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.

Veggie Conquest V: Anniversary, Basil, and Foodswings!

We missed the first one, but VM and I have been proud supporters of Veggie Conquest, the NYC vegan cooking competition, since number II.  Number III was a blast, and number IV was so much fun that I kicked back and relaxed, not even bothering to blog about it (sorry).  This latest installment was one of the best.

For starters, VM and I were lucky enough to have been invited to sit with Mr. and Mrs. M., co-creators of vegan socialite, entrepreneur, and VC founder: Jessica.  Much like a trip to Lula's, Veggie Conquest is a great place to meet new and interesting people; these dining companions were no exception.

Per usual, Joshua Katcher did an extraordinary job as emcee: effortlessly commanding the audience with his unparalleled charisma,  entertaining quips, and general swoon-worthiness.  Did I mention that VM is a big fan?   Actually, I'm a big fan: her fandom is cosmic.

The secret ingredient was basil and, per usual, the chefs' submissions were inventive and involved.  Not a pesto in the bunch, the creativity and variety of the "tastes" was further proof that I should never embarrass myself by being a chef; I belong in a taster seat indefinitely. 

The second course was so extraordinary, it may have even surpassed the one we enjoyed at VC II when a lentil dish prepared by a volunteer (not Susan!) bowled us both over.  We haven't stopped talking about it since, but have been too lazy to make it ourselves never attempted it.  This time around, in addition to the volunteers' submissions, Foodswings donated the world's cutest double decker cheeseburgers: each identically and artfully presented with like-sized accoutrements and the requisite party pick to hold it all together!  They also brought along Daiya mac & cheese with smoky bits of mushroom.  I really wanted to go back for seconds on both of these scrumptious eats, but even I was too full.  Suffice it to say that they were even yummier than they look.  Obviously, another trip to Foodswings is in order.

As if that wasn't enough, there was also a pasta & vegetable salad, sweet potatoes with pumpkin seeds, quinoa & veggies, and a kale salad with avocado dressing: a plateful of vegtastic goodness.

In addition to their company and conversation, our dining companions treated the entire crowd to a ridiculously fortuitous bonus: an incredibly huge and gorgeous Champs' cake in honor of VC's 1 year anniversary.

No mere "sheet cake", this rectangle of beauty boasted fluffy, moist, crumby vanilla cake with a just-sweet-enough berry center and cream cheese frosting: it was startlingly and absolutely delicious, even to this unapologetic chocolate lover.

If you're looking for a fun, delicious way to spend the evening with like-minded people, sign up for Veggie Conquest's mailing list so you don't miss out on the next event.  Or don't, because if I get shut out from buying tickets VM is not going to be happy!