Currently viewing the tag: "terri"
CandyPenny and I finally got around to hitting Dirt Candy in Manhattan’s East Village. With tough weekends under our belt, we needed some delectable eats during our debrief. Unfortunately we didn’t realize that the ambiance of this tiny, loud, upscale restaurant off East 9th street would have us yelling across the table… and dodging air from the bathroom we were seated next to given our reservation-less arrival.
But first, a cupcake from Terri. This was my first appetizer as I killed some time before our dinner. I must go on about the chocolate frosting and how rich it was. Tasted like nostalgic Duncan Hines atop a yellow cake. You go, Terri!
And onward to Dirt Candy. What gorgeous food you have! As we waited and sipped our $9 half-glasses of wine, we drooled over what was coming out of the kitchen. It was kind of difficult not to as our table was practically in the kitchen, in every clank of the dishes.. Sound filled the tiny space aggressively. But the food was innovative and tasty. Here is the run-down:
For my appetizer: CARROT—steamed barbecue carrot buns, cucumber & sesame ginger salad. These gorgeous little buns were dyed with carrot coloring. The innards, barbecue carrot shreds, were very yummy.
And my entree: CUCUMBER—coconut poached tofu, shiso galangal sauce, salsify & hearts of palm. Ain’t she gorgeous? With food this beautiful, it’s a shame, the lighting is orange and dim. In the enhanced light of photoshop (here), I see so much more lovely detail I wasn’t aware of eating!
It was a beautiful entree. But the presentation was slightly better than the taste. Cucumber, by definition, is very watery and light. The sauce and salad needed to deliver a bit more than it did.
And for my dessert BEET—Chocoloate Beet Cake: roasted pear sorbet, beet & pear leather. Although the color of beet drizzled the plate, it didn’t compliment the cake. Oddly, the chocolate cake was kind of in the way since the sorbet and beet sauce tasted nice together.
It was a nice dinner, but unless I was renting out the entire space, I’ll likely not volunteer to be within the conversations of its patrons again.
It’s about time I got myself to Stogo, New York City’s all-vegan gourmet ice cream shop. To escape the debilitating heat and humidity, CandyPenny and I ducked into the East Village storefront’s huge people-watching windows to cool down with their soy, hemp and coconut-based frozen treats. Stogo has some wonderful rotating flavors like Bananas Foster, which I sampled and must return for, Salted Caramel Pecan, Pomegranate Chocolate Chip and Toasted Almond Joy, as well as a selection of fruity sorbets. I chose the Creamsicle, a blend of decadent coconut-milk based vanilla ice cream (with specks of real vanilla beans… like Breyers) and orange ice pop.
We then traveled to Bushwick, Brooklyn to try the new vegan menu at Wreck Room, a grungy bar with a penchant for nostalgic tunes, a wide variety of barflies and South Park on the big screen. Wreck Room serves up straight-up bar food and I am glad they exist. New York City trails behind many other cities in this genre (I’m thinking Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Palomino. My goodness!) The menu is mostly reheat-ables, similar to my hood’s Foodswings. We got the Buffalo wings, soy science meat with the vegan bone in the middle, and split a Philly Cheese Steak made of seitan and topped with Daiya. Wash it down with a pint of local brew Six Point and smile big at the attentive and friendly bar staff. Good stuff.
From one vegan-friendly dive to another… it was time for the monthly Vegan Drinks night at Angels & Kings in the East Village to reunite the veggie gals. This time around Terri, Chelsea’s all-vegan sandwich shop, provided some sample noshes… quesadillas, mini sandwiches and maxi cupcakes! For afterhours we headed to Summit Bar on Avenue C to squeeze in with the overdressed for innovative foodie cocktails like the Ground to Glass, Corralejo blanco tequila, red pepper puree, cucumber, fresh lime, blended bitters and hickory smoked salt, or The Situation, Afghani Raisin Infused Rittenhouse Rye, Caraway infused agave, fresh lemon and Orange Bitters. The counter space looked like the offspring of a bar and a spice shop! 
What a delight to find Caserta Vecchia on a nice spring-I-don’t- want-to-go-underground-to-the-subway-yet walk after work. It quickly made my list of things to do. Caserta Vecchia, named after a medieval village in Italy, offers cashew-based vegan cheese substitution on all their pizzas. Again, indicating the coolness of a neighborhood.
Cinnamon cake in shape of a donut from Terri.
Novice slice from Slice.
Vegan Mozzarella from Tillman’s.
I feel immense pressure when visiting a new and all-vegan eatery. So many things to choose from, I wish I had like 9 stomaches, like the cows do. I have the uncanny knack of taking risks with new menus and often end up ordering the “wrong” thing. I do this in many avenues in my life I suppose but it is never more obvious then when I am chewing on it. Anyway, I hit the new vegan spot on 23rd street’s mass of nil veg-options: Terri. After much squinting at the posted menu and some advice from the counterperson, I took a risk and tried their Jerk Tofu Pineapple sandwich. I enjoyed it but was a bit perplexed by the purple jerk sauce spread on my delicious warm foccacia bread. What was it? I couldn’t help but obsessing over it. It wasn’t the best choice, no. But so what. The place has plenty other sandwiches to chose from, as well as fresh juice and housemade cupcakes. Next time, I’ll take the advice of the counter gal and try the popular buffalo chicken sandwich and suspend my fear of “chicken” in quotation marks. 
Vegan Reporting By Location
