Okay, some brief notes on my recent trip! It was very enjoyable and in addition to eating we did some gigs and went to the theatre and cinema.
Food-wise I ate some brilliant cakes, the ice cream was fab and most of the savoury dishes I chose were seitan based and delicious!
I will start by saying I did like quite a few things at Babycakes this time (although I didn't try the cupcakes again). I loved their tiny chocolate brownies, their cookie-wiches (2 choc chip cookies held together with frosting) and their plum cookies (more what we would call a scone with plum jam which may sound a bit boring but was divine).
I must also revise my opinion of Candle Cafe which I recalled not liking when I went several years ago. It was very nice indeed, I'm glad we tried it again.
We went to Gobo twice because they were the only place open on Xmas Day and New Years Day. I was a bit disappointed (with the food and service) and probably won't bother to go back there next time we visit as I now recall feeling the same way last time we visited NY. But you do have to try it yourselves and see what you think.
Red Bamboo is still as good as ever, I was there all the time and even got food delivered once! (Oh if only they were round the corner from us at home!) The portions are large and you might be better off getting a few dishes as appetisers and sides of fries, greens and salad (the sweetcorn mash and gravy was disappointing this time).
Blossom is a wonderful new addition although it is quite expensive. There are two branches but apparently one is more of a cafe. We ate at the one on Ninth Avenue twice - it is nice and romantically dimly lit, with marvellous food.
We only did Candle 79 once because they only reopened after a redecoration after Xmas. It was still lovely but IMO it is a little less cosy and romantic in there now. Expensive but the food is still excellent so it is well worth a visit.
Counter is still great (not too far from Atlas for some take-away cake after) and we tried Sacred Chow for the first time - it was good too, interesting food and well priced.
The self serve buffet at Wholefoods (I only went to two branches - Union Sq and Bowery) seems good on first look but for hot or cooked food IMO there are better things to be had at Lifethymes, in their deli area and the self serve. Also (at Lifethymes) good and more 'wholesome' seeming cake than elsewhere.
In the fridge at Wholefoods you'll find Sweet & Sara brand vegan marshmallows and Smores (plain and peanut butter flavours). I could only find the Smores in the store on Houston/Bowery though.
The vegan chocolate brownie in Wholefoods was very tasty too but although their other vegan cakes are good they aren't as good as those from Atlas, Red Bamboo and Teany.
Since we had a freezer I bought a lot of ice cream to try and my favourite brand remains Soy Delicious, hands down. I most enjoyed their Chocolate Obsession, Peanut Butter Zigzag and Cherry Nirvana flavours.
Any questions from those planning a trip soon?
Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell
Fantastic notes there Marrers! I'd love to visit NY sometime.
Oh my god. you're like a vegan lonely planet for me there, marrers! christ on a bike i'm gonna have so much fun.
Marrers thanks for the useful info, sure it'll come in handy for us when we visit in March!
My fiance and I went to Blossom on 9th ave. this weekend and was delicious! He's not a vegan but enjoyed the food and felt good afterwards tooBlossom is a wonderful new addition although it is quite expensive. There are two branches but apparently one is more of a cafe. We ate at the one on Ninth Avenue twice - it is nice and romantically dimly lit, with marvellous food.
I just noticed Atlas Cafe has a second branch (although I haven't been there) - LITTLE ATLAS CAFÉ 6 West 4th Street, New York.
And here is a rave about the Vegan Treats filled doughnuts I mentioned:- http://supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=876
Oh, and Atlas get their cakes delivered weekly on Tuesdays - so the later in the week you go the less choice there will be!
Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell
well we'll be arriving on wednesday, so we'll wait til tuesday to take in Atlas. Gotta have those damn doughnuts! Not had a doughnut for 3 years!
Oh don't wait - just go twice!! There will be other nice stuff to have during the week (and there may even be doughnuts left).
Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell
ooh okay. we'll go for something in the week and then for fresh doughnuts on tuesday!
i'm planning to go to New York next year. i was thinking of only staying for a few days but having read about all the great places to eat i think i'll need longer just so i can try out all the food!
'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'
im going to New York in May.. wooooooooooo!!!!
