The Little Lad on Broadway

I rarely am downtown in Manhattan. Wall Street, Battery City Park: these things exist in a different New York then the one I habitate. But a vegan lunch buffet for $3.99? I’ve been known to travel significantly more miles for significantly less. But Little Lad’s Bakery, a not-so-well-known vegan eatery nestled in the basement of skyscraping 120 Broadway, is a true jem, worthy of the journey below the numerical grid of Manhattan isle.

Waiting for fellow veg-foodies CandyPenny and Andrea, I had no idea what to expect of the place. It is run by Seventh Day Adventists, whose religous beliefs connect to clean living and a vegetarian diet. The staff is bright and cheerful of the non-New York City variety; the clientele: a broad cross-section of thrifty 9-5ers, hip vegans, Adventists and eccentric hippy folk; the vibe: one part Twin Peaks Double R Diner, one part w.t.f. and all smiles; the food: a plentiful and vast selection of entirely vegan dishes, soups, salad items and desserts (spare of some with honey) that are delicious and fulfilling. All this for $3.99. Three hundred “mmmmmmm”s later, I fell in love with the place.

Pictured above is my plate: Potatoes au gratin packed with a ton of nutritional yeast cooked to perfection, mashed and herbed butternut squash, beets, super legume salad with the best vegan ranch dressing I’ve ever tasted and very flavorful veggie side standards (peas and onions, cooked carrots and corn). I would have enjoyed a hearty wheat gluten or tofu addition but was limited to their rotating menu. For dessert: a heaping fruit salad doused with the most amazing vegan whip cream (far superior to Hip Whip/Soyatoo), strawberry rhubard pie ($1.50 extra) and a small chocolate-covered treat you cannot leave without (called a Needum, only $1).

To top off this throughly enjoyable dining experience, us lasses got to dish the scoop on Little Lad’s to a tv crew covering a story on the hidden treasure on Broadway. Current tv will soon be featuring the story on their website! Hopefully we won’t end up on the digital cutting room floor. Highly doubtful as we were seemingly the only diners who were interviewed.

(Important to note: Besides their buffet, they offer breakfast choices {including a cheap tofu scramble platter}, lunch counter service {“steak” sandwiches, grilled “cheese”, etc}, an arsenal of other goodies {popcorn, cookies, cookcooks, chocolate treats, breads, etc} and vegan cooking classes!)

(For additional info/better vegan porn pics: See CandyPenny blog)