Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge 2015 -- 58 Degrees & Holding Co.

My friend Greta and I had dinner last night at 58 Degrees & Holding Co., where Chef F.J. Villalobos offers tasty and creative vegan menu items every year during the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge. This year is no exception!


We started with the Autumn Tartlette, a tiny tart filled with roasted eggplant caponata, tomato confit, preserved lemon, and herbs. The tart's crust was sweet, which really complemented the flavors of the filling.

Because the tart was so small, we ordered another starter from the regular menu -- the butternut squash, braised greens, and pecan bruschetta. I'm not usually a fan of cooked greens, but they were excellent in combination with the butternut squash and pecans.

For our entrée, we both ordered the excellent Griddle Cake & Caps, which consisted of polenta triangles, pesto, a ragout of smoked wild mushrooms, and almonds. It was a delicious and very satisfying dish.

The other item offered for the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge is a roasted vegetable consomme, made with butternut and spaghetti squash, daikon, longbean, and vegan fish sauce. Sadly, 58 Degrees isn't offering a vegan dessert this year, which is a big disappointment after the beautiful desserts Chef F.J. has created in the past.

58 Degrees & Holding Co. is located at 1217 18th Street, and their phone number is 916-442-5858. Their website address is http://www.58degrees.com/main and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/58-Degrees-Holding-Co-361925419790/timeline/. The Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge menu items are available for dinner only, which is served nightly beginning at 5:00.