Hit the bars, then eat some mushrooms afterward. This new Boise restaurant will be open

A new Boise restaurant is ready to feed the city’s midnight munchies — meatlessly.

Post-bar-hopping hunger at 2 a.m., too.

Vegan eatery Frondescence debuted Tuesday at 103 N. 10th St. The plant-based operation opens at 11 a.m. daily, catering to lunch and dinner customers.

Frondescence wants to put down roots after hours, though. It’s cranking out food long after downtown streetlights kick on. The restaurant stays open until midnight Sundays through Thursdays, and significantly later on the weekend nights — until 3 a.m.

Owner Justin Arroues realizes some customers might be deterred by an all-vegan menu, but he’s convinced that once they taste his food, many will be sold.

“I’m trying to showcase the meat alternative,” he explained. “I love the taste of meat, but I love animals. That’s why I went vegan.”

‘Faux meat’

To focus on the new business, Arroues permanently shut down his vegan food truck, The Void, which had operated since early 2021.

Many Idahoans will remember the Frondescence space as Ben & Jerry’s. Most recently, it was the relatively short-lived Coned Pizza. It has seating for about 32 customers.

The restaurant’s food arsenal is similar to The Void’s in one way: It’s vegan. But The Void “was basically a junk food vegan truck,” he said. Frondescence does not have a deep fryer. “Everything’s just baked or cooked on a stove top.”

If you’re new to the vegan world, be aware, omnivores. The “beef,” “cheese” and “chicken” listed on the menu (and in this article) are not real. They’re actually vegan alternatives, aka non-dairy and plant-based ingredients.

“All the proteins are soy-based,” Arroues said. “It’s got the same texture as meat. Some people call it faux meat. My brother who eats meat tried it yesterday ... he tried all six of my proteins and was just, like, ‘All of those are really good. I don’t know what to choose.’ ”

Soft opening

Frondescence’s soft-opening menu features a build-your-own burrito, plus street tacos, several sandwiches and nachos.

Protein choices are chicken, beef, barbecue pork, taco meat, chorizo and black beans.

The burrito ($10) is made with a base of Spanish brown rice, black beans, choice of protein and cheddar sauce, which is made in-house. Then you add salsas — also created in-house — and vegetables.

Street tacos cost $3 each. Those come with choice of protein, diced white onion and cilantro.

Frondescence also serves five nicely loaded sandwiches ($12). The Beef & Mushroom, for example, comes with beef, baby portobello mushrooms, smoked provolone cheese, rosemary horseradish mayonnaise and a side of au jus.

In addition to the beef’s soy base, Arroues said, “they use mushroom stock and umami flavors to make it taste more like a beef flavor. And then I season it and cook it in a stock. So it’s really fortified.”

Or grab a Sloppy Joe ($8): organic sliced tomato, house barbecue sauce, taco meat and cheddar sauce — on a spent grain bun. “They take spent grain from beer and turn it into a vegan bun,” Arroues said.

Frondescence strives to accommodate the gluten-free crowd. Sandwiches and tacos can be ordered that way. Burritos? Not just yet. “We’re working on getting gluten-free wraps soon,” the restaurant promises on Instagram.

Until then, customers might want to try the GFBYON ($10), aka gluten-free build-your-own nachos.

Vegan blitz

A few years ago, opening a downtown late-night vegan joint might have seemed borderline nuts. But Frondescence is part of a mini-wave of plant-based options peppering downtown Boise.

High Note Cafe, 225 N. 5th St., flipped to an all-vegan menu in 2019. Nearby restaurants such as Mai Thai, Taj Mahal, Wild Root, Lemon Tree Co. and Diablo & Sons Saloon also have standout vegan options on their menus.

Meanwhile, another exclusively vegan eatery, Alchemist Plant Pub, is slated to open at 620 W. Idaho St. in March.

Frondescence plans to add more menu items soon. Got a sweet tooth? Prepare for a vegan take on a McDonald’s McFlurry — called a VcFlurry. It will be made with Oatly oat-based, soft-serve ice cream, Oreos and sauces, Arroues said. He’s working with a couple of local bakers to add more dessert options, he added.

“It’s weird, starting a vegan restaurant in Idaho,” Arroues admitted. “I’m basically marketing to meat eaters, trying to show them there are alternatives that are just as good as meat.

“Sure, it’s not fatty, you don’t get any real chewy fat. But the texture is there, and the flavor is there.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 1:00 PM.