Borough Vegetarian

Apparently, I've spent a lot of time outside of NYC judging by the last post and now this!  But I would be remiss if I did not write about one of neighboring New Jersey's fine culinary traditions that in some ways bests NYC - the diner.  

New Jersey's diner culture is well-known and well-documented, but to be honest, I had never really tried it myself.  Unclear why - I do love diners and the simplicity and volume of the food they serve.  

On a fall car trip to Washington, D.C., we decided to visit one of these NJ treasures and searched for "best NJ diners" that were in close proximity to the NJ Turnpike.  I settled on Tops Diner, both because of its excellent reviews and how close to was to both the highway and NYC generally.

Boy oh boy, was Tops definitely the right choice.  Despite a packed crowd on an early Saturday morning, we were immediately able to snag seats at a counter near the front.  We had great service, and had really great (though unhealthy) breakfast.

Pictured above was my main course - the oreo pancakes, which had large chunks of oreos, a thin but fluffy consistency, and were so tasty on their own that I did not need any of the massive dishes of syrup and butter that they gave me.

That being said, I couldn't resist eating some of the whipped cream that they served from their amazing whipped cream machine that was across from the counter where we were sitting and seemed like the hardest working part of the kitchen.

All in all, Tops was everything a diner should be - great service, fast turnaround of food, massive portions, and yet clean and flavorful.  We'll definitely be return visitors.

Tops Diner

500 Passaic Avenue

Harrison/East Newark, New Jersey

When in Toronto, naturally one must try a Chinese-Jamaican restaurant!  One of our friends in Toronto had recommended that we meet up at Patois during a mid-October trip to the metropolis, and although we were initially unsure of what vegetarian options to expect from an Asian-Caribbean restaurant, we were incredibly impressed by our wide-ranging meal.

We started with a special appetizer, fried green beans with nori.  The green beans were crisp, not too oily, and flavorful, while the nori accompaniment wasn't necessary from my perspective (I am not a fan of nori generally though). 

We also split the Seaweed Waldorf Salad (without walnuts, because of my nut allergy), which despite by aforementioned nori/seaweed aversion was really, really tasty.  Tangy, crunchy, and the nori provided just enough salt to complement the sweetness of the apples.  It may be been slightly overdressed, but that would be the only flaw.

Now getting to the really, really stellar parts of the meal - the main courses.  We ordered a vegetarian version of the dirty fried rice, which I actually was hesitant about because I feared it would not be as flavorful for my meat-eating husband and friend.  However, it was really, really outstanding - very flavorful, salty, richness from egg, etc.  Definitely a must order for vegetarians or meat-eaters.

So to the culmination of the meal - the O.G. Fried Cauliflower and Watermelon Pickle.  At this point, I was incredibly full.  But man, this fried cauliflower was still great.  Spiced really well, not greasy, and good sizes of breaded cauliflower.  Hopefully if we are ever in Toronto again and check it out again, I'll start with this so I am not so insanely stuffed by the time it comes!

Patois

794 Dundas Street W

A family visit took us to Staten Island this fall, where we checked out of the borough's highest rated Italian restaurants, Trattoria Romana in Dongan Hills.  

We arrived at the restaurant for a very late lunch (around 2 or 3pm) on a Saturday, and were able to get seated immediately at the sparsely populated restaurant. 

To start, we were given some complementary fried polenta cubes, which has a nice, simple flavor albeit being slightly too hard for my taste.

For our main course, we split two pizzas - an Arugula pizza (pictured above) and a Margherita pizza (pictured below).  Both had paper-thin crusts, and had a nice char from the brick oven.  The arugula pizza in particular was great, with shaved salty pecorino and fresh arugula complementing the crunchy crust.  

I also ordered a pasta dish, the Spaghetti Alla Siciliana, which I sadly did not picture because I dug into it too fast!  The dish had a fresh tomato sauce and eggplant chunks, which were cooked really well.  I was on the fence about ordering that dish versus others on the menu, but I think I made the right choice as it was a filling and satisfying meal.  

Finally, another great bonus from this large lunch - a ton of leftovers.  The pasta alone turned into an additional 2.5 meals over the following days.  Look forward to returning to Trattoria Romana in the future!

Trattoria Romana

1476 Hylan Blvd.

Dongan Hills, Staten Island

Like many caught up in this global food trend, I love ramen.  I love the chewiness of the noodles, the rich broth, the varied toppings, and the ability to eat a truly one dish complete meal.  

However, unlike many global ramen lovers, I am also vegetarian and finding truly vegetarian ramen (made with vegetarian broth) can be a bit of a struggle.  Thankfully, there are a few strong vegetarian ramen options scattered through NYC's five boroughs that can meet the needs of vegetarians and their meat-eating friends alike.

