Local: Cauliflower Bread Pudding

At first glance, the menu at Cheever's Cafe doesn't actually seem that vegetarian friendly. And it's not, really, but the couple items they do have more than make up for the lack of options.

Their Cauliflower Bread Pudding main plate, available at dinner, is one of the most delicious and unique dishes I've had in my entire life—straight up. I order it without fail whenever we go, and I never seem to tire of it. It's both fluffy and crispy, buttery but not overly rich, light and airy but filling at the same time. I've never encountered anything else like it, so it's honestly difficult to describe. I just suggest you try it as soon as humanly possible.

The main "meat" of the bread pudding is topped with goat cheese and chopped pistachios and is served alongside beluga lentils, mushroom pesto, red pepper jus and crispy Brussels sprouts. The ingredients sound a bit random, but the chef who put them all together is a mad genius, trust me. I sometimes finish the whole dish, sometimes not, FYI, so no shame if you go home with leftovers (it's still super tasty heated up the next day, too).

The one thing that bums me out about Cheever's is that they don't offer a vegetarian main plate on their brunch menu. That doesn't mean it's not worth going to Cheever's for brunch, though; their Quinoa Avocado Salad, pictured above, is certainly a winner. It's made with red quinoa, avocado, chile-lime corn, pico de gallo, goat cheese and almonds and is tossed in a garlic vinaigrette. I don't like to miss out on eggs at brunch, so I tend to add a poached or over-easy egg as well. Highly recommend this dish! It's available on their lunch and dinner menus, too.

Remember how I said there's literally nothing in the world like Cheever's Cauliflower Bread Pudding? See our homemade attempt at it above. Tasty, yes, but certainly didn't taste like the Cheever's original. All Hail the Lords of the Cauliflower.

Cheever's Cafe. 2409 N. Hudson Ave. @cheevers_cafe