NY eats: Candle Cafe

One of my favorite bloggers, Erica, goes to Candle Cafe so much that she should get some kind of customer discount. Every time I read her blog, I see dozens of colorful photos of food that looks fresh, wholesome, yet also incredibly indulgent. I crave vegan food when I see those pictures.
Originally, Erica and I had planned to meet up at Candle, but during my first few days in New York, she was sick, so I decided to go to Candle just in case we wouldn't be able to meet before I left.
My mom was willing to eat there with me, but my dad took one look at the menu and went to the bistro next door (hilariously called LeSteak), where he ordered a steak burger and ate with my grandparents. Oh, well... To each his own.
Leave it to my mom to order a salad. I kept asking her why she would order a salad at a vegan restaurant when non-vegetarian restaurants always have salad options. Luckily, the salad she ordered wasn't leafy. She ordered the Soba Noodle Salad, with Soba Noodles, ginger grilled tofu, shiitake mushrooms, edamame, julienne carrots, radish and sesame seeds over mesclun with a creamy wasabi dressing.
While she liked the salad as a whole, she hated the tofu, which she said was bland. Well, yeah... tofu is bland! But she said that wasn't what she meant, and I suppose it's because she prefers more Asian preparations, where tofu isn't usually served alone.

Ironically, even though I had been trying to avoid "Asian" food, what I really wanted was to try one of Candle's wraps, and the special that day just so happened to be the Asian Style Wrap with wasabi-ginger grilled tofu, brown rice, steamed greens, adzuki beans, stir-fried greens in a ginger-miso sauce wrapped in a spinach tortilla, served with an edamame salad and a creamy wasabi dressing.
Sound pretty similar, huh? Actually, I thought our dressings tasted different even though they were supposedly the same. Either way, the dressing was the star, I ate the wrap with my hands (Which is rare for me... Usually I cut it up and eat it with a knife and fork. I'm weird that way) and it didn't fall apart! That alone earned them props, since I know how difficult it is to stuff a wrap that full but manage for it to say together.

With every bite, I got chewy tofu (which, yes, was a little bland, but provided texture next to its more flavorful counterparts), sweet, sandy (but in a good way) adzuki beans (called hong dou, or red beans, in China), and of course, all the crunchy vegetables.
The edamame salad was delicious, and would be incredibly easy to recreate at home. It had shredded purple cabbage, carrots, and sesame seeds.
So, yes, the whole thing was pseudo-hippie Asian, but in a good way. I still would have preferred their Middle Eastern wrap or Moroccan wrap.
I did love the atmosphere of the place, though! It was lively, but quiet enough to have a conversation. The servers were friendly (I heard one educating the guy next to me about stevia) and the whole place just felt relaxed and unpretentious.
Oh yes, and I ate the ENTIRE wrap. The whole thing. And while I felt full, I didn't feel stuffed. That wrap was HUGE... Although I've never actually been to Chipotle, I'm sure it could rival one of their burritos.

Luckily, Erica got better, and we decided to meet up for an early New Years' Eve dinner. We debated going to a few different places (such as Gobo and Counter), but in the end, I decided that I wanted to go back to Candle and try some of their more dinner-like options.
Unfortunately, we found out that Candle wasn't seating any more people after 6, so we pushed our meeting one hour earlier. It just so happened that the day of our Candle Dinner was the same day I had eaten that huge lunch at The Islands. How would I ever feel hungry again!
I quickly hopped on the subway to get out of Brooklyn and met her there.
I feel so stupid that we didn't take a picture together or anything! Either way, we had a great time. I know it sounds strange to meet up with people from the internet, but the two of us are among the youngest food bloggers and it was so much fun just to talk about food and not feel like she was bored. Of course, we talked about other stuff too... either way, I had a great time.
Like I said, I wasn't that hungry, so we skipped the appetizer and I ended up ordering the Porcini Crusted Seitan with garlic-shallot-potato mash, sautéed spinach and string beans with grilled oyster mushroom and topped with home-style gravy.

