This past weekend when my hubby and I were in NYC we decided that even though it was freezing out we just had to stop in to Stogo to try gourmet vegan ice cream. After tasting a few different flavors we settled on Salted Caramel Pecan and Peanut Butter Fudge both of which were delicious. The ice cream here is so good and unlike some other vegan ice creams it isn’t icy and if you didn’t know it was vegan you’d think it wasn’t. It’s a little pricey, $4.50ish for a small, but it is well worth the treat.
This past weekend while we were visiting the Big Apple my hubby and I met up with some of my girlfriends for breakfast at ‘SNice in Chelsea. To our disappointment we were unable to get sandwiches (which all sounded amazing) until 11am and we were too hungry to wait an hour so we decided to start with some lattes. After sipping on our lattes for a while hubz and I decided to split the tofu scramble wrap which was not bad and pretty filling. The GF’s went with a bagel with cream cheese and the other granola with fruit, yogurt and honey.
Everything at ‘SNice is vegetarian and all vegan options are marked accordingly. The menu is mostly that of salads and sandwiches with bagels and breakfast sandwiches in the morning. The place was pretty quiet for the sit in crowd until around 11am however there was always a line at the counter for take out bagels and coffee. I really would like to return during lunch ours to try one of their yummy salads or sandwiches. There is also a location in Brooklyn which I understand has a similar menu.
We had originally intended on having dinner at Pure Food and Wine for our Valentine’s Day dinner but after some time to think it over we decided that it’s a little too pricey for our budget right now. We were however on a mission to make our way to One Lucky Duck at the Chelsea Market . When I saw the Mallomar waiting in the cooler I made a bee-line to it. My husband also picked up one of their Valentine Truffles for me, it was good but not really worth the $3 for the tiny treat. However the $6 Mallomar was amazing and wish we had both got our own because it was that good.
The most delicious thing during our whole day in NYC the One Lucky Ducky Mallomar!
For years I have wanted to get myself a Matt & Nat bag but they aren’t really in my price range and the current bags that are out aren’t really my style. However, when we were in NYC this past weekend my hubby and I went to Century 21 to do some shopping and I bee-lined it to the bags section in search of Matt & Nat bags. I was slightly disappointed that although they were in my price range I couldn’t find a style that I liked. My hubby came over to see if I had found one that I wanted and I sadly said no. Then he looks next to the Matt & Nat and says “what about those Samsara bags, they are by Matt & Nat.” Feeling slightly embarrassed that my husband is more up on the vegan fashion than I am I glanced over and saw a bunch of bags that were much more my style and great prices.
Neil and I are off for a weekend filled with lots of fun in CT, NYC & MA. Will blog when we return. P.S. Any NYC bloggers that want to meet up for wine and chocolate meet Saturday at 3pm at Cocoa V. Let me know if you want to meet up by leaving a comment DM me @cookveganlover or send me an e-mail.
My husband I decide that we would runaway for the weekend and after he got out of work on Friday we headed to Connecticut – and then NYC for the day on Saturday. On our way down to Connecticut we decided to stop for dinner in Northampton, MA and had one of the best meals. I had heard from another blogger that Paul and Elizabeth’s was the place to go in Northampton for some great vegan eats; it is not vegan however most the menu is- also there is no “walking animals” served at their restaurant…i.e. they only serve fish and shellfish, and vegetarian items.
I ordered the Grilled Tofu Kebabs which were marinated and broiled tofu and vegetables on a skewer on a bed of brown rice with a garden salad. My husband ordered the Vegetarian Plate which was one of the specials for the night and it came with a big bed of bok choy, kale, onions and tofu with rice croquettes on the side. We also started with a small bowl the Sweet Potato Coconut Soup which was creamy and delicious. At first glance you might look at the menu and say wow prices are a little higher (around $12-15 a dish) however the meals a huge – enough for 2 – and the food is amazing. I unfortunately forgot the camera in our car so I didn’t get any photos but I am sure that on my next visit I will make sure to get pictures of their delish food.
