High Waisted Trousers
Manolo Blahnik
The bread course at Lilac is not for the weak because there are several items to share. Every time I come here, they always have gluten-free options for me.
For one night, only two Michelin starred restaurants (chefs) came together to present a completely vegetarian multicoursed meal.
The pasta dish and tamale.
Although I felt the courses on average were small it was enough food for me. I did not eat anything else the rest of the night and I ate breakfast as normal the next day (same for hubs and he finished every course).
This was a little coconut candy that they gave us when we were closing out; they usually always have a little candy or something like that at the end.
Lilac
The Tampa Edition
Tonight, the bread course is inspired by the menu collaboration with Mita. The tajin candy was my favorite, followed by the differed bread type medallions and the sauces and creams that accompanied it.
This was an exciting event for me as I am a Flexitarian (eating very little meat, but I do love seafood still) and have been for years, and I have never done a dining experience like this.
Almost all of the courses were gluten-free. A few things were changed for me that did contain gluten, and you can see the difference in the plates I have vrs. my husband.
*Real reaction to the tajin candy: I have only had tajin once in my life. I loved the candy, I didn't know what to expect, especially since the wrapper was edible. That was the most fun.
My opinion on the dinner. First and foremost, this dinner, for me, was pushing me to go outside my comfort zone. Yes, I am a Flexitarian, and that can also be compared to the Mediterranean diet. I do not eat a lot of actual meat, I probably eat less than 5 ounces of meat a week. However, I still eat eggs, I eat broths made from meat, and I eat seafood. I would say during the week I may be completely meatless two days of the week if we are counting seafood. Like I get protien from other places.
Anyhow, given the cost, and this dinner was not cheap, I knew there was a chance I would leave hungry or dissappinted. Now, for measure, I eat a lot on Indian food, and they have such a wide array of vegetarian dishes, my favorite being dhaal tadka and tomato rassam soup.
I believe that if you are both at least a bit uncomfortable or out of your comfort zone, you aren't doing it right; there is little growth. So, for me, this dinner was about a lot.
As for my opinions, I thought the courses were too small. Now, I have a lot of nerve saying that because I didn't finish all of any course. I just don't eat a lot in one sitting, but the courses were a bit on the light side for me for the price of 205.00 per person.
The first courses were my favorite. It was very consistent with the shared bread course that Lilac always serves. I thought the flavors were all popping out loud, especially the Tajin candy and the dips.
The cold soup was not my favorite. I, in general, do not like cold soups, Indo is not really like white asparagus, and I know it's in season right now, but every time I have it, I just don't care for it.
The watermelon ceviche I also knew would probably not enamored me because I just do not like watermelon in dishes. I like it alone, but not sautéed, dehydrated or marinated, etc. I never have. As far as the ceviche, it lacked the essence of ceviche, which left me wanting more...it's literally one of the things I eat weekly. The watermelon, however, was marinaded in soy sauce, and it really had the texture and chewyness of raw tuna whi h was cool. Overall, I thought this was a cool dish.
The mushroom dish is where I think my husband benefitted more from having the version that was not gluten-free. Mine was extremely plain and had little flavors other than mushroom and uncooked. His had sauces and different things that balanced the earthlings and umami out with a savory finish. This dish was a win for him.
The dessert. Talk about a flower bomb. It was nice! It literally had everything I would want in a dessert. it wasn't too sweet, it was tart, it had multiple textures and it was unique. I am not a dessert person, so the fact that I liked this probably the most is shocking. The ice cream that was with it tasted very floral and kind of like perfume. To my chagrin, when I was leaving, I saw a lot of people did not even eat this dessert. It was delicious. It kind of made me sad that they didn't like it.
Both of these dishes I thought were executed very well. With the pasta dish, I missed out a little bit because mine was substituted with gluten-free spaghetti noodles. The original dish had a stuffed anglotti with ricotta, which sounds dreamy. Mine was not really that dreamy or creamy, lol. The overall flavor for me was high acidity, but it didn't bother my husband, and I think that was because he had the ricotta stuffed anglotti, which I didn't.
The tamale was gluten-free already, like many of the courses were tonight, and so I got the same plate as my husband. This course had the most flavors and textures of all the courses other than dessert. It was fabulous by design, and rhe sautéed morrels were delectable. This dish was actually more filling singualy than all of the rest because the tamale was very filling. The accompanying sauce or oil reductions added even more flavor as well.
I really enjoyed the dinner and I thought it was great. I wanted to try something different and that is what I got. Is this for everyone? Probably not, but everything isn't for everybody as I have been told growing up. So, if you are interested in what it is like to eat at a Michelin starred restaurant that is collaborating with another Michelin starred Chef/restaurant OR just interested in an upscale vegetarian dining experience then this post might be for you.
I highly enjoy eating meals which contain less meat and what's great as my husband eventually adapted to this as well and he used to eat steak one to two times a week and other meats. It's important to both of us to explore different options that do not negativity impact our bodies as well as the economy and environment when it comes to meat.
This dinner delivered and as usual the service at Likac is always phenomenal. And in case I failed to mention it, both Lilac and Mita which is a popular DC restaurant with have Michelin stars. Would I do this type of dinner again?
The answer is yes.
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