Birthday, Part 1: V-Note

The Upper sides of the isle of Manhattan might as well be in another state. I’m rarely there. I despise the 4-5-6 trains, and I still don’t know how on Earth to get to the Uptown 6 from Houston street. But I’ve traveled farther and wider for some high-end all-veganness. So uptown in the downpour it’d be, to meet my gal CandyPenny for a sophisticated birthday dinner at V-Note, an all-vegan bistro on the Upper East Side. The start of my birthday season.

I kind of have a rule while traveling to other cities for vegan fare: order an appetizer, entree and dessert for you don’t know when you’d be back. The same is true for the UES of Manhattan. So for an appetizer, Lentil Rings: French lentils and root veggies wrapped and baked in a delicate phyllo dough wading in a shallow pool of pistachio mustard. These were a nice start with a subtle mustard kick. I was so hungry after a long day I ate them way too quickly. The savoriness and texture perfect for a starter.

I wasn’t able to distinguish many recognizable flavors in the Rings. This was a minor detail.

I knew I’d feast on seitan but how? Would I choose the medallion cutlets in the French peppercorn sauce with the pureed potato-cauliflower? Or the Scaloppini with the white wine and lemon-caper sauce with mash and kale? In need of a real salty fix, I went with the Seitan Scaloppini, trying my darnedest to bite slowly and not ask for a straw to suck up the remaining sauce. Ah, seitan done well.

Though the dimly lit restaurant wasn’t the best for food photography, this captures all the layers in their glory.

I opted for a fruit-based dessert, though this is not usually my thing. Partly because I wasn’t all too impressed with the dessert selection. My Drunk Fruit Parfait was brandy-infused peach and mango, pecan oat crumble, port-infused black and blue berries topped with a delicate vanilla cream. It was delightful.

Thank you CP for a wonderful birthday meal. xo