cafe blossom

cafe blossom
466 columbus avenue
new york, ny
(212) 875 2600
www.blossomnyc.com/cafeblossom.php/

type of cuisine: organic vegan
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 10
the bottom line: overpriced and mediocre

luca and i were on the upper west side last night and in the mood for seitan, so we decided to check out cafe blossom on columbus avenue. i had eaten at their chelsea location back when they opened and remembered it being pretty decent. unfortunately, the quality of the food just doesn't measure up to the prices.

we started off with some of their $7 juices - a pink lady for me and an adam & eve for luca. you really can't go wrong with beet/pineapple/ginger/pear or carrot/apple/ginger juice, but i wish they would have strained it. the bottom inch and a half was just froth.

for our entrees, luca got the lemon peppercorn seitan ($21) and i went for the southern seitan sandwich ($14) with sauteed greens on the side. we were surprised when the food arrived just minutes after we ordered it, leaving us to wonder if everything was pre-prepared and reheated. luca's dish was exceedingly bland. the potatoes had very little flavor and the pile of thin slabs of seitan certainly was not on par with the candle cafe's. my sandwich was also mediocre - like something you might get in a pinch but certainly not seek out. the rosemary focaccia was cold, the fried seitan itself was underwhelming and the greens on the side were too oily and smoky-tasting.

i was also disappointed with the cookie dough shake that we shared for dessert. i liked the idea of little bits of cookie dough to scoop out with a spoon, but it was all thoroughly blended together and had a syrupy sweet taste that was rather cloying.

so despite the friendly service and pleasant decor, i would not recommend cafe blossom when there are so many great vegan options in the city.

pukk

pukk
71 1st avenue
new york, ny
(212) 253 2741/2
www.pukknyc.com

type of cuisine: thai
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 10

i was trying to think what would be the best vegan place in the east village to take my mom to for our last vacation day together. i figured she would be very confused at caravan of dreams, counter was too expensive after splurging at pure food and wine on monday, she hates indian food and she wasn't in the mood to have an ice cream sundae for dinner, so i decided on pukk, a little all-veg thai place on 1st avenue. i had been there once before with my nyu friends and remembered it to be pretty decent. the space is totally garish looking (all lime green and tiles) and i kept feeling like i was going to break off the table from the wall if i leaned on it, but the food wasn't bad. m started with an all green salad, a generous plate of greens with an assortment of fresh veggies, mandarin oranges, beans and little pieces of fried tofu in a zesty lime peanut dressing. i got an order of spinach toast, which was surprisingly good. i'm not sure what the spinach was wrapped in, but it was delicious. like crispy little savory wantons in a sweet chili broth. for her main course, m ordered the fried rice. i never would have thought to order something so basic in a restaurant that features creative vegetarian fare, but she chose wisely. it was a fantastic mound of multi-grain rice with broccoli, mushrooms, pineapple, cashews and multiple other vegetables. the smoky soy flavor was so amazing that i wondered if there was some form of msg in it that was kicking up the taste. my entree, the black bean ginger chicken, was less impressive. i liked the flavor of the ginger sauce, but the stuff soaking in it was mediocre. the chicken was little soy protein patties in a cupped shape that added nothing to the dish besides a meaty texture. it was also full of these slippery black ear wood mushrooms that kind of creeped me out, plus lots of onions and scallions. i was just happy that m enjoyed her meal, despite initial anxieties about ingredients that our waitress could not allay due to a language barrier. that didn't pose a problem for me since i already knew that none of the dishes were made with fish sauce or other animal products. so much easier to eat at all-veg restaurants!

pure food and wine

pure food and wine
54 irving place
new york, ny
(212) 477 1010
www.purefoodandwine.com

type of cuisine: raw vegan
culinary excellence: 9
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

pure food and wine is not the kind of restaurant that i imagine many people frequent on a regular basis, but whether you're gay or straight or black or white or asian, it is an experience that should be had at least once. i had the good fortune to visit there for the third time on monday night. the space is absolutely beautiful and the garden is a real sanctuary, so i do recommend going in the warmer months. the menu is entirely raw, which might ordinarily be off-putting, but the good people at pure food have elevated raw food to astronomical heights. wines are clearly marked organic, biodynamic, sustainable and/or vegan and they have an assortment of sake cocktails and sangria. i suggest starting with a mojito. they are pitch-perfect and in my opinion, preferable to some of the fancier cocktails, like the white light tini, made with green tea and lemongrass, which was light, refreshing and pretty, but underwhelming. felice got some sort of fruity cocktail that tasted like a fine, slightly alcoholic pink lemonade. the thought of a master cleanse tini was distressing after having attempted an actual master cleanse... yugghh...

