Cafe Blossom (Upper West Side, NYC) VEG

This will be more of a "mini review", as I have already fully reviewed this organic, vegan restaurant's other NYC location (see Sept. 25, 2008 post) plus I did not take copious notes as I usually do when reviewing.   I dined here for vegan Saturday bunch, a first among my Blossom experiences, with my friend, Jessica.  Prior to this, I've been to the Chelsea/9th Ave. location for lunch and dinner.   I do believe the prices are slightly cheaper in the uptown location, so that was a nice surprise.   

I was thrilled to have a vegan brunch experience because typically brunch fare is so filling and heavy on the butter.  I had the vegan french toast with fresh fruit (an add-on) and pure maple syrup, as opposed to the watered-down sugary syrup that I refuse to eat.   What a pleasure to eat this entire meal and not feel stuffed afterwards.   So delicious.  The ginseng iced tea with organic lemon was very refreshing, too on an unseasonably warm day.

Jessica had the soy philly sandwich, made with seitan, which was quite a hefty portion and came with fries, too.  

Check out the picture to see our meals before we devoured them!   Well, I devoured mine; to be fair, there were some leftovers on Jessica's sandwich platter.

The decor itself was not as chic as the 9th Ave. location but was rather cool in its own right, with interesting stone accents along the bar and under the glass counter on which your food would be placed, if seated at the bar.  

No matter which location, this is one of my favorite vegan spots in the city.

Cafe Blossom

466 Columbus Ave.

Between W. 82nd/W. 83rd)

New York, NY

(212) 875-2600

www.blossomnyc.com

Sahara Cafe (New Brunswick, NJ) VF

Ah, the lovely smell of aromatic Mediterranean spices, even from outside this BYOB restaurant, invites me inside for more.  I should note, there are tables outside on a stone patio for warm weather dining.  Once inside, the warm decor was welcoming -- beautiful painted landscapes, some floor-to-ceiling, and relaxing music easily transported me to another land.   As I surveyed the interior, I noticed all the decor details that have been carefully considered - the chandeliers were crafted from a brassy metal to look like hot air balloons.   Huge windows, with a view of bustling Easton Ave. (one of the main streets around the Rutgers University New Brunswick campus) and skylights add lots of natural light and there is additional seating upstairs.  It was nicely crowded when I dined with Emilio, a former co-worker of mine.   

I must admit, choosing what to order for dinner was a challenge in this Mediterranean mecca because there were so many options that tempted me.  Ultimately, in order to accommodate my indecisiveness, I ended up with several appetizers, some of which we shared, and a salad.     The appetizers included: hummus with spiced ezme for $5.75, sigara boregi -- a pan-fried phyllo roll stuffed with feta and dill for $4.95, feta and tomato toast (approximately $5.00) and tahini shepherd's salad for $6.95.   Among the other vegetarian choices were a roasted eggplant entree for $11.95 and a zucchini (carrot and feta) patty for $10.95. You can understand why I had a hard time deciding.   I did love the food; the feta and tomato toast was all melty goodness, the salad was swimming in tahini, maybe a tad too much though I appreciated the extra for leftovers the next day and the (slightly) spicy hummus, which came with pita, was a hit with both myself and Emilio.   

You can't beat the array of options, the reasonable prices and the lovely, inviting atmosphere.  I will be back for dinner.  Soon.

Sahara Cafe

165 Easton Avenue

New Brunswick, NJ

(732) 246-3020

www.saharacafenj.com

Veg Out in...Costa Rica!

With my Costa Rican vacation just around the corner, I look forward to enjoying the local cuisine specialties that are offered veggie-style.  Can't wait to explore the local flavors.   My mouth is already watering in anticipation!

Natural Gourmet Institute Friday Night Vegetarian Dinner (Chelsea, NYC)

This was absolute paradise...I know I am prone to superlatives but this is the real deal. It was like a culinary meditation.   

The Friday night dinners at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health  & Culinary Arts are apparently quite popular, for good reasons; there was a waiting list of 30 people early in the week.  I was lucky to be squeezed in.  If you do plan to attend a future dinner, I was advised it is best to reserve a spot weeks ahead of time, not days ahead as I did.

Anyway, the dinner is prepared by aspiring chefs attending the culinary program, which stresses natural, organic, and healthful foods. The menu changes weekly so unlike a traditional restaurant, you do not order specific foods or dishes as there are no choices so make sure you peak at the menu before reserving because that's what you are getting.  You can check out upcoming menus on the website (see below for link).    

When I attended, the menu was as follows:

*Assorted tapas: stewed mushrooms, minted eggplant and patatas bravas with aioli

*Roasted fennel and orange salad with herb citrus dressing

*Mixed vegetable paella with black bean sauce and red pepper coulis garnished with sweet potatoes and leeks

*Tres leches cake with rasberry coulis and spiced chocolate truffle

You can bring your own wine or drink the homemade sangria, which is included in the cost of the meal, which is $40/person for all this food and sangria.  I do recommend the sangria.

Start to finish, the meal was as delicious as it was artful.  Truly a delight to the senses.   In particular, I loved the paella and sweet potato entree, taste and presentation-wise (the sweet potato was in a "bird's nest" form - so cool, check the picture). For dessert, the spiced chocolate truffle was delicious and the spice was intensely flavorful and not subtle, as is sometimes, disappointingly, the case with spicy chocolate.   I normally am not a fan of tres leches cake but in this case, I was pleasantly surprised and loved every bite of it.  

As a note, do not expect your own private table, seating is communal style spread across several rooms, with long tables so multiple parties are sitting together.  This worked out great; everyone was so friendly and had so much in common that it felt like a large family.

Since the students are also serving the food, be mindful that the service may not be perfectly attentive but that's certainly okay given all the efforts they put into making the meal itself so special.

After such a lovely experience, the only question on my mind is when can I attend dinner next?

Natural Gourmet Institute

48 W. 21st St. (bet 5th/6th), 2nd floor

New York, NY

http://www.naturalgourmetschool.com/html/friday-night-dinner-c.html

(212) 645-5170

Institute of Integrative Nutrition (NYC)

I was invited to attend all-day classes at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN for short) in NYC on Saturday.   The school prepares students to be certified Health Counselors, offering a wealth of holistic health, dietary theory, nutrition and wellness information and hands on support for building a new business.  

What an incredible and dynamic experience, with approximately 1,500 students plus 500 or so guests!   Classes are held at Lincoln Center, in the lovely and cavernous Avery Fisher hall.    Despite the huge class size, students were very willing to participate and share topical personal anecdotes in front of the entire crowd with the aid of a microphone, which was really impressive to me.

Topics of the day ranged from the elements of an Ayurvedic diet, a mock health consultation, small group discussions on oppression and sexism, and more.  Guest speakers play a vital role in the education process; many of whom are renowned in their field, such as Deepak Chopra.   There was fun on the schedule in the way of Bollywood style dance instruction.  Yes, despite the tight seating, everyone was literally dancing in the aisles or in front of their seats, clapping and swaying to the catchy Indian music as instructed by the high energy teacher leading on stage.  That was indeed a sight to see and so much fun to participate in.

Check out the website for more information on this program:

www.integrativenutrition.com