Priya Sharma
January 18, 2026
Vegetables Finally Get the Respect They Deserve
Verdant is the restaurant I've been waiting for — a place that treats vegetables not as substitutes for meat, but as the stars they are. The mushroom Wellington uses a duxelles of five different mushrooms wrapped in puff pastry so flaky it should be illegal.
The beet tartare is a clever riff on steak tartare, with diced roasted beets, capers, cornichons, and a quail egg yolk. I watched a committed carnivore at the next table order it skeptically and then clean the plate.
The seasonal tasting menu changes monthly, and winter's version featured a celery root steak (yes, a full cross-section, seared and braised) that had more umami than most actual steaks I've eaten. Chef Rivera understands that vegetable cookery requires more skill, not less.
The beet tartare is a clever riff on steak tartare, with diced roasted beets, capers, cornichons, and a quail egg yolk. I watched a committed carnivore at the next table order it skeptically and then clean the plate.
The seasonal tasting menu changes monthly, and winter's version featured a celery root steak (yes, a full cross-section, seared and braised) that had more umami than most actual steaks I've eaten. Chef Rivera understands that vegetable cookery requires more skill, not less.