my family and i ordered a number of appetizers or "first courses" to share. felice special ordered a giant green salad with tons of veggies in a vinaigrette. i got a plate of assorted dr. cow tree nut cheeses. i have been wanting to try dr. cow cheeses for a long time now and they did not disappoint! there were only three small wedges but they packed a punch, served with rosemary flax crackers, honeycomb, a super-sweet strawberry and mache. i can't remember what each of the cheeses were, but one was really smoky and another tasted kind of like halvah. a really nice starter. we also got king oyster mushroom scallops in a coconut lemongrass broth, which was interesting, but not one of my favorites. craig's hazelnut crostinis were delicious - little crackers with dollops of a pureed variety of dr. cow's. we also noshed on olives and pickled fennel with rosemary.

for our entrees, felice and i both ordered pure food's signature dish, the zucchini and heirloom tomato with basil-pistachio pesgo, sun-dried tomato sauce and macadamia pumpkin ricotta. this was bliss. $24 bliss. the tomatoes were plump and fresh, the ricotta unbelievable and the pesto rich and flavorful. highly recommended. craig got the sweet corn and cashew tamales, which we both agreed was wonderful, though we couldn't really make out any of the different flavors. the cacao mole sauce on the side was very spicy. mom got the three pizzettes, one with spinach pesto and arugula, one margherita pizza and one with crimini and kalamata olives. this was the perfect dish for her. it had very nice recognizable flavors with interesting italian seasonings. the "crusts" were almond and rosemary crisps. dad ordered some sort of seaweed croquettes, which he enjoyed, but i found to be a little dry. unfortunately, no one ordered the squash blossoms, but they sounded totally kick-ass.

even though we were all full from so many beautiful tastes, we order three desserts to share. dad and i got the trio of dark chocolate coated indian spiced ice cream treats. just one of these rich delicacies would have been more than enough to finish off our meal. they were super-rich, particularly the pistachio gelato ice cream sandwich. the mini cone with cardamom coconut ice cream was very special and the chai creamsicle was exquisite. i don't really understand how they got the chocolate to taste like that given the limitations of raw food prep, but it was sumptuous. the kind of chocolate where you only need a bite or two. mom got the chocolate passion fruit tart, which she seemed to enjoy, and craig and felice shared up some sort of coconut and pineapple sorbet in a little tart. very pure and refreshing.

the bill came to about $450. much gratitude was offered and we all left with a good feeling of having enjoyed really interesting, healthy, skillfully prepared and artfully presented food in a lovely oasis in manhattan on a clear early summer night.

sun in bloom

sun in bloom
460 bergen street
brooklyn, ny
(718) 622 4303
www.suninbloom.com

type of cuisine: light vegan, organic, raw
culinary excellence: 4
vegan friendliness: 10

i spent a few hours over at sun in bloom last weekend reading stieg larsson on my (eh-hem, luca's) kindle. the space was pleasant, but seemed a bit too spacious for the amount of goods they had to offer. the fridges were half-filled with various nut milks, green juices, pastel pink raw pies and prepared salads. there were lots of empty shelves by the register and around the seating area that could have used some plants, at least. it made it feel like the cafe was not entirely ready for customers. amy, the woman behind the counter was very friendly, introducing herself to all new customers and greeting regulars warmly. the menu consisted of some smoothies, breakfast options, sandwiches, fresh baked vegan muffins and assorted sides including some fine-looking kale chips. everything was vegan with a raw/macro bent. amy told me it would take a little while to make my morning energizer burrito, which was fine by me, so i hung out with lisbeth salander at one of the wooden tables and sipped from my half-bottle of fresh brazil nut milk. i'm sorry to say it was not the revelation of brazil nut milk served up at jubb's longevity. the taste was fine - they spiced it up with a bit of cinnamon - but the consistency was a bit goopey. i prefer my nut milk strained and light. the burrito was not much better. it tasted like the dreaded "health food" that omnis tend to associate with vegan cuisine. a tasteless whole wheat tortilla filled with tasteless brown rice, somewhat undercooked black beans and bland tofu with the slightest smattering of avocado puree throughout. on the side was dulce-sprinkled green lettuce and some tasty salsa. i felt bad that the burrito was so boring because it did seem to be made with love. it just needed more flavor. i bet their macro bowls are good, since they are supposed to be simple and plain. final verdict: if you're a yoga-doing, meditating, whole food sort of vegan and you live near flatbush, you'll probably like sun in bloom. if you're a red bamboo and soy ice cream sundae sort of vegan visiting from philly, you might be better off having breakfast at s'nice.

red bamboo

red bamboo
140 west 4th street
(212) 260 7049
red bamboo

type of cuisine: vegan soul food
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

when i lived in new york, red bamboo was my go-to restaurant for delicious vegan grub in walking distance of film forum, ifc and nyu. there was nothing like a soul chicken sandwich and a glass of wine before class or a night out with luca involving collard rolls and chocolate covered strawberry shortcake. they have expanded their menu considerably since that time, but you can still expect fantastic vegan soul food in relaxing setting, a diversity of patrons, attractive tattooed servers and mock meat galore. ordinarily, i'm not a big advocate of fake meat, but red bamboo does it so well that it overrides my usual preference for non-fake food.

