It's been about 24 hours since I ate as much as I possibly could at Chef Chloe Coscarelli's latest, limited pop-up, "
Supernatural," and I haven't thought about- much less eaten, anything else; I'm awestruck by the experience.
Let's dig right in, shall we? We certainly did. Here we have the enormous serving of
butternut nachos with butternut-cashew queso, maple chorizo, tomato salsa, mango salsa, and guacamole. INSANE! I want this cheese always and forever. I want it poured on everything; I want it in a vat to save for emergencies. I want it now, tomorrow, and every day thereafter. I've been vegan for almost 20 years and I lived through some pretty hard times for vegan cheese, so I DESERVE THIS and so do you. The maple chorizo? Incredible. I love maple everything and this was easily the best vegan, taco "meat" I've ever had. I'm generally ambivalent about mango, but DAMN that sweetness was a killer addition to this seemingly bottomless bowl of stupendous nachos. I could go on an on, but you get the point.
Oh, those drinks back there? Mind-blowing
dragonfruit lemonade to feed my new dragonfruit obsession. Who wouldn't want to drink something this beautiful and refreshing- particularly on a day where the "real feel" is 101 degrees? Perfectly sweet, tart, and pink. Absolutely loved it.
Served in the cutest, reusable pineapple, this
tropical guava punch with coconut rum is a sweet, delicious beverage with a literal rum punch- GENIUS! Couldn't choose a favorite, so just sipped alternately through the beautiful paper straws that complimented both the drinks and my manicure.
Next up were the
cauliflower tacos with arugula, sweet & spicy chili sauce, and black sesame seeds. Having just eaten these, I know that if I was granted three wishes, I'd probably use one to have the ability to reach into this photo and eat them again. And, while I could not and will not pick a favorite, you should know that when I asked my SO my favorite post-meal question, "If you were ordering again RIGHT NOW, what would be the first thing that you'd order," he said these and I strongly concur. Trying to stick to the rule of three with adjectives, so I'll just say that they were the most flavorful, crunchy, sweet tacos I've ever tasted and if you know anyone that has taste buds, you should definitely make them come eat these with you pronto.
Here's another photo of the nachos just because I want you to know that I didn't forget about them; I ate them throughout the meal so they'd know that I still loved them.
The
spicy jalapeno mac & cheese with cashew cheese, jalapeño-basil pesto, and the best, crispest, spiciest jalapeño slice in all the world was positively luscious. Creamy, dreamy, and not done justice by this photo, which was taken in a rush because the mac was served steaming and that was the way it was meant to be enjoyed.
Full disclosure: we also shared the massive
animal lover burrito with coconut-lime rice, black beans, butternut-cashew queso, maple chorizo, shiitake carnitas (!), tomato salsa, mango salsa, and guacamole. Correction: we inhaled it. It was intense and incredible and, unfortunately, not too photogenic. Find comfort in the knowledge that it was just one of those things that is such a terrific amalgamation of deliciousness, that it couldn't be captured by a single frame. Or, just go get one for yourself and find comfort in that.
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| not sure you can read this, but you can find the menu here |
You'd
think we would have been full by now, but you forget that I am a professional. I haven't blogged much of late, but you probably remember the drill: ALWAYS SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT!
We didn't go in expecting to order the
matcha soft serve with cashew milk, but it was so hot out and it looked so tropical and inviting (not to mention photogenic) that we couldn't resist.
When we finally dug in (I can't help that it's pretty from every angle and with every backdrop), our minds were blown by the sumptuous creaminess; everything we thought we knew about matcha was so wrong. After we'd each had a single bite and our individual eyeballs had popped out of our collective skulls, I whispered to my SO, "We're not even big fans of matcha; how is this possible?" HE DIDN'T KNOW EITHER. Later that evening, because we will never talk about anything but this extraordinary meal ever again, he said wistfully, "I can't believe that I could have to go through the rest of my life not eating that ice cream." This is the shame of a pop-up; it's so fleeting! But, instead of lightning in a bottle, we have awesome matcha ice cream served in a real coconut. Such is life, my friends; go while you can.
And, speaking of the world's most photogenic desserts, behold the famous sprinkle cake slice that infinitely surpassed all of our ridiculously high expectations.
Appreciate the layers and the fact that I, lover of all things chocolate, agreed to share this cake in its purest, vanilla form, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
Now, take another look at the dense coating of what is, perhaps, the perfect food: sprinkles:
Yeah, you know I walked around (and outside of) the restaurant to try and fully capture the beauty that is this cake; I'm not embarrassed! If you've had it, you understand. If you haven't, go, Go, GO! When we were describing the cake to VM, my SO said, "It was no ordinary cake." She replied*, "I don't think anything she makes is ordinary." Ain't that the truth.
As if all of this wasn't enough, look at these completely precious earrings I got to take home to remember the day! My sweetest heart, 89, happens to be a lover of flavored, bubbly water (strange, but true). She did not venture to the pop-up with us, but I promise that I will find a way to let her share these with me that doesn't require her getting her ears pierced.
Supernatural is located at 27 East 19th Street and open for lunch only: 11am - 3pm, until July 28th. You're going to want to go soon and often because Chef Chloe Coscarelli is the magical force of vegan food.
*VM also said, "Isn't Chloe the sweetest?" That, too, is true.
