Dining Out in New York City - by CHLOE.

Now this is a "Happy Meal" - by CHLOE

Given my fondness for and success with Chloe Coscarelli's recipes, it's no surprise that I was anxiously awaiting the launch of her all-vegan NYC restaurant by CHLOE. I suspected this might be coming with her efforts to grow her brand by appearing on the Today Show and keeping an active social channel going (Instagram: @bychefchloe, @chefchloe) where she shared updates along the way; this was a smart move, building loyalty before opening. The location is another smart move, near the W 4th Street subway stop and right by NYU, where students can grab vegan grub until 12am most nights. The creative direction and branding is just like her, refreshing, adorable and easily likable! 

Interior Design, Complete with Wicker Chair Swings (on the other side) - by CHLOE

Love all the packaging!

I saw the announcement just yesterday that her restaurant was having its grand opening on Tuesday, July 28th and I excitedly told my boyfriend exactly what we'd be doing for dinner the next day. He's enjoyed many Chloe cookbook recipes and was happy to take me! We showed up around 7:30pm and a large, but well managed line was there. They were giving away free cookies all day and even free burgers to the first 50 customers. The website only launched today with a posting of their menu, so I scrambled to make a very hard decision. In line, Chloe herself came around with free samples of a Peanut Butter Cacao Smoothie and a Kale Smoothie. Both were very yummy! I didn't hold back and asked to take a picture with her, she is so sweet! 

Now for our taste testing in the form of a large meal: I ordered the Kale Caesar Salad, as is, with shiitake bacon, avocado, almond parmesan, maple-wheat croutons, capers, grape tomatoes, and Caesar dressing. I hate to criticize my first choice, but this was just too salty for me to order again. I finished it, of course and thought the ingredients themselves were great, but it seemed like each one got salted separately and then tossed together. Along with it, I had a small order of Mac N' Cheese, which was creamy and delicious with a slight kick of smokey spice. The sauce coating the shells was a sweet potato cheese and it was topped with another dose of crunchy shiitake bacon. 

Mac N' Cheese - by CHLOE

The Classic Burger - by CHLOE 

My non-vegan boyfriend got The Classic Burger with Air Baked French Fries. The Classic Burger is built off a super hearty patty with tempeh, lentil, chia and walnut, topped with pickles, onion, beet ketchup and served on a potato bun. I had one bite and said without much experience myself, "tastes like a real burger!" My boyfriend didn't want to share, which is a good sign. His major complaint with vegan burgers is the mistake of serving a mushy veggie-based burger on tough, dry bread so the whole thing falls apart in your hands - this burger had a soft bun and it held it all together. The fries were also very tasty and you'd have no idea they weren't actually "fried." The Beet Ketchup was hot pink and sweet, a nice upgrade. The Special Sauce was light orange and likely a cashew cream base, it was a little bland and I would have preferred more of a mayo or vegannaise flavor. 

 

Chlostess Cupcake - by CHLOE

Dessert was another full course! For my free cookie, I got the Cinnamon Espresso Cookie, compared to my experience making these from her cookbook hers were much thinner and crisp, not moist. I really liked it, its got a slight overbaked taste, but in a good way that complements the espresso flavor. My boyfriend bought for himself (thinking he wouldn't have to share!) a big square of the Banana Bread and a Chlostess Cupcake (previous blog post here). He really enjoyed the Banana Bread, stuffed with chocolate chips and walnuts. As for the Chlostess Cupcake, this was super chocolatey and velvetly smooth and rich. 

Cinnamon Espresso Cookie - by CHLOE

These Look Familiar! The Many Dessert Options - by CHLOE

The menu is lengthy, especially considering this is a brand new restaurant, so that means I will be making many return trips. Chloe is a doll and was a pleasure to talk to, so it makes it a no brainer to support her in her business endeavor! Good luck :)

by CHLOE.

185 Bleecker Street

New York, NY 10012

by Chloe Website

by CHLOE from the Outside

Dining Out in Brooklyn - Little Choc Apothecary

The Breakfast Crepe - Little Choc Apothecary

Wall of Herbs & Spices - Little Choc Apothecary

Wandering around Williamsburg I was looking for a new vegan spot to try and I found one that wasn't just new to me but new to the area, Little Choc Apothecary. This adorable, entirely vegan, casual restaurant specializes in crepes, but also sells other tasty baked goods, juices, and has an actual apothecary upstairs with a wall full of herbs and spices in glass jars. On their website they claim they are, "NYC's 1st fully vegan creperie." There were little touches in the decor that made me think of Alice in Wonderland, like the super-sized playing cards for table numbers and the tea cups. Fun fact: the owner was a former fashion model.