This was definitely a dish that could have been a disaster... mushy, flavorless potatoes, rubbery seitan, and greasy gravy. Of course, it was the opposite... I LOVED it, even though it wasn't at all the kind of thing I would usually order or make at home (This, more or less, is the reason I ordered it). The potatoes were chunky and flavorful, the the chewy texture of the seitan was echoed by the mushroom, which interestingly enough, tasted strongly of mustard. The greens were great, especially when swiped through a puddle of gravy... but the word "Gravy" doesn't do it justice. Just think of a rich, brown aromatic sauce. I ate all of this except for a small piece of seitan (Ha, I know I said I wasn't that hungry, but I can always eat!).
Erica ordered a special that I would have ordered if she hadn't (But I was happy with my choice!): Tempeh Napoleon from the special’s menu which was polenta crusted tempeh with layers of artichoke paté, served with sautéed snap peas, broccolini, chanterelle mushrooms, and spinach over a tomato-truffle sauce, drizzled with parsley oil.

It was so beautifully presented! The contrast of the green vegetables against the blood red tomato sauce was definitely festive, even though Christmas is over. She generously let me taste a piece of tempeh, because she said she had never had tempeh prepared this way. While it reminded her of a crab cake, I thought it was more like a chicken patty-- crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. But of course, it was not your average chicken patty. She also ate everything on her plate.
We debated going to Tasti D-lite, but it was freezing out and Erica claimed to have had TWO medium cups of it the day before, so somehow she convinced me to order two desserts at candle! Honestly, I just wanted to see if they lived up to all the hype... because really, how can vegan desserts compare to ones full of cream, eggs, and butter?
I picked the Carrot Cake and she picked the Apple Cranberry Crumb Pie.

I honestly was completely stunned. Not only were they as good as "regular" desserts, but they were better! Well, I've probably had better pies in my life, but I'm also spoiled by my mom's apple pie with its flaky, butter crust. But the carrot cake was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Usually carrot cake is a sugar-laden concoction with a sticky, cloying cream cheese ice cream, but Candle's version was moist, spicy, and not too sweet-- each bite had some tangy frosting and a cake embedded with carrot shreds and raisins. Honestly... amazing.
But the crumb pie was also great! It's just that, like Erica, I love that carrot cake. There should be a website dedicated to it.
Anyways, all in all, I loved this restaurant! I won't force my parents to go back, but even if I can't get someone to go with me, I'll make sure to go back the next time I'm in New York.

Address: 1307 3rd Ave, New York City, New York

Go Crazy with Kimchi

Lake shot of the day

I woke up pretty sore from these last few days of running. I looked out the window, realized that I really didn't feel like going outside today (good thing I didn't, because it turned out to be really windy), so I went down to the weight room and did my usual 40 minutes on the elliptical while looking at some stupid book on colleges... I need big books that will stay open. Boring, but at least I got to sweat some.
Breakfast was amazing, if I do say so myself. I plan on eating this amazing gingerbread until it's gone, so I need to get creative here.
Gingerbread Parfait with Caramelized Apple Chutney, Greek Yogurt, and Cashew Butter
Sounds gourmet, no?
Basically, I just layered the ingredients with a drizzle of Whole Foods raw fresh cashew butter, which I'd never had before. Very mild, but refined. Delicious, in fact, but a completely different creature from peanut butter, which is attention-seeking and hogs the spotlight.
I heated the gingerbread first. It went great with my chutney, which has proven to be versatile! My dad ate it with chicken for lunch, and, just as I predicted, it makes a nice accompaniment to meat.
Lunch: leftovers! We must clean out that fridge! More of that seitan pie (now that I think about it, it really isn't a pot pie, because the crust isn't puff pastry and there's a bottom crust), spinach and more vegetables.

And a pear.

I went to the bookstore and bought:
-A better edition of Anna Karenina
-TALES OF BEETLE THE BARD, which I've already read. And all the proceeds are going to charity! Go Rowling!
-There was a 20% off cook book sale, but I couldn't find anything I wanted! I have more than enough cookbooks, but what I really want are some good Japanese, Korean, and African (not just North African) cookbooks.

