Guess where I am…
If you said Hawaii, you’d be…
Wrong 
.
I’m in New York for the week. My friend Jessica and her boyfriend rent a tiny NYC apartment, and they’re being gracious enough to let me crash on their couch (and commandeer the fridge). It’s pretty crowded and is going to get even more crowded later in the week when S flies in for a few days, but we’ve had a lot of fun so far!
After lounging around all morning, Jess and I headed down to Greenwich Village and grabbed lunch at a place called Quantum Leap. My food:
Â
Normally, I’m not a fan of mock meat (at all!). But every now and then it appeals to me, which happened today. This particular dish is known as the Zen Platter, and it features a deliciously-spiced orange seitan (with hints of Chinese 5-spice powder).
Jessica ordered a grilled portabella burger:
And then we split a coconut peanut butter pie for dessert:
It wasn’t the best dessert I’ve ever had, but it was coconut and peanut butter… so of course we ate it anyway!
Questions of the Day:
Have you ever been to NYC?
What are your favorite things to do there?
Any suggestions, send them my way!
Link of the Day:
Â
I have never been to New York but would absolutely love to some day! This will be fun to see some of your adventures while you are there. Have a great time.
Omg I am SO jealous! My bf and I were just NYC this past March and I fell in love! Can’t wait to go back! My favorite restaurant there was Candle Cafe by far!
I just graduated from college in NYC and miss it every day! If you’ve never been, you should try Peacefood Cafe on 82nd and Amsterdam.. it’s my favorite vegan restaurant in the city! They have the best selection of desserts nom…
Candice – I went to college in NYC too! I graduated from NYU about 7 years ago. Where did you go??
My all-time favorite thing to do there was LONG walks – I used to walk home from a babysitting job I had, from 96th street at the Park to 10th and Avenue C – It was like 100 blocks! Great way to get exercise AND see so many sights in NYC. Not to mention window shopping all the way down 5th Avenue!
xoxo
Cheri
Cheri,
I went to Columbia! And I completely agree with the walk – you get to see so many sights and you don’t feel like you’re rushing to see different attractions. I definitely recommend it!
I’m from Upstate NY and my hubbys is from downstate…about 45 minutes North of the City so we’ve been there a few times…him much more so than me…(I am not a fan of big cities so I tend to shy away from it, lol). We’ve done the typical Central Park, Times Square, Chinatown, Bronx Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Greenwich Village trips. We went to Lantern Thai Restaurant a couple weeks ago with his parents and sister before seeing a Magic Show (on 48th I think…TimeScare it was called) which was pretty cool. Tavern on the Green is a nice place to eat as well as The View (it rotates 360 degrees and the views of the city are pretty cool). Enjoy your trip! 🙂
While I am not a raw vegan, I love the food at Quintessence in the East Village. I live about 10 blocks from it- cute, really small restaurant- great for a quiet dinner with a friend or a small group.
I live right outside of NY and love giving input on these sort of things…
One of my friends LOVES Candle Cafe (I thought maybe it was called Candle 79 but could be wrong).
I’m a newer blog reader so not sure if you are vegan…if so, unfortunately I’m not much help.
Regardless, try to hit up the Green Market in Union Square…I think it’s Mon/Wed/Fri and Saturday. Go early.
Hit up the High Line just to walk around too!
I was also going to recommend the market at Union Square. You can’t go wrong–a market, Whole Foods and great shopping all around there. Do not miss Soft Serve Fruit right around the corner from the market!
There’s candle cafe and candle 79, which is more formal/upscale. Both are awesome, just deepens on what you’re in the mood for.
If you make your way out to Brooklyn one day (my hood!), be sure to check out Maimonide of Brooklyn. Great vegan restaurant. I’m not even vegetarian but I love it!
Hey! If you are still in NY, Gobo is a great restaurant! I love to wander around in the city, esp. Greenwich Village. You can go to dance classes at professional companies! for like $15! Also, there is a vegan icecream shop but I forget the name.
I’ve been following for a while, and your recipes are always a hit, thank you! As a veg New Yorker, I can say (totally biased) this is one of the places to be! Quantum Leap is my absolute favorite, and you must also check out Blossom, Dirt Candy and Soy and Sake, among many others! For a vegan treat, go to Soft Serve Fruit in Union Sq, and hopefully they’ll have chocolate this week. Enjoy! And next time, you should organize a chocolate-covered meet up, I’m sure many would love to come out and get a delicious treat :).
I love Blossom! I saw Anne Hathaway eating there once after her premier of One Day!
There is a vegan chinese place (a healthy one!) called Wild Ginger in New York. I dream of this place. Sadly, I’m not kidding. I live in Texas myself and I swear on all that is good and delicious I will return to Wild Ginger one day.. I HIGHLY recommend you trying it out. I got their steamed dumplings as an entree 4 times in the 3 days I was there (and frequently in my dreams).
It might be sad how much mad I am about this place.
Ah… I’ve been there! And I loved it, even though normally, I am not a big fan of Chinese food!