This week we were intrigued by the idea of a restaurant that is entirely dedicated to serving only seasonal vegetarian dishes. Furthermore, one that supports local farmers and it is not outrageously priced. Nestled in a three-story house in the Shaw neighborhood of NW, there is such a place owned by Dominic and Jennifer Redd: Vegetate. The no-meat eatery opened its doors in October 2005, without a license to sell alcohol; after much turmoil, they have only recently obtained one. But they are now running a full bar on the second floor, near the DJ stand. In addition to the bar they have composed a simple wine list that is complementary to the menu. What we loved about this place was the simplicity of it all; simple décor, simple ingredients, and a simple wine list presented in an unpretentious way.

The menu is comprised of 5-6 small plates, 4-5 large plates, and 3-4 desserts that change, usually, on a weekly basis. At times this can prove to be a difficult task when using only local, seasonal ingredients (especially in the winter months), but the dishes we had left us nothing but extremely satisfied. One of our favorite items was the curried winter squash with black beans, corn grits and collard greens. We were impressed by the way the collard greens were prepared. They only received a quick sauté, which left them a vibrant green color, with a lot of flavor and a little crunch. This was a nice change to the usual braised collard greens with bacon. The main part of the dish was a delicious combination of corn grits, smoky black beans, and curried butternut squash that even a meat-eater could enjoy.

We’ve re-created the dish and must tell you that although it appears like a lot of steps, many can be done ahead of time. The effort is certainly worth the results. And if you don’t tell your meat-eating friends that it is vegan, they’ll never know!