I was a little hungry later on and had a bowl of Amy's chocolate vanilla bunnies with a little GoLean Crunch, half a banana, blackberries, and soymilk.

Therefore, I wasn't too hungry for dinner, but my dad and I cooked, and I'm really glad we did. We were thinking of just having more leftovers, but we ended up incorporating leftovers into what I made, which was bibimbap! I've never made Korean food at home, but it really wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. The only difficulty was stir-frying EVERY single topping separately. (Check out the awesome peanut oil-pouring shot!)


Toppings we used:
-Carrots
-Burdock (also known as mountain yam... it looks like an extra thick, hairy, brown carrot)
-Cucumber (But only the skins, which is interesting)
-Watercress
-Instead of beef, I used some "soy chicken" from Chinatown, which is basically just tofu rolled up to look like chicken... no TVP here. I seasoned it with sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, and a little sugar.
-Leftover mung bean sprouts
-Leftover Korean zucchini seafood-pancake (literally a tiny piece)-- we used this instead of a sunny side up egg
-MUSHROOMS
-and of course, kimchi.
-AND some pear-- this really evened out the spiciness


(All mixed together)
We microwaved leftover brown rice and mixed it with chili paste and sesame oil, then topped it with the vegetables... and more chili paste.
I ate the entire bowl, minus some of the soy chicken. The carrots and burdock were the best part-- they were a little burned, almost like shoestring potatoes or something!
Mm, this is one of those meals where I just don't want a dessert because I want to remember it. To get rid of that garlicky kimchi taste, I had a tangerine.

I finished Interview with the Vampire. How come nobody told me it was so philosophical and depressing? Any slightly more cheerful vampire stories? Or just good books in general?

Grad student eats!

Hello, everybody! TGIF, for sure... I don't have big plans for the weekend, but today was busy and fun.

Here are some lake photos for you, taken out the window.
Breakfast: oatmeal with oat milk, homemade applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans, and Greek yogurt.
Snack: carrots

Lunch: wrap with tempeh mole and arugula, the pumpkin and lentil stew, and 2 tangerines.
I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to digest because today I tried something a little different: on Fridays I get out of class at 1:45, so I went running by the lake by myself right after my last class, which was gym, so I was conveniently already in the locker room. I managed to get back 10 or 15 minutes after everybody else got out of class, so I ran for a bit more than an hour.

IT WAS A GREAT RUN! It was longer than yesterday's, so I was going at a slower pace, but that was fine for me. It was also colder, so it was hard to get into it at first, but once I was by the lake, the sun was out and I got into it. The thing is, maybe it was the earlier time, but NOBODY WAS THERE. Not even people walking or biking! It was eerie... if it hadn't been so early I would have been afraid. It was the opposite, though: I felt so relaxed and zen... and I had actually just come from yoga, so it was double the relaxation!
When I finally got to the playground (3 miles or so later), I got on the swings and felt like a kid again. It was great. At the end of my run, just when I was getting tired, I ended up getting sprinting in! this was NOT intentional: here's the story. I was running and I saw a guy walking in front of me... I was thinking, "crap, is that who I think it is?" and they turned around, and it was exactly who I thought-- this senior guy that is so attractive I could die... he is my Edward Cullen, basically. Anyways, the second he turned, I SPRINTED to the left and ran until I was out of sight. I was embarrassed for anyone to see me running, let alone him (I REALLY HOPE HE ISN'T READING THIS), although I know I should be proud for going :) because it was so cold... I did 6 or so miles, which is twice what I usually do on my own! Yay!
After my run I changed and went to Page's house, because I ended up going to the guy's swim meet! I had a banana that I didn't photograph.
The swim meet was annoying at first because we were in the stands with all these girls who were only there to stare at the shirtless guys (of course, there are those benefits, but I also care about the sport!)... they didn't even know what was going on, and we wanted to go time, but the captain was being really annoying and not letting us. FINALLY we got to go down... it was interesting watching the guys swim, because, honestly, it made me realize how hard our practices were in comparison, and how our times really weren't bad at all... not that they suck or anything... they just weren't as astoundingly good as I remembered.
When I got home, there was an art history department party being hosted at our house, with a TON of vegetarian food. I was starving because I didn't have a substantial snack. Highlights:






