A Whirlwind of Vegan Food and Coupons!

Join me and VM for another personal NYC food festival...with coupons! 

First up, free coffee from The Bean for joining their mailing list.  Visit them at their Broadway and 12th Street location until their two new shops open in their old stomping grounds.

Next up, our regular goods from Sacred Chow.  Besides a rather unpleasant experience with the waiter (what happened to that lovely waitress!?), another absolutely delicious meal, courtesy of Living Social.

The weather was beautiful yet SoHo was blissfully empty; I think we fell into a pocket of time devoid of tourists.  We shopped and gallery-hopped for the rest of the day until dinner. 

I'd let my Saluggi's Yelp! deal languish until the last minute, so VM and I had to handle two pies by ourselves.  Contrary to what you might be thinking, when I say "handle" I actually mean carry them home (exercising those biceps); we only ate a slice apiece.  One pie with brussel sprouts, the other roasted peppers and carmelized onions (they're under the cheese); please note that although Saluggi's seems to have removed their dining room advertisements geared towards vegans, they still carry Daiya and make a mighty fine pie.

I know, I sometimes still can't get the orientation right on the iPhone.

Finally, Lula's!  VM had a full card, so her drumstick (a.k.a. chicken leg) cone was free.  My sundae, however, was worth every glorious penny!  Chocolate chocolate cookie, pumpkin, peanut butter chocolate cookie, and drumstick ice creams with caramel topping, whipped cream, and a cherry.  You'll note I had half scoops so I didn't make as much of a pig of myself as usual!

On the way home we swung by Pommes Frites because it was the last day for their 100% free ScoutMob deal. 

Orange cones had to corral the line stretching down the block, but even though they were mobbed every single fry was cooked to perfection and each employee chatted and smiled genuinely as he worked.  Even better, the fries reheated flawlessly for the next day's dinner!

The onions and jalapenos were still complimentary even though the fries were free.

Who says NY is expensive? ;-)

Make Your Own Veg Food Festival!

If you missed the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, don't worry; there's always next year.  Until then, make your own!  This was our personal, NYC Veg Food Fest: before and after the real one.  Best part?  No lines and no nasty security guards.

We started our day at Terri...

because Butterfinger shakes are the breakfast of vegan champions! 

The shakes were possibly the absolute best we've ever had, and we unexpectedly met blogger Elisha from Veganthropology when she recognized VM- inexplicably as a result of this picture; how funny is that?  It was a hilarious start to our busy day.

Then we made our way to the real NYCVFF and the illustrious Cinnamon Snail. 

We took a brief detour to Cocoa V and, afterwards, headed over to Liquiteria for some refreshment.

VM went with a boring black coffee, but I had a stellar watermelon & lemon juice.

Per usual, it was a prime spot for people pet watching.

When it was time for dinner, we chose John's of 12th Street.  The friendly and charming co-owner, Nick, left as we sat down, and we were disappointed not to have the opportunity to chat with him.  Unfortunately, his absence also meant that the service was not on par with what we have come to expect at John's; we will definitely make a point to return at a busier time and day to avoid this misfortune in the future.  However, the food was as outstanding as ever.

Disclaimer: we missed the table by the window because some other dang vegans- whom I'd coerced into the restaurant when they were hesitant- snagged it first, so the lighting for my pictures suffered miserably. 

We started off with the must-order bruschetta: garlic-grilled bread with avocado, basil, and tomatoes.  It sounds simple, but it's incredible.

Then we tried the stuffed mushrooms, which seemed to be filled with a mixture consisting of breadcrumbs, herbs, and a hint of mozzarella Daiya.  Highly recommend.

For dinner, VM couldn't help her vegetarian self and ordered the Rolatina of Eggplant Parmigiana from the regular menu.  Boo hiss!  She said it was delicious.

I, on the other hand, ordered the Seitan alla Rosa: with artichokes and fire-roasted peppers in Marsala wine mushroom sauce.  WOW.  I am not a tremendous seitan fan, but the homemade version at John's is phenomenal.  Yes, homemade.  In an omni restaurant.  Extra credit!  This was positively the richest entree I have eaten as a vegan and I appreciated the decadence...even again as leftovers.

