Brunch: Earth Matters

Late sunday morning, Buddy and I met up with some friends to get brunch together. We all wanted a relaxing, calm and roomy environment. Nikoma suggested we head to Earth Matters,  an all organic vegan/ vegetarian friendly cafe that also serves meat.

The room was spacious, roomy and had a lot of light coming through the windows. There was seating upstairs, as well as downstairs. They serve micro brews and wine and also carry groceries. Talk about a one stop shop!

Very Berry

This was 14 oz, and made with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, and cranberry juice. I enjoyed this because it was not too sweet, and all of the berries blended together nicely. Tart and tangy, a great cold and refreshing drink to start the day.

Price: $7.50

Small Bowl Combo

This was at the buffet where you can order hot combos of your choosing. I got the "small", but they STUFFED it until the food was basically falling off of the sides. I picked 3 dishes, the tofu veggies stir fry, the mixed kale and collard greens, and the curry seitan. After asking for a plate so I can actually eat my food without it all falling on the floor, I dug in.

The seitan was my favorite, the perfect amount of curry, tender and not rubbery, just a dash of pepper was all it needed. I also enjoyed the stir fry and greens mix. However, there was too much oil for my liking. My mouth felt coated with it, but over all the veggies were not over cooked and still tasty.

Price: $5.50

The Gandhi

My friend Casey ordered this one. It was a homemade veggie burger with lettuce, tomato, avocado and humm

us. I didn't have any, but she seemed to really love it. Doesn't it look yummy?

Price:$9.95

Vegan Brownie

We had to top off the meal with a brownie. This was more like a piece of fudge than actual brownie. Extremely dense, moist, and chocolatey. Before I could blink, it was gone down in my belly. None vegans wouldn't have been able to tell the difference!

Price: $2.50

Casey, Melissa, Nikoma, Buddy (isn't he so photogenic?) and I

Verdict: The people here are really friendly. Though service was slow for not being busy, they did make everything fresh to order.  If you are looking for a relaxing and healthy meal, this is the place to go!

Earth Matters

177 Ludlow Street

New York, NY 10002

www.earthmatters.com

Dinner: Take out at Dumont Burger

After hanging out with friends all weekend, Buddy and I decided to have a relaxing Sunday dinner at home. Since neither of us felt like buying groceries and cooking, we settled for the next best thing...take out. We have eaten at Dumont before and gotten their burgers, but I was curious to try new things on the menu.

Dumont Mini Burger Buddy ordered the mini with gruyere cheese since the regular size was pretty big. It came on grilled brioche with a side of bibb lettuce, tomato, red onion, homemade pickles and was about size of a CD.  I tried the fries and they were crispy and satisfying, I loved the kosher salt and parsley sprinkled on top. Great to dip in ranch dressing! I didn't try his burger, but he seemed to really enjoy it. The brioche looked delicious! Price: $ 9.50 plus $1.00 for cheese

Dumac and Cheese

This was made with radiatore pasta, bacon lardons, cheddar and gruyere. It came in one of those large round containers,  and we wondered before we opened it... this couldn't possibly be filled ALL the way full of mac and cheese...could it?  Um, yes it most definitely was! The pasta shape as short and chunky with ridges circling the pasta, forming the shape like the grill of a radiator. The cheese leaked its way into ever possible ridge and was gooey and delicious. The outer crust layer of the cheese was wonderfully crunchy and flavorful. Bacon lardon was sprinkled generously throughout the entire dish and added a nice hit of salt and smokey flavor with each bite. This could possibly be one of the best mac and cheeses I've had in a while!

Price: $14.00 for a large

Brownie

When we called to place an order, I asked the girl on the phone how much brownies were, and I was expecting to hear 2-3 dollars. When she said 5 dollars, all I could think was "this better be the best freaking brownie on the face of this earth". 

