L. I. V. E. on Long Island

Though Long Island has a couple of all-vegetarian Indian restaurants, it has slim pickings in every other cuisine. I know this all too well as I have to settle for basic vegetarian options in many omni eateries often in my quest for satiety. It’s a big adjustment given my home in Brooklyn offers proximity to many, many awesome options. So it was nice to hear that Long Island Vegetarian Eatery (L.I.V.E.), a veg fast food spot in Seaford, opened its doors a few months back.

L.I.V.E. offers a slew of vegetarian-friendly versions of comforting familiar foods: jalapeno poppers, drumsticks, subs, melts, burgers and dogs, as well as an Italian-geared entree selection. It’s straight-up bar food–which works–as the owners manage the  hotspot for drinks next door, the Leaky Lifeboat.  On my vist, I tried the Killer Tofu Sticks, which hit the spot with its crunchy breading and sweet dipping sauce. I could have eaten 100 more of these.

I had some trouble choosing a main. Should I order what I was in the mood for: hot, familiar and comforting?… should I order a cold sub just to see counter-guy construct a faux-meat delight down a conveyor belt of cold cut and vegetable options?… should I go all proper-dinner-like and order a pasta dish?  There is something a bit, pleasantly overwhelming about having more than 2 vegan options. In the end I opted for hot, familiar and comforting: Chick’n Parmesan Hero.

So what I barely ate it after binging on Killer Tofu Sticks? It’s a chicken parmesan hero! Look how sexy messy it looks all spread out on my plate. It was almost obscene. Next time I need to really bring my appetite. On the plus side, I have at least 3 Karen-sized portions left to devour at home.

I wish L.I.V.E. all the success in the world! It is about time Long Island had a veg-only spot that satisfies.