Borough Vegetarian

Joy Curry and Tandoor - the Midtown Lunch Combo that Lasts for Days

The search for affordable Midtown lunches continues with Joy Curry and Tandoor, a largely take-out Indian spot recommended by a former co-worker.  The one thing I can confidently say about Joy Curry - you will not leave hungry.  In fact, if you eat one-quarter to one-third of your meal, you will probably have consumed enough calories for an entire day.  

When I visited Joy Curry for lunch a few months back, I went through the relatively efficient lunch line and selected the vegetarian platter, which consists of rice, naan, and two choices from 4 - 5 vegetarian daily options.  

Surprisingly, the curries (one chickpea, the other mixed vegetables) were not overly spiced or oily, which certainly makes Joy Curry stand out from many Indian take-out spots.  So while the portions were a bit overwhelming, and the naan was just ok (too soft for my taste), it is a great place to pick up a quick, $8 - 10 vegetarian meal that can last for days.

Joy Curry and Tandoor

148 E. 46th Street

Midtown East, Manhattan

A few short blocks from the 4, 5, 6, 7 and Metro North trains at Grand Central

Souvlaki GR - Great Affordable Midtown Lunch Option

Finding an affordable, sit down lunch spot in the heart of Midtown is an extremely different task.  And if you want quality and flavor too...well, you are probably out of luck.  Enter a new winner on the Midtown lunch scene - Souvlaki GR, the food truck turned sit down restaurant on West 56th Street.  

I met a friend at Souvlaki GR at 12pm on a weekday, and the reservations I made in advance were clearly not needed at that early hour.  We were among the only people seated when we arrived, though by the time we left (around 1pm), the place definitely had filled up - so as the word continues to get out, would recommend reservations.  

The menu is simple and very reasonable - combined, our check for two with tax and tip was maybe $20?  I "splurged" and ordered the $7.5 SGR veggie pita, which was packed full of lightly roasted and spiced vegetables, cheese and fries.  

Yum!  It was also a hearty portion of food, such that I felt like I had eaten two lunches when I had left - but unlike many Midtown takeout places, it wasn't greasy at all.  

I will definitely be returning to eat fresh, simple and affordable Greek food in Midtown!

Souvlaki GR

162 W. 56th Street

Midtown West, Manhattan

Half a black from the N/Q/R trains at 7th Avenue and the F train at 57th Street, and a few blocks from the B/D/E trains at 7th Avenue

Brooklyn Bagel - Oddly Enough, a Queens-Based Mini-Chain

Brooklyn Bagel has become a hot bagel store, with three locations in Astoria, Queens and one Manhattan location in Chelsea.  I've sampled Brooklyn Bagels two or three times (the Broadway location in Astoria), and while it doesn't quite rival Brooklyn and the city's best - the Bagel Hole - it is a great bagel option.

The cream cheeses are wonderfully light and they have unique flavors that they rotate weekly.  The bagels also have that nice crunchy exterior.

The only slight critiques I have about these bagels are that they are a little too large for my taste and the interiors are more fluffy than chewy.  In addition, I don't know why I ordered a whole wheat everything bagel the last time (the bagel pictured throughout this post), which was a little too dry for my taste as well.  But despite these minor concerns, Brooklyn Bagel is absolutely worth is a trip!

Brooklyn Bagel

35-05 Broadway, 36-14 30th Avenue, and 35-9 Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria, Queens

286 8th Avenue in Chelsea, Manhattan

All of the Astoria locations are 4-5 blocks from stops along the N/Q line, and the Chelsea location is closest to the C/E trains at 23rd Street.

Black Seed Bagels - Delicious Downtown Bagels

Bagels and pizza - two staples that make living in New York City a daily (well, weekly or monthly if we are following current health conventions) delight.  My latest search for amazing bagels took me to Black Seed Bagels, a hip Montreal-inspired bagel spot on Elizabeth, between Kenmare and Spring.  

I was slightly wary of the attention that Black Seed has garnered, but they definitely served up some delicious bagels that reached the sweet spot of a hard/crisp exterior and soft interior.  The vegetable cream cheese was also pretty good, and my understanding is that the sandwiches they make (which I haven't tried) are quite good as well.  I also like the smaller size bagels, which still give you more than enough food.

While Black Seed has not displaced my ultimate bagel favorite, the Bagel Hole, it is definitely up there and a lot more accessible than Park Slope!

