Dao Palate is a serene little pan-Asian restaurant in a bustling section near Prospect Park. I discovered it while searching for good vegan eats near the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). While waiting for Linda to arrive, I was pleased to discover Gewurztraminer wine by the glass on their menu, and promptly ordered myself a glass (Banyan, California, $8). Perfect wine, exactly the way a Gewurz should be, with the subtle rose petal and lychee scents. Linda arrived harried from her delayed subway ride over, but was soothed by the calm atmosphere of the restaurant. Diners were conversing using considerate noise levels, and shrines of harmony were sprinkled throughout the spacious room. 'This would be a nice date place,' Linda commented. I told her I'd do my best. The waitress arrived, and Linda told her she was going to get the Chardonnay, but the sake mojito looks good too. Wanting to try the former, I told her, 'No, get the Chardonnay!' Complying, as the waitress walked away Linda said under her breath, 'I'm surrounded by all these bossy people.' We agreed easily on sharing two appetizers and one entree to keep the cost down.
This is the deep fried tofu appetizer. I thought it was tasty, especially the seaweed sprinkles on top; Linda was expecting more of a 'chew'.
This was the crispy vegetable tofu skin appetizer. We won't be ordering this again. The flavor was a bit bland and the filling was a little oozy. (I will protect you, gentle reader, from the vivid descriptors these graphic reviewers used).
Our main course, the Black Pepper Seitan with Chinese Broccoli was a winner. The seitan was succulent, and the brown sauce was sublimely seasoned. Oyster mushrooms were woven into the mix, adding another notch to the quality of the dish. One puzzle remains. We found circular beige pieces of what appeared to be vegan sausage. The waitress' response that this was the stem of the oyster mushroom seemed suspect. The circumference appeared too large, and the texture was not nearly fibrous enough to be a member of the fungus family. This left me as the sole consumer of this unknown food source, as Linda is not adventurous when it comes to eating items of dubious origin. Being a runner, I never have this issue.
The happy couple
Our total bill with tip came to around $50. We decided we would definitely be returning to this tranquil little gem, but next time we would either bring more money or less of an appetite.
The Nitty Gritty: Dao Palate, 329 Flatbush Ave, Brookln, NY
Our Ratings: Food: 3.5 STARS
Service: 4 STARS
Atmosphere: 4 STARS
i'm so excited about this blog and the descriptions made my mouth water, in spite of the "suspect" sausage-like intruder. being a tree, i'm all for veggie and vegan food!
ReplyDeleteThank-you Tree for being a wonderful support for our world and me! I look forward to you being a guest blogger for future outings.
ReplyDeleteWow, this looks spectacular! Many people don't know that there are so many creative ways to cook vegetables, and all the variety of them that provides the same nutrients as many meat products. Kudos to you! When you taking me???
ReplyDeleteI agree- converting meat eaters into vegetarians is almost as much fun as converting non-runners into runners :-)
ReplyDeleteJust let me know when you're in town, and I will be happy to corrupt you.. er, bring you into the fold.. help me out Deb, this heat is doing me in here..
i've been curious about dao palate since it opened but have always passed it up for less expensive mango, down 7th avenue. i'm a big fan of the seitan dishes at mango but will have to check dao palate out.
ReplyDelete