On Saturday we headed into the city to wander around meet up with old friends and had planned on staying the night however life happens and we weren’t able to- which meant missing VegFest ….I guess there’s always next year. After walking for about an hour we finally made it to our first destination- Peacefood Cafe on 82nd and Amsterdam. It is this great little spot that is open from 9am -10pm and has breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with baked goods, coffees and juices.
There were so many things that we wanted to order and had the hardest time deciding however we finally came to a decision and got the Raw Key Lime Pie, Macaroon, Apple Ginger Soy (it had juice of an apple and some ginger topped with steamed milk- amazing), a Panini of Pan-seared French Horn Mushrooms with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, artichoke aioli, mint & basil pesto and we ordered a Tempeh Avocado sandwich with baked marinated tempeh, creamy avocado, pickled radishes, shredded carrots and cilantro. We loved the Raw Key Lime Pie it was delicious and had a great key lime sauce on it, however the macaroon it was okay (but I think I make a better one). As for the 2 sandwiches the Panini was the winner it was warm and creamy and delicious. The temeph sandwich was okay but my husband and I both felt it was a little salty and that there were too many pickled radishes on it which just over powered the sandwich. I do however love this place and after seeing other peoples orders there is so much more I want to try.
We spent the remainder of our day wandering around the city and meeting up with friends. We met up with my bestie at this great little coffee shop in Soho called Ground Support on West Broadway across from Seven for All Mankind and next door to Anthropolige. We didn’t get any coffee because I had already had some that morning but it smelled amazing and Cate loves it there. After that we stopped in at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum Shop (which for all you vegans out there is just around the corner from Babycakes and down the street from Moo Shoes) this shop and museum is one of our favorites in the city and has a great selection of books and gifts. My husband picked up a great T-shirt from here as well as a book and I got a new vegan bag which I love. It was great too I asked the girl if it was leather and she was like I don’t know lets google the designer and see what their site says and to my luck the bags are all vegan faux leather (and I know you all are wandering well who makes it then? and i forget…there is no tag in the bag). We also stopped at our favorite candy shop in Chinatown Aji Ichiban which has a variety of Asian treats and are all labeled with their ingredients.
Before we left the city we met up with my friend from high school and went to Chennai Garden one of our favorite Southern Indian Restaurants. We had amazing food and the best part is everything that has dairy in it is labeled so you know which items you can order- oh and the place is all vegetarian. We always go with a dosa- this time the gunpowder one which was amazing and we went with a curry as well the Malki Kofta (not usually vegan but here it was! love it). We were so hungry I didn’t get any shots in but you can find pictures here from my last visit.
Our last stop before we headed home was in New Haven CT at Claire’s Corner Copia for breakfast Sunday morning. We had a great breakfast too- I ordered a coffee and Tofu Scramble with whole wheat baguette and Neil got an orange juice and the Pancakes with bananas. Our meals came and we dug in they were great. Mine wasn’t the best scramble i’ve had but it was good and the baguette was amazing with it. My hubz pancakes where really incredible – they were whole wheat and had cinnamon in them and topped with bananas and real maple syrup. Claire’s has become a favorite stop of ours and it’s all vegetarian with vegan items clearly marked and many dishes they can make vegan- and trust me their menu is huge!
Overall great trip but of course never long enough.
The third and final day, rather morning, of our trip to NYC was a quick one we only had a few hours before we had to be at Penn Station to catch our train home. We got up early and made our way to Chelsea/The Meatpacking District. We strolled down 13th Street to Avenue of Americas/6th Ave and stopped in at Murray’s Bagels for a yummy whole wheat everything bagel with veggie tofu cream cheese.
As we made our way back to the subway we stopped in at the Integral Yoga Natural Foods where I picked up some Dr. Cow “Cheese”. The only had the aged cashew but I was happy to find it. We have yet to try it but will next week after our detox. We also picked up some yummy eats for the train ride home; some bbq tofu and a sesame noodle salad.
Although we would have liked to have spent our last hour doing something in NYC before we left we were so exhausted from our night out we went back to the hotel to sleep before checking out and heading to Penn Station to take our 8.5hour train back to VT.
