Sunday, February 22, 2009

Five-Sixty by Wolfgang Puck


You had me at Cucumber Martini! Seriously, though—Five-Sixty, Wolfgang Puck’s new culinary venture in Dallas, is a surprising treat for vegetarians and vegans alike. My friend Sara and I visited the hotspot atop Reunion Tower last night with the intentions of catching up over a nice bottle of wine and light finger foods. After reviewing the pricey wine list (even normally dirt-cheap Spanish wines were nearing the $100 mark), we settled on a couple of Cucumber Martinis instead. Made with muddled cucumbers and basil, the mojito-style gin martinis were, for lack of a better word, über-smart!



In truth, Five-Sixty’s dinner menu was not at all vegan or vegetarian friendly, but the sushi menu proved feast enough for both of us. We decided to start our martini munchies with a vegetable maki roll and an order of tempura eggplant. While the eggplant’s miso sauce was deliciously jammy and tart, the eggplant itself was slightly undercooked. Then we were given the news that the sushi bar ran out of rice, so there would be a long wait for our maki roll. So far…not impressed. But while we waited for our maki roll, Sara and I enjoyed several other delightful dishes. Much like Spanish Pimientos Padrón, our sautéed Asian peppers were nicely prepared and fun to eat (you never know when you’ll get a hot one), and the tempura green beans were fabulous when dipped in the accompanying house soy sauce!




Sushi chef, Hiroyuki Fujino, visited with us to explain the rice situation and offered us a complimentary platter of assorted vegetables. The tasty dish included house pickled cucumbers, eggplant, and fresh asparagus. Creamy in taste and texture, the pickled eggplant was, hands down, the best part of the platter. And although I really didn’t need any more food, I had to sample the maki roll that did finally make it to our table. The modest looking roll appeared average, but there were definitely some interesting new flavors I hadn’t experienced in a vegetable maki roll before. I picked one slice apart to try to figure out its contents but, admittedly, I had already imbibed too much of my martini to make a fair analysis (no judgment, please). Regardless, it was wonderful and well worth the wait!



Throughout the evening, Sara and I continued to comment on the great service at Five-Sixty. It’s no secret that Dallas diners can be high-maintenance, and for such a busy night, we were impressed to have received such warm and special attention. Amid the motley crew of businessmen and plastic divas, it’s nice to know a couple of thirty-somethings can enjoy a fabulous vegan dining experience at one of the city’s new “it” places!



Reunion Tower
300 Reunion Blvd
(214) 741-5560

10 comments:

HeatherBakes said...

I am SO JEALOUS! Good to know that you enjoyed 560. The martini sounds fabulous (have you had the cucumber mojito at Trece? Yum). Thanks for the review!

Eddie G said...

I have not been to Trece, but it definitely sounds like I need to. Thanks, Heather!

Anonymous said...

I'm still not convinced. Is 560 worth it?

Eddie G said...

Hmm...I'm not sure how to answer that. We definitely had a great time there, but I'm not sure I would spend that kind of cash for finger foods on a regular night.

Anonymous said...

You answered my question perfectly.

edible forest said...

this "tempura" looks great

Mia said...

Hi Eddie,

I'm a fellow Dallas vegan and your blog is a godsend! I have such a hard time figuring out good places to go with my non-vegan friends. I usually end up trying to convince them to check out Spiral Diner/Cosmic Cafe or else eating a sad little salad. Thank you so much for showing me how much I've been missing!

Classy&Sassy said...

What a cute pic of you and your friend...cute food pics too! I enjoyed reading about your great (if pricey) nite at 560 :)

Tami said...

I'm impressed that Wolfgang Puck could be made vegan friendly..then again, after that martini, things get easier!

Eddie G said...

Ha!! So true, Tami :D