Why Not Candle 79?

I am frequently asked for restaurant recommendations from friends and colleagues: some vegan, some not.  My rule of thumb is to offer six options of various cuisine and to always include ice cream as a supplementary suggestion for dessert.  The follow-up question I receive most often is, "Why not Candle 79?"

So, why not Candle 79?

For years, VM and I enjoyed quite the love affair with Candle 79; it was our go-to restaurant for "great food, chill atmosphere, top-notch staff..." and there was no shortage of accolades for them on this blog.  Then, unexpectedly (a month after my last C79 blog post), we had such a horrendous experience that it has kept us from returning.  In fact, it's been years.

I've been accused of being Mean Bean, but the fact of the matter is that I simply call it like I see it.  On this particular occasion, however, the situation was so awful that I chose not to document it publicly.  The problem with that, though, has been that this blog continues to return positive results for Candle 79, when that is definitely not the opinion I'd like to share.  Or at least the whole of it.  I'm sure their food is still delicious and they may even have an entirely different staff by now, but after the feeling that we had that day- so awful that when we left we had to power-walk 20 blocks just to let off steam, neither of us has any intention of ever stepping foot back into the restaurant.

So, instead of removing my previous posts about Candle 79, in an effort to better illustrate the whole picture I will simply add the letter that I sent to management the day following our visit.  In response, we received an apology and an offer to return as their guest at a pre-arranged time.  We declined.

To Whom It May Concern:

I have been a loyal customer of Candle 79 since 2005 and have always felt that the food, service, and atmosphere epitomizes fine, vegan dining in New York. Unfortunately, my experience this weekend was so utterly abysmal that I believe it has served to negate all previous, positive meals. Since the manager was not at all concerned with our disappointment, I thought perhaps this might reach an interested party.

We arrived at 3:15 for a 3:30 brunch reservation; the first floor was less than half full, but the hostess accommodated our request for a table by the window and sat us upstairs. Once our waiter took our order, he informed us that he would be leaving his shift for the day and bid us a good weekend.

Contrary to a typical visit, we did not receive an amuse bouche. We were barely into our appetizer when two employees came upstairs, cleared the settings off of the table next to us, and pushed it up against ours, explaining “Your second course is ready”. And so it was, entrees and sides delivered much too soon: hastily deposited onto an awkwardly adjacent table, cooling as we finished our appetizers. No one returned to remove our plates, so we swapped the course’s dishes ourselves and pushed the table back so that we did not eat our meal next to dirty plates.

Not only didn’t anyone come upstairs to remove the dishes, no one bothered to so much as ascend the steps throughout the duration of our meal. We were neither offered a second glass of wine or libation, nor did anyone ever check in on us in any way. In fact, when I needed extra sauce I actually had to walk downstairs myself in order to speak to a busboy.

When we were almost through with our brunch, a waitress wordlessly approached our table and removed one of the empty plates. I requested more water and her response was only, “Mmm Hmm”. Once she was gone, a waiter came upstairs, stood at the archway to survey ours and the other occupied table in the room and sighed, “There’s still f---ing people here? I hate this f---ing s--t." When I looked directly at him, he grinned.

Once the check was brought to the table, the waitress and this man positioned themselves so that they stood side by side staring intently at the remaining tables of diners; I actually had to excuse myself in order to pass them on my way to the restroom. Then, as I waited at the table for my dining companion to return from the restroom, the waitress returned to the table, pointed at the bill and asked pointedly, “Is this done?”

As we descended the stairs to leave, a woman stood at the base of the steps watching us and muttered to the waitress, “Well, here they come”, as though we were invisible, hard-of-hearing, or both; imagine our surprise when we asked to speak to the manager and learned that it was her. I suppose that with this kind of example, it’s no wonder that the class level exhibited by your staff on this day was so severely lacking. When we explained to her the deplorable service we had received- including, most appallingly, the language exhibited by the waiter, her only response was, “Thank you for your opinion.”

