The All-Vegan Tasting Menu
In art and in cooking, we often focus on the techniques and products we enjoy showcasing, those that naturally capture our attention and invite our energy. This January, we’re highlighting local produce through our first entirely-vegan tasting menu.
It’s rare to find a vegan tasting menu, but the greatest challenge has little to do with protein content or delicious substitutions. The real test is more basic:
“Vegetable cookery is the most difficult,” Chef Aaron says. “If you over or under cook something, it’s incredibly obvious. And produce isn’t uniform - you have to pay extra attention. For example, the carrots we get are all different sizes. But because I’ve been cooking for so long, the menu is less difficult and more creatively exciting. It’s not a matter of substituting. It’s a matter of creating and executing.”
A fully-vegan menu also means we can solely focus on local farmers.Surrell sources a majority of its produce through Evergreen United Food Hub, a network of Puget Sound’s most diversified farmers. Evergreen United has been essential in connecting us to local producers, as well as ensuring consistent, local sourcing for various restaurants in the Seattle area. Most farms are located well within 100 miles of the restaurant. And let’s not forget our Washington wine pairing, which exclusively features wines grown and produced in Washington state.
Sourcing locally means that seasonality is the biggest determining factor of the menu. We’ll be in the heart of stored vegetable and cultivated mushroom season - quite different from summer’s abundance. But Chef Aaron suggests that “winter vegetables make a more satisfying meal. You can infuse root vegetables with a lot of flavor and expose them to a variety of techniques without sacrificing the integrity of the produce.” While dishes will be consistent with Surrell’s style (think bold flavors, deep braises, and wood fires) the produce from Evergreen will see some uncommon techniques, including a few Surrell signature preparations.
It’s been a long time coming, and we’ve put our hearts into developing a thoughtful, creative, and inclusive dining experience. We hope to see you there!
Reservations are available here: https://www.exploretock.com/surrell/experience/381669/125-vegan-tasting-menu-at-surrell?date=2023-01-25&size=2&time=20%3A00
