May 24, 2016
Match #3 of the V.V. Burger Showdown Semi-Finals: Class Warfare. Toad Style vs. Candle Cafe In this third semifinal battle of burger supremacy we witness the clash of New York City’s dichotomous nature. The upper crusty Upper East Side faces Bedford-Stuyvesant, a Brooklyn neighborhood with a mythic claim on class division. But alas, Read more…
May 14, 2016
Match #2 of the V.V. Burger Showdown Semi-Finals: A Fall From Grace. By Chloe vs. Chickpea & Olive Ok, I’m back in the burger battle again! We’re at the 2nd of the Semi-Finals of the V.V. New York City Burger Showdown! I know I said this before… But it’s been awhile: what’s great about this Read more…
April 17, 2016
Vegan ShopUp vendor Brooklyn Whiskers has its own space now! The Electrician and I hit them real early to avoid unnecessary social interaction. The fact that they’re actually open early suits us early birders quite nicely. Bakeries should open single-digits early. Them’s the rules. I got a cinnamon roll with Read more…
April 3, 2016
I can make a book of the lovely sunrises I get to see on my daily commute to Brooklyn. I think I love Sweet & Sara‘s smores thingy because it reminds me of Moon Pies… or what I called them Scooter Pies.” Sara makes the best vegan marshmallows… and I’m Read more…
March 9, 2016
The ocean next door. Without Pickle Shack, M.O.B. will have to do. Ground’s jewels. Complete protein. Roasted vegetable aftermath art. Happy cupcakes. Manmade on majesty. “Even if you’re on the right track…”
February 15, 2016
With record cold this Valentine’s morning, the windows were intricately frosted by Mother Nature. The Atlantic ocean in the winter from the Robert Moses Causeway. Orchids are beautiful–and other such understatements. You are my Everything. A batch of Brooklyn’s Dunwell‘s. At like 1030 on Sunday, they were sold out of most Read more…
January 31, 2016
2016 is 1/12 complete. January is new routines inside old comforts, like the best vegan chocolate chip cookies: your own. It’s taking care… with a Long Island rec. center membership bonus: nobody in the sauna with you. It is having fire with the snow… with tempeh. It’s inspiration from the ground; the potato plays nicely Read more…
January 10, 2016
I am starting a month of salads! So most of my week’s groceries were from the produce section. In order to hold my interest while sustaining my nutritional needs, I was going to do a lot of mixing and matching. You know what they say about variety… So here are my Read more…
December 30, 2015
In 2008, I did a vegan cheese tasting. Boy, have things changed since then. I remember the leg work and hoops of getting that variety of vegan cheeses altogether. Now, in 2015, Riverdel, a cheese shop in Brooklyn, does all of that for you! What’s better is that they weed out Read more…
Match #1 of the V.V. Burger Showdown Semi-Finals: I Must Break You(r Brand Marketing). Pickle Shack vs. Bareburger We are now in the Semi-Finals of the V.V. New York City Burger Showdown! Sixteen burgers in, I have tasted some amazing burgers. But with new burger options already in waiting for another match-up, this field is ever-evolving. Read more…
December 18, 2015
On Tuesdays there are all-vegan tacos from Los Veganos Hermanos at Good Co. Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After we watched los veganos make the tortilla from scratch and sipped on some cocktails, I ate one of each of their tacos. From left to right, Mushroom “Carnitas” Taco with smashed avocado and shredded red Read more…
December 17, 2015
Match #8 of the V.V. Burger Showdown: The Battle of Charmed Timing. Cafe Ghia vs. Cinnamon Snail Gentrification surrounding the L-train stops has been happening for decades. 20 years ago, as a straggly teenager who frequented the original Domesy’s Warehouse on Kent, I walked through Williamsburg’s then shady streets to pay for my Read more…
December 14, 2015
Ever since I saw Brooklyn’s The Bagel Store‘s Rainbow Bagel on Instagram… I’ve wanted to take a picture of it, as most do. But I really didn’t want to eat it. So… I didn’t. I brought them to my parents and sister. They’re beautiful, no doubt, with a sweet, sugary sap on Read more…
November 10, 2015
First, a quick appetizer before my dinner date: Clementine Bakery in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. My last (and only) visit was when they had recently opened their doors. They’ve grown up well! Now: dinner. In the great expanse of New York City, sometimes an eatery can exist without showing up on your radar field. Read more…
October 11, 2015
I usually shy away from these kinds of shop-up things. My introversion makes them quite taxing. But every once and a while, I’ll partake. Mostly because I’m irrationally obligated to carry out my Burger Showdown in a timely fashion. I had to hit Cinnamon Snail for their burger. But we ate other Read more…
October 1, 2015
Such a trip to look at this guide from 10 years ago. To see my checkmarks. I had to update it. It is nice to see that many eateries are still around!
