Chicago Restaurant Review: Spirit Elephant
Have you ever wanted to try vegan food but didn’t know if something like that could taste good? At the beginning of January, my husband and I visited Spirit Elephant in Winnetka, IL, and were blown away by their unique, plant-based dishes.
Since then, we’ve eaten there a few more times and have been impressed after each return. Here are some of our favorite things on the menu and a few picks I think you may enjoy if you’re brand new to a vegan lifestyle!
The best twist on eggplant parmesan you will ever have. This dish includes, “Breaded Eggplant, Marinara Sauce, House Made Ricotta, Sautéed Garlic Spinach, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Confit Tomatoes, Balsamic Glaze, Crispy Basil. Served with Rosemary Focaccia”. The flavor and creamy texture of this dish will make you wanting more after each bite.
My husband is a huge whiskey drinker so he paired this with one of Spirit Elephant's specialty cocktails - “Elephant In The Room”. This drink features, “Bulleit Rye, Demarrau Syrup, Luxardo Cherry, Orange, Bitters, Smoked Cherrywood Ice Sphere". You can totally taste the smoke from the ice sphere and to this day, this is my hubby’s favorite drink to order.
Next up, I had to share these cauliflower wings! They're super crispy and have the perfect amount of sauce. Flavor selections include "Buffalo, BBQ, Wasabi-Dijon, Jerk or Mango Chili” and each batch is “Served with Sesame Seeds, SE Ranch Dressing, Celery & Carrots".
Be mindful that your server should allow you to choose between 2 flavors! Our favorites are the mango chili and wasabi-Dijon but you can't go wrong with any of them.
The ranch is a solid 10 out of 10 too. I prefer SE’s ranch over traditional ranch dressing!
Of course, you can’t forget the best part of dinner…dessert! The key lime ginger cheesecake is super creamy and gives you that punch of key lime flavor. Ingredients include, “Cashew Based Cheesecake, House Made Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust, Fresh Key Lime & Ginger”. Again, highly surprised this is vegan.
The carrot cake is also a tasty dessert option. Ingredients include, “Shredded Carrots, Toasted Pecans, Lemon Icing, Lemon Carrot Puree, Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting”. I can’t even describe to you how good this cake is. The texture is super fluffy and the cream cheese frosting gives it that perfect amount of sweetness.
