As Kyle and I headed to dinner on the eve of September 11th, the sky was illuminated with a beam of light where the twin towers once stood.
It was both eerie and inspiring and when I saw it I thought of each person who’s life changed that day.
I know that this post is from last week (and therefore old news), so I won’t share my reflections on 9/11, but it was a very patriotic weekend to be in NYC. If there were a way to feel proud and somber at the same time, I think that’s how I would describe my emotions.
Moving on…
We had a very special dinner planned at dirt candy, but when we arrived it was closed! :(
This was one of the restaurants I was most looking forward to trying as it has gotten nothing but the best reviews – meat eaters and vegans alike. Their chef/owner Amanda Cohen has even been on Iron Chef showing off the wonderful versatility of veggies. I have no clue why they weren’t open since it was a Saturday night (and they are supposedly closed for Sundays and Mondays only), but it was a sad moment realizing I wouldn’t get to taste the Jalapeno Hush Puppies [above].
Never one to go out without a plan B, I quickly google mapped my backup and within minutes we were on the doorstep of Angelica Kitchen.
This is another vegan hot spot in NYC – it’s won numerous awards and is constantly being featured in famous foodie mags.
Kyle and I arrived at 9 pm and there was still a wait, but within ten minutes we were browsing the menu in our cozy table for two.
We started with Angelica cornbread (which was wheat free). It was rustic, hearty and dense with a soft and chewy consistency. It almost tasted like a massive cornbread pancake. It was not at all what I expected, but I really liked it. The sweetness leads me to believe there was sweet brown rice in the whole grain mix.
It’s probably hard to tell from the poorly lit photos, but the crust on the cornbread was amazing. I ate it with a fork (it was that dense!).
The other appetizer we got was the Curried Cashew Spread. The menu describes it as “an intriguing live blend of raw cashews, sprouted chickpeas, freshly ground curry powder & unpasteurized miso accompanied by crisp crudités.” It tasted like it should be illegal. Unfortunately, the ratio of dip to veggies wasn’t well thought out. I had no problem polishing off the remaining portion with my tongue utensils, but I wished there were more crudités. Actually, I really wanted carbs in addition to veggies to scoop it up. Or raw crackers of some kind.
Kyle got the Olé Man Seitan, with Angelica’s homemade seitan and roasted vegetable mix folded into a warm whole wheat tortilla; dressed with spicy traditional mole sauce (peanuts & chocolate), & lime-jalapeño tofu sour cream; garnished with pimento.
He loved it – aside from the zucchini which he removed with surgical precision. I tried a piece of his seitan and found it surprisingly juicy. Definitely a fork and knife burrito though. Not even a caveman would approach that beast with his bare hands.
I was being my typical (read: indecisive) self with the menu and was pleased to find an option that afforded me some ordering leeway. The picnic plate lets you select 3, 4, or 5 menu items to mix & match. Some are appetizers and others are available in larger a la carte portions elsewhere on menu, but either way, it means more things I get to try!
I chose the Marinated Hiziki & Arame Salad, the Norimaki, and the Baked Marinated Tempeh.
I’ll go from least to most favorite. The seaweed salad was good, but not overly innovative. I enjoyed it, but there’s nothing more to say about it really. The norimaki rolls were exceptional, and I could have easily eaten a dozen more of them. My only complaint is the portion size, which is hardly a legit complaint considering the menu notes that the picnic plate comes with two rolls only. I guess I’m just a piglet. The tempeh was the best thing by far, and I would love to know the marinade they used. I may convert to tempeh worship (over seitan) soon.
Definitely pleased with my choices.
We nixed dessert, and instead headed back to the UWS for a late night coffee at Josie’s.
To be honest, thought Josie’s was closing so I was surprised to find it still open for business. Hooray for us!
Had I been in the cocktail mood, I think Pineapple Ginger Martini sounds like the most wonderful creation in the world of alcohol.