-Salad of tofu, sugar snap peas, carrots and string beans
-Vegetarian lasagne
-SEITAN pot pie! I couldn't believe it! I usually don't like "fake meat" stuff, but this was amazingly delicious! I mainly ate the filling and ignored the crust, but it had peas, carrots, seitan, potatoes, and a bunch of other vegetables, and even had a kind of smokey taste to it.
-Paella with carrots, string beans, and white fish
-Korean egg zucchini pancake
-Mini quiches
-Insalata Caprese
-Meat (which there was not a lot of): turkey, turkey pie
I got seconds on the seitan pie and paella, which were my favorites.
There was a ton of dessert, but I picked the thing that I REALLY wanted and I loved it so much that we wrapped up leftovers and put them in the fridge.

There were those ridiculously sparkly Xmas cookies, tiramisu and cannoli, lemon tart, cinnamon shortbread, macaroons (the french kind, not the coconut), other miscellaneous cookies, berry pie, berry tart, and the one that I had, some kind of gingerbread with chocolate chips and nuts. I feel like there must have been pumpkin, applesauce, or carrots in it to give it that extra moisture.
Either way, it was INCREDIBLE. I had a bite and decided it needed Greek yogurt to contrast the sweetness. I had a big piece and there are no regrets (I ran 6 miles! I should be okay...).
WE HAVE TOO MANY LEFTOVERS TO DEAL WITH!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! FLAT TOP AND COLDSTONE

Wow, greatest Halloween I've had in a while. It seemed like my costume was going to be a disaster until the last minute.
We got together a group to go as the Clue characters. I was Miss Scarlet with the candlestick (our very very VERY obviously fake toy gun was confiscated by an obnoxious English teacher a few days ago). Should I grow my hair out again? The wig was starting to grow on me (pardon the pun).
After school, I changed out of the costume, and a few people from the swim team and I went downtown. We hung out for a while at one of our houses, sang karaoke and such, then headed over to Flat Top for dinner!
I LOVE PLACES LIKE THIS. I realize that a lot of these buffet/ all-you-can-eat places are ripoffs, since the only difference is that you see what's available, as opposed to having a closed-off kitchen, but that is definitely what makes it fun.
Our sticks:
I filled my bowl to the brim with brown rice, vegetables, and all the soy products they had (Quorn, tempeh, seitan)... I was really excited and felt like being vegan for the night for some reason.
I added a white stick for vegetarian/ allergy, and a yellow stick for vegetable soup... what bugged me is that I asked them specifically if they would turn it into soup or just give soup on the side, and they said on the side, but they turned it into soup! I definitely eat my fair share of soup at home and this didn't feel quite substantial enough. I ended up getting a second bowl of what seemed like a decent portion, but it wilted down so much when it cooked that it was really only a few bites.
Most people got noodles or flat bread, and one girl got hers as a mushu wrap.
Our coach was saintly enough to give us a day off practice for Halloween, and I really am trying to eat less on the days that I don't swim. However, they wanted to head over to Cold Stone. Because I was actually still really hungry from dinner, I was a good child and ordered a small frozen yogurt with cherries, whereas the rest of them got decadent, chocolate creations.
I was SO TEMPTED by the pumpkin ice cream (I got a taste of it), but no, I was resolute. Besides, today is my dad's birthday and we are going to have a very decadent dinner.
We went back to the house and played a childish game of 10 Fingers/ Never Have I ever... Only someone on the swim team (me) would say "Never have I ever swum anything besides breaststroke in the 200 Medley Relay."
And no, I had no candy whatsoever this Halloween! It really didn't appeal.
And PS, I am so happy this year. Freshman and Sophomore years were terrible. I love the swim team, and I love hanging out with people in different grades. Love the freshmen!