Blossom in Chelsea

Usually, I proudly visit the UWS cafe location for brunch (french toast, berry pancakes), shakes (butterfinger, chocolate peanut butter), muffins (banana chocolate chip) & cookies (giant chocolate chip), but Chelsea Blossom's more lunch oriented menu forced me to eat "real" food. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The black eyed pea and potato appetizer was amazing; it reminded me of the delicious entree currently offered at Red Bamboo Brooklyn. Also delicious (but in 2nd place) was the ravioli in cashew cream sauce. There was a similar pasta entree on the menu that I'd definitely try for a main course next time; we snuck a peek at the order at the table next to us and it looked fresh, full of veggies, and basically divine. Though not my choice, the salad was fresh, light, and huge. But best was the Phyllo Roulade. It was almost beyond description: hearty, generous, and delicious.

It takes a lot for my sweet tooth/junk food addict self to admit, but clearly I have been missing out by not trying "real" food at Cafe Blossom. Blossom is not pretentious like Candle 79 and I found the dishes to be more inventive, better spiced, larger, and overall: infinitely better. They don't try too hard in an attempt at being considered avant garde, but they aren't afraid to play with spices and tastes (both the black eyed pea cake and phyllo roulade had a subtle and satisfying Indian flair). You leave feeling satisfyingly full of real, good food with flavors you couldn't duplicate at home. Finally, they are "...first and foremost animal caring"! If you are a member of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary (and why wouldn't you be?), they happily offer a 15% discount with a great big smile and a genuine thank you for helping the animals right along with them.

I will even admit that I was so full of good, real food that I skipped (!) dessert altogether. Yep, that's how good it was. Ok, I did have Vegan Treats cake at the T-Salon later that same day, but the point is that, at the time, I was fulfilled with real food.

So, how can you resist? Go here for a great meal. Only, don't make the mistake of going before Veggie Conquest as we did; there will be plenty of food there and your tummy will be full, full, full.