I’ll say here what the manager was not at all interested in hearing. If you choose to close your restaurant at 4pm, that is fine. But do not say that you stop serving at four, allow diners to begin their meal almost an hour earlier, and then attempt to rush them out. In a restaurant of Candle 79’s caliber, it is not unusual for a three-course brunch and drinks to be enjoyed over the course of an hour and a half. In fact, one would think that you would prefer for people to enjoy themselves at leisure while they continue to order drinks and courses.

As I stated earlier, this is not the experience I equate with Candle 79. And, I hope that you will have more than gratitude for my “opinion”.

With disappointment,
Abigail Bean

We Heart Candle 79

We generally reserve Candle 79 for special occasions, but since we're uptown so infrequently, it's hard not to take every such opportunity to visit a restaurant where you're practically guaranteed an incredible experience.  So, the other day when we found ourselves facing the dilemma: pop into C79 without a reservation or go somewhere else...we quickly decided to pop in and take our chances.

Although they had just opened, the dining area was filling up quickly and we could overhear the hostess saying that many of the still open tables were reserved.  When it was our turn, it was explained to us that there was a table for two available, but we would have to be out in an hour and a half.  Hmm, enjoy a less leisurely meal than usual or go somewhere else?  Enjoy!

Since we usually can't resist over-indulge and order soup to nuts, VM suggested that in light of the time constraint, perhaps we should just order one giant meal rather than courses.  It was genius.

Per usual, the bonus amuse bouche.  Presented with a flowery description of which I only retained the key words: tomato, rice cracker, and pureed potato; I was afraid.  Pureed potato?  If I pureed a potato it would taste like, um, pureed potato.  VM ate hers and gave me the go ahead.  I should have known; in C79 land pureed potato tastes like a delectable spread of unknown, vegan origin.

It's been years since I'd had them and VM is a huge fan, so without hesitation we chose a side dish of the onion rings with chipotle aioli.  Giant rings of thick onion battered in a crisp, but not greasy coating; these were only enhanced by the delicious dipping sauce.

Next up was a side dish of the you-cannot-go-to-C79-and-not-order the polenta fries with chipotle ketchup.  These never disappoint!  I have literally never been to Candle 79 and not ordered these.

I was surprised that the roasted brussel sprouts were not crisped to perfection the way VM makes them, but were instead rather soft and buttery.  Luckily you can't really go wrong with brussel sprouts and we gobbled them all up anyway.  The creamy garlic cloves that melted in your mouth didn't hurt either.

For the main dish we agreed upon the Moroccan spiced chickpea cake with seasonal vegetables, red pepper-coconut curry, ginger-apricot-date chutney, and toasted almonds.  The cake is the same one that resides in their falafel sandwich, but the dinner version is served upon a coiffed bed of potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and onions.  Both the curry and the chutney (which tasted like tamarind to me) really made the meal. 

And, finally, you'll be happy to know that we also chose the grilled kale salad with haricots verts, [fresh!] figs, red onions, turnips, avocado, sunflower seeds, speltberries, and chive vinaigrette.  I'm not one to order salad at a restaurant, but Candle 79 does it up right.  There must be a more appropriate word for these "salad" concoctions they come up with, because to consider them in the same category as the standard iceberg and tomato plate is an injustice.

While I would have liked to have squeezed in dessert, our time was up.  Our polite waiter, Eliot, didn't point it out but we had kept an eye on our watches.  Glad to have had the opportunity to enjoy this fine dining unexpectedly, we certainly didn't want the diners who had had the forethought to make a reservation to suffer as a result of our gluttony.  Instead, we headed over to Candle Cafe for dessert.  Thank you for another wonderful evening, Candle 79.

Candle 79: Great Food, Chill Atmosphere, Top-Notch Staff...and Moby!

Although I don't find myself on the UES very often, Candle 79 is one of my favorite places to go with VM.  While many of our favorite vegan spots are enjoyably casual, we love Candle 79 for being a more upscale choice, and for epitomizing the genre of finer dining by being a wholly class-act, top-notch, vegan dining experience completely without pretense.

