April
2003
Building
Community—One Vegan Course at a Time
By Livia Alexander
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What could be better than a fabulous meal, a
good glass of wine, and great company? This was exactly the goal
of Chef Matteo Silverman and host Gregory Boduck when they began
their “4 Course Vegan” dinners. Buddies since they
worked together at the famous San Francisco vegetarian restaurant
Greens, every Sunday evening the two friends offer a satisfying,
top-notch, vegan dinner that will leave you just wowed.
Fine vegetarian food, let alone vegan, is not a readily available commodity.
So when Matteo Silverman, known among his followers for his commitment
to exquisite vegan cuisine, announced that he will be hosting dinner
parties at his spacious Williamsburg loft, I felt compelled to check
it out.
The four-course dinner is not just about superb food, but
also about bringing people together. When I showed up, Matteo
was busily engaged
in preparing the food while Gregory very graciously made introductions,
filled our glasses, and later served. Vegan and non-vegan guests all
gathered at Matteo and Greg’s table by word of mouth. There was
never a dull moment. The pacing between one course and the next allowed
you just enough time to kick back, chat, digest and enjoy.
The meal I attended had an extra perk to the usual four courses:
a fifth dish, a pre-appetizer inspired by raw cuisine—two paper-thin
layers of watermelon radish stuffed with a garlicky delightful walnut “rawcotta” studded
with dots of herb pesto and nested on a bed of thinly sliced carrots.
This dish had it all—a combination of crunchy and smooth, the
freshness of the vegetables against the earthiness of the nuts, topped
by the radiant colors of the watermelon radish and a beautiful presentation
overall. What is food if not a feast for the eye as well as for the
stomach?
Matteo’s attention to details was evident in each and every dish
served that evening. The appetizer, creamy barley risotto cakes stacked
in a pool of roasted onion-chipotle sauce, paired the sweetness of
the barley with the sharp spicy-smoky taste of the chipotle. The salad,
an assortment of greens with maple glazed roasted beets, spiced with
a sprinkle of hot—hot!—cayenne, was served with a slice
of toasted baguette and a simply divine white bean spread garnished
with poppy seeds.
For a main course we had corn meal crusted tempeh with orange
ginger sauce and wasabi mashed potatoes. Matteo was clever
enough to go easy
on the wasabi, providing just enough flavor to give it presence, but
not too much to make it overwhelming. The orange sauce, dotted with
chunks of fresh oranges, was a sweet syrupy compliment to the crusted
homemade tempeh, and added another layer of flavor to the whole entrée.
Then came the dessert, my favorite part of the meal: little chocolate
truffles flavored with orange coconut cream that melted in your mouth.
It was just the right amount to satisfy that sweet tooth without sending
you home completely bloated.
For Matteo, the motivation behind starting “4 Course Vegan” was
to provide affordable organic, vegan fare. (All ingredients are organic,
except for specific products that can only be found in ethnic specialty
stores.) He adds that “people on the whole (especially in New
York) are appreciating a healthy motivation to gather. Meals such as
this will become commonplace as a more efficient means to nourishing
oneself, nutritionally and beyond.” A vegan for the last 12 years,
Matteo finds meat-eating unsustainable. “Our food supply is
in peril at the hands of a conventional mega food monopoly and our
current eco-ignorant president threatens the validity of even organic
labeling. Creatures are suffering needlessly.”
Matteo and Greg serve dinner every Sunday at 7:30 p.m. with
a new menu each week. The cost is $25 per person; a portion
of all proceeds are
donated to B.A.R.C. (Brooklyn Animal Rescue Center). Visit their website
to see the week’s menu and to RSVP (they often have photos of
the dishes to be served): http://4coursevegan.tripod.com/menu;
or contact (718) 599-5913 or fourcoursevegan@yahoo.com.
Livia Alexander is executive director
of ArteEast, an organization promoting the visibility of
the arts and cultures of the Middle East in the United States.
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