September 17, 2015
When I started to like food a whole lot, Thai was one of my favorite cuisines. Excuse this glistening picture, but Thai Crepe, sweet turnip in rice noodle, is one of my favorite Thai eats. But the appetizer is rarely on Thai menus! Back in my Brooklyn days, I used to head Read more…
September 15, 2015
September means up at the crack of dawn to return to my Brooklyn classroom. Silver lining: Seeing the sun rise. G train suspended due to derailment. Silver lining: Brooklyn views. Driving to Brooklyn. Silver lining: good tempeh at Brooklyn Ball Factory. Vegan Shop-up being swarmed with human beings. Silver lining: Sweet Maresa‘s Read more…
September 6, 2015
Match #4 of the V.V. Burger Showdown brings us to Smorgasburg, Brooklyn’s food flea market: Chickpea & Olive vs. NÜBurger Since 2008, Smorgasburg has allowed a slew of new and exciting food vendors to make a name for themselves. And several are either all-vegan or offer vegan options, including Chickpea & Olive and NÜBurger, the competitors in Read more…
August 20, 2015
n 2004 when I moved into my old apartment in Brooklyn, I tried to walk to Foodswings. The BQE got in the way and my phone was certainly not smart enough to tell me how to get there. I went back and ordered Chinese. I eventually got there. R.I.P. Foodswings, a Read more…
August 19, 2015
Hitting the corners of the V.V. Burger Showdown brackets, it’s time for Match #3: M.O.B. vs. Pickle Shack This is going to be a doozy. I have loved the M.O.B. and Pickle Shack veggie burgers separately–but for some of the same reasons. Restoring my lost hope and representing a turn in veggie burger Read more…
August 11, 2015
The Burger Showdown continues with the first Brooklyn showdown: Toad Style vs. Champs Family Diner Just when my burger brackets were set, along comes Toad Style‘s all-vegan menu, batting its housemade cheese and sage butter and lime aioli. Those kinds of words indicate an eatery who not only make but love food. Throw Read more…
May 29, 2015
It’s a bit of a mystery when an eatery doesn’t have a “for real” website. Yelp reviews (The forced double negative Yelp effect–if someone with bad taste writes a good review, it means it’s really bad.) and a Facebook page reveal very little. Many social media leads stay on the radar, but Read more…
May 9, 2015
You come upon things… in the best way: naturally, without looking. You’re going about your day… and there it is. Something new for you. It’s special because it found you. No google searching. Just life’s natural search results delivered to your path. [pause for a moment of awed appreciation] Sometimes, Read more…
April 28, 2015
Nestled across the looming Smith-9th Street station, Kimchi Grill is an easy stagger from any democratically-elected happy hour haven proximal to my job in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. And they have clearly labelled vegan options of their Korean-Mexican fusion. I sampled all three of their veganized tacos–Pomegranate and Roasted Veggies Taco: seasonal roasted vegetables (Korean squash, Read more…
February 18, 2015
For more hearty winter cravings, I met with CP for a Brooklyn pizza dinner. After a tremendous wait time thwarting our dinner plans a few weeks back, I couldn’t get Paulie Gee’s out of my head. It had been several years since we had been there, and there were plenty of Read more…