after mr. meaner took a short business trip out of town, we decided to celebrate his return by doing it up classy style with dinner at xiv. fortunately, this happened to coincide with dineLA restaurant week, when xiv was offering the 8 course vegan tasting menu for $44 instead of $64. despite the fact that xiv had been tweeting about their vegan dineLA special and other bloggers had enjoyed it before us, our waitress said she didn’t know anything about it but would honor the discount anyway. obviously there was a lack of communication on the restaurant’s part about the offer…but at least we got the dineLA price in the end.

japanese mountain caviar, sliced radish, dill syrup

we opted to select our own courses (rather than leave it up to the chef), our first one being japanese mountain caviar. the dish is made from a seed called tonburi, and has a very similar texture to caviar without all the gross sliminess.

beet carpaccio, heart of romaine, cherry tomatoes, horseradish

next up, we had the beet carpaccio served with romaine and cherry tomatoes. carpaccio usually refers to raw meat sliced super thin and served as an appetizer…what a clever idea to do it with beets instead! although this course was ultra-simple, it was one of our favorites.

cauliflower tempura, edamame, passion fruit, almonds

course # 3 was cauliflower tempura fried up with passion fruit and almonds. we also had this dish on our first visit to xiv, and all these months later it’s still just as good. this is the best vegetable tempura i’ve ever tasted, and it is a MUST for vegan diners at xiv.

mustard greens, cantaloupe melon, baby basil, tomato broth

we also had the mustard greens with cantaloupe, basil and tomato broth. the broth was outstanding and the delicate greens were perfectly seasoned. this was also one of the more simple dishes, but quite tasty nonetheless.

king trumpets mushrooms, arugula, figs, hazelnuts

the king trumpets mushrooms with arugula and hazelnuts was outstanding. super succulent mushrooms, leafy greens and sweet crunchy nuts—there were so many great flavors in this thing. my only complaint is that it was drenched in a balsamic sauce that was a tad overwhelming. good…just a little saucy.

charred broccoli rabe, sushi rice cake, white soy vinaigrette

next up, we have the charred broccoli rabe served on a sushi rice cake. the rice was fried and perfectly crispy, while the broccoli was soft and delicate. a+!

vegetarian falafel burger, michael's mother's recipe, tahini

for course 7, we ordered the vegetarian falafel burger which came with tahini and a small glass of fries with ketchup (not pictured). this course was a bit more substantial than the others and we both loved it. the falafel was slightly softer than the ones i’m used to and was packed with delicious seasoning. it didn’t have an overwhelmingly fried taste, so all the flavors could really shine. this is another dish i would highly recommend that all xiv vegan diners try.

coconut sorbet, peanut butter crunch, basil syrup

for our final and dessert course, we opted for the coconut sorbet with peanut butter crunch and basil syrup. man, if you like peanut butter you are gonna love this thing. extra sugary and crispy, the little pb nuggets went down great with the cool ice cream and flavorful syrup.

overall, our tasting menu was wonderful. so many distinct and interesting flavors, so beautifully presented. but don’t go to xiv JUST for the food—the restaurant also offers a delicious selection of cocktails, our favorite being the scottish mule. this thing is so refreshing with hendrick’s gin, cucumber and fresh lime.

scottish mule: hendrick's cucumber, fresh lime, ginger beer. $13

even after the $40 dineLA discount, our check with the tasting menu, cocktails, and a bottle of wine came to over $200. and unlike on our last visit, the service this time left a little to be desired. first off the chick was kinda weird about honoring the dineLA price, then a waiter kept bumping into my chair as he was chatting it up with the table next to us. that being said, we had a lovely time and i will definitely be back to xiv. the prices are high, but the food is incredible and the fine-dinging experience is unmatched. every los angeles vegan owes it to themselves to try xiv at least once.

xiv
8117 Sunset Blvd. at Crescent Heights
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-656-1414

when we arrived, the restaurant wasn’t very crowded and we leisurely sunk a few cocktails before placing our order. the pink drink above was mine…and it was so damn good, i can’t even remember its name. if you like fancy drinks though, street is your place. their cocktails and sangria are absolutely amazing, and they even have a drink made with absinthe on the menu!

