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I’ve been to New York a few times, and have always loved the food scene. In 9th/10th grade, I was just getting into eating healthy but still being adventurous. We mostly looked into Travel Channel for advice. Last year, my small girl scout troop chose NYC as our senior trip. It was awesome to come with friends (go to see the Today show in the am- it’s awesome seeing Time Square so empty & peaceful!), they didn’t care much about the food scene (at alll, really…) and so we just focused on attractions, which is fine since it was in a group. However, by now I’d immersed myself into blogging and my own research and knew of all these awesome things that were only in NYC that I was missing out on! :/ This time, I was finally able to do so, and it started off with dinner at Candle 79.

 

Candle 79 is one of the best fine-dining Vegan restaurants in New York, if not the US (go to Portland for that!) I don’t know exactly where I heard about it, but I’ve known about it for a few years. However, I learned just on this trip that it’s got a bit of a history. It’s changed locations several times, and it’s named so because in it’s original location as a health foods store, the owner would light candles ever night. Eventually they grew and moved on, but the name always stuck.

The restaurant is still a bit on the smaller size, but I’d say pretty decent for New York. It’s also only a few blocks from the subway, so very accessible, though our concierge said that there wasn’t much to do in the neighborhood otherwise. Upon entering, it’s dimly lit, but decorated nicely with dark, warm red hues. The downstairs is small upon first look, but there is also any upstairs. We were seated at a booth, and it was SO comfortable!

Drinks:

They had a good menu, but my dad actually did not order any. They do make their own sodas in house (!!) (or at least, their ginger ale). I asked if they could do plain water (no carbonation) muddled with only ginger, lime & herbs. The bar made something with simple syrup- which I don’t like and pointed out. Our waitress said that without the sweetener, it’s “disguising”, but hey, that’s what I drink at home and that’s what I asked for, so she went and brought it. It was good 🙂 & problemo solved. My dad had coffee after dinner (average) with is served soy or (almond or coconut- I forget!) milk or creamer. I also had a double mint tea. They have a huge selection of regular teas and herbal teas, as well as decaf teas.  It’s brought out in a mini iron kettle- so cute! No picture because it was too dark by then.

Food:

Finally, what you’ve all been waiting for, eh? Let me start by saying that everything sounded amazing. Yes it’s a vegan restaurant and I love veggies, so you’d think so, but there are a few things I don’t like. I HATE coconut and avocado, and don’t like nut heavy dishes, so I was pleasantly surprised that most things I liked or could just ask for a small modification. They had a wide selection of appetizers, and we debated for a bit but ended up not getting any. The dips looked fantastic- I saw a few tables with them. As for the entrees- on my I wanted like 5! I ended up deciding on the Tempeh Vegetable Tamale ( I LOVE tamales, and had only had 1 or 2 without cheese. so sad.), and my dad the Char Grilled Sietan; since we both couldn’t decide between those two, it worked perfectly! (I also almost got an order of the zucchini blossoms to take back- haha. still kind of wish I did. someone send them to me??!) My dad was also a Starvin Marvin, so he asked for our side order- the grilled asparagus- to be brought out first. Honestly, the best asparagus. Ever. I’m picky- I either love it or hate it. It has to be perfectly grilled or steamed, NOT sautéed. This was crisp, flavorful, not overly salty. We both gobbled it down. I also wanted a salad, as I like having a some raw veggies in my meals, and our waitress said that though they have a side salad, the menu salads weren’t too huge. I’m glad because I really wanted one! My dad isn’t a huge kale lover, so we got the seaweed salad to share- dressing on the side. The salad was good, as expected! But the dressing was ah-mazing. I love me some miso, and light lemon & vinegar. I added some more lemon to it and it was great! I don’t like a lot of dressing, so I just dip into it occasionally, and put some lemon juice on my actual salad. Perfect size, as she said. Now, Entrees! Just, amazing. It worked out well, we both liked each others, but I liked mine more and my dad liked his more. I assumed, for the tamale, the rice would be on the side, but it was mixed in with everything—my baddd. Regardless, it was so good! I like my food a bit spicy but the flavors were spot on! The sour cream and guac on top were scraped off. Dad loved the guac. I LOVED the tempeh. As for his dish, I like the flavor of the sietan, but I think I need sietan to be prepared a different way for me to like it. The chard though was perfect! That is one green that is hit or miss for me. Also, the sauces on both of our plates were also amazing, with a really developed flavor. My dish only mentioned a chocolate mole, but there was also green sauce (cilantro I’m guessing) that I actually liked more. While the apps & salad came out fast, it took a bit long for the entrees.

asparagus- ignore the blur s’il vous plait

my tamale

on top of quinoa & veggies

Desserts:

I had planned on getting some sorbet or something, but we were so stuffed. I did ask, and found out everything is made in house! The ice creams are a base of soy & coconut, they make the cookies and brownies and cakes and sorbets and anything else! I forget the flavors for that day, but I do remember the ice cream was an unusual fruit (I’ve heard of it before though…), the hostess said it was a tropical fruit, tasted like a cross between a pineapple and a mango, and I think it started with a D. I want to say the sorbet was raspberry. I was impressed!

he really did love it, I sweat!

Even my dad is still raving about Candle. Thanks for the wonderful experience!

Just remember to MAKE RESERVATIONS! We got very lucky, I think. We planned to go Saturday and changed our minds when we landed on Friday night. I checked online, and  Open Table only gave us 9:30 pm or after. So I called and asked to make a reservation, and they said they only had 5:30. I asked politely if there was any way they could squeeze us in around 8:00, and he said he could do 7:45 pm! Perfect. done and done. I checked when I walked in, and the hostess said that they are in fact mostly reservation; if you walk in and they happen to have an open table then great, otherwise you’d probably have to wait until 9:30 or so.

~Masala Girl

see ya soon with the rest of NY & spoon deets!

have you ever been to an exclusive vegan restaurant?! I like Portia’s in cbus!