nacional 27.

going through my posts, it seems like i reeeeally love lettuce entertain you restaurants. well, i guess i do in reality. and here's another ...

nacional 27 is a "modern latin restaurant, ceviche bar & salsa club."

no, it really is a salsa club. they had salsa lessons the night we were there :

 we did not participate.

anywho, even though i've been to nacional 27 twice before, i did a quick google search for what they might have that's vegan. my results led me to believe there would be very little vegan food. boy, was google wrong this time!

we started off with some complimentary tortilla chips & smoky salsa : 

the chips were super light and perfectly salty. and the salsa was also delish. i used it on the roasted plantains.  *note : my friend said their chips are usually pretty tasteless. but tonight, they figured out the ideal salt to tortilla chip ratio. way to go, nacional! 

next, we shared the hearts of palm salad : 

hearts of palm, avocado, olives, papaya,  lettuce, tomato and a green salsa-ish dressing.

so so so so so light and delicious! it was so fresh and flavorful ... yum. 

a cup of gazpacho for me :

chilled tomato, carrots, celery, jicama, cucumber & roasted corn.

it also had a slight red pepper taste, which was fine with me. again, perfectly fresh. the tortilla strips added a nice crunch and gave the soup more substance. awesome.

last, we shared a side of roasted plantains :

this was a huge portion of plantains. but also quite delicious. they were the salty with a bit of a sweet aftertaste. and dipping them in the smoky salsa was a great idea. (there was some type of herb infused sour cream for the non-vegan.)

also vegan on their menu :

 - guacamole with tortilla & taro chips. 

 - ensalada verde : romaine, pickled onions, cilantro, pepitas & chipotle-papaya vinaigrette.

 - vegetables & rice : grilled latin vegetables, spicy green rice.

 - paella : not on the menu, but they will make it for you. when i had it they made it with orzo. mmm. 

i also think some of the sides are or could be prepared vegan, but i'm not 100% certain. 

either way, nacional 27 is a great place for vegans and non-vegans alike! try it soon!