our waitress presented us with the special dineLA menus, and when we told her we were vegans, she rushed to the kitchen to speak with the chef. she returned quickly with a list of modifications we could make to each item in order to veganize it, and our restaurant week experience was underway!

indian vada dumplings (veganized): crispy dal fritters topped with mince sauce and tamarind date chutney

it turns out the dineLA appetizer, indian vada dumplings, could easily be made vegan by leaving off the yogurt topping. the “crispy dal fritters” were soft little fried balls that melted in my mouth immediately, with flavorful dollops of mint sauce and chutney. they were so rich, that eating several of them would probably result in a massive food coma…but in moderation they were delicious.

side note: with our appetizer, a server brought some round millet cakes to the table. jennshaggy took a bite of one and thought it tasted weird, and just a moment later our waitress came rushing to our table, grabbing for the dish and exclaiming, “don’t eat that! it has marshmallow in it!” ewwwwwwwwwwwww, fucking gross. it had been sent to our table by mistake. if you are ever at street, stay away from these things.

new jerusalem bread salad (veganized): chopped salad with jerusalem artichoke, persian cucumber, tomato, parsley leaves and greens; tossed with cumin toasted olive bread drizzled with warm sumac oil and fresh lemon

for our salad course, we had two vegan options. i chose the new jerusalem bread salad with no feta (pictured above), and jennshaggy went with the scandinavian beet and apple salad with no croutons (pictured below). the new jerusalem bread salad was phenomenal, a whole world of unfamiliar and delicious tastes. tender artichokes, baby cucumbers, fresh leaves and soft bread…everything was delicate and perfect. it was tangy and refreshing, smooth and not overly oily. the best salad i’ve had in a long, long time. jennshaggy was also quite pleased with the beet and apple salad, and praised everything as being extremely well-seasoned.

scandinavian beet & apple salad (veganized): slow roasted beets with apple, black currant, watercress and toasted walnut in a juniper vinaigrette

when it came to side dishes, there were several vegan options including broccoli, sweet potatoes, and corn. we both opted for the roman broccoli—tender rapini cooked with olive oil, garlic, and red chile flake. while the broccoli was good and i ate it all, i wasn’t blown away by it. it tasted a little overcooked and soggy all at once. next time, i’m going for the sweet potatoes.

roman broccoli: tender rapini slow cooked with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and red chile flake

when it came to entrees on the dineLA menu, street was able to veganize two of them. jennshaggy got the lamb kofta and falafel salad, but without the lamb or tzatziki. her plate arrived with a big pile of homemade falafel salad, a mound of baba ganouj, a bowl of tahini dressing, and a stack of lavash bread to make it all into little wraps. i tasted everything on her plate and it was all awesome, especially the tiny little falafel balls. they were crispy around the edges, soft inside, and slightly spicy….everything i require from falafel. while this meal was excellent, it might not be such a great deal…considering it was a meat dish without the meat, and no new vegan ingredient in its place.

falafel salad: a salad of homemade marble sized falafel fritters tossed in crispy eggplant, tomato, cucumber, pickled radish shaved lettuce; served with thin lavash wraps, tahini hot sauce, baba ganouj and lemon oil

for my entree, i went with the spicy peanut noodles, which are vegan when ordered without egg. the noodles were soft and lightly coated in sticky peanut sauce, and the thinly sliced vegetables and tofu were cooked perfectly. although it was a simple dish, this entree packed tons of flavor and was really well-prepared.

spicy peanut noodles with vegetables (veganized): flat rice noodles tossed with long beans, eggplant, carrot, zucchini, and tofu in toasted sesame peanut sauce

unfortunately street wasn’t able to accommodate us with a vegan dessert option (although i don’t even see dessert listed on their online dineLA menu), and when we asked if that meant we could get a discount, they said no but offered to bring us a plate of berries. BERRIES?! no thanks…we were pretty stuffed anyways. so that was that.

overall i thoroughly enjoyed my vegan dineLA meal at street, but next time i think it would be a better deal to just order off the regular menu. street has so many appetizing vegan options available, but most of them were off limits to us because we were constrained to the dineLA options. the atmosphere at street is top notch, the food is great, and the drinks are incredible. i will definitely be back soon.

susan feniger’s street
742 N. Highland
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 203-0500