Korean Restaurant inside Olympus Spa (Lynnwood, WA) VF

Well, this is definitely a first --a dining experience wearing nothing but a bathrobe. I could get used to this!  Allow me to explain.  This restaurant is inside the Olympus Spa located in Lynnwood, Washington -- an amazingly relaxing place.  This is a little off topic, but I can't contain myself and it's my blog so I make the rules, right?  The spa is incredible -- there are four hydrotherapy whirlpools, each at different temperatures (my favorite was a toasty 95 degrees), two saunas (one was herbal) and an array of heated rooms, most of which contained a natural element (such as charcoal, jade, sand, salt) that had health benefits listed on the door of each room. They also offered the usual spa treatments like massages, facials and the like.  

Now, on to the Korean restaurant review. Does it even matter?  I don't even know if it had a name.  The restaurant was nothing really to look at, oh wait, I didn't have my glasses on, so that could explain it.  (I certainly could not wear glasses into the 170 degree mud and jade room, could I?) 

The food was Korean (quite appropriate given the Korean-style spa) and my aunt and I shared the vegetable and tofu bibimbap. It was quite tasty and hearty with the raw egg in the middle and bottle of sauce on the table that was labeled "spicy" - I was able to see that fine, yes.  It wasn't too spicy as I recall, though.   They did serve the traditional small plates before the entrees, too and some odd things, like Snickers bars and big cookies were available at the counter, which I felt were out of place. That's just me.

Service was a bit too prompt and efficient for a spa where relaxation was the theme.  I hope the staff gets free spa passes or discounts at the very least.   As for the bill, I was so relaxed, I can't remember exactly how much it was!  (It was definitely not outrageous though -- I would remember that for sure!)  

Check out the website at www.olympusspa.net. 

There are two locations, both in Washington state.

Olympus Spa (the location I visited)

3815 196th Street S.W. Suite 160

Lynnwood, WA 

(425) 697-3000

Hours:

Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m. - midnight

Closed Sundays, Thanksgiving and X-mas

Pan Africa Market (Seattle, WA) VF

What a great location, just around the block from the famous Pike Market, an amazing culinary delight in itself.   This African restaurant has an eclectic look with a hipster meets industrial vibe, exposed piping in the high ceilings and Bob Marley playing in the background.  I was here with my aunt, who lives in the Seattle area, whom I was visiting last week. 

There is an entire section of the menu for vegetarian food, which of course, I appreciated. We decided to share two vegetarian entrees.  The first was the foul (rhymes with "bowl" not "fowl" like the bird) which included fava beans, peppers, tomatoes, onions and the option of adding feta cheese, which we wanted to add too late, apparently because we could not flag down the waiter to ask him to bring some over before finishing our delicious meal.  He was the only waiter on duty and the place filled up, so he had his hands full.  The second entree was even better than the first -- that was the veggie groundnut, a West African groundnut stew with yams (my favorite), carrots, bell peppers, seasonal veggies and rice.  Both entrees came with tasty little salads on the entree plate, too.   The spiced tea was a nice treat on a cold day, too.  It was so fragrant but the recipe, apparently was top secret, because when we asked the waiter what was in the tea, he informed us that if he told us, he would have to kill us.  A little humor to warm us up on a chilly Seattle afternoon.  

The lunch bill warmed us, too at a very reasonable $22 total (about $8.50 per entree) for the two entrees and teas.  Be sure to also check out the breakfast menu on the website or better yet, in person.  I wish I saw that before now.  Yum...

Pan Africa Market

1521 1st Ave

Seattle, Washington

www.panafricamarket.com

206-652-2461

Sunlight Cafe (Seattle, WA) VEG

It turns out this is an original vegetarian restaurant in Seattle and opened in 1975, way before vegetarian food became more mainstream as it is today.   Pretty cool to be so ahead of the crowd.  

The restaurant itself is nothing to look at. It has high ceilings and a homey, hole-in-the-wall 60's diner sort of feel.  They did display a huge Pez collection, which was sort of quirky.  

