Peacefood Cafe

Chickpea Fries

Asian Greens Salad

Raspberry Jam Spelt Crumb Bar

Notes:

1. Chickpea Fries

From the Menu: "Served with House Dipping Sauce. $7."

"Fries" seems to be a misnomer as there are no potatoes involved in these chickpea cakes. The texture is more similar to a crisped polenta. Cf. Panisse.

2. Asian Greens Salad

From the Menu: "Seasonal baby Asian vegetables, mixed sprouts, shredded carrots, tomatoes, marinated and baked tempeh, ground peanuts, in a garlic, ginger, cilantro, ponzu and sesame dressing. $9.9.5"

Doesn't the tempeh look a bit eerily like tuna?

3. Raspberry Jam Spelt Crumb Bar

From the Menu: $3.50

Peacefood Cafe, Upper West Side, http://www.peacefoodcafe.com/

Candle Cafe

Crystal Roll
Seitan Chimichurri

Guacamole with ranchero sauce and corn tortilla chips.

Taco Salad with Seitan

Notes

1. Appetizers

a. Crystal Rolls

From the Menu: "Cucumber, cabbage, avocado, rice noodles, cilantro and barbecue grilled seitan

wrapped in rice paper with a spicy peanut sauce. $12."

Tasting: I generally prefer crisp, fried spring rolls to unfried summer rolls, but these were rather good, I think because the wrapper was thin and not too chewy. The filling was well seasoned, crunchy due to the rice noodles and raw cucumber and cabbage; the components are fairly typical of Thai cuisine. The Spicy Thai Dipping Sauce was also nice. Creamy but subtle peanut with nice jalapeño spice. The recipes for both the rolls and the dipping sauce are printed in The Candle Cafe Cookbook.

b. Seitan Skewers

From the Menu: "Citrus herb marinated seitan skewers. $8."

Tasting: The seasoning and texture are excellent but unfortunately, as you can see in the image, the skewers are charred to the point of being burnt on a large portion of The recipes for both the skewers and the dipping sauce are printed in The Candle Cafe Cookbook.

c. Guacamole

From the Menu: "Ranchero sauce and corn tortilla chips. $12."

Tasting: Another Guacamole recipe that doesn't call for tomatoes?! Instead, it had chopped red bell pepper, which are the red chunks that you'll note in the photo. The guacamole was fine, nicely spicy with the addition of some jalapenos, but not really worth $5, when it's the summer and you can buy an avocado for a $1. The corn chips were decidedly more impressive: cayenne and paprika made them zing, which was an excellent foil to the fatty avocado. They were also warm, which is key for ideal tastiness. The recipes for both the chips and the guacamole are printed in The Candle Cafe Cookbook.

Tasting:

2. Entrees

a. Paradise Casserole

From the Menu: "Layers of sweet potato, black beans, and millet over steamed greens with country gravy. $15."

Tasting: Disappointing misnomer! This was my least favorite of all the dishes. The black beans and millet (had a polenta-esque texture) were both thoroughly cooked so texture variation was lacking; a crunchy component like raw vegetables or firm grains would have helped. The black beans were my favorite part of the dish; they tasted quite a bit like Venezuelan style caraotas, which are seasoned with tomatoes, cumin, and brown sugar. In this case, there's also cinnamon. Unfortunately, the Kale and Collards were underseasoned and soggy; even an ample dose of the gravy left me wanting to add salt and pepper. The recipes for the casserole and sauteed mixed greens are printed in The Candle Cafe Cookbook.
b. Taco Salad
From the Menu: "Chili beans, grilled seitan, chopped lettuce, tofu sour cream, tapioca cheese, and corn chips over a toasted cumin vinaigrette. Served with pico de gallo and guacamole. $20."

Tasting: Seitan was the same chimichurri seasoned version as in the skewers above but was much less burnt and tasted substantially better. The chili beans were in a tomato based sauce that was tasty but hard to place; certainly not barbecue oriented, as there was no liquid smoke or brown sugar. The white sauce in the picture is the tofu sour cream; the toasted cumin vinaigrette is darker brown, and was quite nice: smoky and spicy, it made the citrusy lime in the skewer marinade pop in contrast.
3. Pairing:

Redwood Valley Fume Blanc, 2007. The wine, as described, had a lovely crisp apple flavor. For most vegan food, this is preferable to wine that has undergone any malolactic fermentation process, which can overwhelm the vegan palate unaccustomed to the butteriness of lactic acid. Overall, the wine worked well with the lighter flavors of the food and the heat of the summer day.

Conclusion
Repeat. Despite some underwhelming dishes, I've been to Candle Cafe many times and I will definitely be back. While not the most adventurous food, overall Candle Cafe serves consistent, fresh, and generally well-made fare at a decent price point. It's sexy offshoot, Candle79 http://candle79.com/, is at once more refined and delicious, but concomitantly a step up in price.

Candle Cafe, Upper East Side, http://www.candlecafe.com/

Blossom

Cape Cod Cakes

Southern Seitan Sandwich

Tuscan Portobello Sandwich

Notes
1. Appetizer
Cape Cod Cakes

From the Menu: "A blend of hiziki seaweed, herbs and spices. Served with vegan tartar sauce. $10."

