The Sauce is a restaurant blog, not an advice column. But here’s some advice, if not a (polite) command: Go immediately to Studio City’s Vegetable restaurant and order the charred brussels sprouts with red d’Anjou pear, crispy red onion, breadcrumbs, balsamic vinegar and lime zest ($12). The menu calls it a “snack.” The Sauce calls it heaven. Our friendly server tells us that now is brussels sprouts season, so the sprout is particularly large and luscious.

Vegetable, which opened last spring, is on Cahuenga Boulevard a bit east of popular SunCafé Organic, which occupied the space before moving to its larger location at 10820 Ventura Boulevard (former home of that old Valley standby Zach’s Italian Café). After months of admiring the restaurant’s outdoor herb planters, a post-holiday desire to eat healthy made me decide to drop in.

As is often the case with vegan/vegetarian restaurants, I figured I’d leave feeling virtuous but disappointed (and still hungry). Not so at Vegetable. There are a few non-vegan choices that include cheese or milk, but vegans can get their rich-dish fix with Vegetable's liberal use of creamy, cashew-based cheese for sauces and salad dressings. Menu items include saffron-infused savory corn cakes, farro risotto and cheesy fingerling potatoes. Many of these all-organic dishes offer a gluten-free option, including the brussels sprouts.

And don’t forget desserts: The ever-changing dessert menu today included Blondies, peanut butter ice cream and a pumpkin parfait topped with coconut-based whipped cream.

3711 Cahuenga Blvd., 818-754-1149