And of course we had a side of garlic bread.

Since we'd already covered so much ground we decided that instead of having dessert at John's, we'd continue our personal Veg Food Fest; "Why order Lula's out when you can go directly to the source?"

It was a three-scoop sundae day for me: rocky road, peanut butter chip, and- a flavor I've never tried before, toffee crunch.  Hot fudge, graham crackers, whipped cream and a cherry sealed the deal.  They're gonna have to institute some kind of super-scooper, quantity discount policy at Lula's because these giant, off-the-menu sundaes are going to break my piggy bank! 

Thanks, Mia!

VM went for a cone of rocky road and toffee crunch; we were both impressed by the new-to-us flavor that was sweetly swirled with a caramelly ribbon and studded with chips and crunchy bits (crunchy bits are where it's at).  Leave it to Lula's to never offer a flavor that isn't absolutely and generously filled with toppings; you won't find yourself digging for the good stuff; it makes it into ever single bite!

Before we headed home we realized that we had a Pommes Frites Groupon that was about to expire, so we unabashedly grabbed two cones of fries to go.

You know that we were incredibly full because it didn't occur to either of us to sneak a hot fry. 

I am happy to report that the frites re-heated incredibly well and you can recreate the Pommes Frites experience by making your own dipping sauces and toppings at home.

We used habanero ketchup, Secret Aardvark, chopped onions, and sliced jalapenos.

So there you have it; put next year's official NYC Vegetarian Food Festival on your calendar, but in the meantime: have your own.

Potato Champion and Whiffies

Let me start with literally our first stop from the airport (with luggage!): the much anticipated food carts: Potato Champion and Whiffies. If you've ever been to the Rutgers Campus in New Brunswick, imagine the parking lot that houses the infamous grease trucks...only much swankier and inherently more festive.

POTATO CHAMPION: Much like our beloved NYC Pommes Frites, Potato Champion serves Belgian Fries with assorted vegan and non-vegan sauces, only it’s a cart instead of a jam-packed, miniscule restaurant with an everlasting line out the door. Coincidentally, Potato Champion buys its paper fry cones from Pommes Frites, but they can only serve them that way if you are taking your fries to go. Reason being: while the seating is abundant (outdoor, covered, lit with fairy lights), they are no fry cone holes in the table! What’s up with that, Potato Champion? We regaled our Portland dining companions with stories of these heavenly, NY fry cone table holes while we dug into our fries from within a recycled to-go container a la Whole Foods. They seemed up for it, so get out your drill Potato Champion: your delicious contribution to the potato-loving world wants to be displayed in all it's glory whilst being devoured.

The verdict: I though the fries were fantabulous. I found them more potato-y than Pommes Frites. Although she thoroughly enjoyed the Potato Champion version and ate her fair share, my traveling partner decided that she ultimately prefers the more crispy Pommes Frites version. It is the classic dilemma between a latke and a tater-tot. Those who adore potatoes prefer the latke ratio of potato to crisp, while those who prefer the crisp adore the tater-tot over-proportion of crisp to potato. Simple tot logic if you will.

There are plenty of sauces to choose from at Potato Champion, but they were out of the horseradish ketchup that I was looking forward to (boo). When I lamented its crossed out existence, the gentleman in the cart asked me why I didn’t just make my own. Ouch. I defended myself with the fact that I’d just flown across the country and didn’t think of it; he seemed to accept that as a plausible excuse. So, instead we tried the Rosemary Ketchup (one vote for, one against) and the Hot Sweet Mustard (opposite opposing votes). We decided that if we made it back before the end of our trip we would be satisfied with plain ketchup and a truckload full of Portland’s own: Secret Aardvark Habanero sauce, which we discovered here. A word about Secret Aardvark sauce: GET IT! This is the best hot sauce I’ve ever had. Henceforth I will use Melinda’s XXX habanero as a hot sauce, but Secret Aardvark as a condiment. Oh, for the love of yum.

