Five-Star Meatless Mondays At Berkeley's Five Restaurant

Going meatless is all the rage these days. From tempeh to tofu to grilled veggies, what's not to love while being kind to the environment and animals?

Five Restaurant and Bar in Berkeley recently launched an official Meatless Monday menu. This menu highlights Five's current dishes with an eclectic vegetarian-friendly twist. The offerings are unlike any other vegetarian entrée you've tasted. Think breaded squash blossom stuffed with herbs and olive ricotta, and spring nettle ravioli with English pea and cauliflower mascarpone, fried maitake mushrooms, parsnip purée, and cured egg yolk.

The story behind curating this menu is that the chefs yearned to go beyond the standard solo pasta dish. Five wanted to incorporate the creative and diverse seasonal menu it's known for while also catering to vegetarians. In fact, the restaurant is super flexible about making any dish vegetarian.

The menu is officially available every Monday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., but in reality guests are welcome to order the dishes whenever they want. The weekly offering capitalizes on the growing meatless movement. No longer are vegetarian or vegan items relegated to just a sad frozen patty. Five is best-known for its culinary ingenuity and innovation; its dishes are nothing less than exquisite, and the chefs apply the same philosophy to the meatless dishes. Definitely can't go wrong with any item on the menu.

This menu was created by executive chef Stéphane Tonnelier and sous chef Edgar Aguilar. Meatless Monday appetizers include Cheddar buttermilk biscuits and soft polenta with creamy wild mushrooms. Among the salads are heirloom tomato with fresh mozzarella and bosc pear with herbed feta flatbread. Sides include roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic thyme butter, grilled asparagus with Caesar aïoli, and creamy white corn. Main dishes highlights include house-made gnocchi and marinara sauce; green-celery risotto with saffron beurre blanc and Romano beans; and fried baby artichokes with mashed potatoes.

Five is located inside the Hotel Shattuck, a quaint and modern boutique hotel in Berkeley.

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