Tasting: Four small cakes plated on and topped with vegan tartar sauce. The cakes have a thin, crisp breading, "seafood" seasoning (Old Bay?), hiziki (mildly salty seaweed that adds dark green color and the flavor of the sea), diced red bell pepper, and a wonderfully soft, crablike component of unknown provenance (Heart of palm? Soy?). The plate also contained shredded carrots and watercress. The cakes are a delightful interpretation of crab cakes and, as far as meat analogs go, come remarkably close (and are perhaps even better than) what they imitate. Delicious and highly recommended.

2. Sandwiches
a. Southern Seitan Sandwich with Fries

From the Menu: "Spiced seitan, caramelized onions, avocado, chipotle aioli. $14"

Tasting: Easily one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. The seitan filets (about three in the sandwich) are lightly breaded and well seasoned, with a spicy, smoky flavor. The seitan protein itself is firm but still moist. The chipotle mayo is excellently balanced, between the muted heat of its eponymous smoked jalapeño, the fatiness of the creamy base, and a slight sweetness, perhaps of agave. The other sandwich components include caramelized onions, adding a tangy yet molasses flavor, and several slices of creamy avocado round out the flavor profile nicely. The ciabatta roll containing the whole affair is fresh and warmly toasted, soft with nice pockets that lightly absorbs the fat of the other components.

The side option of sweet potato fries at the Cafe Blossom is my default, but the golden potato fries are also delicious: lightly seasoned with sea salt and fresh parsley, they represent the ideal ratio of the crisp exterior to the tender, creamy interior; the organic ketchup is also delicious. The side salad option, not pictured above, is also quite good: mesclun greens and pear tomatoes, with a creamy, tangy maple balsamic vinaigrette.

b. Tuscan Portobello Sandwich with Fries

From the Menu: "Grilled Portobello, roasted red peppers and caramelized onions topped with vegan mozzarella and spicy mayo. $12."

Conclusion

Repeat. The only possible drawback is the slightly elevated price point, but if you go at lunch, as we did, the food becomes relatively more affordable; regardless, I'm willing to pay for such well prepared food that emphasizes seasonal and organic ingredients. The ambiance and service are also very refined; great spot for a date. Overall, Blossom is perfect for meat analog novices, who couldn't possibly resist what the kitchen can prepare, and also those who prefer seasonal, minimally processed ingredients.

Blossom, Chelsea, http://www.blossomnyc.com/site/

Red Bamboo

Creole Soul Chicken

Lobster Salad

Black Bean Ginger Stirfry with Beef

Pistachio Ice Cream

Notes:

1. Creole Soul Chicken

From the menu: "Crispy soul chicken panko breaded with cajun seasoning and rosemary, served with a hickory smoke vidalia dressing"
The panko breading was perfect: substantial without being over bearing, hot but not greasy, salty and flecked with parsley, very well seasoned. The seitan "chicken" inside was another story: bland to the point of flavorlessness and incredibly chewy yet stringy, almost as If the gluten hadn't been given sufficient time to set up properly. The dipping sauce was delicious, thick and smoky with a subtle, carribbean BBQ flavor; if only that flavor could have been incorporated into the nuggets themselves.

2. Lobster Salad

From the menu: "A refreshing salad with spring mix, diced red onions, red, yellow and green peppers, cilantro and soy lobster tossed with our lemon citrus dressing"
The soy lobster was not at all what I was expecting: incredibly solid and firm, rather than pliable and melting, and largely tasteless, not at all the sweet savoriness of the real thing. It approached the texture of over cooked extra firm tofu or a really firm cheese, like ricotta salata, which isn't intrinsically bad just not at all lobsteresque. Frankly aside from the light pink color striping on the exterior and shape I would have had no idea this was meant to imitate lobster much less seafood. The rest of the salad--mixed greens, diced bell peppers, lemon olive oil vinaigrette were fresh and seasonally appropriate. The pseudo lobster was an unfortunate disappointment to the rest.

3. Black Bean Ginger Stirfry with Beef

From the Menu: "Fresh garden vegetables sauteed in a Cantonese black bean sauce and chili ginger glaze with a side of brown or white rice… 9.95 Add soy shrimp, chicken or beef… 2.00"
Heaping portion of seitan, vegetables, and rice. My dining companiom and i had ample food splittig this course, after two appetizers. The seitan was much better in this dish than inside the nuggets. Firm but moist, chewy yet toothsome, with nice grill marks. Sauce was sweet and savory large whole black beans. Dizzying array of veg: yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, ... 2 cups of white rice.

4. Pistachio ice cream
Delicious. Not as icy as other ice cream analogs. Whole pistachios. Nuclear reactor green. Server: not made in house and soy and coconut based.

Pairing: Pinot Noir

Conclusion

Possible Repeat. For the restaurant billed as having some of the best met analogs in the city, I left less than impressed with the appetizer and salad options. Yet the entree was more promising and I am intrigued by the fish cake and fish stick options that I saw other diners eating and wish I'd had the stomach space to try a dessert or smoothie.