd, this dish is made with an emulsion of oil and vegan cheese or a tofu-based cheese different.
Ambrogio by Acquerello’s trendy Italian delicacies, Salmoiraghi notes, breaks away from the widespread notion of pasta because the epitome of Italy’s diversified fare.
“In my view, trendy Italian delicacies can not merely be outlined as a dish of pasta or a selected preparation. Italian delicacies isn’t solely characterised by these widespread stereotypes, however slightly by the Italian method to cooking,” Salmoiraghi tells VegNews.
“When evaluating trendy Italian delicacies to what People usually think about as Italian delicacies, there could also be some variations by way of regional specialties, in style dishes, and cultural diversifications.”
“Nonetheless, the core rules of Italian delicacies—comparable to high quality elements, simplicity, and respect for flavors—stay on the coronary heart of each conventional and trendy Italian culinary practices, inside the framework of an genuine Mediterranean eating regimen,” he says.
For the sixth course, diners are handled to daikon foie, a vegan reimagining of foie gras. To attain the distinct flavors and textures of foie gras, cooks put together daikon turnips in “a fashion harking back to fatty liver.” The foundation vegetable is frivolously marinated for taste enhancement and tenderization. Then, it’s roasted in its pure juices to additional intensify taste and obtain the specified texture.
Ambrogio by Acquerello
“One of many key features of this vegan foie gras substitute is the caramelization step. With out using any animal fat or elements, we fastidiously caramelize the daikon throughout its cooking course of,” Salmoiraghi says. “This brings about a phenomenal golden-brown colour and provides depth to the flavour profile, harking back to the caramelized notes present in conventional foie gras.”
“By using these strategies and utilizing plant-based elements, we’re capable of create a daikon Rossini that captures the essence and indulgence of foie gras whereas adhering to a vegan method deeply rooted in our Italian heritage,” the chef explains.
For dessert, the seventh and remaining course, diners are handled to an assortment of vegan pastries and sweets. Choices vary from mini coconut-banana goodies, cannolis with pistachios, and blood orange tuile—a baked wafer with French origins.
The evolution of vegan high quality eating
At Ambrogio by Acquerello, Salmoiraghi and Cheolhyeok didn’t simply design the menu. The world-renowned cooks are additionally on rotation within the kitchen alongside the restaurant’s back-of-house employees, the place they masterfully put together the restaurant’s seven-course tasting menu.
Ambrogio by Acquerello
The pair can also be behind Michelin-starred restaurant Acquerello in Milan, Italy. At Ambrogio by Acquerello, Salmoiraghi is particularly poised to helm the restaurant’s vegetarian tasting menu, not just for his decades-long profession however for his specialty in meatless high quality eating.
Practically 30 years in the past, Salmoiraghi started his tenure at Joia, Italy’s first Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant. Salmoiraghi helped elevate meatless high quality eating at its creation, and at this time he continues ushering it into a brand new period.
“Since I began working at Joia in 1993, the world of vegetarian and vegan delicacies has undergone super evolution, notably within the high quality eating house,” Salmoiraghi says. “There have been important adjustments, primarily as a result of improve within the variety of individuals adopting vegetarian and vegan diets.”
“These days, with the supply of numerous elements and the emergence of progressive culinary strategies, it’s attainable to create vegan and vegetarian dishes that rival the feel and satisfaction of animal-based proteins,” he says.
Ambrogio by Acquerello isn’t the one fine-dining restaurant embracing meatless fare. Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles has lengthy been wowing diners with its all-vegan menu because it first opened 10 years in the past.
And extra lately, New York’s Eleven Madison Park made headlines after chef-owner Daniel Humm eliminated animal-based meals from the Michelin-starred restaurant’s menu—a transfer closely influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Final fall, the newly vegan fine-dining establishment made historical past after retaining its three Michelin stars.
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Jocelyn Martinez is an Affiliate Editor at VegNews residing in Los Angeles, CA.