I asked the staff which crepe they enjoyed most and the first response was The Breakfast Crepe, and because I was opting to eat gluten-free this appealed to me. The only non-gluten-free crepe on the menu is the Khail Seitan; one I was also tempted to try. They offer both sweet and savory crepes. My crepe was moderately filled with a tofu scramble, coconut bacon, spinach and cucumber slices. This was a light meal, but tasty. I would have liked some sort of sauce to go with my crepe so it wasn't quite so dry and plain, but overall it was enjoyable and I was happy knowing it was vegan and gluten-free. To go along with my crepe, I ordered an Almond Milk Latte, served in a pretty little tea cup. Also, from Yelp reviews I saw that a popular vegan dessert was the Earl Grey Cookie, but when I first came in they were all out. Luckily by the time I left a new batch was done and I took one home. This was definitely a grown up cookie, similar to a not-so-sweet sugar cookie, but with a subtle tea flavor. 

I would return to try other crepe flavors and smoothies...and because the ambiance was just so lovely!

Inside, Lower Level of Little Choc Apothecary

Crepes in the Making - Little Choc Apothecary

Little Choc Apothecary

141 Havemeyer Street

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Little Choc Apothecary Website

Dining Out in New York City - Cafe Gitane

Avocado Toast - Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, Chili Flakes - Cafe Gitane

My favorite vegan chef, Chloe Coscarelli inspired me to dine at Cafe Gitane, with two locations on Jane Street and Mott Street, I visited Mott Street in Nolita. It's a buzzing cafe with a European feel.

It's not the type of place where you feel overly welcomed as a guest, at least for me. In fact, I sometimes felt like I was inconveniencing our waiter just being there, but when you reach a certain level of popularity I guess it just doesn't seem necessary to treat your patrons like valued customers. It also could have been that I wasn't the model or celebrity they may be used to for diners. We grabbed aggressively stalked a seat at the bar, because the wait for a table was 45 minutes. Be warned it's small and often crowded, especially during brunch hours. Our bar stools were actually great because we had an up-close and personal view of the cooks at work preparing beautiful lattes and gourmet food. 

Moroccan Couscous - Cafe Gitane

I knew immediately I'd be ordering their famed Avocado Toast, but chose to be kind and split this with my boyfriend. The seven-grain toast is covered edge to edge with mashed avocado then doused in lemon juice and olive oil with a generous sprinkling of chili flakes. I liked it, but I've got to be honest, I've made a better version at home. I like when the toast is crunchy and this was softer with a heavier lemon flavor. Sharing left me with enough room to test another other vegan-friendly dish, the Moroccan Couscous, which definitely was not a sample size. This heaping tower of couscous is a work of art, speckled with color from the red peppers, raisins, toasted pine nuts, potatoes, and topped with hummus and eggplant. It's served with a vibrant green oil and two small pieces of bread with more red peppers. For $14 you get a full meal. I loved this. It was hearty, filling, flavorful, creamy, nutty, and fresh-tasting. I took home half of it, but ate that later in the day. In addition to my meal I got a Latte, but was disappointed to find they only serve soy milk, for some reason I figured almond milk would be in their supply. It was still great quality coffee. 
My boyfriend got the Baked Eggs Sandwich and thought it was pretty darn good. We would come back, but not during peak hours.

Tip: CASH ONLY

Cafe Gitane

242 Mott Street

New York, NY 10012

Cafe Gitane Website

Latte with Soy Milk - Cafe Gitane

Dining Out in New York City - Beyond Sushi

Spicy Mang & Sweet Tree Rolls - Beyond Sushi

It took me so long to try this delicious all-vegan sushi spot, with locations throughout New York City. I went for dinner on a weeknight with my non-vegan friend who I know is open-minded and willing to try new restaurants! My hesitation with going before wasn't about the food, although going to an all-vegan sushi restaurant would deter me from inviting a number of my friends to join me, but I delayed going because it's a very casual almost counter-service only setup, so unfortunately you can't make much of a dining-out experience with it. 

