We had a friend visiting this weekend and wanted to do something special. Element 112 had done well with the Toledo City Paper dining-out awards and so we wanted to see what their chef could do vegan-wise. The web site suggested that they could handle different dietary restrictions if you called ahead and so we made reservations a day early, alerting them that 2 out of our 3 dinners would be vegan. We were excited that they could accommodate vegans as their online menu didn’t look very vegan-friendly. From our experience, good chefs can always accommodate if given notice.
They offer a Chef’s Tasting Menu with a 6-course meal based on chef’s preference. They were able to offer a vegan-version and so our friend got the regular version and ours was vegan. We enjoyed our meal (pickled carrots with mustard, brussels sprouts and apples, spaghetti squash with balsamic vinegar, cauliflower with tomato and truffles, tomato and eggplant with smoked miso and apples with pecans). For many of the courses, the vegan portion was a modification of the dish served to omnivores, but some of our courses were unique.
This is a nice option for vegans who want a “wow factor” experience. The food was generally tasty and healthy, with taste coming from unique flavors and not relying heavily on oil and salt. Also, they have a nice wine menu and do tasting pairings designed to match your dish. This was a nice experience to get various wines chosen directly to complement each dish. One note—our dessert contained honeycomb. We flex with honey and so that we were able to eat it—but for many vegans, this surprise would have been disappointing. The lesson, always be clear about your specific dietary restrictions.
They offer a Chef’s Tasting Menu with a 6-course meal based on chef’s preference. They were able to offer a vegan-version and so our friend got the regular version and ours was vegan. We enjoyed our meal (pickled carrots with mustard, brussels sprouts and apples, spaghetti squash with balsamic vinegar, cauliflower with tomato and truffles, tomato and eggplant with smoked miso and apples with pecans). For many of the courses, the vegan portion was a modification of the dish served to omnivores, but some of our courses were unique.
This is a nice option for vegans who want a “wow factor” experience. The food was generally tasty and healthy, with taste coming from unique flavors and not relying heavily on oil and salt. Also, they have a nice wine menu and do tasting pairings designed to match your dish. This was a nice experience to get various wines chosen directly to complement each dish. One note—our dessert contained honeycomb. We flex with honey and so that we were able to eat it—but for many vegans, this surprise would have been disappointing. The lesson, always be clear about your specific dietary restrictions.