May 25, 2016
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 19, 2016
There is a place 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…
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…
March 9, 2016
Will walk for vegan food: On a beautiful afternoon, I strolled from Brooklyn to Manhattan to check out Nix, a new casual restaurant from Michelin-starred chef John Fraser. The attention to detail–from the space to the water to the service to the, of course, the menu–was impeccable. First, from my walk over 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…
January 23, 2016
I’m near Penn Station every so often. And now Cinnamon Snail has a home there: The Pennsy! The Pennsy is a high-end food court attached to Penn Station / Madison Square Garden. It was pretty slow at my arrival during peak rush hours… except for Cinnamon Snail. I asked the Read more…
December 29, 2015
Every now and again, walking through her streets, I remember that this city is the best one in the country… that the books and movies and art and culture and subculture that praise her are for good reason. And I am grateful to have known her so long, though we’ve grown Read more…
November 25, 2015
It isn’t a coincidence that there are a tons of vegan vendors in Bryant Park’s Winter Village. The owner of the company that organizes this annual set up of holiday shops around Bryant Park’s ice rink is a vegan. I found my way nearby and decided to binge eat as Read more…
November 14, 2015
Match #7 of the V.V. Burger Showdown: The Battle of (vegan) Growing Pains. Tiny’s Giant Sandwich Shop vs. Bareburger Along with the large scale collective growth in vegan food products and eateries, omni embrace of “vegan” is also evolving in its own way. Vegan pantry staples are showing up in traditional supermarkets and Read more…
November 11, 2015
I went to Dirt Candy back in 2012 when they were a tiny, dark, bustling space. Sadly, the tiny, dark, bustling space was all I could remember years later. But now–Dirt Candy is in a much, much larger space. It was quiet and relaxed on our Tuesday evening visit. There 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…
October 14, 2015
Match #6 of the V.V. Burger Showdown: The Upper East Side’s Battle of 16-14. Candle Cafe vs. V-Note 16-14 refers to the prices of these fancy pants vegan burgers. After the “draw” of the last showdown, I needed some housemade high quality offerings. After all, paying $16 for a vegan burger includes the tacit promise 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 23, 2015
Match #5 of the V.V. Burger Showdown: The Blossom battle turns out to be a lesson on how not to do a veggie burger. Blossom On Carmine vs. Blossom du Jour Despite the proclamations from HappyCow, PeTA, and VegNews, I often say that New York City is not so vegan-friendly. Does New York City have Read more…
With the start of the school year, I am in Brooklyn everyday again. Urban machinery and subterranean air have united me with 8 million more parts. I remember why I love her. And I remember why I hate her. She’s like me–impractical and strained while magnificent in her own norms. She has Read more…
September 3, 2015
I specially ordered this banana-encased vegan cake and dropped it off at Red Bamboo for them to serve us after dinner. Unfortunately I don’t recall who I ordered it from. Are you out there, cake maker? My old co-workers got me this vegan cake back in the day in 2004. Read more…
August 13, 2015
‘Snice was my favorite lunch spot within walking distance from my old job in Chelsea. I always got the Vegan Panini, which scraped up the roof of my mouth. Because it ain’t love if it don’t hurt a little.
July 30, 2015
Ok, so I hadn’t 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…
July 29, 2015
More and more, I am finding vegan option leads through my followees on Instagram. Sure, a new all-vegan spot gets around the campfire quite easily… but unearthing a “vegan option” is a challenge. Being not so thrilled with the all-vegan places in my home city (I’m waiting on you, Chloe and Jay, Read more…
July 24, 2015
Dear New York City, I know I’d sooner drive hundreds of miles to a remote vegan option over state lines than hit your streets sometimes. The unfortunate truth is: you’re not who you used to be to me: escape, inspiration, excitement. Now, you are diluted, castrated even. I resent you Read more…
May 18, 2015
Do this experiment. Start peeling an orange, put your nose in the path of the rind’s mist, peel a packet loose and place it in your mouth, but do not chew… Your salivary glands dumped buckets out into your mouth whether or not you thought you wanted an orange. There is 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…
May 2, 2015
After spying El Rey Coffee Bar & Luncheonette‘s yum on a friend’s Instagram, I texted my food compatriot CandyPenny immediately. A menu like this does not turn into a back burner bookmark. So a semi-spontaneous afterwork trip to Manhattan’s Lower East Side trumped the age-appropriate desire to head home to relax on a Friday 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…