Most Excellent Alamo Veggie Feast

I can't say enough good things about tonight's vegetarian feast at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. My girlfriend and I attended the evening which featured a four-course meal, wine pairings, and a screening of the movie "Babe", and as we were leaving, she said it was the best meal she's had all year. I agree.

Before things got started, the Alamo events coordinator, Justin, came out and introduced the meal and the head chef. The veggie feast was a reaction to the many vegetarian meal requests they've gotten for other events. The chef said she really enjoyed the challenge of doing an organic meal and going out and visiting a lot of the local farmers that supplied produce. I'm glad they came out and talked to the audience; it made the evening more fun to know where from where it all came.

To start was a simple spinach salad with a goat cheese pastry. There was a mild vinaigrette on the greens, but it just enhanced the flavor The chardonnay with it was fairly nice.

The soup was outstanding, a fennel-flavored broth with vegetable crisps. I wish I could have had a second bowl. It was paired with a California white wine that had a strong taste of grapefruit.

I loved the pasta dish, fettuccine topped with a red wine reduction sauce and oyster mushrooms and basil. It had a great, complex flavor, and would be a wonderful dish to appear on the Alamo menu permanently. (hint hint!) I didn't care much for the red wine that came with this.

Dessert was a chocolate mousse with mint-infused whipped cream. It had a great texture and was sweet without being overpowering. It came with a sweet dessert wine that ended the evening well. They even brought little Andes mints with the check at the end. :)

I hope they do more events like this. It was a really fun evening, and it was a great opportunity to enjoy a really creative chef making dishes vegetarians can love. I know I'll be watching their calendar closely.