What really sets this place apart is the creative and colorful menu that truly highlights vegetables in all their glory. The servings are huge and very reasonably priced. It's true you're not paying for fish, but you do get a specialty roll with eight pieces that would normally cost more than $10 at a traditional sushi place. You can and should take a peek at their menu online with high quality, gorgeous photography of each item. They also offer veggie bowls, salads, fresh wraps, juices, and premade desserts. You can order combo meals as well to pick and choose rolls, individual pieces, and wraps. 

Spicy Mang Roll - Beyond Sushi

I ordered the most popular Spicy Mang Roll, with black rice, avocado, mango, cucumber, spicy veggies and a toasted cayenne sauce and the Sweet Tree Roll with six-grain rice, avocado, sweet potato, alfafa sprouts and the same toasted cayenne sauce. Both rolls were delicious! I loved the creamy dressing on top, especially paired with the Spicy Mang Roll, because it did have a medium level of spice that hits you after your first bite. I also was a big fan of the unique whole grain rices that brought a richer, nuttier flavor than the typical sushi rice. I would have liked more fresh ginger on the side, but I'm sure I could have gotten that if I asked! :) I would order both again and two rolls was more than enough for a meal.

Roll of the Month - Beyond Sushi

To get the most out of my first visit I also tried the Roll of the Month which had black rice, braised saffron-infused pigeon peas, sweet pea and mint sauce, topped with chopped walnuts. This was a larger, single piece so I had to take one big bite to eat it all at once. It was good, but I preferred the bright flavors of my other rolls. Finally, because I was getting over a cold I added on a premade juice from their cooler, the Orange Coconut Juice. I enjoyed it, but it was a little watery, and not very sweet. My friend ordered the Strawberry Kiwi Yuzu Juice and enjoyed it more. She also got the Nutty Buddy Wrap instead of an individual roll, but after two full rolls she was too full to try it and brought it home!

Orange Coconut Juice - Beyond Sushi

Nutty Buddy Wrap - Beyond Sushi

Though I loved the food, the major flaw to the Beyond Sushi chain of restaurants is lack of seating. They present such elegant, beautiful dishes you'd expect the dining environment to match that, but sadly you're left fighting over table space with only three high-tops and end up elbow-to-elbow with strangers. Seems a waste to do takeout, but I guess that is the better option. I will be enjoying their food in the future, but likely as delivery, takeout, or an office catering order.

Beyond Sushi

229 East 14th Street

New York, NY 10003

Beyond Sushi Website

Union Square Location

Dining Out in Brooklyn - Champs Diner

Red Velvet Pancakes - Champs Diner

This place is like a glutton's heaven; it's like waking up in a vegan food dream. So be warned, it's not for the "light" eater and you better bring your appetite... and your patience, because you will need both. Champs (or Champs Family Bakery or Champs Diner, whichever you prefer) recently moved to a new location and spruced up their decor, but kept with their retro 50's diner vibe. Even on a rainy, cold Saturday morning there was a crowd outside waiting for a table and unfortunately due to the small size, the hostess wouldn't allow people to wait inside. I came here for a birthday brunch with my best friend and was willing to wait. Instead of standing in the rain, we actually made the smart choice (thinking only with our stomachs here) to swing by Dunwell Doughnuts a couple blocks away for a pre-meal vegan doughnut (yup, talk about healthy). 

