Vegetable Garden, a long-standing “truly vegan restaurant” situated at 3830 International Drive in Leisure World Plaza, has closed after nearly 30 years in business. The restaurant, known for its health-conscious and vegan Chinese cuisine, was a local staple and had garnered attention as one of former Senator and Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman’s favorite places to eat. The closure was confirmed by a sign posted on the door last week.
The sign said the following:
“It is with mixed emotions that we pen this letter today to announce the end of an era, a remarkable milestone for our restaurant. For 30 wonderful years, Vegetable Garden Vegetarian & Vegan Cuisine has been the beacon of plant-based dining, and your unwavering support has fueled our passion for serving delicious, wholesome, and sustainable meals.
As October draws to a close, we cannot help but reflect on the incredible journey we’ve undertaken. Your patronage and love have made it possible for us to thrive in a niche that we are truly passionate about. It has been an incredible honor to be part of your dining experience, and we are deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in us.
However, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Vegetable Garden Vegetarian & Vegan Cuisine on November 16. After much soul-searching and reflection, we believe it’s time to bring this chapter to a close, so we can explore new horizons and challenges
We are profoundly thankful for your loyalty over the past 30 years. You have made Vegetable Garden a place where great conversations were had, new friendships were formed, and where you could always count on the finest in vegetarian and vegan cuisine.
As we close this chapter, we want to express our gratitude to our dedicated staff, whose unwavering commitment and culinary expertise have been the cornerstone of our success.
While Vegetable Garden Vegetarian & Vegan Cuisine will be bidding farewell, we encourage you to continue your journey towards a more sustainable and plant-based lifestyle. Support local, environmentally conscious restaurants and businesses that share our vision for a greener and healthier world.”
More on vegetable garden:
There are no surprises when you show up at Vegetable Garden because every dish gets a photograph in living color on the menu. Thus an order of ‘beef’ with pecans looks exactly like it does in its picture (although those beef strips turn out to be soy protein in a sweet glaze). With its light pink walls and sea-green carpet, the small dining room is a modestly attractive place to refuel, and the servers are quick to bring you something refreshing from the juice bar and to deliver your food, which is made without meat, dairy, eggs or MSG. Among the draws are crisp and greaseless spring rolls, each bite bursting with cabbage, carrot and black mushrooms; gently tingling Kung Pao tofu, colorful with red and green sweet bell peppers; and soft chunks of eggplant in a delicate black bean sauce. Vegetable Garden is innovative, one of the area’s best meatless retreats! Not the whole menu is organic, but good percentage of the items are in organic version. The welcome is warm, and the small bonuses (your water is filtered).
Our menu is specifically designed with your health in mind. According to the American Heart Association, a diet that is high in saturated fats and cholesterol contributes to the development of heart disease and cancer. Following the recommendations, we have carefully selected a variety of dishes, cooked in a very little amount (or none) of vegetable oil which is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and completely Transfat Free! Our entire cuisine is MSG Free! In addition, we offer unprocessed natural brown rice only, white rice is also availale but by request. We provide non-fat menu consisting of steamed dishes only, and a juice bar where you can get freshly squeezed juices and wheat grass. Even senator Joe Lieberman chose us as one of his favorite dining places.”
Featured imagecourtesy of Google Maps
