Borough Vegetarian

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

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)

Ippudo - NYC Ramen Favorite with Great Vegetarian and Vegan Options!

Like many caught up in this global food trend, I love ramen.  I love the chewiness of the noodles, the rich broth, the varied toppings, and the ability to eat a truly one dish complete meal.  

However, unlike many global ramen lovers, I am also vegetarian and finding truly vegetarian ramen (made with vegetarian broth) can be a bit of a struggle.  Thankfully, there are a few strong vegetarian ramen options scattered through NYC’s five boroughs that can meet the needs of vegetarians and their meat-eating friends alike.

Ippudo, one of the most popular NYC ramen restaurants - if not the most popular NYC ramen destination - fits that bill.  Ippudo has been serving vegetarian appetizer and ramen options for years, and their new-ish location in Hells Kitchen now serves a vegan and gluten-free ramen called Sho-jin that changes seasonally.  AND it gets better - Ippudo actually marks on their menu the vegetarian and vegan options available.

Among their vegetarian starters are the cucumbers with a spicy sesame oil (pictured above), a dish that combines spicy, salty and crunchy into each bite.

Earlier this fall at the Hells Kitchen location, I had the seasonal cold Sho-jin that was rich, satisfying and refreshing.  While not the rich, creamy hot vegetarian ramen served at the downtown location, this ramen hit a few other culinary notes including light sweetness from the goji berries.

Definitely check out Ippudo - great, great place for vegetarians!

Ippudo NY

Two Locations:  East Village (65 Fourth Avenue, btwn. 9th and 10th Streets) and Hell’s Kitchen (321 W. 51th Street, btwn. 8th and 9th Avenues).  Both very accessible by several subway options (for East Village - 6 at Astor Place or 4/5/6/L/N/Q/R at 14th Street-Union Square; for Hell's Kitchen, C/E at 50th Street).

Manhattan, NY

Danji - Upscale Korean Restaurant with a Dedicated Vegetarian Menu

While I love Korean food, it can be hard for me to find Korean restaurants that serve vegetarian options beyond a bibimbap sans meat or maybe some japchae.  

While my new favorite Korean restaurant in NYC, Cho Dang Gol, does actually mark its vegetarian options on its menu, I haven’t been to a NYC Korean restaurant that actually prioritizes vegetarians such that there is a full vegetarian menu.  (The obvious exceptions are the exclusively vegetarian Korean restaurants in NYC, Hangawi and Franchia.)  

That focus on vegetarians is what brought me to Danji, an upscale, Michelin-starred Korean restaurant in Midtown West/Hell’s Kitchen, that also features its vegetarian menu on the restaurant website.  While the vegetarian menu is not huge - 5 items - it’s still a dedicated selection that does make vegetarians feel welcome.

The vegetarian food at Danji is also quite good, though not the spice-fest that you’ll potentially find at other city Korean restaurants.  I started with the tofu with ginger-scallion dressing small plate, which featured insanely soft, pillow-like tofu enveloped by some sort of panko-type breading for a great texture contrast.  

The japchae main course was slightly less exciting, but included different flavors and textures in the dish (sesame seeds, saltiness from the sauce, and the crunchy cooked vegetables).  I have to admit I wish I had more spicy sauce to make this dish more memorable, but nothing was inherently wrong with it - just a little boring.  

So while Danji will probably be a repeat with my meat-eating husband, it hasn’t displaced my other favorite Korean restaurants in the city.

Danji

346 W. 52nd

Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan

Most easily accessible from the C/E at 50th Street 

Lan Sheng - The “Other” Michelin-Starred Szechuan Restaurant in Midtown Manhattan

We finally made it to Lan Sheng last summer, Cafe China’s competitor in the midtown Manhattan Michelin-starred battle of Szechuan restaurants.  

Given how much I love Cafe China, I had mixed feelings about venturing to Lan Sheng.  Yes, on the one hand, it could be better than Cafe China which would be a major boon.  On the other, it did feel like both a bit of a betrayal to Cafe China and I had an odd feeling of trepidation about what the food would actually be like.

