We celebrated my friend’s birthday here on Saturday night. Jess is a vegetarian and wanted to go somewhere fancy(ish) that had more than one vegetarian option on the menu. She also said that it was her birthday and she didn’t want to have to watch us eat “little baby animals”. Fair enough, Carmelita’s it was.

We loved the cozy atmosphere, the leaf ceiling tiles and the funky random details: old car side mirrors converted into lamps, a sting of old postcards strung on a wire across a Venetian plaster wall, a random top hat and gloves floor tile near the door, the velvet curtains and old movie theater seats.

Rarely have I been to a vegetarian restaurant where so many things sounded delicious and I had to have an extra minute to decide (and I should point out that I was a strict vegetarian for 10 years so I have been to many a vegetarian restaurant). Jess also appreciated the option of indecision rather than choosing between 2 unappealing vegetarian dishes.

We started with a platter that consisted of: A feta spread, a roasted red bell pepper spread, olives, preserved chanterelles, a hunk of Manchego cheese, a truffle olive oil (that was wonderful), and flatbreads. We also shared a goat cheese crostini with walnuts and figs, and a few bottles of wine.

Jess and Gavin had the gruyere and leek tart that came with a green salad in a fried potato birds nest, very pretty. Scott had a winter root casserole and I had gnocchi with baked plums. It sounded strange, which is why I ordered it.

All the dishes were flavorful and fulfilling; I never longed for more substance as the meal was very satisfying.

Carmelita’s gets cuisine; typically I find vegetarian restaurants to know a lot about other protein options and very little about the art of cooking and cuisine. The food tends to be bland and sub par and certainly not celebratory meal quality. But Carmelita’s is clearly more about the cuisine than the lack of meat. The dishes were interesting and well presented. It is obviously a great choice for vegetarians but I would encourage you meat eaters not to shy away.