Per usual, the impeccable service started when I called to make the reservation.  The hostess was friendly, efficient, and accommodating.  Upon arrival, as promised, we were seated at our favorite table (I'm not telling, lest everyone want it) and, as a bonus, Moby was a mere two tables away.  It was good to be in the company of another vegan of taste and we thanked the hostess for seating us in the "celebrity section".

someone headed to a party

Our waiter, John, was completely delightful from the first words he spoke.  True to Candle 79 form, his service was seamless and seemingly effortless, our dining experience made more enjoyable by his personality and cordial conversation.

VM started off with the cherry mojito: sake, muddled cherries, lime, muddled mint, agave, and sparkling water.  While I enjoy the occasional fruity libation, I stuck with water; if I have one complaint about Candle 79 it's that their drinks simply don't floor me.  As I partake so infrequently, I like to be impressed!  This drink was no exception; I picked out some of the muddled cherries (yum), but the actual concoction was too strong and not sweet enough for my taste.  VM enjoyed, although I don't think she'd order again.  To their credit, John offered to make any necessary adjustments, but VM required only her requisite glass of ice for accompaniment.

The food:
I always look forward to the C79 brunch amuse bouche and this day's was exceptional: chocolate chip muffins!

2 muffins enjoying the view

Fresh from the oven, the chips were still melty!

We decided to share the stuffed avocado salad as an appetizer and it was a stupendous choice.  The freshest, smoothest, creamiest avocado half filled with a mountain of quinoa, corn, french lentils, grape tomatoes, radishes, toasted pumpkin seeds, and chipotle-avocado dressing on a bed of baby greens.  I accidentally cut the avo in half width-wise, and wound up gluttonously eating 2/3 of the salad.  Piggy.

As a huge falafel fan, VM couldn't resist the falafel sandwich: a whole wheat pita filled with Isreali salad (diced tomatoes, crunchy onions, etc.) and minted tahini, served with mesclun greens, and quinoa tabouli.  I don't know what made the patty orange, and the beauty of eating in an all vegan restaurant is that I didn't care!  I really enjoyed this sandwich; yep, I stole half (are you sensing a pattern?).

I ordered VM's selection from a previous visit, the wild mushroom and spring vegetable crepe served with mesclun greens.  As the seasons have changed since the last time we ordered this, so too did the fresh vegetables that overflowed from the delicate, ridiculously authentic crepe drizzled with spring garlic aioli.  VM liked this even more than the first time, and acquiesced to eating ever so slightly more than her usual taste smidgen.

Lest we be entirely too restrained with our healthy ordering, we augmented our meal with a must have: the crispy polenta fries.  Normally served with scrumptious chipotle ketchup, we also ordered creamy horseradish sauce to switch things up.  There wasn't a clear winner so we dipped intermittently (but never mixed).

A new favorite of ours is the brunch offering of yukon gold skillet potatoes, also a great vehicle for the chipotle ketchup.  They seem simple, but they are wonderful in their simplicity and unapologetic potato-y-ness.

We couldn't, in good conscience, leave without dessert.  So, I we decided on the oft-contemplated but never ordered, famous, chocolate-peanut butter bliss: chocolate mousse, peanut butter mousse, chocolate shell, and berry coulis.  Neither VM or I have ever liked mousse in general, but we have decided that this might be an egg thing because it turns out that vegan mousse is good!  So, we dove in with only slight trepidation and were duly impressed.

While VM isn't the chocolate/PB fan that I am, this dessert somehow satisfied both appetites by being just peanut buttery enough, without being overly peanut buttery.  I estimate that I could eat twelve of them at a sitting.

Candle 79 is truly a "nice" place, and the spot for when you're feeling like you want to enjoy an experience that is a cut above on every level.  Food, service, atmosphere: they've got it all covered.

Candle 79

As excitedly as I vote for them and anxiously await their results, I don’t always agree with the VegNews’ Veggie Awards’ readers’ picks. Too often I’m convinced that people vote merely by reputation and/or name recognition rather than actual experience with or love for the product/establishment.

However, the editors’ picks rarely miss their mark and never has it been more evident than this year with kudos going to Ellen Degeneres (Veg Media Maven of the Year), Daiya cheese (Product of the Year), and Candle 79 (Restaurant of the Year).