Ippudo, one of the most popular NYC ramen restaurants - if not the most popular NYC ramen destination - fits that bill.  Ippudo has been serving vegetarian appetizer and ramen options for years, and their new-ish location in Hells Kitchen now serves a vegan and gluten-free ramen called Sho-jin that changes seasonally.  AND it gets better - Ippudo actually marks on their menu the vegetarian and vegan options available.

Among their vegetarian starters are the cucumbers with a spicy sesame oil (pictured above), a dish that combines spicy, salty and crunchy into each bite.

Earlier this fall at the Hells Kitchen location, I had the seasonal cold Sho-jin that was rich, satisfying and refreshing.  While not the rich, creamy hot vegetarian ramen served at the downtown location, this ramen hit a few other culinary notes including light sweetness from the goji berries.

Definitely check out Ippudo - great, great place for vegetarians!

Ippudo NY

Two Locations:  East Village (65 Fourth Avenue, btwn. 9th and 10th Streets) and Hell's Kitchen (321 W. 51th Street, btwn. 8th and 9th Avenues).  Both very accessible by several subway options.

Sick of the lines at Ayada and SriPraPhai?  Thankfully an amazing new Thai restaurant has opened within walking distance of those Western Queens favorites, Kitchen 79 in Jackson Heights.  

Kitchen 79 is very new - less than 6 months old - but already is one of our favorites.  My husband has had many of their meat options, and I have tried a few of their steamed tofu dishes, all of which have been fantastic.  AND for the time being, Kitchen 79 is BYO until their liquor license is approved (but their soft drinks are served in the massive mugs pictured below, which almost makes it worth abstaining).

Another highlight of Kitchen 79 is their $7.50 - $8.50 lunch special, which is served daily (even weekends!).  The lunch special gets you an appetizer and good lunch-sized portion of a main course.

(Crab Rangoon - not vegetarian, but a sample of their lunch appetizer portions)

I've tried both the Phad Prik Sod and the Gaeng Pha Curry which have been fantastic.

(Lunch portion of Phad Prik Sod - spicy and flavorful)

(Dinner portion of Gaeng Pha Curry)

Definitely check out Kitchen 79 when in Jackson Heights or for looking for great Thai in Queens:

Kitchen 79

37-70 79th Street (at Roosevelt Blvd.)

Jackson Heights, Queens

Han Dynasty has easily become one of the most popular Chinese restaurants in Manhattan, despite it's status as an outpost of a Philadelphia-based chain.  The waiting crowds for this relatively new restaurant can easily take up a good chunk of their 3rd Avenue block, but thankfully not only will the restaurant take your phone number to call when your table is ready (so you can get a drink elsewhere), but also the food is really good.  Not the best or most refined Sichuan-style food one can find in NYC's boroughs, but certainly a spicy, greasy, and sometimes messy, indulgence.

My favorite vegetarian dish at Han Dynasty to date is Pickled Chili Style Tofu - a dish with the slightly sour and spicy flavor of pickled vegetables.  I don't think I have ever had a dish like it before, and the picked vegetables add this flavor that to me is addicting.

Another strong, albeit very oily dish, is the Hot Sauce Style Tofu (pictured below), which is quite spicy though lacks some of the familiar flavors of Ma Po Tofu, another greasy version of the Sichuan favorite that can be made vegetarian.

Finally, there are a range of vegetable options that can help break up the sauce-laden tofu and meat dishes, including the wonderfully spicy Chinese Cabbage with Dry Peppers (pictured below).  The only downside of this particular dish though is that it really accentuates the over-oiling of Han Dynasty's dishes - half the oil and it would not only probably taste better, but also make one feel less guilty after eating it!

So if you can't make it out to Little Pepper in College Point, Queens, or to Cafe China in midtown Manhattan, definitely check out the East Village location of Han Dynasty.

Han Dynasty

90th 3rd Avenue (between 12th and 13th Streets)

Parkchester in the Bronx is an incredibly diverse neighborhood with a ton of great food options.  During our latest trip to Parkchester, we visited Taqueria Tlaxcalli, a great Mexican restaurant that we had been to before.  

Almost everything in Taqueria Tlaxcalli is (or at least feels like) homemade, and I have really enjoyed both of my meals there.  While they aren't particularly vegetarian friendly, their large menu definitely has a number of solid vegetarian options.

My most recent meal there was anchored by their simple quesadillas with mild cheese that felt like Oaxaca cheese.  Simple, but effective dish.

