Out ‘N About Uptown

I work around the block from New York eat-stitution Zabar’s. When luck leaves me with 10 minutes to spare before punch-in, I head to 91st street to loiter around the delivery trucks huffing the fresh baked bread ready to be shipped all over the city at Eli’s Vinegar Factory. Photographed is the 800-pound pink gorilla on the street. Who’d throw out such a thing?

The Upper West Side’s Health Nuts is quite the exciting find. I’d hit their Long Island location on many-a occasion after working on Old Country Road for years. But that was like 10 years ago. This location’s maze of a floor plan has a great selection of vegan and raw groceries and goodies. The range of products is comparable to Whole Foods, but it has that Mom ‘n Pop’s feel. I picked up this raw blackberry “cheesecake” to treat myself after my first full week of work and grad school.

Rice‘s Lexington Avenue location seemed less appetizing within the sea of Indian restaurants of Curry Hill, but something lured us in. I got the green rice (white rice with with cilantro, parsley & spinach) with the tofu satay skewers and Wok Man got the tofu meatballs with brown rice. Although the food was tasty, our “large” portions left us hungry. Hungry enough to polish off an entire loaf of Italian bread dipped in a delicious concoction of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Bay View Tuscan Seasoning from the Spice House in Milwaukee.

I’m always on the hunt for a satisfying veggie burger. My standards are a bit rigid, however. Many restaurant veggie burgers contain cheese and/or egg… and the others that don’t are wet mystery globs with protruding vegetables: not my idea of hearty. This house made lentil veggie burger from Metro Diner packs a fierce veggie burger punch! When mood calls for hearty diner grub, it is worth the trip.

I’ve found Vietnamese perfection just a few steps from my job: Spice Noodle. The lunch portions are super cheap (like 5.95 cheap) and very large. The food is fresh and flavorful- cooked with care. The service is like lightening, and! they take a cards with no minimum. Pictured here is my Vegetarian Bun.