October 15, 2022
As Autumn magic feeds my spirit, some bits of it before it leaves suddenly. As it usually does… Above, some delectable autumn-inspired vegan goodies from Confectionery! in the East Village. I must say that Lagusta’s Luscious and Sweet Maresa’s have the best vegan treats in the New York area. In Read more…
August 20, 2021
I am so happy to see Manhattan’s pulse return. Visiting during the height of the pandemic, I didn’t recognize her. Now she dances about the feet of the wondrous cross-section of people that impart their vibes in symbiotic fashion. Vegan crepes with banana and strawberry from I don’t remember where… Read more…
May 24, 2021
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ช๐ท ๐๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐ธ๐ป๐ธ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ผ, ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ช๐ท Vegan options are being taken on by many omni-eateries… and some of them are blowing me away! Like the cashew-based vegan queso at Yellow Rose in the East Village, which offers “genuine cosmic Texas cookin.’” It’s not an entree, but it fulfills a Read more…
January 9, 2021
I have been running off to Manhattan far more often these days. This pandemic is taking its toll on her. Her heavy heart is tired, parts shuttered, but she’s nowhere near being defeated. This has been drawing me in–back to her streets–the same ones I wandered about in awe when Read more…
November 10, 2020
I’ve been blogging about Matthew Kenney restaurants for 12 years. A testament to the quality of his eatery’s food and the ever-growing popularity of vegan food, he now has more than 40 restaurants in 8 countries. My next report is on his newest NYC-based eatery, Sestina Pasta Bar. This is Read more…
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ช๐ท ๐๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐ธ๐ป๐ธ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ผ, ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ช๐ท Welcome to my series that highlights the very best vegan foods in New York City’s boroughs. While vegan options are popping up all over, this series focuses on the non-dairy cream of the crop, options that raise the bar for vegan food and Read more…
October 28, 2020
For a limited time, Spot Dessert Bar was serving a pretty gorgeous instagramable dessert. Though this may describe many of the exclusive Asian-fused treats they serve on St. Marks Place in the East Village, their Coconut Spookybread was particularly striking: bright white, bright purple and deep black… colors of Halloween. Read more…
October 8, 2020
It was so nice out when I left work that I headed to Prospect Park… to eat vegan food under a tree. It’s been so hectic lately, so it was nice to whisk myself away and smother myself with treats. Maybe I’ll do this every Thursday? First, my favorite Thai Read more…
March 7, 2020
After a long cold afternoon of running errands in Manhattan, I was excited to reward my productivity with a unique traditional Chinese dessert, Bing Fen. A testament to the authenticity of Jell & Chill in the East Village, my order at the counter included an informative lesson on the treat, Read more…
January 9, 2020
It is here! The end of my Vegan Fried Chicken Battle! Having started this showdown in June of 2019, I am so pleased to have finally arrived at this final battle with the true best of the bests facing off. From the start, these two contenders have been consistently impressive. Read more…
December 10, 2019
Here it is! The battle that decides which tofu-based vegan fried chicken would move into the Finals. The Finals!! I’ve said a lot about both Superiority Burger and Chickpea & Olive in previous posts, so I’m going to jump right in and let them go at it. Superiority Burger, East Read more…
November 18, 2019
My vegan fried chicken battle is raging on in the East Village! This battle determines who would be up against tofu masters Chickpea & Olive… and I like the direction of the semi-finals thus far. Perhaps the championship round will be a seitan vs. tofu battle! ….But I am getting Read more…
July 27, 2019
Manhattan’s Chinatown is a unique part of the island. It has its own pace, its own feel as if air-lifted from across the sea. I enjoy being a tourist within its cluttered streets, pleased that the community is not subject to the the dangers a lot of the other parts Read more…