some of red bamboo's appetizers that i enjoy are the aforementioned collard greens rolls (crispy and perfect), salmon rolls (you will not believe how good these are), roti canai (unbelievably delicious soft roti with a savory dipping sauce) and sweet potato and broccoli tempura (outstanding). i was not impressed with the chewy cornmeal crusted calamari.


collard rolls


roti canai

excellent entrees include the creole soul chicken (scrumptious soy chicken served with cooked carrots and zucchini and sweet corn mashed potatoes with a fantastic mushroom gravy), the crispy sole filet (in my opinion the best "fish" entree, also served with corn mashed potatoes and sylvia's honey lemon catfish (delicious and flavorful). reasonably good entrees include the salmon teriyaki (served with steamed vegetables and hijiki and not as good as mobay's veggie salmon), the voodoo sticks (savory shish kebabed seitan), coconut chicken (tasty but not super exciting) and fish and chips (pretty good if you are vegan and crave this dish, but probably not impressive to carnivores). mediocre dishes include the butterfly soy chops (same faux meat as the soul chicken only the patties are larger and topped with a sweet apple-raisin sauce; the side collards are swimming in bbq sauce), the tandoori chicken (stewed in sauce with potatoes) and the grilled bourbon chicken (good, but served atop a palate-clashing salad). the codfish cakes with mango salsa are pretty mushy and terrible.


creole soul chicken entree


coconut chicken

as far as the sandwiches go, i recommend the soul chicken sandwich hands down. it's a little overstuffed, but it is addictively good. the sole on a roll is just like the entree but in sandwich form. the classic blt made me feel like i was 8 years old again. the philly cheesesteak was not particularly good when they first premiered it, but it's entirely possible they have made improvements since that time. same goes for the chicken parmesan hero. the mottalini is similar to the soul chicken sandwich but with mustard and onion instead of vidalia dressing.


soul chicken sandwich

the roasted garlic angel hair pasta and the sweet basil linguine are both very good, but why order pasta when this is a vegan soul food restaurant? boring!

desserts are delivered from vegan treats, so you can expect hella delicious cakes made with totally awful ingredients (i.e. hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, etc.) but hey, i think a big slice of chocolate covered strawberry shortcake or peanut butter bomb every now and then surely does more good than harm. the cakes are definitely better than the milkshakes and soy ice cream options. however, they are often out of the best choices on weekends, so you may have to settle for one of the fancied up cheesecakes.


oreo cake

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.

candle 79

candle 79
154 east 79th street
new york, ny
(212) 537 7179
www.thecandlecafe.com

type of cuisine: haute vegan cuisine
culinary excellence: 9
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

our brief trip to new york began with "extreme delays" that, sadly, prevented us from checking into bebelush gurevich's time share before heading up to the horizons of upper manhattan. i was resigned to changing my clothes in the holland tunnel, emerging on 79th street feeling grimy and unkempt. it took me a bit of time to relax after such a stressful voyage, but the classy atmosphere in the restaurant, along with luca's stylish ensemble and loving face, eased me in to an evening of tremendous culinary delights. after placing our orders, we were given amuse-bouches of delectable crispy crostini with smoked hummus and olives. then came our appetizers and drinks. for me it was a glass of sweet sangria full of blood orange segments and strawberries, while luca had a mango mojito. together we shared onion rings with a creamy dipping sauce and a small ravioli plate with some sauteed spinach. i can't remember everything that was in the ravioli - i thought i would be able to find the exact listing online - but i know it had cashew cream in the filling and possibly mushrooms, all sitting in a gentle tomatoey puree. it was a soft and deliciously comforting dish with all the flavors that i like. the onion rings were finely done as well. for his entree, luca got their signature seitan piccata, an insanely good rustic italian dish of home made seitan cutlets atop sauteed spinach and potatoes. i was a little disappointed with my spring vegetable paella, and wish i had ordered the home made gnocchi with pine nut pesto and shallots instead. the paella was a finely minced al dente mixture of rice, tomato, cucumber, little tiny bits of ground seitan and saffron. to be fair, my left overs tasted pretty incredible the next morning, but i was hankering for that gnocchi with every mouthful. i think it was the tininess of all the elements that left me wanting something a bit more succulent. we were fairly full by the time dessert came around, so we decided to go with the ice cream sampler. this consisted of three modest scoops of homemade vegan ice cream - cinnamon, chocolate chip and black current sorbet. i focused primarily on the first two, while luca polished off the sorbet. the cinnamon scoop tasted just like a cinnamon bun in ice cream form! very impressive! i also enjoyed the chocolate chip very much. the bill was as high as we expected, but our moods were equally elevated as we left the restaurant and headed over to the manhattan club.