I had studied the menu a few times before coming and even ordered takeout from Champs months ago. I was second guessing the fact that everything here is vegan, because it sure doesn't sound or look like it, which makes it that much more exciting! I first tried the Buffalo Chik'n Sandwich but wasn't impressed. It was a hero sandwich made with spicy buffalo chik'n, greens, tomatoes, sauteed onions, and ranch dressing. I couldn't enjoy it because it was too spicy for my taste. I was very eager to go back for a real brunch though because they are known for their breakfast foods. Some stand-outs include the Red Velvet Pancakes (photographed above), Drunken Cowgirl Tofu Scramble, French Fries with Cheese & Bacon (yes, you read that right). My friend was in the mood for more of an "egg" savory dish and went for the Get Scrambled tofu scramble with onions, peppers and ham. I made my decision based on reading the description of Country-Fried Seitan Sandwich...or maybe it was just seeing "fried" in the name. My sandwich was incredible, not something I could eat everyday or even every week, but a scrumptious unhealthy treat nonetheless. The crispy seitan cutlet was crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, smothered in creamy ranch dressing, topped with bacon and melted cheese and a few fresh veggies - lettuce and tomato - all served on Texas toast, because why not?! Man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I had to save room for our breakfast dessert so I brought half home and ate it only a couple hours later. For dessert, with hardly any room left in our stomachs (those doughnuts before our meal might have been a bad idea), we sunk our forks into a stack of Red Velvet Pancakes. I've never had the pleasure of enjoying red velvet in this way before! They were chewy, fluffy and moist, a well-made pancake indeed and served with a generous heap of heavy whipped cream with melting chocolate chips decorating the plate. 

Country-Fried Seitan Sandwich - Champs Diner

This whole meal left me saying "nom nom nom" and wanting to find a cozy warm corner to go lie down in for a while. There are just so many more things I need to try here. I will be back and I will wait in that line, because dammit it's worth it.

Get Scrambled - Champs Diner

Another shot of those beautiful red velvet pancakes

Champs Diner

197 Meserole Street

Brooklyn, NY 11206
Champs Diner Website

Dining Out in New York City - Seasoned Vegan

Lemon Crusted Chicken Nuggets - Seasoned Vegan

First off, sorry for the lame iPhone photos on this post. Sadly I didn't come prepared with my camera for this meal and the dim restaurant lighting didn't help. I'd been wanting to try this vegan restaurant for a while, although it's still fairy new. It required a subway trip to upper Manhattan and a dining buddy that would be up for the adventure. It's conveniently located next to Central Park North (110 St.) stop off the 2 or 3 subway line in Harlem. Though it was a frigid evening, upon walking in I felt a warm, welcoming vibe in this family-oriented restaurant. Bring your appetite and forget the diet when you come to dine here! The cuisine ranges from New Orleans inspired and Southern comfort food to raw dishes. If you were a fan of fish before going vegan this menu has a number of vegan seafood options for you.

Stuffed Avocado - Seasoned Vegan

I read on Yelp reviews that they sometimes run out of menu items throughout the day, which is a bummer. Hopefully they'll get more organized with time. On this occasion they were all out of the Po' Boy Wrap which was a dish I was hoping to try. Instead we ordered a nice variety of things to split: Chicken Parmesan Wrap, Baked Mac & Cheese, Stuffed Avocado, and Lemon Crusted Chicken Nuggets. The Chicken Parmesan Wrap had a bread-crust coated soy chicken patty with lots of gooey, melted vegan mozzarella and a nice tangy marinara sauce rolled up into a grilled tortilla. This was delish! I haven't had too many vegan chicken parms, but I could indulge in this one again and again.  The Baked Mac & Cheese was so smooth and creamy. It was well seasoned, but didn't have a very cheesy taste. I enjoyed it a lot, but be warned it's a tad on the greasy, buttery side. The Stuffed Avocado was so incredibly filling that it could have been my whole meal. It's a whole avocado split open and filled with a seasoned almond "meat" topped with pico de gallo and a cashew cheese, all served over a bed of mixed greens. This gluten-free dish was the most natural and "green" of the bunch, but still loaded with fat (the good kinds) so I was appreciative that I was splitting it.  Lastly we tried the Lemon Crusted Chicken Nuggets, one of their most popular dishes, and it did not disappoint. The nuggets were coated in loads of bread crumbs for a super crispy outside and served with two sauces, one was more like a BBQ sauce called Uptown Tangy and the other, a creamy one I could drink it was so divine, called Jiggy's Harlem Renaissauce. The soy nugget itself was chewy and resembled chicken.

Baked Mac & Cheese - Seasoned Vegan

Chicken Parmesan Wrap - Seasoned Vegan

My full plate of delicious, filling vegan food!

Overall this meal rocked! We walked out stuffed and happy with every taste bud dancing and without much of dent in our wallets. My non-vegan friend thoroughly enjoyed her meal, which is important in my book and a great sign of how well prepared the food was! Worth the trip for sure.

Seasoned Vegan

55 Saint Nicholas Avenue

New York, NY 10026

Seasoned Vegan Website