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Call of the crunchy cauliflower Cauliflower is having its moment. Again. Just when I thought I'd had the white brassica every good way possible - fried naked Israeli-style at Zahav, wood-roasted in Buffalo sauce at Vault Brewing, charmoula-spiced at Neuf,

Chicken-fried cauliflower from Memphis Taproom.
Chicken-fried cauliflower from Memphis Taproom.Read moreCRAIG LABAN / Staff

Call of the crunchy cauliflower

Cauliflower is having its moment. Again. Just when I thought I'd had the white brassica every good way possible - fried naked Israeli-style at Zahav, wood-roasted in Buffalo sauce at Vault Brewing, charmoula-spiced at Neuf, tucked inside the layers of a roti flatbread at Dana Mandi, minced to couscous-size curried bits for an avocado stuffing at Vedge - the Memphis Taproom in Kensington gives cauliflower its own pubby twist: chicken fried. But it's not just the delicately thin crust made from a vegan "egg" wash (soy milk and Dijon) that makes chef Jesse Kimball's plant-based rendition so irresistible. It's the complete dish, which sets the hot fritters atop a crunchy-creamy tartare base made from minced raw cauliflower in Vegenaise sparked by horseradish. A sunburst of a lemony vinaigrette ringing the dish adds another layer of tingle, warmed by the Creole heat of Crystal hot sauce, that kept my fork moving until it was all gone.

- Craig LaBan
Chicken-fried cauliflower, $10, Memphis Taproom, 2331 E. Cumberland St., 215-425-4460; memphistaproom.com