WHIFFIES: Whiffies is a cart that serves only fried pies. Yep, fried pies. Imagine a fried-to-order, giant, half-moon shaped pie boasting a thick, buttery (vegan) shell, tastewise: kind of like what I remember of the warm apple pies from McDonald’s, but infinitely better . So, they have all kinds of vegan, non-vegan, savory and sweet flavors to choose from and their menu board suggests you tell them if you’re vegan so they can cook your vegan pies in the vegan fryer (I guess if they’re busy they aren’t that picky unless asked). So, since the delicious Potato Champion served as our dinner, we decided to go for sweet pies as dessert. Portland Marionberry, Coconut Crème, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip to be exact.

Here’s the thing about Whiffie’s pies. They look big enough, but once you start eating them they become insurmountable because the crust is so rich. I can eat a dozen Vegan Treats donuts at a clip, yet I couldn’t possibly have consumed much more than one whole Whiffies pie. Don’t get me wrong, they are delicious; but, pace yourself.

The ranking: Coconut Crème was a delicious, thick, coconut pudding. In an effort towards conserving stomach space, I split the pie open and ate it like pudding with the occasional accompaniment of the super crispy edge of the crust: the best part, IMHO. Marionberry was the quintessential Portland pie. A little less sweet and less mushy than blueberry, this is probably THE fried pie to get; pure fruity pie goodness in your tummy. And, finally, the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: a delicious, fried ode to my favorite combination. A little more puddingy than I anticipated: this was the pie I chose to eat in its entirety and would again.

Note: Although I was very stuffed, I did intend to try a crepe from the Perierra Creperie. Unfortunately, I didn't find their menu very vegan-friendly and the options that were veganizable weren’t floating my boat. After I decided to eat my weight in pies instead of trying a crepe I saw a couple go by. Instead of soft, rolled crepes I’m used to, these were giant, stiff crepes that were folded for consumption. Like I said, I didn’t taste one, but it didn’t seem like my cup of tea.

Counter, Lula's, etc.

Since I can't effectively chronicle past NYC munching, I choose instead to do so going forward, with some nods to past experiences. Please indulge me as I share my indulgences!





It was a busy weekend for me in the LES. First off was a brunch favorite: Counter. The good: Per usual, we all enjoyed the baked to order Housemade Goodies (muffins and loaf slices served with berry butter and vegan nutella) and the fresh-squeezed orange juice (divine). Much is lamented about Counter's non-vegan offerings, but the carnie enjoyed his "real" eggs and "real" cheese, although at first he thought he was being duped and insisted upon confirming the authenticity of the ingredients with the waitress. The vegetarian enjoyed a delicious addition to the menu: vegan potato latkes. They were crispy and yummy, served with a pear/apple compote/sauce that reminds you why places like Counter exist: to spoil you with homemade extras (ketchup, etc.). But, they were served lacklusterly on a teeny plate that made them look like a side dish and made them difficult to maneuver. The bad: THEY TOOK AWAY MY FRITATTA FLORENTINE! On every previous visit I have enjoyed this scrumptious dish: two open-faced english muffin halves topped with a thick, veggie frittata and covered with a delectable mushroom sauce and creamy hollandaise, served with mesculin salad (homemade lemon vinaigrette) and a heap of potatoes. Worse still, the "replacement" is the Benedict Arnold: the same english muffin topped with a non-descript, generically meaty slab of seitan, onion, avocado, and a somehow watery hollandaise. Also, NO POTATOES. And, they raised the price. ?? So, all in all I was not amused. I finished the meal with the cookie tasting. The peanut butter was very good, the chocolate chip nothing special, and the shortbread had rye seeds in it: YUCK. Dear Counter, Please bring back my fritatta and all will be forgiven. Thank you, ASB.


Next up was a visit to Whole Foods Bowery. On a Twitter tip from the fine folks at Veggie Conquest, I was able to pick up a belated vegan challah made by Lilly's. Apparently this is available only at the holidays, so show some love and buy it up so that it will continue to be offered; I've never seen/heard of vegan challah anywhere else. FYI, they also had some vegan rugelah near the impressive vegan cookie display, although they still don't carry my favorite flavor of Liz Lovely cookies: Chocolate Moosedragons. Boo. They did, however, have some vegan chocolate chip scones that eased the disappointment. Note: still no Daiya pizzas in the right coast WFs.


