The lovely Bri

Tempura Ranch Cauliflower...mmm...

Round 1: Tempura Ranch Cauliflower. I admit some hesitancy toward this dish because, well, it’s cauliflower. And no amount of Hidden Valley Ranch commercials filled with kids happily choosing cauliflower over candy apples at a fair will convince me it’s such a delight. Until I eat Ed’s cauliflower. It is smooth, lightly creamy, with just the right crunch, and I have always preferred tempura over other batters. As I told Ed, “best cauliflower of my life!”. 

Carmelized Onion Tart. Don't even think about reaching for that bottled BBQ sauce!

I notice that I have a new neighbor at the food bar. I notice her because she has just been served Round 1 and is in raptures over the cauliflower as well. Excellent! I now have a similarly enthusiastic compatriot, also dining solo. 

Switchin' over to the chopsticks for this one!

Round 3: Szechuan Style Eggplant w/Udon Noodles. I am a sucker for eggplant. Always on the lookout for a new way to consume the veggie, I was pleased to see it on tonight’s menu. The “Szechuan” had me thinking the level of heat could overpower it’s delicate flavor (a college friend swore that if her eyes didn’t water and her lips get swollen when eating Szechuan, it wasn’t hot enough!). I needn’t have worried; there is heat, and just the right balance. 

Look at that gorgeous red pepper stffed with goodies!

Round 4: Roasted Stuffed Red Peppers. At this point I’m beginning to wonder how to make it through all five courses. I’ve just had half of Round 3 boxed and my belly is reminding me the space there is finite. But it’s voice is still tiny, so onward I press. The pepper arrives, stuffed with curried rice, “beef” tomatoes and mint, all atop a white sauce. When asked about the sauce, Ed lists the ingredients and my ears perk up at the mention of Sprite. That’s right, the lemony-lime soda. At my suprised face, Ed gives me this nugget: when a sauce calls for water, add Sprite in its place. It will add another mild flavor level. And I can’t disagree. The sauce complimented the stuffed pepper well, and I’m grateful to add half of it to my carryout box. Tomorrow’s lunch looks to be delicious! 

My festival neighbor is Tanya Banks, I learn, longtime vegetarian and AltDaily contributor, and we settle in to compare notes on being vegetarian, mothers of boys, the American idea that “bigger is better” and other myriad topics. She hesitates over her eggplant because, as she explains, eggplant isn’t a veggie that can “stand on it’s own” but has to rely on other flavors, and I can’t argue with that. To me, eggplant automatically should come with several cloves of roasted garlic, and in this case it doesn’t (nor does it need to). Tanya’s genuinely pleased at the eggplant chunks, declaring them to be, “virginial and delicous”! 

That's right, a second dessert right behind, and I'm not ashamed to admit I enjoyed eating both!

At this point, she and I spy some of the terra cotta pots from last night’s “pot brownies” and ask Ed how they were received. Rather than explain, he offers to let us try them. Lucky us!  Definitely a homey deliciousness! 

Round 5: Drunken Berry Parfait. Drunken is right. These berries have been soaking in Cointreau and Courvoisier, though its stull a subtle flavor. What hits the taste buds first is honey, quickly followed by all the flavors of the mixed fresh berries, wrapping up with the slight tang of the orange licquor. Ed apologetically serves mine sans mousse, explaining that the equipment isn’t working properly and he’s had to replace it with vegan cream. Though he says it tastes so much better with the mousse, and I’m certainly not calling him a liar, I can’t taste anything missing due to the replacement. It’s now that the alocohol-induced warmth slowly creeps around my torso like a little hug. It’s a fabulous finish to a wonderful, full-on vegan experience. 

As I leave Bardo’s Vegfest, I feel sated both in belly and soul. I’ve met new friends and expanded my community, enjoyed fabulous and responsible cuisine, learned a culinary trick or two, and get to talk about it with you. It feels so very good, almost…healthy. I guess Mom was right than she knew! 

Ed, who never stops moving, maintains a smoothly serene and efficient kitchen.