October is Vegetarian Awareness Month! Contrary to popular belief, New York City vegetarians have just as many savory meal options as their meat-eating counterparts. Besides satisfying your taste buds, ‘going green’ also has significant health benefits. According to Science Daily, a veggie diet can lower blood pressure and cholesterol and decrease heart disease and cancer risk. Whether you’re completely committed to an herbivore lifestyle or just experimenting with Meatless Mondays, these eateries are bound to satisfy.
In honor of Vegetarian Awareness Month, here are three highly-rated eateries for vegetarians visiting or residing in the Big Apple.
Blossom (Carmine Street, Columbus Ave. and 9th Ave.)
In both 2008 and 2009, Blossom was voted the city’s ‘Best Vegetarian Restaurant’ by Time Out New York. It has held fast to its title since then. There are three locations to choose from, two of which are cafés. Café menus are different, in that they offer extensive brunch possibilities. Adventurous eaters will appreciate dishes like farinata puttanesca, an airy crepe made of chickpea flour. It comes filled with a hearty assortment of caramelized onions, mushrooms, capers, olives, garlic hummus, tomatoes, and sprout salad. Breakfast lovers will gravitate towards the stuffed French toast, made of crusty bread brimming with mixed berries and a light cream cheese spread.
Korilla BBQ (rotating mobile locations)
Yes, you read that right: BBQ. Korilla BBQ, a NYC food truck, has an extensive selection of burrito, taco, and Chosun bowls. They use house-made, organic tofu as the base for delightfully intense, spicy Korean-fusion fare. Korilla’s Tofuture BodyLove menu kicks the soybeans up a notch with cucumber kimichi, sticky rice, tomato salsa, lettuce, and a signature Korilla sauce, all wrapped up in a $7 burrito or 3-taco set. Chosun bowls contain wild mountain veggies, like bell flower root and mung bean. That makes the act of ordering greens anything but ordinary.
Dirt Candy (430 E. 9th Street)
Dirt Candy is a tongue-in-cheek reference to vegetables. “When you eat a vegetable, you’re eating little more than dirt that’s been transformed by plenty of sunshine and rain into something that’s full of flavor.” Indeed, Dirt Candy lives up to its name; it extracts every bit of piquancy in its seasonal menu. Staples include its famed Jalapeno Hush Puppies with Maple Butter, made of peppery heat muffled by a cornmeal comfort food shell. Another stand-out is the Swiss Chard Gnocchi, a pillowy pasta sprinkled with garlic-infused granola, with drunken fig jam, caramelized labneh, pickled chard, and goat cheese sauce. Make advance reservations, because the intimate restaurant only has 18 tables.
Leave us a comment if you try any of these recommendations! Or, if you’re stuck at the office and want us to bring the best vegetarian meals to you, let us know!