My (omni) mum has ordered the Vegan Guide to New York, its quite cool that shes gonna be happy to eat mainly vegan with me. So eating shouldnt be a problem yay
One thing i do want some advice on though is who are the "goodies" and "baddies" in terms of American clothing brands? I dont buy any american labels over here but while im in NY i plan on doing alot of shopping and i'd be gutted to find out if i bought clothing by a label that sold fur or something.
In particular, some brands im interested in are: Juicy Couture, Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban Outfitters, DKNY and American Apparel. If anyone knows if any of these companies are particularly good or bad i'd be happy to know so that i can shop accordingly. And also, if you can think of any good "mainstream" brands that i can buy in Macys or Bloomingdales.
Oh yeah, that includes toiletries and makeup too. I've heard good and bad about MAC makeup... as far as im aware it seems like most of their stuff is vegan? (i wouldnt take the risk of buying lippy though- carmine = yuck!)
so to sum up, any general shopping advice would be mucho appreciated!
No advice on brands but you have to check out Century 21 - it's a bit like TKMaxx but it's totally huge! Give yourself plenty of time to look around, you'll need it. Alfanoose falafels and a branch of Zen Palate are nearby, addresses will be in your guide.
(It is very close to the World Trade Centre site and Tkts, the half price theatre ticket shop is also near there.)
ETA For anyone shopping go to the Visitor Centre in Macys and Bloomingdales with some ID and they'll give you a discount card which gives you an additional 11% off all purchases.
Sorry if I'm repeating myself, not sure if this was mentioned before or not.
Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell
oo thanks marrers
i cant wait for my Guide to arrive so i can check out all the places im gonna go!!!
Actually I recall that the Zen Palate in the Financial District was too new to be listed in the guide so it is at 104 John Street, New York, NY 10038 (212) 962-4208
And it looks like the Union Square branch has closed down.
Zen Burger looks interesting too although from reading the blurb it look like they use eggs in some things.
Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell
Well, I´m going there next 22nd march, and with a view to stocking up with books and as much vegan stuff as my bag can take. Would you please tell me where to find good works on animal lib , vegan food (all kinds of "Cheese", vegan chocolate bars, "fish" fingers, and so), Omega 3-6, B12 supplements?In London I raved with Holland &Barrett stores. What about NYC?
Thanks so much, folks!
I've seen this a little late, but if you're still around here you should head on down to Bluestockings http://www.bluestockings.com/ where you can peruse vegan literature whilst snacking on animal-free goodies in their cafe - they stock my all-time FAVOURITE cookies ever, made by the Alternative Baking Company (ABC)..Check em out! Another good reason to go there is that Mooshoes is literally a few doors down..
As detailed above, dining options are so extensive in NY..One place that's great for pizza on the go is Viva Herbal Pizzeria...I believe they have two locations but I only know and can vouch for the one on 2nd, between 11&12th...No meat, but be aware that some of their wares are vegetarian not vegan..That said, a lot IS vegan.
Happy veganizing!!
~ United we stand..Divided we fall ~
Ta a lot, Lakini!
Well, as I had guessed, NY is a heaven for vegans, and the choice is amazing.
My picks were:
-Snice: I howled with the Veg Pot pied wrap and the choc milk shake. Cheap and otustanding
- Blossom: On my last day, I decided to try Pamela Andersson´s joint, and as soon as Porcini seitan hit my tongue, I began to freak out
- Viva Herbal Pizzeria: I ordered two large portions of vegan pizza and I couldn´t finish one of them. The one called "Canja" is something indescribable, I particularly slobbered over the spelt crusty dough. Besides, it was the first time I tried root beer, and I found it great
- Candle café: Although my choice could have been improved (a kind of tempeh wrap, eating the chocolate mousse was something like meeting Scarlett Johansson in the flesh. I drooled Homer Simpson´s style!
- Red Bamboo: Dante´s kitchen was great and the ice cream, delicious
-Wild Ginger: Nice place, but my thai noodles with "fish" weren´t the top pick. (Judging from what I spied from the others´dishes!)
