Vegan and French cuisine sound like quite the mismatch, but Delice & Sarrasin in Manhattan’s West Village makes it work. There aren’t that many vegan fine dining establishments, even in NYC, but this place qualifies. The ambience is elegant but not fussy.
My companion started with the French onion soup with faux Gruyère. We thought it was quite tasty, and the cheese was a decent replica of the real thing. I had vegan brie with tiny roasted potatoes and delicious bread. I also thought this brie was a good replica.
Often, vegan cheeses are disappointing. That said, if you’re accustomed to dairy, you might still find these vegan versions to be inadequate. As someone who can’t have dairy, I thought they were divine!
Other appetizers on the menu include oyster mushrooms as escargots and tahini paté as foie gras.
For my main course, I ordered the boeuf bourguignon, which was made from pea protein. The sauce was delicious, and I thought the pea protein created a nice texture. While it wasn’t exactly like beef, it was a reasonable facsimile. I enjoyed it immensely.
My companion was less impressed with her main course crab cake with Brussels sprouts. She felt it didn’t really taste better than the frozen vegetarian crab cakes you can buy at the grocery store.
For dessert, we shared an orange crème brulée, which we both agreed was excellent. We didn’t miss the dairy at all.
Without wine, the two of us spent just over $100, including tip. This is a small place, so reservations are imperative. We were happy with the service, but on a particularly cold night, the restaurant’s heating system wasn’t doing a good enough job. We were seated near a closed door that wasn’t insulated well. I’m sure it’s fine on nights that aren’t exceptionally cold.
I will definitely visit Delice & Sarrasin again to try some of their other dishes, such as classic coq au vin or a seitan version of duck, as well as a different dessert like dairy-free dark chocolate mousse, one of many crepes on offer, or lavender-infused rice pudding.
Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.
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