Lunch at Candle Cafe - 1307 3rd Ave (at 75th St.), NYC (www.candlecafe.com)

The cafe itself is long, narrow corridor - not cramped though - with pretty simple, spartan decor, definitely not fancy.  It is smaller than I imagined it would be. Ironically, it is next door to a restaurant called Bistro Le Steak, which I thought was amusing (no, I am not reviewing that one).    

Candle Cafe is vegan- lots of seitan, tempeh, and tofu dishes in the $15 - $20 range, pricey for lunch.  So many interesting, creative combinations from zucchini with tomato ragu to the more inspired. Menu options are overwhelming here and the specials were tempting -- I almost got the corn on the cob with aioli sauce, for the record.  Lots of dishes are Southwest-, Indian- and Mediterranean-inspired.  I opted for the Aztec salad after much deliberation.   Aside from greens, it was served with quinoa, pumpkin seeds, with BBQ grilled tofu (a substitute for tempeh), black beans, corn, and avocado (for extra cost of $3) with amazing toasted cumin dressing. To drink, I choose a lemon ginseng iced tea. 

For dessert, I asked the waitress to break my internal tie and got the mousse chocolate pie with chocolate chip crust- an enormous piece, I might add, which I almost finished (of course).  

When I first walked in, it was empty in here but after a half hour, it was packed, almost every table was full.  It's a lively and interesting crowd of all sorts of people.

The most curious thing happened at the end of my meal.  I went to the rest room and when I came back I found my table was given away, even though I still had bags on the chair.  So, I ended up paying the bill at the counter (the staff seemed really embarassed but not as much as I was).  Anyway, I got a free chocolate chip oatmeal cookie for my troubles, which was delish!   

As a side note, there is a sister restaurant around the corner (Candle 79), which is more upscale in look, but undoubtedly, the food is of the same excellent quality.

Candle Cafe:

1308 3rd Ave, NYC

www.candlecafe.com

212-472-0970

Blossom (187 9th Ave. between 21st & 22nd, NYC)

Ahh, this place is relaxing.  It's all vegan by the way.  I've dined here before today several times for both lunch and dinner and each time, I have been delighted with the exception that most desserts are not available during lunch.  Note to self: must try brunch one day...the menu looks really interesting (see link below).

Back to the dinner review at hand, the decor is contemporary and atmosphere is lovely and dim, with candlelight.  The music could use some improvement, as it is rather depressing, but somehow does not detract from my overall experience.    If I focused on it more, it would have though!  There is also a room upstairs that can be rented out for occasions.

I start off with an excellent glass of organic syrah from California for $9 -- all the wines on the menu are organic, as well as the beers,  a nice treat.    The selection of wines was nicely varied; I always like to see Malbec on the list, as I did.  

The waitress reads off the list of specials (one appetizer and one entree) and the appetizer sounded delightful; a phyllo purse of vegetables with a cashew cream pesto sauce for $10.  I wanted that for my entree but sadly, they could not accommodate that request.  After it was too late, I thought I could have ordered two in order to make a larger size.  Oh well.   I also found out later that my waitress neglected to mention a soup special that came with homemade tortilla chips.  I felt cheated, but only for a few seconds, then I got over it.

I ordered the vegetable mezze plate for $21, which was an assortment of neatly displayed veggies, including haricot verts (never had them before), delectable mashed sweet potatoes, quinoa, garlic sauteed sliced carrots and zucchini, spinach, string beans and I'm sure something else I am forgetting.  I was counting on this being on the website so I did not have to write it all down in my dining journal.  You'll see from my note at the end, this was not so.  I immediately felt healthier after eating this plate of vitamins!   The presentation of the food was impressive on an oversized round plate that reminded me of an artist's palette.

And the dessert selections, well, there were two that I was debating between.  One was chocolate ganache with vanilla soy ice cream with peanut butter drizzle for $8 and the other contender was a lavender maple tart with maple soy ice cream in a pastry shell with fresh berries for $9.  The waitress broke the tie for me and I got the chocolate.   The ganache was rich and dense.  The vanilla ice cream was a nice complement to cut some of the richness though the ice cream was a tad too icy.  A single spearmint leave was a refreshing touch on the plate.  The peanut butter drizzle was good but I could have used more of it, like a peanut butter gusher.  Okay, that would've been too much.   

There is also a nice selection of loose teas and dessert wines, though I did not have any.

