A Taste of Bay Ridge

My new view in Brooklyn, the mighty Verrazzano Bridge is never out of site in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn–my new home.  Also, in site, lots of unique vegan options ready to be explored.  This is a selection of my welcome eats.

Kusharista‘s tag line is “Grains, Lentils & More.”  This is right up my alley, wouldn’t you know!  Their menu is an eclectic mix of global influences, from the Mediterranean, Mexico, Italy, Thailand and India.  Not only to I love grains, lentils and “more,” but those cuisines are my favorites.  So it is fitting that this would be my first meal in my new home of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  Kusharista’s signature dish is a take on Egyptian street food, Kushari.  I went for the original, vegan style: cous cous, lentils, pasta, chickpeas topped with marinara sauce, fresh spinach and fried onions. So satisfying.

After some grueling moving, a friend and I discovered that the local coffee spot, Cocoa Grinder, had vegan options on the menu. That is, any of their egg dishes can be substituted with tofu!  I got the Kale Kraze tofu scramble with lots of steamed kale and a not so discernible garlic and hummus.  Though I devoured it with gusto, it lacked seasoning and was a bit vinegar-y.  I will return to experiment some more, if not solely for the tater tots alone!  They were delicious, as they are usually in spite of some temperature issues. The nicely dressed salad was a welcome bonus.  Also pictured, my friend’s beet burger with sweet potato fries.

Well, what do you know there is a Little Cupcake Bakeshop just a few blocks from my apartment!  I’ve tried their vegan options in their SoHo location and was glad to see they offered me some treats here in Bay Ridge.  There were a lot of v-bombs in the display case.  We opted for a strawberry cupcake and a chocolate peanut butter caramel bar: of my!  I’m way into it.  Nice to know a sweet craving can be satisfied so easily.

One of the reasons why living in a diverse neighborhood is so great is the authentic cuisine.  Bay Ridge has so many cuisines to choose from, but I need a go-to Thai place for repeated cravings; it’s my favorite cuisine. Top Thai is yummy authentic Thai food.  I got the vegetable dumplings: perfection. And their Double Greens from the vegetarian section of the menu. A flavorful mix of sauteed broccoli, string bean, tofu, fresh Thai basil, baby corn, carrot, onion, bell pepper and cashew nuts with green chili paste. Sticky rice and you got yourself a wonderful dinner. I look forward to trying more of their offerings very soon!

Just in case you forget driving back and forth around Brooklyn, there is a borough called Manhattan across the way. Though this pretty stained glass watertower rivals for attention on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

Japanese is another go-to I need to partake in frequently… well, vegetarian sushi mostly. Omiya Sushi has some great vegetarian sushi options I look forward to checking out.  But I wanted to get a less question-question set of rolls during my lunch visit. An avocado roll–how can you go wrong there? And an Inari cucumber roll, which I have never seen before!  Other rolls I need to verify as vegan: the Fried Banana roll (!!!) and the Seaweed Roll.  The rolls I chose were so good.  But with so many sushi joints in my proximity, I will be doing some more experimenting. A veggie sushi battle!

File this under “justsayin”: The neighborhood Food Town has a health food store separate from their conventional groceries where everything vegan is labeled.

Bridge Break!  Hello, Staten Island.

My next taste was Vietnamese: Phở Hoai. Sure it is not Phở weather really, but this gal doesn’t care all too much. Plus, I also got the Summer Rolls! The Phở Chay–vegetable broth, rice noodles, veggies, herbs, sprouts, hot sauce and some lime and it was a slurpfest jeopardizing my Black Lodge-looking rug.  There aren’t many vegan options on the menu, but this might be a go-to in the winter months.

Ok, last but certainly not least… some good ol’ American grub from a neat bar called Lock Yard. This deliciously divey bar seems to have a lot going for it, though I was thankful that at the time of our visit it was not the beast I bet it is come nightfall.  They do hot dogs and they can sub a veggie dog for any of their menu dogs.  I went Plane Jane but added some of their RC Cola-caramelized onions and pickle. A basket of well-seasoned, crisp French Fries and you got you lowbrow genius.  I’ll be back…

Onward to more eats…