Eschewing meat is no small feat for many chefs, which is precisely why chef Kevin Schuder has chosen to open a vegan pop-up in the normally meat-centric restaurant Kitchen 388. The pop-up, aptly named Veg 388, transforms Schuder's Oakland restaurant into a veg-heavy dinner spot, something Schuder feels is lacking in the Bay Area. Although not a vegetarian, the chef has worked in San Francisco's most well-known vegan restaurant Millennium, where he spent some quality time perfecting his vegetable cookery.
Diners will find a distinct lack of "meat substitutions" on the menu, instead discovering entirely unique ways to consume vegetables. Schuder is more interested in allowing "... [the food] to shine on its own merits," rather than trying to turn them into something that resembles an animal protein. Dishes like house-made gnocchi with chanterelles, and sunchoke salad with smoked apple, cashew foam, rosemary oil and wood sorrel promise diners a flavorful alternative to meat. His extensive fine-dining background will combine the use of old techniques and new (see aforementioned foam) to make diners say "bacon who?"
Veg 388 is open for dinner Tuesday-Thursday from 6 pm-9 pm, and an omnivorous Happy Hour from 4:30 pm-6 pm Thursday-Saturday.