This post is all about food-specifically, the fabulous vegan food I had on my most recent trip to the Big Apple.
This trip was all about walking and food. It was great--two of my favorite things in one little vaction.
On our first night, we met some friends at Gobo, located at 401 6th Ave (note, the F or V line stop at 4th St is the best stop to get to the place). We had some New England rolls for an appetizer that were just super yummy. We also got some fried mushrooms that I didn't like, but my boyfriend, M, loved them; our friends, who are not veg*n, compared them to fried calimari. For the main course, we shared some crispy seitan and a pan seared soy filet in spicy black bean sauce. Desert consisted of one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had, hands down.
Our next day was quite the culinary adventure. First, quite a few bagel/deli places in Manhattan (particularly in the lower east side) have tofu cream cheese. We wandered into one, and split a nicely toasted bagel with vegetable tofu cream cheese. M was super happy about the bagels.
For lunch we went to Teany, Moby's tea and lunch spot. They have something like 98 kinds of tea, so if you are a tea lover, it's a great place to enjoy a cup. The sandwhiches are really good (and most of them are vegan, but all are vegetarian).
This trip was all about walking and food. It was great--two of my favorite things in one little vaction.
On our first night, we met some friends at Gobo, located at 401 6th Ave (note, the F or V line stop at 4th St is the best stop to get to the place). We had some New England rolls for an appetizer that were just super yummy. We also got some fried mushrooms that I didn't like, but my boyfriend, M, loved them; our friends, who are not veg*n, compared them to fried calimari. For the main course, we shared some crispy seitan and a pan seared soy filet in spicy black bean sauce. Desert consisted of one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had, hands down.
Our next day was quite the culinary adventure. First, quite a few bagel/deli places in Manhattan (particularly in the lower east side) have tofu cream cheese. We wandered into one, and split a nicely toasted bagel with vegetable tofu cream cheese. M was super happy about the bagels.
For lunch we went to Teany, Moby's tea and lunch spot. They have something like 98 kinds of tea, so if you are a tea lover, it's a great place to enjoy a cup. The sandwhiches are really good (and most of them are vegan, but all are vegetarian).
Right around the corner (kind of) at 248 Broome St is Babycakes, a vegan, and gluten and wheat free cupcake venture. We tried the gluten free chocolate cupcakes--they were ok, but not as good as I had hoped. The wheat-free carrot, as well as the wheat free lemon and vanilla versions were tasty. I was kind of disappointed that they didn't have bolder and more colorful decorations.
For dinner that night, we went to a place called Counter, which is at 105 1st Ave between 5th and 6th streets. It's a mostly vegan, organic wine and martini bar. The appetizer was yummy, some sort of mushroom ravioli. The dinner was good too--I had a vegan version of Steak au Poivre (a soy filet with fat french fries and a pepper sauce). The dessert was a too rich choclate tart--I got a bit goofy after a glass of rather strong sangria, so I had the giggles, making it a fun dinner :)
The last all-veg*n place we went to was Candle 79, located at E. 79th street by Lexington. This is a fancy vegan gourmet restaurant. The food was really good--I had some very succulent tempeh with garlic mashed potatoes. M had some really nice seitan. The chocolate cake was good, but nowhere near as yummy as Gobo's. The music also was not very peppy--it was very quiet classical heavy on the violins--it created kind of a somber mood. There was also a couple sitting next to us who were planning their wedding, and, we think, their rehearsal dinner to be held at Candle 79. They were continually curious about our dishes; probably ok though since I couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation about their wedding!
So, to my buddies out there planning on coming to NYC, do try one or all of these places. Also, Friends of Animals has a great restaurant guide for even more veg*n places.
