Beyond Sushi

I recently spent a day in New York to attend a cooking class at the Natural Gourmet, and made a point of arriving early so I could sample one of the many vegetarian dining options in the city.   This is always the most difficult decisions I face, since there are hundreds of possibilities.  I have my favorites: Candle Cafe, Caravan of Dreams, Counter, Quintessence, Sacred Chow, Angelica's Kitchen... to name but a few.

This afternoon I decided to try a new entry onto the scene, Beyond Sushi, a 100% vegetarian sushi restaurant on the lower east side.  It's an easy 2 block walk from the 14th street subway station, which made it convenient and intriguing.  And according to VegNews, the place was opened by a former contestant of Gordon Ramsey's Hell's Kitchen competition.  Why not give it a try?

From the outside, the restaurant had a clean, sophisticated look, and inside the minimalist decor continued that theme.  However, I have to say my Connecticut sensibilities were shocked by the New York space limitations!  At most, the three wooden shelves that acted as counters with barstools wedged beneath could seat 12, but in reality, two to a table was stretching each patron's comfort level.

The menu was a selection of about a dozen creative combinations of standard veggie fillings:  asparagus, avocado, mango, cucumber, pickled daikon, and a few others.  These standards were elevated by a choice of 6 sauces topping each roll, such as carrot ginger, spicy cayenne, and mango chili.  The rolls were also made a bit unique because they were all inside-out with a choice of black rice or 6-grain rice.  Also on the menu are several options for summer rolls, salads and soups, as well as a few vegan desserts prepared off site.

I ordered the La Fiesta - 8 pieces rolled with Black Rice, Avocado, pickled jalapeno, chayote, and topped with cilantro and mango chili sauce - and the Sweet Tree - 8 pieces rolled with six grain rice, avocado, and sweet potato, and topped with alfalfa sprouts and toasted cayenne sauce.

Both were tasty, fresh and expertly prepared in a tiny kitchen.

I enjoyed my light lunch, but left wishing there had been the ubiquitous warm tea to accompany my meal and a larger table where I could spread out with a book and linger.  However, if you're in a hurry, this is a great place to grab a quick bite that's inexpensive and satisfying.  


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Foodie Trip to New York

For my mom's Mother's Day present this year, I decided to do something a little different.  Yes, my brother and I made dinner, which was great.  But the big surprise came a week later with a trip to New York to experience some culinary treasures along with the West Hartford Adult Education Life/Learn program.

Our tour began on the Upper West Side with a visit to Zabar's, the well-known gourmet market famous for its fresh-baked Jewish rye bread.  Upstairs I submerged myself in the gadget aisles.  Downstairs, I made some discoveries.

vegan find!  Tofu Spinach Spread

another vegan find!

score #3!

On the opposite corner from Zabar's is H&H Bagels where we stopped for some sesame and cinnamon raisin.  No, of course they're not gluten-free, but how could I resist the experience?

"Like no other bagel in the world."

got my bag of warm goodies

We had time to stop for lunch and fortunately for me there were two vegan options just a few blocks away:  Cafe Blossom and Peacefood.  We checked out the menus and made a plan to sit down for a couple appetizers at Blossom, then dessert-to-go from Peacefoods to savor later in the afternoon.

Black-Eyed Pea Cakes with 
Smoked Paprika Creme and Sriracha Sauce

Farinata Puttanesca - chick pea crepe with 

sauteed mushrooms and onions and roasted tomatoes

The vegan-filled display case at Peacefood

Sinfully Delicious Gluten-free 
Chocolate Cookie Sandwich with Mint Creme

After our vegan excursion, our next stop brought us to Kalustyan's, located in Curry Hill, the #1 spice shop in New York City. Kalustyan's is full of not only exotic and aromatic spices, but also about 40 varieties of rice, nuts grains, condiments, and salt.  Yes, an entire display shelf filled with salt from all over the world.  I could've explored this shop for hours and spent hundreds of dollars, but we only had 20 minutes, and I'm no millionaire.

So we regretfully moved on to our final stop, Little Italy, where we sampled foods from DiPalo Fine Foods.  I packed up a plate of prosciutto, cheeses, and breads for my dad, but I couldn't resist the sampling of artisan olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

My favorite was the small batch of balsamic aged in oak barrels for 8 years.  It was so rich and syrupy it almost had a chocolate quality to it.  I bet it would be heavenly drizzled on a salad of strawberries and baby spinach.

So concluded our tour.  Farewell, New York and fellow foodies.  I shall return.

dirt candy, CocoaV

Every once in awhile I like to take a trip to the city to explore vegan eateries and get inspired.  About a year or so ago I had heard about a new vegetarian restaurant called "dirt candy" - I liked the name, and the concept that veggies are like nature's candy, and so I wanted to check it out.  I finally got my chance this week.

The bright white obelisk illuminating the entry

The owner of dirt candy, Amanda Cohen, is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet (where I've also taken classes!) and former chef at Pure Food and Wine, one of the country's finest raw food restaurants.  If you want to see Chef Cohen in action, she will be competing against Iron Chef Morimoto on Iron Chef America Sunday, August 29, at 10:00 p.m. - exciting!!

The summer menu

The food here is more about chemistry and presentation than having a good hardy dinner, but it was still an enjoyable experience.  I do have to note, however, the space is TINY, even by NY standards.  Nine two-tops and a narrow alley down the center meant that if you wanted to get out of your seat you had to push aside the table next to you, inhale deeply, and hope that none of your clothes or body parts bumped up against fellow diners.  Seriously.  While in the bathroom I half expected to hear an announcement that we were free to unfasten our seatbelts and walk around the cabin.

I ordered the Mushroom Mousse appetizer, which according to the website is the restaurant's signature dish.

"The dish itself consists of a cube of the mousse, some thinly sliced grilled portobellos, a scoop of pear and fennel compote and little bits of truffle toast. After watching some folks struggle with their knives and forks (heartbreaking) we now recommend that people spread the mousse on the toast, top it with the grilled portobellos, add a bit of the compote for some sweetness, then stuff the whole thing in their mouth."  

So I had to try it.  The compote was made with apricot preserves, and it was a pleasingly sweet contrast to the savory mushroom.  For any vegans who miss the taste and texture of liverwurst, this will surely be pure heaven.  For me?  I've never really been a fan of the stuff.

For the entree I chose the Crispy Tofu with Broccolini and Orange Beurre Blanc.  The flavors were rich, coconutty, and Thai curry spiced. . . I just wish there was some jasmine rice or something to soak it all up.  I normally have to pass on the complimentary bread because of my gluten sensitivity, but in this case I wanted to sop up every last drop of that sauce, and I was still starving (come on:  one little slice of tofu??).

I was happy to be on my way across town for dessert at CocoaV.  Chocolates, bon bons, truffles, cupcakes, milk shakes, organic wine... yeah, the perfect way to end an evening.  For your viewing pleasure: