A Dairy-Free Dupont Deli Evolves Into a ‘Mini Vegan Eataly’

Eggplant rollatini (lightly fried eggplant rolled with spinach, almond ricotta, and marinara sauce with bucatini marinara and rapini).Rey Lopez/Eater DC

Vegans in search of red sauce-soaked meatballs, decadent pastas, elegant cheese boards, and zero-proof cocktails in the new year are in luck. DC Vegan, which opened in 2021 as a second-floor deli on the corner of 17th and P Streets NW, just transformed its subterranean cocktail lair into a full-service dining room.

DC Vegan founders and couple Leah Curran Moon and Michael Jantz Moon started out in 2015 with a vegan catering business out of Union Kitchen. And now, drawing from their Italian-influenced upbringings in the Midwest, their meatless dinner menu for Dupont diners reads like a modern red-sauce joint.

“When we stopped eating animals, we didn’t want to give up our culture and the traditional foods we grew up with,” says Curran Moon. “We updated my Italian grandmother’s recipes, maintaining the flavors and textures, while making them vegan.”

When quaffers at the bar below began asking for bigger dishes with their drinks, Curran Moon jumped at the opportunity to expand from deli delights to dinner.

‘We thought it would be a casual bar, but we ended up making the place look really pretty, and customers wanted a more elevated, sit-down experience with the cocktails,” says Curran Moon.

DC Vegan’s lasagna features bolognese, almond ricotta, marinara and cashew parm.Rey Lopez/Eater DC

Bucatini and meatballs sit prominently under a shower of cashew Parm and dollop of almond ricotta.Rey Lopez/Eater DC

Breaded chick’n cutlets in lemon, butter, white wine and caper sauce with whipped potatoes and…..

[ad_2]

Read More