Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge 2015 -- Tower Bridge Bistro

My husband Phil and I had dinner last night at the lovely Tower Bridge Bistro. Chef Clay Purcell is a Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge veteran, and his menu for this event always includes multiple appetizers, entrées, and desserts.


The appetizer choices this year are celery parsnip soup, eggplant caponata, or Brussel sprouts salad. I had a tough time deciding between the soup and the Brussel sprouts salad (Brussel sprouts, pears, walnuts, and red wine vinaigrette), but finally chose the soup. It was creamy and flavorful, made with celery root, parsnips, apples, vegetable stock, and almond milk.

Main course options included ratatouille, succotash, or portobello gratin, which is what I chose. This delicious dish consisted of a portobello mushroom smothered in mashed potatoes, then topped with rainbow Swiss chard and kale.

There are two desserts offered on this year's Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge menu: mango mousse and mocha crème brulée. While I love crème brulée, I don't like coffee, so I skipped the mocha dessert in favor of the mango mousse. It was light and refreshing -- the perfect way to end this wonderful meal.

Tower Bridge Bistro is located at 100 Capitol Mall, inside the Embassy Suites Hotel, and their phone number is 916-326-5050. Their website address is http://www.towerbridgebistro.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/towerbridgebistro?fref=ts. The Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge menu is offered only during dinner, which is served Sunday through Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.