Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant
(Boulder, Colorado
Having foodies in the band, we're always on the lookout for interesting places to eat. We have a variety of palettes here at Harpeth Rising,
from super health conscious Kefir drinkers and probiotic geeks, to pizza snobs aficionados (not just the girl from Brooklyn !). Being on the road so much, and being so busy at times, we really appreciate those special
meals as a chance to sit down, relax, and enjoy a well prepared meal. We’re
homebodies at heart, y’all! This all brings me to our most recent restaurant review of a wonderful restaurant…
Band rating:
5 stars (out of 5)
Ambience:
We walk into a
large, sunlight room, with an incredibly elegant, high ceiling (about 20 feet).
Fans gently turn a small breeze, and vintage ceiling tiles in a creamy white offset the
pale, lemongrass green walls. There is an S-curved waterfall which separates the restrooms from the restaurant, and the rough, corrugated metal underneath adds a
little bit of edge to an otherwise calm, inviting room. The food is served in
large, white plates (to better showcase the food, of course),
Waitstaff: attentive, attractive, quick, and helpful. They know the menu backwards and forwards, and
one gets the feeling that they are invested in your dining experience. Speaking
of attractive, it is true that these are healthy looking people- fresh faced, and bright eyed! They seem like they're reaping the benefits of so called “clean eating”, as vegetarianism and
veganism is often touted to be.
Variety of menu: Now,
this is a vegetarian menu, so there are wonderful and creative options. They create “meat-like” dishes out
of seitan, mushrooms, and have innovative uses of quinoa, rice, and other grains. For vegetarians, this restaurant truly has it all. For meat eaters, it offers a chance to try something both familiar, and new.
Ability to please all the band members: Yes. Please
and thank you. Come again!
Price: ** to ***
Highlight:
Once a month,
Leaf offers a raw, vegan menu. It so
happened that the night we were there they had a pre-fixe raw dinner night. I
was able to order the eggplant parmesan à la carte, which was the most
adventurous meal that I have ever had. Growing up with an Italian nonna,
and surrounded by delicious Italian-American food, I was
certainly skeptical of what this interpretation could mean- but I ventured on, figuring, when else would I have this opportunity? I have always been curious about the plethora of diets and food lifestyles out there, and this offered me a chance to slip into someone else's shoes, if but for an hour.
The parmesan was beautifully presented, with three small slices of eggplant atop a bed of
wide, julienned carrots (“fettucine”) smothered in a pesto sauce. Green
herbs garnished the sundried tomato sauce, alongside a raw nut cheese, which
tasted like ricotta. The eggplant slices were dehydrated, and then marinated in a flavorful olive
oil. Eggplant has a meat-like texture, and the thinness of the
slices allowed for a more delicate texture, although the skin was difficult to
cut though. Sounds like meat, doesn’t it? The portion was small, but incredibly
flavorful, with eat bite bursting with bold, bright, and
fresh flavors. My favorite was the
pesto and julienned carrots. The pesto was based with a bold, fruity olive oil,
pine nuts, and fresh basil. The flavors blended surprisingly well with the
slight sweetness of the “fettucine” carrots. The nut cheese paired well with the tomato sauce, and all the flavors rang to eggplant parmesan’s
true colors.
Overall,
the freshness of the food, and delicate blending of flavors was astonishingly
good. Texture wise, this wasn’t your grandma’s eggplant parm, but I didn't need to eat as much to feel satisfied. Michael Pollan, the celebrated journalist and food activist, has a famous quote, “Eat food. Not too much.
Mostly plants.” That quote perfectly sums up our dining experience at Leaf.
Incredible vegetarian food, locally sourced, and expertly prepared. Not only
that, but Leaf owns an actual farm in the area, and they sell their crops to local businesses as well. Leaf is setting the standard of local,
organic, sustainable farming, and it’s a business model that one rarely sees, but
one that Leaf accomplishes with seemingly great ease. We need more places like this to remind us to slow down, savor each bite, and feel a connection to our environment.
Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant
Phone: 303-442-1485
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