The menu was extensive with lots of salads, soups, and lots of other goodies, including a nut burger, sweet potato cakes with tofu, and black bean burrito.  I ended up ordering the brown rice salad for $8.50 (cheap!) that included lettuce, vegetables, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, organic brown rice, seeds and a side of tofu (for $2.50 extra).  The broccoli and cauliflower were raw, which is not my style; I would have much preferred them to be steamed, but that was the only complaint about the dish. The side of tofu was excellent, really flavorful.   My aunt, who I was visiting, had the veggie cheese enchilada with beans and rice and enjoyed it.  Portions were abundant.  

We did not order dessert but some options were cookies (kitchen sink cookie), pies and tofu cheesecake, which were modestly priced at $3.95 and less.  

Definitely an enjoyable meal in one of my favorite cities.

Sunlight Cafe

6403 Roosevelt Way NE

Seattle, Washington

Can't find a website or online menu

(206) 522-9060

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily

Su's Restaurant (Edgewater, NJ) VEG

To begin with, let me explain the larger surroundings of this restaurant.  Edgewater, NJ is a beautiful, waterfront town across from the NYC skyline and though this restaurant is in a strip mall, don't let that sway you because it is in good company, along with Trader Joe's and is down the street from Whole Foods, some good eating neighbors!  

Inside the restaurant, the setting is minimalist and zenlike with brown and beige neutral-toned walls with pops of red lighting accents.    The menu, physically is very cool; it's a heavy wooden menu totally in harmony with the surroundings.   Throughout the all vegetarian, Pan-Asian inspired menu, dairy, vegan and nut dishes are noted with abbreviations, though they are not defined anywhere, so we asked the waitress.  

For an appetizer, I was pleased with my Vietnamese summer rolls ($6) served with some tangy, sweet clear dipping sauce.   The rolls were served cold and raw, which was a surprise.  Next time, I may ask for them to be pan-fried.  My dining companion, Kerri, had the orange-infused guacamole appetizer ($5), which was also a pleasure to eat.   Both appetizers were served on geometric-shaped plates making for good presentation.  This is a great place for tapas or small plates for sharing.

My entree was delectable;  I continued to rave about it long after the meal ended. I had mushrooms prepared crispy, tempura style with sweet potatoes and cashews (a substitution for raisins) for $12, a dish I normally would not eat because it is fried but I made an exception and I am glad I did.  I should note that the menu did not mention the tempura preparation, actually, I think it said it was grilled but I am not positive.  I scraped the plate clean.  It was a delicious combination of flavors, plain and simple.   Kerri had the risotto with mushrooms and onions, ($9) which I thought was fine, but had too many onions for her liking and not enough flavor for her taste.    

The only slight con I have to report was the service was so-so.  I was basically dying of thirst and the waitress took a long time to bring me another iced tea, which I asked for twice. That's really it.

I wish I had room for dessert, but I didn't.  One of the reasons to go back.

Su's Restaurant

725 River Road

Edgewater,NJ

www.surestaurant.com  (currently under construction, but was not a few weeks ago when I dined there)

Menu can be found at:

http://www.edgewatermenus.com

(201) 840-7988

Seattle, WA here I come!

I will be traveling to Seattle, Washington this coming week, home of lots of organic, healthy and vegetarian friendly restaurants.  Surely, I will have reviews ready to post soon after my return.   Stay tuned!

Counter NY (Lower East Side, NYC) VEG

Stop #3 of my Lower East Side eating extravaganza

Truth be told, I really wasn’t that hungry by this point, but I was on a mission. 

What a cool, organic wine and martini bar and vegetarian restaurant combo.   Interesting techno music vibe that turned decidedly more mellow, with cool, rustic atmosphere with wood floors and neat low slung  chairs, and retro diner bar stools. 

