Summer in the City

This month, I made a short trip home to New York.  The problem I find in NYC is that there aren't enough meals in a day.  There are so many spots I want to visit and I simply don't have time to get to all of them.  However, there are some places that I make a point to visit.  Here are a few of them.

One of my first stops when I arrive in the city is usually Babycakes.  It's a bakery on the Lower East Side that specializes in organic, vegan, gluten free and wheat free sweets.  They have a Biscuit Sandwich with jam and frosting that I love for breakfast.  For dessert or an afternoon snack, their cupcakes, donuts or brownies are divine and essentially guilt free. 

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The Chelsea Market is a great place to shop, eat and explore.  It's a beautiful building that continues to add amazing vendors.  Some of my favorites are 202, a restaurant that also sells clothes and home goods, The Green Table, a sustainable and organic eatery, and The Filling Station, a great spot for olive oil and sea salt.

And of course, One Lucky Duck.  If you don't have a chance to make it to Pure Food + Wine, a raw vegan restaurant near Union Square, this outpost sells some of their best offerings, like Strawberry Blonde shakes and Macaroons.

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For lunch, I stopped by Loving Hut for their Vegan Joy (soy chicken, veggies, five grain rice and teriyaki sauce) and a Mango Smoothie.  I've eaten at several Loving Hut locations and never been disappointed.  They're very particular about their ingredients - all vegan, GMO-free and organic whenever possible.  You can't go wrong here.  And the Mango Smoothie actually tastes like mangos, not sugary syrup. 

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Teany is the perfect place for afternoon tea, lunch, or just dessert.  They have an extensive tea menu and roughly 10 different types of Vegan Treats cakes daily. 

Their Chicken Salad Sandwich is delicious and a great price for a vegan NYC lunch.  They also have a great Breakfast/Brunch menu and an adorable Afternoon Tea Special.  This visit I had a Black Tea Coconut Soy Latte and Vanilla Raspberry Cake.  I had a total sugar coma afterward, but it was absolutely worth it.

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I'm always up for Thai food, and Thai Market is exceptionally veg-friendly.  When the weather's nice, they open their doors, which span the entire facade, and a lovely breeze sweeps through.

The Mock Duck Salad is so flavorful and distinctive.  Bits of crispy seitan with lots of fresh greens and veggies.

The Pad Sapporod with Tofu is nothing short of amazing.  It's filled with pineapple, peppers, cashews and green onions with a sweet and sour sauce.  Their tofu has a great consistency - somewhere between soft and crisp.

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The next day I traveled to Brooklyn to see a friend and try Wild Ginger for the first time.  I adore Pad Thai but have to refrain because it's pretty heavy on the fish sauce.  Finding Vegan Pad Thai was the highlight of my day.  Perfectly spiced, creamy, crunchy and altogether lovely.  We split the Chocolate Cheesecake, but we were so excited to dive in that it didn't even occur to me to take a picture.  Yep, it was that good.

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Lula's Sweet Apothecary was my next stop that afternoon...I realize I had just had dessert, but I could not miss vegan cashew cream ice cream.  I had Cake Batter + Strawberry Soft Serve Swirl.  It was excellent.  Cold, creamy and rich with a wonderful strawberry flavor. 

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Rickshaw is a dumpling bar on 23rd Street that has only one vegan dumpling...but it's incredible.  Pureed edamame inside a whole wheat wrapper served with a lemon sansho dipping sauce.  You can make a meal of it with soup (the Miso Noodle Soup is vegan) or any of their salads (the Ginger-Soy Salad comes with spicy tofu and an addicting dressing).   And if you're nowhere near their neighborhood, they have a truck that travels all around the city - check their Twitter page for locations. 

Restaurants come and go in New York, especially vegetarian restaurants.  Before each visit, I check Super Vegan to get the scoop on the best veg eats in the city.  Happy Cow is another favorite, and they cover just about every city you can imagine.  With so many vegan and vegetarian options, I will continue to feature New York as one of the leading veg cities.