Vividly Vegan
by Chevalier Les Fleischer and Dame de la Chaîne Pam Fleischer
The Bailliage of Greater Washington gathered on May 6 th at the most extraordinary restaurant. Elizabeth’s is located in downtown DC at 1341 L Street NW. As you drive down L Street (one way, west to east) the restaurant is immediately recognizable by the gorgeous, polished brass handrail leading up the stairs from the street level to the brilliant and intimate Onyx Bar. Once inside, you go up the stairs to the beautifully decorated dining room with subtle apricot walls and gilt framed Romantic paintings. The setting is just the beginning, providing a special space for the innovative, exciting menu.
Elizabeth Petty opened her restaurant in 2009 as a vegan showcase, and it has remained such since then. Classically trained Chef Francisco Hernandez has been offering exceptional vegan dishes at Elizabeth’s for over a decade. Emma Rose, the articulate Sommelier, received her Introductory diploma through the Court of Master Sommeliers. She is currently studying for the Certified level exam.
The Bailliage of Greater Washington sees part of our mission to explore fine gastronomy in all its variations. This restaurant does not attempt to duplicate the textures of animal proteins. Instead, with great creativity, Chef Hernandez has created a new cuisine. The dishes are beautiful, delicate and flavorful. The ingredients are treated with great care and respect. Who knew that it could take three days to properly dehydrate a beet. and then turn it into something unique and yet, familiar.
Once arriving upstairs, we were offered a vegan jalapeño popper with sriracha and dill as well as a pastry stuffed with an almond based yuzu and white balsamic poppy pearls topped with micro flowers. From a biodynamic vineyard, Domaine Barmes-Buecher Cremant d’Alsace 2021 was passed.
At this point, some of us, being impressed by these morsels, began to discuss the soundtrack that could accompany the food and we would suggest that you play some early John Coltrane as you read on.
The Amuse Duo was offered: Opening and Upward; the “opening” being fermented fennel seed sausage and lime-truffle cream and the “upward,” sunchoke soup with purple cabbage and candied orange peel. Cantine Lunae, a 2023 Vermentino from Tuscany was a crisp, light, and bright complement.
A Grignolino 2022 from Castello di Neive, a light red with rose water notes introduced the Rainbow Moon: beet tartare, almond cheese, with Buddha’s hand citrus surrounded by cream of tarragon and rosewater. The textures and tastes were perfectly balanced.
The next course, Sedna had beluga lentils marinated for three days with lime and dill and confit artichoke and romesco. Complementing the course, Aspromonte 2021, Calabrian Mantonico Bianco with a bit of skin contact, aged in stainless steel and then oak, was poured. A blood orange sorbet intermezzo cleansed our palates perfectly as we soon tasted Mycelium and Mezcal, grilled lion’s mane and porcini mushrooms sauced with tamarind tequila barbecue, balanced with purple potato. An Austrian Blaufrankisch 2022 from Heidi Schrock and Sohne paired beautifully with the course.
Finally, cacao-horchata ice cream, rhubarb gel, and calvillo guava and vanilla cheesecake capped the meal and was paired with Pedro Ximenez Sherry followed by a Patrick Bottex, Vin de Bugey-Cerdon La Cuille from the French Swiss Border. We knew that we had experienced the vision and perfect execution of plant based cusine.
Bailli Judy Mazza presented owner, Elizabeth Petty, with a Chaîne plate as a token of our gratitude for an extraordinary evening. Those in attendance remarked that it would be difficult to explain the sumptuousness of this feast. Frankly, you had to be there to experience fine-dining vegan cuisine at its finest.
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