Ultimately, I have to say that Lan Sheng was very good - and our waiter did not flinch at making a few courses vegetarian for me, which of course was sincerely appreciated by this vegetarian food blogger.

I did not stray from my favorites on this first trip to Lan Sheng - Dan Dan noodles (pictured above), MaPo tofu (below), and some other small plates to share like scallion pancakes.

While everything was very good, I think that Cafe China may still be my preference, especially on the ambiance and cocktail fronts.  For the non-vegetarian, Lan Sheng did seem to be more varied and have more “unique” meat options than most other Sichuan restaurants.  That being said, I will almost absolutely return to Lan Sheng for more delicious, spicy vegetarian food in the future!

Lan Sheng

60 W. 39th St.

Midtown, Manhattan

Most easily accessible from the B/D/F/M/7 trains at 42nd Street, but also not a far walk from the 4/5/6/7 trains at Grand Central

Italian Streak Continues with Don Antonio in Midtown Manhattan

My apparent run of blogging exclusively about Italian restaurants continues withDon Antonio, the bustling pizza-focused restaurant in Midtown (West) Manhattan.  

On my first trip to Don Antonio, I was shocked by not only how busy it was at 5pm on a weekday, but also how insanely large the menu is (similar to Keste, which shares the same owner).  My friend and I ultimately ordered two dishes that I would recommend, though only for those in the mood for a heavy meal.  Don Antonio is definitely not a light fare restaurant from my experience!

We started with the potato croquets, which as we should have guessed, were pretty rich fried fare, though tasty with the cheese/potato explosion inside the crust.

I then had the Pizza Del Papa, which had a butternut squash puree “sauce,” smoked buffalo mozzarella, and vegetables.  It was really interesting and the flavors did blend in a good, albeit unusual, way.  I could definitely see myself ordering this pie again, but after the first slice, I already felt full!  

I think I somehow ate another slice or two, but there were definitely a ton of toppings on each slice and a hearty crust, so I think these pizzas are definitely for sharing.  Sharing also makes sense given that each “speciality” pie is between $20 - $25 each.

Don Antonio

309 W. 50th Street (at 8th Avenue)

Midtown (West), Manhattan

Easily accessible from the C/E at 50th Street, and a longer walk (approx. 5 - 10 min) from the B/D/F/M at Rockefeller Center-47th/50th Streets

Bouchon Bakery and Cafe - Solid Quick Meal in Midtown

When thinking about a quick pre-opera meal in late January, I realized the right go-to actually didn’t need much research.  Rather the Time Warner Center Bouchon Bakery Cafe came to mind as an obvious area restaurant to sit down, get a quick meal, and enjoy a glass of wine in a relatively quick and calm setting.  

When we sat down and tore into the bread basket, we knew we made the right decision.  I have to admit I don’t fully remember what was in the bread assortment, but I do remember that everything was pretty darn good (and that I thought at the time, maybe we should buy that Bouchon Bakery cookbook!).  

I then started with the tomato basil soup, which was quite tasty though a little acidic - so the small portion was definitely the right amount for me.

For my main course, I decided to get the quiche of the day, which was a vegetarian offering that day.  The quiche was pretty good - as were the side greens - though ultimately not that memorable or exciting.

And while we stopped our meal there, and didn’t get any desserts that evening, I did head to the Rockefeller Center Bouchon Bakery a few weeks later and picked up a few of our favorites - the TKO (homemade Oreo) and Oh-Oh (homemade Ho Ho’s).  I cannot describe how amazing the cream in these desserts are - rich, velvety and great, fresh flavor.

And just to get that much more crazy, I also got a box of assorted macarons, which I have never gotten at the Bouchon Bakery before.  They were AMAZING and easily my new favorites in NYC.  Light and perfect fillings - fruit flavors were tart, chocolate was creamy, and so on and so on…

Bouchon Bakery

10 Columbus Circle (3rd Floor) or 1 Rockefeller Plaza

Columbus Circle or Midtown West, Manhattan

Columbus Circle location easily accessible from the A/B/C/D/1 trains at 59th/Columbus Circle, and the Midtown West location easily accessible from the B/D/F/M at 47th-50th Street/Rockefeller Center

Cho Dang Gol - My New Favorite Korean Restaurant and Midtown Lunch Spot

Although I have walked by Cho Dang Gol dozens of times and have seen it on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list, I didn’t think about going there until I was searching recently for an affordable (and tasty) lunch spot in Midtown. 