Moving on to Economy Candy to replenish my vegan M&M supply. While you have to know your vegan stuff in order to find the veganity at EC, I've been buying these vegan M&Ms (sold in bulk) on a tip from the PPK blog. Always double check at the counter: they should be kosher & vegan. They are much better than Whizzers.

I applaud MooShoes, but they were tres expensive and nothing wowed me. While it was great to shop somewhere and not have to read the "ingredients" of every item, I wondered why the selection seemed from one extreme to another: either plain brown or black (most of the store) or kinda outlandish (OlsenHaus). I'll have to try again.

Pommes Frites was as delicious as ever AND they redid their seating area! I unfortunately tried the Mexican Ketchup without knowing it contained cilantro (yuck) and will be returning to my curry ketchup in the future. Also, heard someone order mango chutney on the way out even though it's not listed on the menu; sounds good and worth an investigation on a future visit. Meanwhile, I am anxious to see how Potato Champion in Portland is going to fair against NY's PF.


Stogo; why do I continue to bother? Oh, I know why: because VegNews lured me in with a video ad of some sort extolling the virtues of their oh-so-popular Salted Caramel Pecan. Guess what? it was a mouth full of salty ice cream. And the Bananas Foster was not even close to bananas foster, which I love. Instead, it just tasted like crappy banana ice cream. I'd hoped to try their peanut butter/chocolate concoction, but they didn't have it. The soft serve machine wasn't working either. I was going to get a couple of chocolate truffles until I was told they were $4 each. Stogo, I am done with you. I love Lula's anyway (concept, ethics, product, people), so I don't know why I even step foot in your too-trendy "establishment" where nary the word vegan is uttered.


Ah, Lula's Sweet Apothecary, my favorite new old time ice cream shoppe: the rest of the day is simply a pre-cursor to my sweet visit. Where to begin? For those of you who don't know, Lula's is a quaint little shop that looks like an old time candy store. They serve everything in appropriately sized/shaped glass dishes with real silverware (even the tasting spoons). The straws are metal too! Shakes come with a "bendy" straw, but my favorite, the ice cream float, comes with a straw with a spoon attached on the end. It's kind of like the old-fashioned, environmentally conscious version of a slurpee straw. They even use recycled paper products (napkins) and provide glasses of water to accompany your tasty concoctions. It's obvious they are not cashing in on the trends of environmentalism and veganism. It's legitimately vegan owned and operated; they know the deal and the regulars know they know it. Case in point: they make their own soy & nut milks and then make their own ice creams with it. A lot of the toppings are homemade too (omg, the dark chocolate peanut butter cups are ridiculously good), so you can go there every day and never have the same sundae!

Onto the food: they offer a list of rotating hard and soft ice cream flavors (nut and soy based) and delectable toppings, as well as assorted wrapped candies and baked goods. The owners and staff are impeccable in every detail, from their appearance to their behavior; to say it is clean doesn't do it justice, immaculately and lovingly kept is more appropriate. To say they are friendly and welcoming is an understatement of the highest order; you will feel like you've known them for ages after just one visit.

The sundae I chose to have for dinner on this visit consisted of chocolate malt (self-explanatory), chocolate mint chip (chips in CHOCOLATE mint - genius yum), and maple waffle (delicious pieces of waffle cone in maple flavored vanilla) ice creams topped with hot fudge, peanut butter sandwich cookies, sprinkles, whipped cream, a cherry, and a warm brownie on the side. Then for dessert I had a cup of the soft serve twist: chocolate and cake batter. On the way home I was wishing I'd had a chocolate float too! Ah well, it's already on the docket for the next visit.

Sincerely, I can't say enough nice things about this place. It's adorable, the food is incredible, and the owners genuinely make you feel like they're glad you came. So, what are you waiting for? Go there already!