- Zen Burger: as far as I know, not mentioned in this thread, maybe due to its recent opening (jan 2008). You can relish veggie fast food in a sleek, Mac Donalds style. I couldn´t believe the tuna sandwich and the chicken nuggets were veggie!
I would have loved to try some more, but my six day stay there only allowed me to that. Most of my shopping was done in Lifethyme, a great place with a wide array of enticing stuff. Too bad I couldn´t get hold of the frozen things owing to my long journey back to Spain!
In Mooshoes I got two pairs of shoes as well as the film, "The witness", which I had seeked for a long time.
You couldn´t believe how heavy my bag was on my last day, so I had to drag the whole load all the way, mostly because of the numerous books I got. The ones on animal rights were: Brutal (Brian Luke), eternal treblinka (Charles Patterson) and Vegan: the new ethics of eating (erik Markus) I hope they´re good...
So, how I envy you, , New yorkers!
well as far as I know, the Zen Burger fayre isn't actually vegan :s
Anyway, here's my brief pickings:
Doughnuts from the very tiny, extremely heaving, but outrageously friendly Atlas cafe. The Boston Cream Pie d'nut was especially good. Oh, the Vegan Treats brownie cheesecake they sell here is damn good too.
BBQ chicken wings and Chicken Parm Hero from Red Bamboo - Really nice folks here too, especially the uber-camp fellow with the pretzel tattoo . The Bamboo Club was a bit vile though.
The Peanut Butter Brownie and Vegan Creme Caramel from WholeFoods Columbus Circle were damn nice. The Creme Caramel specifically because it was so out of the ordinary to find that kind of thing!
S'Nice Cream Sandwiches, Cupcakes, and Chicken pot pie wrap from S'Nice
Seitan Piccatta, Peanut Butter Bliss, and Brownie Ice Cream Sundae from Candle 79. Really nice, mood-lit, romantic place who went out of their way to make sure our visit was top-notch. The babaganoush amuse-bouche, and little birthday candle in the dessert were little details which set it off.
The Turkey club from Teany. Nice little place, and one of the only times i've ever enjoyed tempeh. So that's a plus.
BabyCakes was a MASSIVE let-down. The cakes are dry, the icing separates if left for more than a few hours, and they cost far too much for the size of them. Yeah, they're healthy, but I can do better healthy at home. Head to S'Nice for good cupcakes. The Chocolate Crumb Cake was good though.
On the non-cafe side of things: Lifethyme was really good (stocked up on deodorant, hand cream, and jerky); Got a $50 Matt & Nat wallet from Mooshoes, where Jo got some nice boots; The WholeFoods markets are better than here; Newman-O's are addictive.
On the non-vegan side of things: The Biography Bookshop on Bleecker St (at 11th St, West Village) was a really cool little shop (not just biographies!); Strand books, whilst a little overwhelming, was very nice. I could have spent days in there. I came away with a couple of books, and this baby: http://www.strandbooks.com/app/www/p...sbn=1499140177 . Really pleased with this find.
I could go on forever, but I won't...
Hey erfoud! We were in NYC at the same time, and went to many of the same places! how odd...
Fancy that, Brycee!
Yeah, I´ve just read your post and we might have been sitting side by side in one of these eateries...
Well as a matter of fact, you londoners don´t have much to envy from NY, as you have plenty of veggie restaurants (I fondly remember "Chi" near Trafalgar Square, or Red Veg at Dean street!) and well stocked Holland&Barret where you can find great delicacies. How I wish there was smthing like that in forlorn Spain!
Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell
Oh I love NYC! CONGRATS on your trip! That sounds like so much fun!!! I have only been twice for short amounts of time and don't know much about the city... but I wanted to just comment on the brands you mentioned- I know for a fact that sadly Juicy Couture DOES use REAL ANIMAL FUR on some of their clothes. I acutally bought some of their tracksuits and shirts and purses before I became vegan or knew anything about it. So I just wanted you to know.