I hope they serve them in heaven (because being permanently buzzed off ginger infused cocktails seems like the way to do it up there).
Instead, I opted for decaf with soy milk with byo stevia (again). After the previous night’s bar hopping I was needing a mellow evening.
Kyle went with a less vegan option…ice cream cookie sandwich…in pie form.
And then we went back to snuggle with this guy.
Have you been to the twin towers site?
I really like Angelica Kitchen. I was there once and had their chili and the best corn bread I ever tasted. There’s a pizza joint nearby that I heard is really good too. The pie looks really yummy! No, I haven’t been to the Twin Towers’ site recently. I think I went a couple years after the incident but there was nothing there. Maybe I’ll go some time later this year.
My dad was in NYC and made it out of there safely, thank goodness. Since then, I have been wanting to make a visit out there. I think it’s something I just have to see. That pie looks awesome!
Two posts with nori rolls? I need to make them now!
Love the byo stevia line. And really love that cute little guy at the end!
wish i could’ve been there doing 9/11. i felt so far away from that day even though i remembered it like it was yesterday. i never went to the angelica kitchen; abe went a few times and didn’t like it, so if the vegetarian wasn’t into it i wasn’t going w/o him! josie’s was a place we’d go to w/ my mom who worked at the met opera house nearby. they were always so rude!
my bestie used to live right above angelicas! and i’ve been DYING to get there just for the cornbread! also madison square park is my FAV part of the city except i hated eataly haha i just wasn’t impressed! and it was too busy and the coffee sucked hahaha
So jealous of your NYC restaurant spree- yum!!
Just wondering, I know you were trying going GF and follow FODMAPS, noticed you have been eating a few products containing wheat during the trip (breaded tempeh, seitan), has it affected your tum?
so glad you got to try Angelica Kitchen! one of my favorite restaurants, and i also have their cookbook (so i can tell you for a fact that their signature cornbread DOES indeed have brown rice in it. it’s actually just brown rice, cornmeal, and apple cider – can ya believe it?! i’ve made it a few times). also yes i agree the picnic plate is definitely not filling. when i order that, i usually order a cup of chili and cornbread as well!!!
i’ve never tried josies but would LOVE to soon!
slightly, but im actually ok with gluten (the protein part of wheat) just not the carbohydrate/fiber part of wheat. for that reason seitan is *supposed* to be okay for those following a low fodmaps plan. the tempeh is more of an issue because im supposed to be doing no beans/soy, but im not officially starting the elimination plan until next week, so i was just trying to stay low fodmaps over the trip (as opposed to zero fodmap foods). i actually felt pretty good for most of the time too. fingers crossed this is the dietary choice that works for me!
they certainly werent overly friendly. but we really only went for coffee/dessert.
me too!
Yum your NY posts are making me hungry and jealous!! I’m a former NYer now in LA too…and every trip to NY I eat non stop. Still havent made it to Bonobos but your nori rolls bumped it to the top of my list! (if I can keep myself from eating Lula’s Sweet Apothecary ice cream every 5 minutes). I know I’m still lucky in LA, but NY is serious vegan heaven. Thanks for sharing!
Gosh, am I jealous of all your dining! Miss NYC so much, but am loving the recap posts, which let me live vicariously 🙂
I actually haven’t ever been to NYC. Do you ever wonder if resturants will start having stevia instead of all of the other scary sweeteners they offer? I know some places do but I wonder if it will ever expand.
Glad to hear! Hope this diet works out for you too! 🙂
Just came back from NY the week before 911. We went to the trade centres, the new building is beautiful. My kids love to go into the building beside it and climb the marble staircase and sing into the rotunda, what kid doesn’t like to become louder than they already are? 🙂 Looking forward to seeing the museum when it opens. The fountains look like a beautiful place to reflect. Did you get to visit up close this time, or was it too crowded?
HAHAHAHAHA! rusty and his junk made it on your blog. hilar. xoxo