Here is the website, where you can see the menu though it's not complete (my entree above is missing for some reason).  

http://www.blossomnyc.com/home.html

Rating System

I need a rating system for the restaurants I review in order to relay a quick summary of my overall experience.  Stars, forks, points,  thumbs up/down have all been done before.  I am looking for something fresh that fits with the theme here, like 5 "vegan cupcakes" for a terrific rating... but not that exactly.  Maybe just descriptions.  How about this, ranked from worst to best:  yuck!, eh, yummy, delish, scrumptious?  The top three are too similar, right?  I may need some help on this one.  Suggestions?

Lora's Tea Room (215 Centennial Ave, Cranford, NJ)

I've been meaning to write this one up for a few days now (my posts do not necessarily reflect the order in which the events occurred).   On Wednesday afternoon,  I wanted to check out this tea house, which coincidentally is very close to my favorite kayaking spot.  I was immediately pleased with the charm the cozy Russian tea house exudes.  Exactly the type of place I was hoping for.   I had the "tea for one" deal for $12, which includes a pot of tea (from a nice variety of loose teas) and tea sandwiches. I opted for the loose rose petal tea and two egg salad and two cucumber sandwiches, a substitution they made when I asked for vegetarian-friendly sandwiches.  Everything was so expertly presented -- sandwiches with the crust cut off and all the finest serving dishes, embossed porcelain teapots, delicate crystal cups and saucers, doilies -- all things frilly.  It was a perfect afternoon so I had my meal outside until it got too hot and noisy from the street.  My tea was pleasant and sandwiches were tasty, even though I normally do not eat white bread. They also serve "blinis" or stuffed crepes; one that caught my eye was stuffed with farmer's cheese for $7. The service from  my waitress was not terribly friendly  however,  the owner (I think she was the owner anyway) went out of her way to be accommodating. I can't find a website for this restaurant, just other reviews.  http://www.yelp.com/biz/loras-tea-room-cranford

Boston Vegetarian Food Festival!

Can I be any more excited for this event?  I am not sure yet if I can go, but if it's at all possible, I intend on attending and well, feasting and sampling to my heart's content...Sounds glorious.  Here is the link:

http://www.bostonveg.org/foodfest/index.html

Details from the above website:

Saturday, November 1, 2008
10 AM – 6 PM 
Reggie Lewis Athletic Center
1350 Tremont Street, Boston Massachusetts
Free admission • Free food sampling (YES!...emphasis mine)
Free parking • Subway stop across the street

One of the speakers is the author of my favorite vegan dessert cookbook, which is The Joy of Vegan Baking: Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets.  I plan to whip up a batch of banana chocolate chip cake tomorrow for my dad, a recipe which is based on one from this wonderful cookbook.  I say "based on" because I always experiment with the ingredients and end up substituting more healthful ingredients where I find it works taste-wise.  I will post my "doctored" recipe on this blog when I can.

Why have I not heard of this amazing event before now?  After all, it's been going on for twelve years already!

Namaste Cafe (New Brunswick, NJ)

I checked out this really cool vegan cafe in New Brunswick, NJ for dinner last night that was tucked away above a vegetarian co-op/grocer.   What a great find!  The atmosphere is warm and inviting, like sitting in a friend's living room or kitchen, decorated in mellow green and yellow tones on the walls with soothing music playing in the background.   Artwork on the wall depicted people in various yoga poses and there was a drum in the corner.  I can actually feel myself relaxing, as if I am doing the yoga I see on the walls.   The cafe seats 20 at most, I would guess.  This is my kind of place.  

I ate a guacamole wrap, which was excellent; tasty with lots of zing though not large (sized appropriately for lunch), so don't expect mega-portions.  All the ingredients were fresh and of great quality.  Black pepper potato chips came on the side of the wrap.   The dish was reasonably priced at $6.75.  I drank a cup of Divinitea loose tea, which was so fragrant!  Tea was also very reasonably priced at $1.89.  The cafe offers a large selection of fresh juices, organic fair-trade coffees, hot chocolate, hot spiced cider, organic smoothies, wraps, one type of veggie burger, and more.  

This is not like a restaurant where you have traditional waiter/waitress service, instead you order at the counter after checking out the options listed on a board in the front, then your food is prepared in the small kitchen up front and you are served at a table, counter seat or couch.  I must say the service was genuinely friendly, personal and educational, as well.  There was some training of new hires going on while I visited.   I am glad to have ventured out in the Hannah-induced rains to check out this most welcome vegan spot so close to home.  Next time, I need to check out the co-op downstairs.

The Choices

Where to for my first review?  I have a few ideas I am batting around but have yet to decide for sure.  There are so many tempting choices.