The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas is celebrating World Vegan Month (November) with more than 50 plant-based dishes. The resort will present elevated vegan menus, with many new plant-based dishes, at all of its signature restaurants starting on November 1.
The resortâs location of Hong Kong import Mott 32 is recreating more than a dozen of its signature dishes for World Vegan Month to expand its existing vegan options. The eateryâs Peking duck got a vegan makeover with tofu skins taking the place of meat while coconut meat stands in for squid in Mott32âs Salt & Pepper Squid dish. The eatery also remade its popular Shanghainese Soup Dumplings, Stir-Fried Beef, and Signature Smoked Cod using plant-based meat alternatives.
Celebrity chef David Changâowner of the famed Momofuku chain of restaurants and an early supporter of plant-based company Impossible Foodsâis getting in on the World Vegan Month celebration at his Majordomo Meat & Fish restaurant inside The Venetian. At the Asian-American steakhouse and seafood restaurant, Chef Chang concocted a new vegan option, âMacaroni with hozon,â which he spikes with a fermented chickpea miso to add an element of umami without using dairy cheese.
âIt sounds a little bit crazyâbut itâs a play on macaroni and cheese,â Chef Chang said in a statement. âWe make our own proprietary fermented chickpeaâwe basically make miso out of it. When you ferment it, it has a lot of notes of parmesanâthat natural umami is developed. Itâs the same flavors that I find in Pecorino Romano and really good aged parmesan. I was like âwhy donât we turn that into a pasta dish?â Believe it or not, there is no cheese in it. But when you taste it, it tastes so familiar, like the best version of mac and cheese youâve ever had.â
Other restaurants at The Venetian resort will also highlight their existing vegan fare, including famed French eatery Bouchonâa favorite of the late Anthony Bourdainâwhich offers the âVegan Chopâ a mixture of grain and mushroom formed into the shape of a pork chop and served with seasonal vegetables. The Venetian location of New York Cityâs Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer is also serving Vegan Nashville Hot (a portabello burger topped with hot sauce) and a Vegan Black ân White CakeShake (an over-the-top milkshake accented with a black ân white cake slice, vegan whipped cream, a vanilla frosted rim with chocolate chips, and a finishing chocolate drizzle).
The Venetian goes big on World Vegan Month
In addition to individual vegan dishes at its restaurants, The Venetianâs BRERA osteriaâan upscale Italian eatery helmed by chef Angelo Aurianaâwill offer a new four-course vegan tasting menu. Here, guests will be treated to an Insalata course (with a choice of two vibrant salad appetizers); a pasta course (with two choices between garganelli made with san marzano tomatoes, Romanesco, garlic breadcrumbs or farro risotto with garbanzo beans, parsley, roasted eggplant crema, and extra virgin olive oil); and a âsecondoâ course (with three choices between spiced polenta, gremolata-topped cauliflower, or eggplant). For the dolce (dessert) course, Chef Auriana will serve a coconut tapioca pudding with passion fruit sauce and seasonal berries.
âVegans are often forgotten so we created a new menu that is plant basedâand full of flavorâ using the freshest seasonal ingredients with an artistic presentation,â Chef Auriana said in a statement. âWe have even gotten positive reviews from our regular meat-eating clientele.â
At his other restaurant inside The Venetian, Matteoâs Ristorante Italiano, Chef Auriana is also adding a new vegan pasta dish made with freshly extruded garganelli pasta, zucchini, nardello peppers, basil, and spicy tomato crema. âIt is so rich and creamy, guests wonât notice we donât use cheese,â Che Auriana said in a statement.
The Venetian is also home to the Las Vegas stripâs first vegan restaurant Truth & Tonic, which opened last January inside the resortâs spa. Wellness company Canyon Ranch transformed the existing cafĂ© inside its spa into Truth & Tonic to keep up with its clienteleâs growing shift-toward plant-based foods. During World Vegan Month (and all other months) the eatery offers its wellness-focused menus prepared by Chef Pete Ghione. For breakfast, Truth & Tonic offers JUST Egg scrambles, burritos filled with soyrizo, and plant-based frittatas complete with vegan cheddar cheese. The lunch menu offers hearty entrees such as vegan chicken avocado wraps, housemade veggie burgers, and tacos filled with a choice of grilled portabello mushrooms, soyrizo, or chimichurri vegan chicken.
Vegan on in Las Vegas
In recent years, Las Vegans got many more vegan options. In 2019, NoButcher opened as the cityâs first vegan butcher shop with a large deli case to showcase the companyâs vegan meat products (such as NoTurkey, NoPepperoni, and NoBacon), a dine-in area with communal seating (for guests to enjoy deli items such as vegan pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad), and a drive-thru for customers who are short on time.
Beloved vegan taco shop Tacotarian has been operating in the city since 2018. From recreating birria (goat meat) from plant-based ingredients to constructing the largest vegan taco in the universe (a whopping seven-inch monster it launched for World Vegan Day 2019), Tacotarian has been living up to its motto to âturn Vegas vegan one taco at a time.â Which rang particularly true in March when Vice President Kamala Harris stopped in for a few tacos to fit into her âvegan before 6pmâ lifestyle.
For more about vegan food in Las Vegas, read:
A Professional Veganâs Guide To Las Vegas
Las Vegas Launches First Vegan Tacos And Beer Fest
First Las Vegas Vegan Culinary School To Open This Spring
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Source: Vegnews.com