The menu was really a unique combination of flavors and it, as usual, took some time for me to figure out what I wanted.  The waitress was patient and explained all the dishes I inquired about.   I started off with a very nice glass of Chilean pinot noir for $12/glass (so nice that I opted for two, by the end of the meal).   The cocktails menu was really, interesting, you need to check it out on the website…very descriptive and inventive, some of which could make you blush.  Note the world’s most expensive organic martini for $665.  There is no decimal point missing and they donate the proceeds.   They offered lots of organic wines and beers and homemade red and white sangria, too.

I really could not decide what to get for an appetizer since I wasn’t that hungry due to my prior stops and a few of the selections were deep fried in their preparation, such as the mushroom medley and the winter squash wontons, and I tend to shy away from deep fried foods.  I only discovered this by asking questions, it wasn’t clear from the menu.     I ended up ordering the vegetable tasting mosaic ($19), which included braised fennel, brussel sprouts, chard, whipped maple sweet potatoes, sauteedcarrots, portabella mushroom roulade, escarole and more.  It was a healthful, tasty and satisfying concoction.  It came with a side of steamed, spiced quinoa, which was not very spicy.  Unfortunately for me, I had no room for dessert, even though I had my eye on a few, it was a toss-up between the chocolate fondue ($14) and chocolate tart ($8).  Yes, I will be back and I plan to come hungry next time around.

Counter NY

105 First Ave (bet. 6^th and 7^th)

www.counternyc.com

212-982-5870

Babycakes NYC (Lower East Side, NYC) VGN

Stop #2 of my Lower East Side eating extravaganza

A vegan, gluten-free bakery (and also wheat-, soy-, casein- and refined sugar-free) –it was vegan heaven!   They sold frosting shots (yes, little mini cups of frosting – what a novel idea) for $1.50 , cupcake tops, regular sized cupcakes, some of which were made with spelt flour, sweet breads, brownie cupcakes, cookies and the list goes on…

The place is adorable, tiny with a little kitchen in the back of the store and a few stools for those of us who can’t wait to indulge, like myself. 

The chocolate cupcake was good with tasty chocolate frosting (they did not have a spelt chocolate-chocolate cupcake that day), the brownie cupcake made with agave was disappointing, just so-so and the chocolate chip cookie was just the right crispiness.   Those three items came to about $7.  Next time I will buy a frosting shot and hope to try a spelt cupcake, either a regular cupcake or maybe just a top.

248 Broome St

New York, NY 10002

www.babycakesnyc.com

212-677-5047

il Laboratorio del Gelato (Lower East Side, NYC) VF

Stop #1 of my Lower East Side eating extravaganza (all three places are in close proximity, especially the first two which are only one or two short blocks apart, and it’s about a ten-fifteen minute walk to the third stop). 

Holy flavors of gelato and sorbet!  Flavors change every day as they make the flavors fresh daily inside and when I went, they offered olive oil, chocolate mint, which was white rather than green for purists with hunks of chocolate, chocolate kahlua, espresso, toasted almond, toasted coconut, egg nog (it was Christmas Eve, after all), and dark chocolate to name a few.   I didn’t really notice the sorbet flavors, I was fixated on the gelato I must admit.  I tasted the toasted almond, which was excellent and unlike any other flavor I’ve had before.  I was unable to purchase a scoop of it, however, because it was almost all gone. So, I ended up buying a small cup with two scoops, one scoop of chocolate kahlua and the other scoop of espresso, both great choices.  The chocolate kahlua was rich and creamy and the espresso popped with intense coffee flavor.  

The shop is really just a window displaying all the flavors ready to be scooped, customers are not allowed inside the store so be ready to eat outside in the cold, like I did.  But, I did not mind, even though it was a chilly 30-something degrees outside – that’s how good this place is.   Oh, and there was a line when I arrived there – yes, in the middle of winter, there was a line at the gelato place.  That says it all.  People are passionate about good gelato and sorbet and this shop does not disappoint. 

The gelato is not vegan unfortunately, but vegetarians will most definitely enjoy.

il Laboratorio del Gelato

95 Orchard St.

(between Broome & Delancey Sts)

New York, New York

www.laboratoriodelgelato.com/

212-343-9922