Lately I’ve been finding myself downtown more than up, and it’s only been with the addition of Peacefood Café and Café Blossom (now Blossom Uptown) on the UWS that I’ve been making excuses to venture uptown more frequently. This weekend I decided to head towards the UES for a change, and made a reservation for brunch at Candle 79.

It stands repeating that Candle 79 is a beautiful restaurant. The colors are rich but muted, the atmosphere is elegant but welcoming, and it is always spectacularly clean and seemingly just waxed/reupholstered. More importantly, they know that reputation and beauty only go so far and have obviously invested as much in their staff as in their ingredients because both worked to provide an upscale and thoroughly enjoyable meal and experience.

A gentleman with a gorgeous accent took my telephone reservation unhurriedly with the utmost professionalism and precision. Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly and without pretense by the friendly hostess who promptly showed us to our roomy and comfortable booth.

From beginning to end our waitress (thx Christine!) was flawless. Her conversation and service was effortless and spot-on; she set the pace for a relaxed and enjoyable multi-course brunch (what’s brunch without dessert and drinks?). Our requests and customizations were met without the bat of an eyelash and she did not miss one detail.

The bartender graciously delivered all of our delicious drinks with antidotes about the ingredients, the manager non-intrusively confirmed our enjoyment, and the bus staff was exceedingly friendly, polite, and extremely well-timed.

Oh yeah, the food! I enjoyed the absolute best French toast I have had in my almost ten years being vegan. Fluffy, delicious slices of pumpkin-spiced French toast served with cranberry butter, cranberry compote (on the side by request) and maple syrup. This French toast hit the bar my Mom set high with the non-vegan French toast that I enjoyed growing up: both versions sweet concoctions that were neither soggy nor dry, but perfect combinations of crispier crusts with softer insides to balance the absorption of the overabundance of syrup I can’t help but indulge in. Next to this pile of sweet breakfast goodness was a generous portion of scrumptiously smoky tempeh bacon and caramelized bananas.

My vegetarian dining companion enjoyed a Mushroom and Butternut Squash Crepe that was equally incredible on the savory side of things. The crepe was the thinnest, lightest, crepe-iest crepe I’ve come across, sturdily enfolding an abundance of all kinds of deliciousness (in addition to the mushrooms and squash). Accompanying was a ridiculously crisp and fresh salad boasting romaine and beets.

Since we love us some carbs, we also requested a side of their Yukon-gold skillet potatoes and an order of polenta fries. The potatoes were absolutely delicious (was that paprika?) and the fries out of this world: piping hot, crispy on the outside/creamy on the inside, and made only more delicious when paired with the accompanying chipotle ketchup.

Yes, there was room for dessert. Across the table I watched as the simply-named but intricately prepared apple pie was enjoyed. A whole, personal-sized pie in a crispy, flaky phyllo crust overflowing with apples and covered with almond crumble with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream atop. While not my cup of tea (apples, shudder), the ice cream, almonds and shell were as good as I expected.

In front of my own fat face sat two perfect, sugar-dusted cannoli shells filled with cool, smooth, dreamy, vanilla cream, sitting in a delightfully generous pool of chocolate sauce and topped with a scoop of chocolate chip ice cream. Not a fan of traditional, cheesy cannolis in my vegetarian life, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole dessert and enjoyed every crumb.

Finally, I finished off my meal with a cup of what I have long considered to be the best hot chocolate in the city…i.e., the most chocolatey.

Hopefully I have adequately described what I consider to unequivocally rank up there as one of my best overall restaurant experiences (dining company included!). From food to service to atmosphere, Candle 79 did not miss a trick: every single worker in every capacity worked together to create a mood, set a pace, and present a meal that I don’t expect to be rivaled anytime soon.

I’ve been a fan of both Candle Café and Candle 79 for years and years. While I have often been impressed by a meal or a drink, I’d never been blown away by a complete experience in either place. This visit changed all that; Candle 79 seems to have found the magic combination of getting everything right. I will be back soon and often.

* Both Candles now generously offer a 10% discount to Woodstock Farm Sanctuary members.