We also ordered the tostones, or fried plaintains, which are served with chopped fresh garlic which I LOVE.  These tostones are not too oily, and have a great plantain flavor.

Finally, the fresh guacamole is pretty good, and served with house made tortilla chips which are slightly oily, but completed by a great salt flavor.

The only dish I've had at Taqueria Tlaxcalli that I have not liked is the nopales or cactus salad, which was definitely slimy and really not that appetizing, unlike fresh grilled or cooked nopales.

Here are the restaurant details:

Taqueria Tlaxcalli

2103 Starling Avenue

Parkchester, Bronx

Like many small Chinatown restaurants, Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles on Doyers St. has an unassuming exterior and interior.  With many 4 - 5 tables packed in a very small space, everything about this restaurant is about efficiency.  All garnishes, condiments and silverware are packed onto the available table space, and it doesn't seem uncommon to take what your table doesn't offer from the other adjoining tables, which makes for a somewhat communal (though efficient) eating experience.

Adding to the efficiency is the hyper-speed at which the staff works to get customers in and out the door, and during weekday lunch time, to also fill what seems to be an insatiable set of take-out orders.

When we went to Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles for the first time during a weekday lunch period, we were greeted by not only this experience, but also an insane amount of food (the latter due purely to our over-ordering!).  

(Pan-fried vegetable noodles - $6.25)

To share, we ordered both the pan-fried vegetable noodles and the fried vegetable dumplings - both vegetarian.  Each of these items could have been a full lunch on it's own, and given the price tag, you can definitely leave this restaurant with the rare combination of a full wallet and a full stomach.

(Pan-fried vegetable dumplings - 10 for $7.25)

Both of these dishes were fairly simple, and not particularly flavorful, but nothing a little hot sauce can't cure!

For my "main course," I ordered the tofu and vegetable soup with vegetarian broth and the knife-pulled noodles (you have the option of choosing from a range of homemade hand-pulled noodles).  The tofu was served separately from the soup, and due to an apparent miscommunication, I thought the spiced tofu was an extra order instead of part of my dish.  So instead of combining the otherwise somewhat-bland soup with the tofu to make a complete dish, I ate them separately. This approach was to the detriment of the soup, but not to the spiced tofu which was great.

(Tofu and Vegetable Noodle Soup - $6.00 for both dishes pictured above!)

In short, I definitely recommend Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodle for any vegetarian visitors to Manhattan's Chinatown.  

Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodle

1 Doyes Street

New York, NY

I had the pleasure of visiting Manducatis Rustica in Long Island City with a bona fide Queens food expert in late August.  Richard Mumith is a friend who I recently spotted in a local Queens paper for his amazing new company, Local Finds Queens Food Tours.  Local Finds Queens Food Tours launched this summer with history-heavy food tours in Long Island City, Queens.   As a self-proclaimed Queens food aficionado, I was so happy to hear about Richard's new business and to meet him at one of his tour stops, Manducatis Rustica, in Long Island City for lunch one day.  Unlike many Long Island City restaurants, Manducatis Rustica stems from Manducatis, a neighborhood mainstay since the 1970s, and is family-owned.  It is also distinguished by being run by one of the only female pizza makers in NYC (things you learn when you meet up with a local food and history expert!).

Given that Richard and I met for a weekday lunch, we decided to split one dish, which actually ended up being too much for both of us!  We ordered the massive $16 calzone, without meat, which featured olives, artichokes, ricotta, and mozzarella.  The sauce was perfectly sweet and the homemade dough was crisp and held up perfectly to the rich innards.

I definitely look forward to taking my in-laws to Manducatis Rustica in the future, and based on what I learned in lunch with Richard (pictured below), I highly recommend his tour company as well!

Manducatis Rustica

46-35 Vernon Blvd.

Long Island City, Queens

My husband works in Chinatown, and one of his favorite restaurants is Spicy Village.  Spicy Village specializes in a range of hand-pulled noodle dishes, from soups to sauteed options.  And unlike many restaurants in Chinatown, Spicy Village has several meatless options for vegetarians to enjoy.

On my first trip to Spicy Village, which has an unassuming storefront and interior decor to say the least, I ordered the Spicy Scallion Red Oil Hui Mei.  The noodles were really fantastic, though I think this topping may have been a little too onion-y (and I love onions!).  The dish also wasn't that spicy, but nothing a little bit of their in-house hot sauce couldn't cure.  I definitely will return to Spicy Village, but likely to order the Spicy Vegetable Hui Mei or Black Bean Sauce Hui Mei as well as try out their range of inexpensive vegetarian appetizers.