This was a really big brownie, it was the size of a CD case and came heated and piping hot (insert Homer Simpson drooling here). Of course we started attacking this before our actual meals (notice the missing chunk?) This was a extremely moist brownie. Every bite I got a mouthful of hot melted chocolate chips mixed with sweet brownie dough. Add a scoop of salty caramel, coffee or vanilla ice cream and this is the perfect topper to a rich and decadent meal.

Price: $5.00

Verdict: Dumont can get pretty pricey if you eat at the restaurant ( add a couple of beers and one meal could cost up to 30 dollars per person!) but I am lucky enough to live 3 blocks and get carry out. Just buy a 6 pack of some good IPA, and go on your apartment rooftop, you won't even miss the restaurant atmosphere.

Dumont Burger

314 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211

www.dumontburger.com

Dinner: Atlas

After work one night my friend Melissa, Nikoma, and David decided to grab dinner at Atlas, a vegan and vegetarian cafe. The place was very small and only had a 4 tables inside and 4 tables outside.  The menu was written in chalk along the wall.  At the counter there were an array of vegan pastries and cakes. I was super excited to try them after dinner!

The outside view

Vegan Tofu Steak Salad

Taste:  They serve it to you with roasted peppers and carrots and a vinegar soy sauce. The tofu was well marinated with soy and spices but was not too salty. The peppers were fresh as was the mesclun leaves. This was a simple, light salad and the portion was huge.

Texture: Crispy fresh salad, crunchy carrots, and the tofu was the extra firm kind that they chopped into long then rectangular squares.

Price: $7.25

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcake

Taste:  I am very critical of my red velvet cupcakes since they are (one of ) my favorite sweet treats ever. This was the first vegan red velvet I had, it was a bit too oily but the cream cheese frosting was pretty good (probably made from tofutti or some other vegan cream cheese) The cupcake itself didn't have much if a cocoa taste I love from red velvets, but still satisfied my sweet tooth

Texture: It was very moist and fluffy. It fell apart easily and was best eaten with a fork

Price: $2.50

Vegan Peanut Butter Brownie

Taste:  This was so absolutley AMAZING. One of the best brownies I have ever had, you would have never known it was vegan. The brownie is so chocolaty with chunks of carob/vegan chocolate. The peanut butter had a very sweet flavor and complimented the chocolate perfectly.

Texture: This was a very dense brownie, perfectly chewy and the peanut butter was thick and crumbly.

Price: $2.50
* Just a note, I noticed that this exact brownie is at Satellite Cafe in Philly (the one next to Dock Street Pub) so I'm not sure if there is a company that ships their baked goods to many other vegan places.

Verdict: I really enjoyed this place, the portions were good, the food was fresh. They also make vegan crepes, pancakes, waffles, ravioli and many other super yummy treats.  It is great for a quick cheap and healthy meal.

Atlas Cafe

73 2nd Avenue
(between 1st Ave & 4th St)
New York, NY 10003

www.orderatlascafe.com

Quick Bite: Baoguette

Once in a while, my Philadelphia University friends and I like to meet after work to chit chat, catch up on our life events and grab a quick bite. Since it was so nice out, we decided to pick up some Bánh mì (sometimes referred to as a "Saigon Sub") and sit out at Madison Square park.

Bánh Mì (Baoguette)

Taste: It comes with Pate, Terrine, PorkRoll, Char Siu Pork, pickled carrots, cilantro, and hiracha sauce. All of these flavors came together nicely. The saltiness of the pork, the sweet/ tartness of the carrots and the spice from the hiracha was very satisfying for all my flavor taste-buds.

Texture: Great roll, crunchy outside, airy soft inside. The cilantro added a nice leafy crispness, as well as the carrots. The pate gave it the creamy texture it needed.

Price: $6.00

Verdict: I have been to Baoguette multiple times, and since then they have added more vegetarian options which I am eager to try. Their BÚn Chicken (noodles with lemongrass) is great and they give you plenty of meat. Their location in Astor Place has more sitting room and a waiter service, which is friendly and efficient. I will definitely be back to try out their soy protein options.

Baoguette

Various locations

http://baoguette.com/locations