Cafe Blossom FOR DINNER

I am a big fan of Café Blossom’s brunch and goodies: berry pancakes, French toast, chocolate chip cookies drizzled with extra chocolate, banana chocolate chip muffins, chocolate peanut butter shakes, etc. The tofu scramble I spy at other tables always looks incredible, but I can’t help but order the sweet stuff…they even give me all the maple syrup I need to drench my breakfast-- without any judgmental sneers (I use a lot of syrup; even at home sneers come with the territory). But after visiting Blossom in Chelsea and thoroughly enjoying all of the “real” food I knew I had to do the same at Café. So, I grabbed me an enthusiastic vegetarian and a grumpy carnie and made them promise me that we were ALL going to partake in real grub…and we did.

Appetizers
Cornmeal crusted oyster mushrooms: big, meaty mushrooms deliciously breaded and fried, then served with a tasty, mustardy sauce. The carnie was especially all over this one and even stated that he would “order it next time”, stunning the vegetarian and I into silence.

Caesar Salad: generous portion with just the right amount of tasty Caesar dressing, sprinkled with gomashio and served with crouton-esque crostini. Initially frightened by the gomashio because he heard the waiter’s description containing sesame seeds and thought I was trying to get him to eat vegan furikake again, the carnie ultimately enjoyed the salad as well. I will note that although I’ve never eaten carnivorous Caesar salad, I would imagine the furikake might make a nice addition in lieu of the little fishies. Just sayin’. The vegetarian didn’t partake in this one because she too is afraid of furikake (!), as she avoids analogs of any kind (if furikake counts as an analog simply because it “tastes fishy”).

Black eyed pea & potato cakes: The vegetarian and I cannot go into either Blossom without ordering this tasty appetizer. In Blossom it’s served as a giant crispy cake with a hint of Indian seasoning, but in Café Blossom it’s served as a couple of smaller, softer cakes. Both versions come with a scrumptious dollop of chipotle aioli and are equally good in their own way.

Dinner
I went for the Morrocan tempeh and it did not disappoint. There were so many textures and flavors going on that for a minute I thought I was in Horizons. It was truly exquisite and so too were the reheated leftovers the next day.

The vegetarian’s veggie grain burger was very good, but I was a little disappointed that it was served on toast (menu said bun). Also, it was an 8 on the mushy veggie burger scale: one being the perfect consistency of a Sunshine Burger and 10 being Candle 79’s ridiculously squishy black bean burger. She loved it, though, and the cole slaw was fresh, crisp, purple and out of this world. Note: the cole slaw did not fare so well as leftovers; eat this all at first sitting.

Finally, the carnie went for the fettucini alfredo. It was a huge bowl of what he tells me was authentic fettucini, filled with tons of portabello mushrooms and topped with a few strips of chicken cutlet and different colored cherry tomatoes. It was a little less creamy than I expected after enjoying the ravioli in cashew cream appetizer at Blossom, but he seemed to really enjoy.

Sides
Because we couldn’t stuff enough into our fat faces, we also had to do the 4 sides for $18 combo. I realize that some people do this as a dinner replacement: combining veggies and a grain, so don’t judge us. We went for the potato salad, French fries, Cajun sweet potato fries…and the brussel sprouts (we ran out of potato options). The potato salad was as fresh and delicious as the cole slaw, the fries were good, the sweet potato fries not nearly as spicy as I would have liked, and the sprouts were good but not anywhere as good as my Mom’s.

Dessert
I initially thought I wouldn’t be able to squeeze in dessert, but there’s always room for a chocolate chip cookie and a hot chocolate. The cookie was a big, yummy sucker and the hot chocolate was good, but no where near the epitome of hot chocolates: Candle 79’s version.

Overall, it was another fine meal and evening at Café Blossom and I’m glad I gave the real food a try because it was great. The phyllo roulade dinner at Blossom is still my favorite, but I’d definitely come back to the Café to try out their bacon cheeseburger now that I hear they are using Daiya.

My only complaint is that the manager was a bit flaky about my Woodstock Farm Sanctuary member discount. I use it all the time, yet he tackily sent the waiter back to the table to question me about it. Not cool. Considering Blossom’s usual warm and enthusiastic handling of the discount, I emailed them about this slip-up and received no response. Very disappointing and even less cool; I hope they work this out.

