Zen Palate

Our unique menu is rooted in authentic Zen temple cuisine that traces back over 1,400 years to China ' s Buddhist temples located in the mountains filled with wild vegetables, medicinal herbs and flavorful spices. The monks in these temples sought to attain enlightenment not only through meditation, studying scripture and intuitive, koan-styled teachings but also through artistic pursuits, local farming and by following a vegetarian lifestyle. It was from this Zen spirit of seeking perfection that these dedicated spiritual practitioners developed the highly sophisticated and versatile vegetarian culinary art that gave birth to a multitude of delicate plant proteins and meat substitutes such as tofu, seitan (wheat gluten) and tempeh (fermented soy patties).