I looked up their menu online, and was pleasantly surprised to find a number of specifically marked vegetarian options.  I was also pleasantly surprised by the $10.95 lunch special price given how expensive Midtown restaurants can be.  

The two times I have gone to Cho Dang Gol for lunch, the food has been consistently cooked well, included strong flavors, and remained affordable even when we added in a number of items not on the lunch menu.

The first time I went, our meal started off with some house-made soft tofu, which was both creamy and slightly sweet.

In addition to this starter, which was accompanied by banchan side dishes as well, the first time I visited the restaurant, we also ordered the vegetarian Kimchi Jeon (pancake) to start.  

The pancake was pretty flavorful, not too oily, and had a decent amount of crispness on the outside and softness in the inside.  That being said, I was a bit shocked by the $18 price tag, especially seeing that it wasn’t the enormous jeon that some Korean restaurants serve.

In addition to these starters, both times I visited, I ordered the Vegetable Cham Dubu, a spicy stew of vegetables, a ton of chiles, and more soft, fresh tofu.  The cham dubu is served with a plentiful serving of rice, which makes it a spicy and completely filling main course.  And at only $10.95, it more than made up for the expensive jeon course which one definitely didn’t need to feel satisfied with their lunch.

One additional tip I can share having now gone there for lunch twice is that to get a table without a wait, I would recommend showing up by 12pm.  The place is completely packed by 12:30pm, such that when I first tried to go to Cho Dang Gol, I couldn’t stay because of the 20-minute quoted wait, which frankly seemed like it would be a lot longer given the line out of the door.  

The food is definitely worth it though if you have time to wait for a post-12:30pm lunch or you can there on the earlier side.  I know I’ll be certainly returning!

Cho Dang Gol

55 W. 35th Street

Koreatown/Midtown, Manhattan

Easily accessible from the B/D/F/M/N/Q/R trains at 34th Street/Herald Square

 

Taam Tov - Maybe Not the Most Vegetarian-Friendly, But Solid Quick Lunch in Midtown

A friend recently visited NYC from Washington, D.C. and wanted to grab a weekday lunch.  When I asked him for any restaurant or cuisine preferences, he responded that he wanted to try something that you couldn’t find in D.C.  After some frantic google searching for interesting restaurants in the midtown area, I found Taam Tov, a kosher Uzbek restaurant specializing in Bukharan cuisine (according to Google and the New York Times).  

Although reviews mentioned the limited selection for vegetarians, from my review of the menu, it still seemed like a great place for lunch - lots of salads, breads and vegetable sides, or basically what I eat for lunch (or dinner) every day!  

We shared a few vegetarian items, including the baba ganosh, salad Taam Tov, and the big Lepeshka bread.

The baba ganosh was very tasty - extremely creamy with a very subtle eggplant flavor.  I think it was my favorite dish, and definitely a very large offering for an appetizer portion.

The salad Taam Tov was a little less interesting - as pictured, it was basically some chunks of vegetables with some herbs and a light sauce.  It was fairly bland, but of course a nice light addition to a lunch.

The Lepeshka was a fairly tasty, HUGE bread that I think had I ordered a more stewed vegetable dish would have been a great, light and bready accompaniment.  

I can definitely see myself back at Taam Tov again one day, mostly because of the price, proximity to my job and no wait when we arrived.  None of the dishes - including the meat dish my friend ordered - were mind-blowing, and the vegetarian options are limited, but overall Taam Tov was a pleasant experience.  So if you find yourself looking for a new lunch place in midtown, don’t let the 3rd floor location and narrow steps dissuade you, and check out Taam Tov.

Taam Tov

41 W. 47th Street, 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10036

Easily accessible from the B/D/F/M trains at 47th-50th Streets/Rockefeller Center