July 25, 2019
The smoked watermelon steak at Ducks Eatery in Manhattan’s East Village broke the internet not too long ago. They were selling a $75 smoked watermelon that was sold out months in advance as the chef could only make 2 a night. Now a slice of his watermelon steak is on Read more…
July 20, 2019
There is a lot more bao in Manhattan than in Brooklyn. So this second bao battle would have me back, representing the East Village and the Lower East Side, and a bit closer to naming the “chicken” bao who’ll be entering the official Vegan Fried Chicken Showdown. Baohaus vs. The Read more…
June 4, 2019
Superiority Burger, East VillageT.F.T. (Tofu-Fried Tofu) Sandwich Superiority Burger is a tiny space in the East Village with some amazing vegetarian offerings masterminded by Chef Brooks Headley. Don’t expect frills like French fries, a bathroom, an open seat, personal space, etc in this 300 square feet. Just great food. Food Read more…
April 28, 2018
On a day of driving back and forth from Brooklyn to Manhattan, it was lunch in Manhattan, hitting up one of the Shake Shack locations to offer the new Veggie Shack! The Astor Place location.ย It’s cash-free and you order at a kiosk.ย Don’t forget to “uncheck” the cheese on Read more…
February 3, 2018
In this Insta-age of eating, a photogenic meal can create quite the buzz. Like Eggloo and their specialty dessert from Hong Kong, Gai Dan Jai (translation: Little Eggs). After they tried a vegan waffle out atย the Vegan Food and Drink Festival at Randall’s Island in the summer, they gaged Instagram Read more…
January 27, 2018
And just like that, 2018 is 1/12 done.ย Here’s to the color in the gray. 1) Fire in the sky. 2.) A complicated vegetable sushi roll with greens and pickled thingsย 3.) Summer-inspired vegan macarons from Confectionery!ย in the East Village: orange creamsicle, mango-lime, strawberry milk, toasted coconut, and jasmin 3.) Read more…
November 21, 2017
These nachos from Matthew Kenney’s new Latin place Bar Verde are spectacular: Butternut Queso. Black Beans. Pico De Gallo. Cashew Crema. Guacamole. Jalapeno. Radish. But we were underwhelmed by our other choices. But more so because the noise level of the space, the abrupt and slightly awkward service within the Read more…
November 5, 2017
A new Matthew Kenney restaurant is kind of a big deal. His food is nearly perfectly composed, flavorful and looks beautiful. He is creating an empire of all-vegan… whilest not watering down his brand. Each eatery has a distinct style of cuisine. Todayโs: Brunch at his pizza-ish spot in the Read more…
May 19, 2016
There is a placeย where vegans can get French macarons, pretty chocolates with caramel inside, pretty/decadent things… in New York City. Finally! The funny thing is that they’ve been available in New Paltz for quite some time. It’s Confectionery: the East Village home of Lagusta’s Luscious and Sweet Maresa. (Not really Read more…
February 18, 2016
There are many things I enjoy about omusubi, Japanese rice balls with goodies within. They are handheld, small, and contain the flavor punch of an entire meal… and, lastly, they are not a meal. I had a dinner reservation on the horizon, after all. At Hanamizuki, a pretty cafe near Read more…
February 8, 2016
What a wonderful discovery that Spot Dessert Bar has an all-vegan dessert option. And it’s Monkey Bread! This dreamy option is well-worth facing the awkward state of St. Marks Place, right across from where Mondo Kim’s used to be, right next to where Coney Island High used to be. ::sigh:: Read more…
October 24, 2015
It annoys me how NYC food culture vultures and foodie scenesters so often snub vegan food… especially when they really have no experience with it. Well, wait. That’s not necessarily true. They have no experience with it as cuisine genre. Those who think that “vegan” is a curse word, well Read more…
July 30, 2015
Ok, so I hadn’tย realized I reported on so many of NYC’s veggie burgers until I counted them on my blog: 40 burgers! But times have changed since 2010 when I set out on a mission to find the best one (reporting briefly on 36 of them), then vaguely declared as Read more…