The lovely Laura (A Sunshine Mission) hosted a vegan bloggers meetup at Downtown LA’s The Springs Restaurant this past weekend and I was huymbly invited to a 7-course, chefs tasting menu on a Saturday night with a live band!
I had to think really hard about this one…YES, definitely yes!

The Springs is a wellness center located in a renovated, industrialized warehouse home to a raw, organic restaurant, a yoga studio, a juice bar and a retail shop. Moving deeper into the wellness center other services such as; reiki, massages, hydrotherapy, acupuncture and many more alternative practices are performed.

It’s quite impressive.
I have yet to venture deeper into the Springs, but I will say, I am definitely curious.

On this particular evening, a group of lovely ladies (and a couple of gentleman) gathered at the Springs Restaurant for a memorable dining experience.

First Course Strawberry Balsamic Gazpacho with Tarragon — **First Course** Strawberry Balsamic Gazpacho with Tarragon

Second Course Rangoonscoconut wonton, “Old Bay” cream cheese, bell pepper, celery, sweet chili sauce.*it contains honey so sadly I did not partake in this course. — **Second Course** Rangoons

coconut wonton, “Old Bay” cream cheese, bell pepper, celery, sweet chili sauce.
*it contains honey so sadly I did not partake in this course.

Third Course Banh Mi Collard Wraplemongrass-brazil nut pâté, pickled carrots, pickled daikon, pickled jalapeno, cilantro, house-made sriracha. — **Third Course** Banh Mi Collard Wrap

lemongrass-brazil nut pâté, pickled carrots, pickled daikon, pickled jalapeno, cilantro, house-made sriracha.

Fourth Course Reubencaraway “rye” bread, marinated mushrooms, thousand island dressing, sauerkraut, dill pickles — **Fourth Course** Reuben

caraway “rye” bread, marinated mushrooms, thousand island dressing, sauerkraut, dill pickles

Fifth Course Seaweed Caesar Salad & Nacho SaladSeaweed Caesar- romaine, kale, seaweed ceasar dressing, avocado, capers, nori, sprouts, pumpkin seeds, pine nut parmesan.Nacho- romaine hearts, nacho cheese sauce, taco crumble, pico de gallo, cashe… — **Fifth Course** Seaweed Caesar Salad & Nacho Salad
Seaweed Caesar- romaine, kale, seaweed ceasar dressing, avocado, capers, nori, sprouts, pumpkin seeds, pine nut parmesan.
Nacho- romaine hearts, nacho cheese sauce, taco crumble, pico de gallo, cashew sour cream, guacamole, pickled jalapenos, tortilla crisps.

Sixth Course Spaghetti Alla Carbonarakelp and zucchini noodles, black pepper cream, smoked coconut bacon, peas, asparagus, mint, coconut yolk, black olive oil. — **Sixth Course** Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
kelp and zucchini noodles, black pepper cream, smoked coconut bacon, peas, asparagus, mint, coconut yolk, black olive oil.

Sixth And A Half Course Green Curry zucchini noodles, avocado, thai chili, scallion, red bell pepper, curried cashews, thai basil, cilantro, lime. — **Sixth And A Half** Course Green Curry
zucchini noodles, avocado, thai chili, scallion, red bell pepper, curried cashews, thai basil, cilantro, lime.

Seventh Course and Final Course Black Chocolate

Dark chocolate cake, chocolate-buckwheat tuile, banana, candied walnuts, vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate sauce.

At the end of our seven course + palate cleanser dinner, I was thoroughly full with good food and was genuinely grateful for the wonderful individuals who surrounded me.
I commend the chefs for taking their raw (pun intended) talent to creative heights and inserting twists on traditional dishes. Some dishes I appreciated more than others (ohhh the black chocolate and the seaweed caesar salad) and some may have personally missed the mark (honey in the rangoon and the strawberry balsamic gazpacho), but all were apart of my remarkable Saturday night.

SNEAK PEEK into what happens when you get vegan food bloggers together for a relaxing dinner. We create make shift photo booths in-between courses.