The Butcher's Daughter Reimagines A Steakhouse Experience

The Butcher's Daughter first opened a New York City location in 2013, as a vegetable-forward restaurant, café, juice bar and marketplace. The owner, Heather Tierney named her restaurant as a playful nod to her upbringing as the rebellious daughter of a butcher. She embraces vegetarianism, mindfulness and promotes healthy eating and living.

Her restaurant design blends feminine and masculine energy in a welcoming environment.

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Her vegetable focus crafted menus showcase vibrant, produce-driven meals to be enjoyed in a vibrant spaces. With her success, she traveled to the West Coast and opened the brand's first California restaurant in Venice in 2016. Her menu and design mirrored the neighborhood's inviting and relaxed coastal vibe. Next in 2022, The Butcher's Daughter opened another So Cal location in West Hollywood on Melrose Avenue. This location has a more elevated design with a beautiful greenhouse theme centerpiece bar and polished brass details in the dining area.

Recently, the restaurants have debuted an all-new dinner concept that reimagines a traditional steakhouse menu. I was invited to the West Hollywood location to be one of the first to try many of the items on the menu.

Instead of red meat, the menu has a whimsical and distinctive blend of vegetable-forward items. Hearty vegetable dishes such as their Tomato Tartare is a repurposed resemblance to a steakhouse staple, beef tartare. Tomatoes are cut to resemble raw beef and crispy artichokes and sun chokes are parsley, capers and egg yolk provide the savory finish. Mixed together the tomato tartare is cleaner on one's palate. This dish pairs well with a glass of natural wine or handcrafted cocktail made in the greenhouse bar.

Salads include greens topped with crumbled aged goat cheese, torn herbs, crunchy hazelnuts and a lemon vinaigrette. The Italian burrata is served with colorful heirloom tomatoes, peaches and grilled sourdough triangles. The French bean salad is a beautiful mosaic of flavors with fennel, Serrano, hazelnuts and parmesan with an appealing Dijon vinaigrette.

The menu centers on vegetable "butchery," giving seasonal produce the same fire, carving, grilling and craftsmanship that is usually reserved for meat. The hearty burger on the menu is a thick grilled patty made with mushrooms, beets and quinoa. In between the soft brioche bun is a juicy slice of tomato, crisp lettuce, savory grilled onions, melted aged Gruyere cheese and a delectable secret sauce. I paired this with a glass of dry Tinto Amorio Orange Blend "Bheeyo" wine that offered nuances of fresh apricot and citrus zest.

Instead of traditional steakhouse calamari, the chefs substitute oyster mushroom that resemble fried squid. This is one of the most popular share dishes on the menu. Diners like how these mushrooms are dipped and flash fried for a crispy snack. They served with an addictive Calabrian chili aioli that tingles your tongue.

This appetizer pairs well with a glass of French Fabrice Larochette Chardonnay "Bourgogne Blanc" from Burgundy. Its silkiness provides a clean finish with each sip. The menu also offers Woody's fresh and bright non-alcoholic Blanc de Blancs and sparkling Rose' for those curious sober explorers.

Pasta lovers will appreciate the savory potato gnocchi enhanced with charred corn, fried eggplant and tossed with an exquisite truffle sauce. The cheese agnolotti is filled with heirloom tomatoes, chili, capers and chopped basil before it is pinched to perfection.

Vegetables entrees are featured across the innovative and creative menu. The Harissa roasted cauliflower steak arrives with roasted poblano labne and watercress, while Seared Lion's Mane Steak is accompanied by creamy olive oil mashed potatoes and café de Paris butter. Pair this with an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon from Xanadu offering hints of blackberry, herbs and toasted oak. Beyond the vegetable 'cuts', they also make stone oven pizzas, such as the Spicy Italian topped with vodka sauce, broccolini, Impossible sausage and burrata. This pairs well with one of the three beers on draft. The Blonde Ale is by Madewest Brewing Co in Ventura, CA. The Skyduster 'West Coast IPA and 'Tierra Madre' Mexican Lager by Mothers Earth Brewing Co are also a fine choice to enjoy with any of the pizzas.

Sides dishes to share around the table include grilled asparagus charred on a puree of hazelnut romesco, and cut eggplant with chermoula and feta cheese. A crowd favorite were the Japanese sweet potatoes slightly glistening from miso butter. Dessert provide the same playful sensibility with a Matcha Basque Cheesecakewith strawberries and a Chocolate Cremeaux with cherry compote and sesame crisp.

The chefs are constantly exploring bold flavors and contrasting textures with the vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. selection of bright natural wines, handcrafted cocktails and zero-proof adaptogenic beverages complements the menu, pairing naturally with the kitchen's seasonal, vegetable-driven approach.

Those looking for the soul of a steakhouse with all the flavor, yet none of the meat, The Butcher's Daughter provides an indulgent and celebratory culinary experience that is thoughtful, healthy, and delicious.

Vegetable Slaughterhouse is now available at all The Butcher's Daughter locations, including in Venice at 1205 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, West Hollywood at 8755 Melrose Avenue, and New York City's Nolita and Williamsburg outposts, with a new outpost in Austin, Texas to follow this Winter.