Rhonda C.
Yelp
As a recent vegan, one disappointment has been a "nicer occasion" restaurant. The problem has been solved with the addition of Sanctuary Bistro. We finally got a chance to dine there this past Saturday. I was pretty excited since they have been on my radar for 3 months (when we began a vegan lifestyle). We made a reservation because it says on their website they have limited seating (COVID, and it is a small place in a "strip mall"), although I did notice there were about 6 seats at the bar in "twos" (good for future reference). I was surprised that I had to pay $30 to reserve our table but I assumed it would be taken off our bill. We actually forgot about it until we got home and checked and it was not removed, so I was going to call-but it was credited back to my account the following day, without calling.
The service was excellent and I am fairly certain it was the owner, Jennifer (she told us her name but not that she was the owner, but even with the mask she looked like the picture on their website). She was waiting on all the tables, as stated before-it is a small place and she was on top of it the whole time. She checked in just enough and was very friendly and professional.
The food was some of the best Vegan food I have ever had, just incredible flavor profiles. I had read about Chef Barry on their website and that was the main reason for my excitement on trying this restaurant. His bio, showed impressive training and I imagine California to be way ahead in vegan food. I grew up a chef's daughter and appreciate well thought out and technique driven food. My fiancé and I shared everything we ordered and were impressed by everything we ate with one small disappointment being the soup of the day: New England clam chowder. We felt it to be under seasoned and therefore a little too sweet for our liking, but we loved the texture and it was very reminiscent of clams. I was hesitant to ask for salt and pepper, as I know some chef's take that as an insult and we prefer salty food so I thought perhaps it was just us. We ate most of the soup anyhow. We were into our entrees when another table sat down and ordered their (same) soup. I heard them saying it was too sweet and they asked for salt and pepper. Jennifer went to the kitchen and she came back with salt and pepper and a new bowl of soup from Chef Barry with a message that he agreed with them and also felt the seasoning was off and had prepared them another soup but still sent the salt and pepper just in case...lesson learned, ask for the salt and pepper! No ego there, just great customer service!
That was a small hiccup in an otherwise truly delicious and unique meal.
We started our meal with a tasty amuse bouche (on the house) consisting of a healthy portion of mushroom pâté on a slice of gluten free baguette. We then got the charcuterie plate. YUM! Their house made cheese is SO good we bought some of the spicy smoky cheddar to take home! The other cheese, the lemon peppercorn was equally delicious. The black eyed pea sausage was a wonderful surprise. The dish hit all the right spots for charcuterie, with the richness (cheese, sausage) being balanced with acidity (mustard, pickled red onions and olives) and the crunchy texture of the gluten free baguette. Next came the soup and then the King Oyster scallops. We both had to resist the urge to drink all the scallop sauce from the bowl, and luckily we didn't have to because we had baguette slices to use for sopping. Scott got the BVQ Mignon and I got the Polenta and King Mushroom. All was flavorful and satisfying. I really enjoyed the polenta, and the mushroom was really good, it must have been marinated- I thought I tasted the mustard from the charcuterie plate, and there were white beans underneath. I liked most of the Mignon dish except the beet egg, but I do not like beets-Scott does and he liked it. But the BVQ, potatoes, yuba, asparagus and hollandaise sauce all shone. Dessert was the blueberry cheesecake (this changes flavors). I liked it, Scott loved it-especially the crust, which he raved about on the way home.
We took leftovers (as we ordered a lot). We also bought two frozen take home meals to try, the sloppy Joe's and Mac n cheese. We have not tried them yet. And we bought Chef Barry's cookbook, I am excited to try some of the recipes! We will return soon and with friends! I still want to try the bacon and broccoli soufflé, crispy oyster mushrooms, and red beans and rice!