Don't miss out on Chef Lemperle's vegan Lasagna dish with wild mushroom ricotta layers
Contrapunto, meaning counterpoint, is just that, a reimagining not only of plant-based options – with which Chef Lemperle has endeared himself to Las Vegas with his fast-casual spot VegeNation, Vegas’ first 100 percent plant-based eatery – but elevated and approachable vegan Italian fare for all.
Not only does Chef Lemperle bring to Vegas unique and innovative plant-based dining options, but he also focuses on locally-sourced products from his small-business community.
“This has been a dream of mine for some time to further elevate plant-based dining options in Las Vegas,” says Lemperle in a statement, “Now that Veganism has become more accepted here, it feels like the perfect time to raise the stakes, so to speak.”
Before VegeNation, he worked in several fine dining restaurants in New York, including Le Bernardin, The Quilted Giraffe, and Sign of the Dove.
Focusing on pasta, Chef Lemperle is offering three courses with multiple options to build your ideal vegan Italian dinner. Choose the optional wine pairing for a complete meal experience.
Course 1: Primi
Choose from Bruschetta 3 Ways with eggplant caponata, cannellini beans, and smoked carrot with almond ricotta; or Pasta Fagioli, a stew of Tuscan bean ragu, macaroni, and spicy Italian sausage.
The wine pairing for the first course is Flora (NV), a bone-dry Italian prosecco with alpine flowers and wild apple across the nose and palate, and delicate pretty little bubbles to tickle your tastebuds and highlight the vegetal notes while cutting through some of the richness of the dish.
Course 2: Pasta Della Casa
Choose from Agnolotti with a butternut squash filling and toasted pumpkin seed pesto; or Lasagna with wild mushroom ricotta layers, golden chanterelles, and truffle essence.
The wine pairing for the second course is Fuso Rosso (2019), an easy-drinking, everyday Barbera wine from Walter Massa in the Colli Tortonesi in Piemonte. Its local clay and limestone soils impart more of a depth of flavor than a typical “daily drinker,” this one shaping up with a bit of funk and acidity to play off the earthiness of the mushrooms, seeds, and truffle notes.
Course 3: Dessert
Choose from Cioccolato, a lava cake with a chocolate hazelnut filling served with chocolate gelato; or Arancini, risotto pudding croquettes with Amaretto anglaise sauce.
The wine pairing for the dessert course is Scarpa Vermouth di Torino Bianco – A unique blend of Cotisi, Moscato di Asti and extract of 150 herbs. Savory aromas on the nose, this vermouth with alpine herbs and botanicals opens up on the palate to reveal ripe sweet-and-sour citrus notes and tastes of wildflower honey, finishing juicy and dry for the perfect foil to sweet desserts.
How to Dine at VegeNation:
ONE NIGHT ONLY! Tuesday, December 14, at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25/pp and only available via SecretBurger.com/events/1121416305-contrapunto-by-vegenation
Wine pairing is an additional $15/pp
ONLY 40 SEATS AVAILABLE
Event will pop-up at Vegas Test Kitchen, 1020 E Fremont St., #120
