the grey dog's coffee

grey dog
90 university place (also, 33 carmine street)
new york, ny
(212) 414 4739
thegreydog.com

type of cuisine: coffee, sandwiches, beer, wine
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 5

when molly lived on downing street, going to the grey dog on carmine street was part of the daily routine. it was a great place for coffee and a bagel, served up by grungy-chic models in the heart of the west village. back then molly was working at a different light bookstore and smoking lots of cigarettes. i was in my first year at oberlin and went to visit her whenever she would have me.

so discovering that the grey dog opened a practically identical branch over on university place was a happy reminder of days gone by. the exposed brick, the dog paintings, the witty graffiti in the bathroom, the intimidating counter service, the overpriced sandwiches, the cramped but adorable tables... it was all there. but this time instead of molly with a broody possessed expression on her face, i found a freshly groomed luca waiting for me with a glass of wine. i hadn't been to the grey dog since going vegan, so i was pleased to see they had added a few veg-friendly items to their extensive chalkboard menu. i got some sort of vietnamese tempeh sandwich on sourdough bread that i can't remember the exact name of. it was really saucy and spicy and came with ruffled chips and some little pickles. not at all the flavors i was in the mood for, but i think i've developed this vegan reflex where if i see tempeh or seitan on an otherwise omni menu i order it without even considering my options. also took an iced vanilla latte to go and came back after a bizarre double feature for a cold ale. i love grey dog, but for a less expensive, less intimidating and more vegan coffee shop in the same vein, do check out s'nice.