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FANTASTIC! I joined Chowhound just to rave about this place. We didn't think much of it when we arrived, and were somewhat annoyed that we were lead to an earlier reservation, despite the fact that the place remained empty while we were there. However, the Shepard's Pie was pretty much the best vegan entree I've ever eaten. More like a coconut based basil stew with great, fresh, well cooked broccoli rabe, red pepper, asparagus, potatoes and golden beets, topped with an incredible (margarine-infused?) mound of mashed potatoes. I just ate the leftovers for lunch and am still amazed by the deliciousness...
The appetizer was humongous, about 12 3-inch "plantains" which were actually tostones, and very tasty. The cubano plate was also quite good, fried empanadas were really decadent. And, no fooling, despite being dairy free, this was NOT light fare. Dessert was also great - we had the toffee hazelnut chocolate thing, which was good, not the best vegan dessert I've ever had, though. I think the location is going to make things difficult for them, but I really hope people try it, because we thought it was totally worth the elevated prices. The portions were huge.
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KatChow
Feb 9, 2010 06:28 PM
Tried Thoreau tonight with two vegetarian girlfriends. The dining room is minimalist, but has a much warmer decor than the space's previous occupant, Root. To start we shared the Green Curry Mango Summer Rolls and the Sliders. The curry gave the rolls a great smokey taste and the Belgian frites served with the sliders were wonderfully crisp and tasty. The brioche rolls that the sliders were served on were perfect. Each appetizer was very well sized to share among three and could have easily been an ample entree. For mains, two of us ordered the Cubano Supper and one ordered the Blue Plate. I didn't try the Blue Plate myself but the presentation was attractive and my friend enjoyed it. Instead of one large empanada the Cubano consisted of three small empanadas surrounding a yellow tomato napolean. The presentation was extremely visually appealing and the dish was extremely tasty as well. The sunflower seed component of the pesto added a heartiness that really made the dish special imho. I felt the portions were very generous and we all had leftover to take home. I was disappointed that we were all too full to try dessert. Service was very attentive, however the restaurant wasn't crowded most likely in part due to the fact that the second wave of the Great Snow of 2010 had already begun. We will all return with our meat-eating SOs. Note that Thoreau is a BYO for Feb and Mar as they are in the process of obtaining a liquor license.
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