PHILADELPHIA: THE OTHER CITY

You know how it’s confusing when you’re speaking with someone from Pennsylvania and at some point in the conversation you realize that when they mention “the city” they are actually referring to Philly? Well, as a New York native I also find it egregiously irritating. So, for that irrational reason alone I have managed to avoid Philadelphia for most of my life.

And then I got over my NY elitism for a minute and I went. Let’s be clear, I went for the food. Yes, I drove past the Rocky statue, peeked at the Liberty bell from the outside (I wasn’t waiting on line in the heat) and zipped through the visitor’s center (to use the restroom), but I wasn’t there for Philadelphia culture; I went for the food. And, like any patriotic American I can proudly say that I crammed in as much as I possibly could in one trip.

Govinda’s Gourmet To-Go: made-to-order sandwiches and wraps to-go and a VERY impressive assortment of Vegan Treats. My “Philly Chicken Cheesesteak” was both hearty and tasty (delicious sauce), albeit extremely messy (most of it wound up detouring into my lap). The quantity and array of Vegan Treats that I consumed was disturbing, but unavoidable; I love me some Vegan Treats. Peanut Butter Cheesecake, Cowboy Cookie: known yums that I have snarfed up countless times before…but the stellar winner? A slice of what seemed to be the vegan cake version of a hostess cupcake, only 1000 times better than you can imagine. Layers of devil’s food cake and marshmallow crème coated in a chocolate shell; you just might outplace Death by Chocolate as my numero uno!

Philadelphia’s Magic Garden: Ok, so this isn’t vegan. Well hey, it’s not really non-vegan either. Whatever your palate craves, this extraordinary garden of mosaic art is a must-see. Surprisingly, it seems like it is a hidden gem of the city- despite being quite eye-catching and not exactly hidden on South Street (basically across from Whole Foods). Enjoy waltzing through the indoor/outdoor/underground nooks and crannies of this magical mosaic garden and take the time to read the history innocuously posted outside.

Capogiro: serves mostly gelato and a few sorbets; ask which sorbets are vegan. My blueberry was good, but could have used sprinkles; they don’t have ‘em and do not seem to appreciate being asked. Heck, they didn’t seem to appreciate much of anything considering the ladies were all at the ready for order-taking but not one cracked a smile. If Lula’s has taught me anything it’s that ice cream without a smile is not worth it. So there, cranky Capogiro girls; Lula’s has smiles galore AND sprinkles (not to mention mighty fine ice cream). Plus, I found Capogiro’s prices to be a bit much for what it was: ho-hum.

Duross & Langel: homemade vegan & vegetarian soaps; be diligent about asking which are which. This shop is pretty and smells delicious, but I was a little affronted when I asked if my selections were all vegan and the person helping me shrugged and said, “Most of our stuff is vegan”. Um, I don’t bandy the word vegan about haphazardly; I usually assume that the implication of the word is pretty serious. Not so much here! So, I pressed for confirmation. Another gal came over, perused my bounty and confirmed, “Nope, none of these contain goat’s milk”. Goat’s Milk? That’s not an ingredient that I’d consider on the vegan fence like refined white sugar. Hopefully this apathy was an exception, not the rule. *UPDATE* D & L have confirmed via email that "absolutely every ingredient in our soaps is VEGAN with the exception of the goat's milk bars." and I have learned that their soaps don't lather generously or last very long.

Horizons: Self-described: “New Vegan Cuisine”. Um, how about inventive, spectacular, and decadent? Each sip/bite of the 2 cocktails, 4 appetizers, 3 entrees and 3 desserts I sampled was exquisite. One visit is sure to hook vegans and carnivores alike. While the décor wasn’t as slick as Candle 79, the service and food blew it out of the water…BLEW IT OUT OF THE WATER. Go here for a date, to impress carnies, or to simply indulge. Mostly, just go here: soon and often.

Overall, I was impressed with what I found in Philly as a newbie and it seems that there are plenty of additional veg options to be had, so I will return. But, for the record, it’s no substitute for THE city: my NY.