Black Seed Bagels

170 Elizabeth Street

Nolita, Manhattan

Easily accessible from several train lines, including the B/D at Grand St., J/Z at Bowery, 6 at Spring, or the F at 2nd Avenue or Delancey St.

Xi'an Famous Foods and Biang! - Awesome Spicy Vegetarian Option in Multiple Locations

Xi’an Famous Foods - a New York City mini-chain with locations now in Flushing, East Village, Chinatown, Midtown, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, East Williamsburg, and Greenpoint (!) - serves delicious and inexpensive northwestern Chinese cuisine.  AND they clearly state which of there dishes are vegetarian, a major benefit to both this blog writer and readers.  

I love spicy food generally, and the combination of Chinese spices and oils with hand-ripped noodles is a particular treat that Xi’an consistently serves up, no matter the location (well, at least for the 3 locations I have visited to date).  And if you are looking for a sit-down restaurant experience with alcohol (i.e., a cold beer to wash down the spice), I highly recommend going to their Biang! location in Flushing.  

My favorite dishes are the hot oil seared noodles and the spicy tofu.  The portions are pretty generous so if you get two dishes, like I usually do, you’ll have plenty of great leftovers for another meal.

(Hot Oil Seared Noodles)

Multiple locations across NYC (Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn)

Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles - A Vegetarian-Friendly Rarity in Manhattan’s Chinatown

Like many small Chinatown restaurants, Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles on Doyers St. has an unassuming exterior and interior.  With many 4 - 5 tables packed in a very small space, everything about this restaurant is about efficiency.  All garnishes, condiments and silverware are packed onto the available table space, and it doesn’t seem uncommon to take what your table doesn’t offer from the other adjoining tables, which makes for a somewhat communal (though efficient) eating experience.

Adding to the efficiency is the hyper-speed at which the staff works to get customers in and out the door, and during weekday lunch time, to also fill what seems to be an insatiable set of take-out orders.

When we went to Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles for the first time during a weekday lunch period, we were greeted by not only this experience, but also an insane amount of food (the latter due purely to our over-ordering!).  

(Pan-fried vegetable noodles - $6.25)

To share, we ordered both the pan-fried vegetable noodles and the fried vegetable dumplings - both vegetarian.  Each of these items could have been a full lunch on it’s own, and given the price tag, you can definitely leave this restaurant with the rare combination of a full wallet and a full stomach.

(Pan-fried vegetable dumplings - 10 for $7.25)

Both of these dishes were fairly simple, and not particularly flavorful, but nothing a little hot sauce can’t cure!

For my “main course,” I ordered the tofu and vegetable soup with vegetarian broth and the knife-pulled noodles (you have the option of choosing from a range of homemade hand-pulled noodles).  The tofu was served separately from the soup, and due to an apparent miscommunication, I thought the spiced tofu was an extra order instead of part of my dish.  So instead of combining the otherwise somewhat-bland soup with the tofu to make a complete dish, I ate them separately. This approach was to the detriment of the soup, but not to the spiced tofu which was great.

(Tofu and Vegetable Noodle Soup - $6.00 for both dishes pictured above!)

In short, I definitely recommend Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodle for any vegetarian visitors to Manhattan’s Chinatown.  

Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodle

1 Doyes Street

New York, NY

Accessible from the F train at East Broadway, B/D trains from Grand St., J/Z at Chambers St., or 6/N/Q at Canal St.  All trains are approx. 5 - 12 minute walk from the restaurant.

Spicy Village - Cheap, Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurant in Chinatown

My husband works in Chinatown, and one of his favorite restaurants is Spicy Village.  Spicy Village specializes in a range of hand-pulled noodle dishes, from soups to sauteed options.  And unlike many restaurants in Chinatown, Spicy Village has several meatless options for vegetarians to enjoy.

On my first trip to Spicy Village, which has an unassuming storefront and interior decor to say the least, I ordered the Spicy Scallion Red Oil Hui Mei.  The noodles were really fantastic, though I think this topping may have been a little too onion-y (and I love onions!).  The dish also wasn’t that spicy, but nothing a little bit of their in-house hot sauce couldn’t cure.  I definitely will return to Spicy Village, but likely to order the Spicy Vegetable Hui Mei or Black Bean Sauce Hui Mei as well as try out their range of inexpensive vegetarian appetizers.

