Chef Payton Curry, infamously known for his adventurous Christmas reindeer and Easter rabbit dinners, is doing a total one-eighty this year. Miffed that Caffe Boa is continuing his tradition of butchering Bugs, Curry is opting to serve a Vegan Easter Dinner on Sunday, April 24 at Welcome Diner.
Yes, you read that right. There will be no pigs, sheep or wascally wabbits slaughtered on Curry's watch this Easter.
Instead, Curry is dishing up a menu heavy on healthful carbs such as quinoa, pasta, and fresh vegetables from the farmers' market. "I've done rabbit for the past four years," he says. "I'm not just about meat. I want to show off the versatility of the bounty coming off of the land."
Curry unveiled his new temporary restaurant venture at Phoenix's landmark Welcome Diner
on April Fools Day with a diner-style menu featuring grass-fed beef
burgers and chocolate malts. During the restaurant's normal Sunday
through Tuesday schedule ("off-hours for most people in the restaurant
industry, so that I can cook for other chefs in the Valley," says Curry),
the fare is more European, with rotating selections such as country pork pate, Chitarra Bolognese and braised
diver scallops.
Curry's Easter menu focuses on what he calls "old-school peasant food" -- meals that your great-grandma would recognize. Cheese or non-vegan condiments will be offered on the side.
The local chef was originally taking reservations for a sit-down feast, but they filled up so fast he opted to do an all-day ala carte Easter menu instead. Though the schedule hasn't been solidified yet, Curry and wife Shantal are leaning towards including brunch and an Easter egg hunt, followed by pasta-making demos and dinner.
Seating is limited (just 9 stools inside and a few picnic tables on the lawn), so guests are invited to bring their own chairs, sit a spell and rest easy that the only bunny they might be eating that day is a chocolate one.