Spicy Village

68 B Forsyth St.

Chinatown, Manhattan

Bun-ker Vietnamese has become one of the most talked about restaurants in the Borough Vegetarian world.  Not only have friends raved about it, and the restaurant has become a blog and reviewer favorite. 

When we finally went to Bun-Ker, found on an isolated stretch of Metropolitan Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens, I have to admit my expectations weren't that high.  We arrived just after their 5pm opening time, and the restaurant was already packed with many young, "new Brooklyn" patrons.  The restaurant also had the hallmarks of some of the Brooklyn over-hyped eating places, with the self-serve water cooler in one corner and wooden rustic decor.

When we started getting our food though, which came in waves, I was definitely blown away.  I was also pleased with how nice our server was, and accommodating of my nut allergy and vegetarianism.  

The garlic tomato fried rice (pictured above) was pungent, sweet and salty - I don't know if I have ever had anything like it before.

The otherwise simple sauteed Chinese broccoli with garlic was also a winner with perfectly salted greens.

The only potential low point was the vegetarian main course Bun-Ker offers, the grilled zucchini and eggplant with noodles, though I think the lack of flavors is mostly my fault.  When given the sauce to accompany the vegetable/noodle dish, I didn't know if the sauce was fish-sauce based so didn't really eat it.  We found out after I was done though that the sauce was completely vegetarian and probably would have jazzed up the dish.

Thankfully, we ended the meal another very, very high note - the coconut tapioca pudding with jack fruit and palm seeds.  It was so sweet and tasty - and I am not a huge tapioca fan.

While Bun-Ker isn't the cheapest place to eat (entrees from $13 - $25, and appetizers in the $8 - $11 range), it is definitely a Borough Vegetarian must visit!

Bun-Ker Vietnamese

46-63 Metropolitan Avenue

Ridgewood, Queens

I've previously written about Xi'an Famous Foods, the NYC mini-chain that features great hand-pulled noodles and other northwestern Chinese foods.  It's hard to understate how much I love Xi'an - both as a lover of hearty noodle dishes and simple, spicy foods.  I haven't had a bad experience at any of their locations, and love their noodle soups, sauteed noodles, and tofu dishes.  

Biang!, which can be described as a "fancier" sit-down version of Xi'an, similarly has never disappointed in the 4 - 6 times I have been there.  The food is simple and delicious, and the price point is still insanely affordable for NYC (e.g., noodle entrees mostly from $6-8, and appetizers/sides in the $3-10 range).  

(Chang'an Spicy Soft Tofu)

Another benefit of Biang! compared to the plentiful Chinese options in Flushing, Queens is that they are very vegetarian friendly and you don't have to guess whether what you are eating is truly vegetarian or not.

(Hot Oil-Seared Biang-Biang Noodles)

Definitely a vegetarian (and meat-eater) must-try in Flushing!

Biang!

41-10 Main Street

Flushing, Queens

Canelle Patisserie seems like nothing special from the outside.  It's a bakery hidden in a strip mall in a residential section of Queens.  It's not particularly close to the subway, or particularly close to Manhattan or one of the higher income neighborhoods in eastern Queens (other standard markers of "refined destinations" in Queens).  

However, it's easily one of the best bakeries I've ever been to - in New York, the United States, and yes, the world.  Each of its pastries is out-of-this-world, both in terms of presentation and quality.  I really have no complaints about Canelle - you can always get great cakes there in a pinch (no need to pre-order) and the price isn't extravagant, a rarity in a city with insanely expensive food and baked goods.  

(Strawberry Shortcake)

We recently went to Canelle to pick up some of their individual pastries for a co-worker's birthday.  While some of our favorites (coco-fraise, chocolate mousse) were already sold out late on a Sunday night, there were still a range of individual desserts to choose from - including the strawberry shortcake, Napoleon, and my favorite, the Creole.  It's amazing that a bakery can produce such consistent quality, whether it's first thing in the morning or late in the evening.  In any case, Canelle is an absolute must-visit in Queens!

(Creole)

Canelle Patisserie

75-59 31st Avenue (between 75th and 77th Street)

Jackson Heights

I love bagels.  All kinds of bagels.  Grocery store bagels, frozen bagels, bagels that are functionally thick bread.  Well, I don't like sweet bagels.  But all savory bagels are winners in my book.

As such, it's a huge problem to live in New York, where bagels are not only plentiful, but decent-to-excellent bagels also abound.  Ever since I moved to New York, I have been on a bagel expedition throughout the boroughs.

The great thing is that I haven't yet exhausted all of the "good" bagel places that you read/hear about AND I have already found very tasty bagels from Utopia Bagels in eastern Queens to Terrace Bagels in central Brooklyn.