As for MAC, I own TONS of their makeup but haven't bought anything else since switching to vegan either... so I would love it if someone else knew about their products. They're AWESOME, but I am not sure if they do involve animal testing or not
Have fun on your trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i'm off to the US in a few days and i'm really excited.
has anyone been to Kajitsu? looks like it's fairly new. i thought i'd decided where to eat as i'm only there for three nights but then i heard about this place and i'm wondering whether to give it a try. there are a couple of glowing reviews on Yelp and the menu sounds amazing.
http://www.kajitsunyc.com/
i'm going to Red Bamboo on the first night, as it's the only place i want to go that'll still be open when i reach New York (so much for 'the city that never sleeps'!); and Blossom and Candle 79 - i'm considering doing Candle 79/Candle Cafe for lunch instead of dinner so i can check out Kajitsu, as they're only open in the evenings.
'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'
I've never heard of it but wow, pricey!
I've heard of the others and I think it's a great plan. I want to do Candle 79 as soon as I move back and Red Bamboo looks great too. You have to go here for desert though: http://www.lulassweetapothecary.com/
Reviews when you get back please!
"To reduce suffering means to reduce the amount of ignorance, the basic affliction with us." -Thich Nhat Hanh
thanks Dia, that looks great, and it's in the area i'm staying. i'll definitely check it out
Kajitsu does indeed look pricey but i love Japanese food and it's pretty much a once in a lifetime trip for me, so i'm making the most of it
'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'
Careful, Gorilla, I didn't see any promise that they don't use for example egg or dairy in any of the dishes. In case you don't know, in America "vegetarian food" often contains egg, dairy, and honey. [I'm not sure how it is commonly thought of where you live so I thought to mention it.]
edit to add: I see several reviews mention they believe it to be vegan but I haven't seen the restaurant themselves state so. Many Zen Buddhists use dairy I believe:
Q: Are eggs and milk included in vegetarian diet?
A: Buddhism encourages vegetarian diet out of compassion for the animals. Eggs may be fertilized and therefore have consciousness, so we don’t eat eggs. Milk does not involve killing of the animal, so dairy products are fine.
Google "kajitsu vegan". You will find many, many articles describing Kajitsu as a vegan restaurant.
Mmmm! Have you got room in your suitcase for a stowaway, Gorilla?
Rootmaster in London are vegan yet they don't explicitly describe themselves as such on their website either. it's not unheard of.
'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'
Lulas is a must! Blythe is so sweet and happy to let you know where to get other vegan goodies too.
Yeah, there used to be a restaurant called Gardners opposite Chelsea football ground, and they used to call it a "restaurant potager" or something like that IIRC. The proprietors reckoned that calling it "vegan" would put non-vegan customers off coming in. ETA this was before websites were invented I think
kajitsu is not a vegan or vegetarian restaurant. It is a restaurant that serves traditional religious Japanese food that happens to be entirely veggie or vegan.
I think it is a good move not to label itself as a veg*n restaurant as it will pigeon hole itself with a movement it is not part off.
Hare Krishna eateries advertise themselves as veggie food and get mocked and probably looses custom from some omnis for what is in fact a religious diet eatery.
The style food this restaurant serves is called shojin, short for shojin ryori. Although Gorilla knows them to also be vegan, people shouldn't walk away thinking shojin = vegan. It's probably a safe bet to assume shojin restaurants are usually vegetarian but here's an example of a San Francisco "new shojin" restaurant named Medecine that serves several forms of fish. [Once at the site click on "Bento" and read the first four options] In case people are unaware that fish are animals they've denoted that fact on their menu with the letter A in brackets. [A]
"* all bento boxes contain NO animal ingredients unless indicated by [A]"
I just spent 10 days in NY.
Lula's Apothecary was good for ice cream but there wasn't much in the way of cakes - at least not on the day I was there - just some chocolate covered pretzels and peanut butter truffles. The shop front is very low key and I walked past without noticing it so keep 'an eye out for it. It is listed as a stockist for Sweet and Sara marshmallows but I didn't notice any there. (Sweet & Sara stockist are listed on their website - only some Wholefoods branches carry them so if you are keen to find them it's worth checking.)
I was very disappointed at Dirt Candy and would not recommend it. There aren't many choices. They veganised our starters and mains but we both thought all dishes were very bland and boring except for the dessert which was quite nice. Also they had no idea whether any of the wines were vegan.
