Nic’s on Beverly is a brand new leafy and laid-back plant-based restaurant in West Hollywood. While the restaurant has an entirely plant-based menu, the man behind it all, Nic Adler, is hoping you won’t really realize it. “If someone wants to call us plant-based, awesome,” Adler told the LA Times, “If they want to call us vegan, awesome. We call ourselves a restaurant.”
Nic is no stranger to flexitarian dietary needs. As the Goldenvoice Culinary Director for Coachella, he knows how to serve up food that’s as cravable as it is clean. His new haunt, Nic’s On Beverly, serves a little bit of everything you’d hope to find on a Los Angeles menu; clean and creative dishes that showcase local Californian produce, with bright flavors and beautiful presentation. Think chilled soba noodles with snap peas, radishes, grilled oyster mushrooms and house-made vinaigrette and some of the best plant-based mozzarella we’ve ever tried — on a vegan pizza nonetheless.
While plant-based eating is embraced now more than ever, most restaurants are still catching up to our modern understanding of the concept. We’re impressed by Nic’s elevated approach to plant-based dining, and asked him to join our In The Kitchen series. Discover this truly contemporary foodie’s favorite all-season ingredients, his best tips for getting a deal at the farmers market, and a simple vinaigrette recipe you’ll make again and again…
Always in my fridge: Fruits and vegetables from my local farmers market.
Recipe staples always on hand: Braggs Liquid Aminos, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Maldon sea salt, Follow Your Heart Veganaise, nutritional yeast and lemons.
Favorite ingredient: Mushrooms.
Best food memory: Almost every night growing up—either eating my grandmother’s salmon patties, her spaghetti or my mom’s roast chicken.
Favorite cookbook: The Artful Vegan: Fresh Flavors from the Millennium Restaurant
Midnight snack perfection: Air-popped popcorn with soy sauce, nutritional yeast and paprika.
Food you love to eat with zero prep: Spicy Lentil Wrap from Trader Joe’s.
Must-have kitchen tool: Shun Classic Knives
Must-have munchies: Hav’ea Chips and Justin’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups.
Favorite condiments: Tapatio and Monty’s Good Burger ranch dressing.
Go-to clean proteins: Edamame, rice and beans.
Best bargain tip: Go late to the farmers market and you can typically get more produce for the same price.
Best label-reading tip: I try to stay away from items that have more than five ingredients in them.
Fave veggie + what you make with it: Broccoli—I make a great broccoli stir fry with broccoli, soy sauce, garlic and olive oil.
Craziest thing I buy at the market: Farmhouse Culture Gut Shot Smoked Jalapeno Flume—it’s perfect for Bloody Marys.
Favorite splurge: The cookies at Nic’s on Beverly—they’re my favorite.
Ideal dinner setting: A table on the beach in Baja, Mexico.
Signature entertaining detail: A playlist that contains Al Green, Lionel Hampton, Bill Withers and proper lighting.
Simple go-to recipe: My go-to recipe is the first thing I was ever taught to make in the kitchen. A vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, a little bit of lemon and some pepperoncini juice.