My favorite bagel place to date is indisputably the Bagel Hole in Park Slope (I'm sorry my other bagel friends).  The Bagel Hole bagel is shockingly good - such that I would regularly also buy the bags of 6 day-old bagels for my freezer when I'd pop in for fresh bagels during a weekend (granted, I did say I will eat ANY bagel, but these day-old ones are still SO good).  

The Bagel Hole bagel is great because it is decently sized (i.e., not insanely huge), has a crisp/firm exterior, and the interior is chewy.  The Bagel Hole bagel is also great because these firm no-toasters churn out fresh bagels throughout the day, and when you get a fresh bagel (ask for what has just been baked), the cream cheese will slightly melt inside leading to that much more of an amazing bagel experience.

Gosh, I miss living within a mile of the Bagel Hole.

The Bagel Hole

400 7th Avenue (btwn. 12th and 13th Streets)

Park Slope, Brooklyn

When we first moved to Sunnyside, Queens, some of my husband's co-workers told him that their favorite Sundubu Jjigae (Korean soft tofu stew) restaurant was in our new neighborhood.  

In disbelief because of our love of Cho Dang Gol in Midtown, we forestalled a visit to Natural Tofu, a mere two blocks away from our new apartment, for several weeks this summer.

When we finally went to Natural Tofu, we were definitely impressed by their sundubu jjigae.  The vegetarian version is a complete meal, a steal for only $9.  Spicy, creamy and good vegetable flavor as well, I can definitely see Natural Tofu becoming a regular weeknight meal during the winter months. 

The others we went with tried some other Korean meat options - bibimbap and some grilled meat, which were also enjoyed.  One downside of Natural Tofu though is that their pancakes (jeon) all have meat and they can't make a vegetarian version :-(

(assorted banchan)

Natural Tofu

40-06 Queens Blvd (south side of street)

Sunnyside, Queens

Long Island City (Queens), the neighborhood next to where I live now, has an amazing array of restaurants.  However, the truism that quantity does not equal quality seems to be true in this rapidly growing neighborhood, and I would roughly say that we have had more misses than hits in the neighborhood to date.  

We were thus extremely happy to have a great, simple meal at Cyclo, the new Vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood opened by the owners of the popular neighborhood Thai spot Tuk Tuk.  What brought me to Cyclo was the vegetarian pho and tofu banh mi, as well as several vegetarian entrees and appetizers (in addition to a full range of meat options).  From at least from my days in Brooklyn, it seems much harder than one would think to find vegetarian pho in NYC.  

(vegetarian pho)

Thankfully, the food lived up to the hopes I had placed on it, and my vegetarian pho was quite good.  The broth was perhaps a bit sweet, but nothing fresh chile peppers and hot sauce can't cure :-)  The portion was also a realistic size - not way too much, nor too small.

(pho garnishes)

The only potential downside of Cyclo is its price.  While any NYC standard, it is extremely reasonably priced, if not cheap.  However, for those looking for a $5 banh mi, this is definitely not that spot.  The banh mi range from $8 - 9, and like my pho are not huge portions, and the pho is mostly in the $9 - 10 range.

We will definitely be back!

Cyclo

5 - 51 47th Avenue

Long Island City, Queens

While I love Korean food, it can be hard for me to find Korean restaurants that serve vegetarian options beyond a bibimbap sans meat or maybe some japchae.  

While my new favorite Korean restaurant in NYC, Cho Dang Gol, does actually mark its vegetarian options on its menu, I haven't been to a NYC Korean restaurant that actually prioritizes vegetarians such that there is a full vegetarian menu.  (The obvious exceptions are the exclusively vegetarian Korean restaurants in NYC, Hangawi and Franchia.)  

That focus on vegetarians is what brought me to Danji, an upscale, Michelin-starred Korean restaurant in Midtown West/Hell's Kitchen, that also features its vegetarian menu on the restaurant website.  While the vegetarian menu is not huge - 5 items - it's still a dedicated selection that does make vegetarians feel welcome.

The vegetarian food at Danji is also quite good, though not the spice-fest that you'll potentially find at other city Korean restaurants.  I started with the tofu with ginger-scallion dressing small plate, which featured insanely soft, pillow-like tofu enveloped by some sort of panko-type breading for a great texture contrast.  

The japchae main course was slightly less exciting, but included different flavors and textures in the dish (sesame seeds, saltiness from the sauce, and the crunchy cooked vegetables).  I have to admit I wish I had more spicy sauce to make this dish more memorable, but nothing was inherently wrong with it - just a little boring.  

So while Danji will probably be a repeat with my meat-eating husband, it hasn't displaced my other favorite Korean restaurants in the city.

Danji

346 W. 52nd