You’ll love the health-conscious eats at E.A.T Marketplace in Temecula

By DAVID COHEN

It’s a bold statement to name your restaurant E.A.T Marketplace — which stands for Extraordinary Artisan Table — but owner Leah Di Bernardo more than delivers. The cuisine is delicious, impeccably fresh and more plant-based than meat-intensive.

In a meat-and-potato town like Temecula, it’s a tribute to the ingenuity of the kitchen staff that the clientele is a fairly equal split between males and females with very few of the patrons picking at their salad-only lunch in order to stay trim and fit, without enjoying what they’re eating in the least.

Yes, there is roasted chicken, a grass-fed beef burger that many meat lovers say is the best burger they’ve ever encountered, and even pork belly (cut from heritage, free-range pigs). Yet, it is the various configurations of organic vegetables, seeds, nuts and assorted grains (that can be made gluten-free) which are the real stars in the culinary firmament.

The food at E.A.T is probably half farm-to-table and half prepared dishes, but with numerous whimsical takes on familiar items.

We all know how much millennials love avocado toast, right? Well, check out the #ToastYeah. Turkey chorizo is spread over olive oil brushed multigrain bread. Two over-medium eggs, sauteed seasonal greens, mashed avocado and a very creamy Hollandaise complete this dish which is a flavorful, colorful and textural triumph — and a complete meal to boot. (You can substitute vegan chorizo and leave off the eggs for a vegan version. Also, gluten-free bread is available.)

Vegan rancheros is prepared without eggs but you won’t miss them. There’s a mix of organic veggies from local farms, plant-based chorizo, raw and dyno kale, chia seeds, Cuban black beans and an excellent crema made with cashews which provides a real feel of over-easy eggs on the palate. A bright green avocado mash tops this creation, which sits on an organic corn tortilla.

Ask for harissa aioli to spice things up.

The E.A.T bowl contains a blend of organic veggies (yes you can taste the difference), sauteed greens and a house-made chermoula sauce which is different from the greeen Moroccan version. This one is tomato-based and also contains lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and salt.

You get to choose your protein. We picked the tahini yam cake comprised of yam, tahini, chick peas and carrots with a mix of seeds (hemp, flax, chia and black sesame).

The E.A.T Burger is 100 percent grass-fed beef cooked perfectly medium/medium rare with two pieces of crispy all-natural bacon, topped with organic greens that tasted like they had just been picked, a slice of very ripe tomato, melted fontina cheese and a smooth basil pesto aioli on grilled ciabatta bread.

Five inches tall from top to bottom, you have to compress it to get your mouth around it to enjoy the juicy forward flavors of the burger, which with the addition of breadcrumbs is reminiscent of Italian meatballs made by one’s Italian grandmother.

Flat bread pizzas also are worth a look. The R.B.F (roasted butternut fall squash) is topped with fontina and goat cheeses from Drake Farms, arugula from Sage Mountain Farms and drizzled with a balsamic reduction resulting in an array of sweet, pungent, peppery and tangy flavors.

Mario’s pizza is named after Leah’s dad and topped with mortadella, crispy bacon, fontina cheese, pesto, cherry tomatoes and farm eggs — a hearty dish, if a bit too salty for my taste.

The broccoli soup was luscious — a light green hue with homogenized organic broccoli, garlic, cashew based sour cream and carrots. Also, don’t miss the house-made pickles as a side, made from yellow squash and zucchini.

Finally, there’s the Kung Pao sandwich consisting of seared organic sprouted tofu, fermented veggies, shredded cabbage and a harissa aioli stacked on a crispy ciabatta roll. Enjoy the nice glow from the spicy harissa aioli at the back of your throat. Great flavors and texture combinations abound in this dish.

You also can choose from an array of desserts including cream cheese coated scones, doughnuts including raspberry and mocha versions, and brownies made from coconut flour, cacao chips and bits of flaked coconut.There are so many options to try on so many different levels in this eatery/marketplace that there is literally something for everyone in this restaurant, which was recently featured in a Wine Enthusiast article.

Read Full Article