Spicy Village

68 B Forsyth St.

Chinatown, Manhattan

Easily accessible from the B/D (Grand St), J/M/Z and F (Delancey/Essex St), or 10 minute walk from 6/N/Q/R (Canal St)

Biang! in Flushing, Queens

I’ve previously written about Xi’an Famous Foods, the NYC mini-chain that features great hand-pulled noodles and other northwestern Chinese foods.  It’s hard to understate how much I love Xi’an - both as a lover of hearty noodle dishes and simple, spicy foods.  I haven’t had a bad experience at any of their locations, and love their noodle soups, sauteed noodles, and tofu dishes.  

Biang!, which can be described as a “fancier” sit-down version of Xi’an, similarly has never disappointed in the 4 - 6 times I have been there.  The food is simple and delicious, and the price point is still insanely affordable for NYC (e.g., noodle entrees mostly from $6-8, and appetizers/sides in the $3-10 range).  

(Chang’an Spicy Soft Tofu)

Another benefit of Biang! compared to the plentiful Chinese options in Flushing, Queens is that they are very vegetarian friendly and you don’t have to guess whether what you are eating is truly vegetarian or not.

(Hot Oil-Seared Biang-Biang Noodles)

Definitely a vegetarian (and meat-eater) must-try in Flushing!

Biang!

41-10 Main Street

Flushing, Queens

Easily Accessible from the Flushing-Main Street stop of the 7 train.  Street and lot parking is available, but can be very difficult to secure, so train is highly recommended.

Canelle Patisserie - One of the Best Bakeries in NYC…and in Queens!

Canelle Patisserie seems like nothing special from the outside.  It’s a bakery hidden in a strip mall in a residential section of Queens.  It’s not particularly close to the subway, or particularly close to Manhattan or one of the higher income neighborhoods in eastern Queens (other standard markers of “refined destinations” in Queens).  

However, it’s easily one of the best bakeries I’ve ever been to - in New York, the United States, and yes, the world.  Each of its pastries is out-of-this-world, both in terms of presentation and quality.  I really have no complaints about Canelle - you can always get great cakes there in a pinch (no need to pre-order) and the price isn’t extravagant, a rarity in a city with insanely expensive food and baked goods. 

(Strawberry Shortcake)

We recently went to Canelle to pick up some of their individual pastries for a co-worker’s birthday.  While some of our favorites (coco-fraise, chocolate mousse) were already sold out late on a Sunday night, there were still a range of individual desserts to choose from - including the strawberry shortcake, Napoleon, and my favorite, the Creole.  It’s amazing that a bakery can produce such consistent quality, whether it’s first thing in the morning or late in the evening.  In any case, Canelle is an absolute must-visit in Queens!

(Creole)

Canelle Patisserie

75-59 31st Avenue (between 75th and 77th Street)

Jackson Heights

A “healthy” walk from the 7 train, 74th or 82nd Street stops

*Update - a second location has opened in Long Island City, 5-11 47th Avenue, accessible from the Vernon-Jackson 7 train stop or the 21st Street G train stop

Behold - The Bagel Hole Bagel!

I love bagels.  All kinds of bagels.  Grocery store bagels, frozen bagels, bagels that are functionally thick bread.  Well, I don’t like sweet bagels.  But all savory bagels are winners in my book.

As such, it’s a huge problem to live in New York, where bagels are not only plentiful, but decent-to-excellent bagels also abound.  Ever since I moved to New York, I have been on a bagel expedition throughout the boroughs.

The great thing is that I haven’t yet exhausted all of the “good” bagel places that you read/hear about AND I have already found very tasty bagels from Utopia Bagels in eastern Queens to Terrace Bagels in central Brooklyn.

My favorite bagel place to date is indisputably the Bagel Hole in Park Slope (I’m sorry my other bagel friends).  The Bagel Hole bagel is shockingly good - such that I would regularly also buy the bags of 6 day-old bagels for my freezer when I’d pop in for fresh bagels during a weekend (granted, I did say I will eat ANY bagel, but these day-old ones are still SO good). 

The Bagel Hole bagel is great because it is decently sized (i.e., not insanely huge), has a crisp/firm exterior, and the interior is chewy.  The Bagel Hole bagel is also great because these firm no-toasters churn out fresh bagels throughout the day, and when you get a fresh bagel (ask for what has just been baked), the cream cheese will slightly melt inside leading to that much more of an amazing bagel experience.

Gosh, I miss living within a mile of the Bagel Hole.

The Bagel Hole

400 7th Avenue (btwn. 12th and 13th Streets)

Park Slope, Brooklyn

Easily accessible via the F/G stop at 7th Avenue