All my usual favourite haunts like Red Bamboo, Blossom, Candle 79 and Candle Cafe did not disappoint.
Counter, Pure Food & Wine and Curly's were nice as usual. I tried Zen Palate (twice) and Pomme Frittes (just chips) for the first time and both were great.
At Sacred Chow as before I wasn't that impressed with the main dishes but the dessert was fab - their home made truffle cake was one of the best cakes I had on the trip!
There were some great new Purely Decadent ice cream flavours (like Pomegranate Chip, Key Lime Pie and the ones made from coconut) - all delicious. I also had Blackwells dark chocolate sorbet and some frozen yogurt dessert.
Previously people said they couldn't find Peanut Chews anywhere - I found they were everywhere so I don't know where you lot were looking!
Can't wait to go back in December! Looking forward to hearing your reviews soon Gorilla.
Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell
Forgot to mention Jivamuktea Cafe near Union Square. We only had soup and cupcakes there but it was very nice, I'd like to go there again.
I watched the NY Dosa food cart guy (in Washington Square) making his wares but sadly didn't have enough room to eat anything at the time.
Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell
For anyone who might care to know, that information is not nearly as readily available to American vegans (or American vegan restaurants) for several reasons:
A) We don't have an annual compendium in the way of the "Animal free shopper" guide to confer.
B) There is no equivalent organization to the UK's Vegan Society here who monitors and certifies the vegan status of beer and wine companies.
C) I've never seen the word "vegan" or an ingredients list on any bottle of beer in my life here (I almost never drink wine so I can't comment on that), the only way to tell is to contact the company in question personally each time you buy it and hope they are willing to cooperate. About half the time the response I get is,"We are under no legal obligation to inform you about any ingredients that aren't allergens nor the filtration or finning process we are currently using this month. We consider it a trade secret."
About all we can do is compare email responses with each other from those who do cooperate and hope they are accurate and up to date which is always sketchy, at best. They could change at any time since they haven't been certified by anyone and are free to change their finning/filtration process and ingredients at any time, for any reason, and with no indication of such on their label.
As all wine is labelled with the year in which it was made and all the bottles of wine in that year's batch would be produced in the same way it couldn't suddenly change status. If a company's 2004 Chardonnay is confirmed to be vegan then all the bottles of 2004 Chardonnay will be vegan, of course the 2005 may not be, but then it would be immediately obvious from looking at the bottle that it is a different wine.
Of course it's not always easy to find out which wines are vegan, but there are some wine producers that have such information readily available, and I would expect a vegetarian restaurant that caters for vegans to ensure that all their wines are vegetarian and to know which ones are vegan.
Arguably, but some of us drink NV wine. To the best of my knowledge all beer is NV.
You can't have a "confirmed product" without having a "confirming organization" such as the Vegan Society, UK who absolutely never address American wineries.
If I contact a US winery and ask what fining compound they are currently using, even if they do divulge this info to me there is absolutely no guarantee they won't switch the next morning to an alternate one for any number of reasons, such as cost.
There are lots of beers that are vegan. Everywhere, there are whole hosts of Canadian and US breweries that do announce themselves as vegan friendly. It is always best to contact them directly though if you feel it could be an issue. There is a wonderful thread on this forum where people are contacting companies on a regular basis and US based websites that do the same with US/ Canandian brews.
Would you please kindly name one that "announces" they are vegan? All I've ever found were ones that coincidentally at the time of someone's email correspondence said they were currently only using bentonite clay as a fining compound, for example, but an established, "known" American beer company that actually announces by label (or website) that they are vegan would be most useful to me. That gives me an assurrance that they won't change day to day. Thanks.
The best thing you can do is e-mail the company direct list here
http://www.barnivore.com/beer
Last edited by Buddha Belly; Apr 25th, 2009 at 04:14 PM. Reason: Can't be bothered getting into another pointless discussion where semantics play the major role
I beg to differ. There are none. That is to say there are no established name brand American or Canadian beer manufacturers which announce by label or website that their product is promised to be vegan, nor is there any outside vegan certification organization such as the Vegan Society UK which certifies American or Canadian breweries.
Thank you for the Barnivore link, which I've seen before.
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