A Sublime Dining Experience

I finally dined at Sublime on Saturday night, which was recently re-opened after hurricane damage was repaired and Nanci Alexander (the President and Founder of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida, among other things) re-assumed her spot at the helm. I was with two vegetarians who love cheese, and a recent convert to veganism (my husband). It was a tough crowd as it’s difficult to replace cheese, and someone who was eating meat a couple of months ago might still be craving that bloody smell and taste, and of course the texture.

We had a table by the wall of water and the place was packed, at least from 6:30-8:30, with plenty of people chatting, drinking and munching at the bar the whole time. The lighting is great, the service was great, and Nanci walks around and talks to just about everyone. Because we loved everything we ate (though the cheese people noted that there’s no way the pizza would pass as real pizza), I’ll just list the food, all of which is reasonably priced, vegan, and organic (not all wine is organic, though).

• Hearth Roasted Whole Artichoke, served with Creamy Roasted Garlic Dipping Sauce (starter)
• Eggplant Rollatini (starter)
• Carmelized Onion Tart (starter)
• Marherita Classico (basic, flatbread pizza-we had it as a starter)
• Forbidden Black Rice Tempura Roll (soy cream cheese, carrot, asparagus, served with ponzu sauce)
• Portobello "Tenderloin" with whipped potatoes, spinach, and onion rings (both men ordered this)
• Chili Relleno (shredded seitan, black beans, quinoa, and avocado cream)
• Coconut donuts
• Trio of brownies
• Bottle of Chimney Rock Cabernet (not organic, and worth the $90)

I’m used to the tastes and textures of the food, and because I’m interested in converting meat-eaters to veganism, I have to provide them with meals that will in some way replace the food they normally eat. Most meat-eaters, in my experience, need a gentle transition. Sublime is the perfect place for that transition. I know that because the most common comment I’ve heard (with the exception of the couple of months it was under different management/ownership) is: "If I could eat food that tastes like this, I could easily be a vegan." Oh, and you know a vegan restaurant is good for meat-eaters when the guy who walks in after you is wearing a leather jacket.

Please note that ALL of the profits from Sublime go to the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida.