Masala Dosa Mishegas 01/31/2010
 My Jewish grandmother would be proud. After sampling a myriad of South Asian fare, I finally discovered the Indian take on what is essentially a latke shoved inside a blintz: the Masala Dosa...
6 Comments SAVVY'S MORNING IN: Vegan Banana Bread 01/29/2010
 photo courtesy piesandbass.com What happens when you have three dead bananas, no eggs and no butter? Vegan Banana Bread time! Though nothing beats the ol’ classic with heart stopping sticks of butter and one too many cups of refined sugar, vegan banana bread is a tasty alternative that won’t send you to the emergency room for clogged arteries.
During my brief stint as a vegan, I learned a whole bunch about the emptiness of refined sugar and flour. These ingredients, once chock full of vitamins and fiber, are stripped of their nutrients, bleached white, and sold as sweet, highly caloric nothingness. That’s why when it comes to baking, I like to use unbleached, unrefined white or whole grain flour. As for sugar, I use unprocessed (raw) sugar or Agave nectar. Agave nectar is sweet like honey, but has a low glycemic index- great for diabetics or those looking to keep their blood sugar levels under control. If you’d like to read more about Agave, here’s a great little site that explains it all... Toast Is Good 01/27/2010
 Sweet, smoky veggies with tangy goat cheese on a crunchy baguette… probably my favorite combo ever. A charcoal grill always brings out vegetables’ depth of flavor, while texturally, you get everything- smooth, creamy, crunchy… all served with a heaping side of fries. Well, at least that’s how it’s made at Toast on 125th and Broadway.
A self-proclaimed “truckstop gourmet” restaurant, Toast delivers homemade fare in a relaxed, super casual setting. And if you’re wary about trekking it up to Harlem, not to worry. There’s another more spacious spot 20 blocks down Broadway on 105th... Crepes Galore At Artopolis CafĂ© 01/25/2010
 In a world of Egg McMuffins and defrosted breakfast burritos, it’s comforting to know a little shop on Amsterdam is doing breakfast right. Artopolis Café on 113th street is an adorable getaway from the morning rush, serving up all sorts of handmade crepes, pies and gelato.
I recently stopped in for a Saturday brunch, though the entirety of the Upper West Side beat me to it. The place was packed! The usual wait during brunching hours is anywhere from a half hour to an hour- so imagine my surprise when it only took 10 minutes to get a cozy table for two. Not that I minded waiting by the glass cases of expertly crafted cakes and chocolate dipped cookies… Lasagna At Lasagna 01/22/2010
 Rule of thumb: If a dish is included in the restaurant’s name, it's probably done right. Introducing Lasagna Ristorante on 20th & 8th, in the heart of Chelsea. With more locations on the East Side and Hell’s Kitchen, this little Italian hotspot is booming with business all over Manhattan - and it’s a good thing, too! They serve up 17- count e’m- 17 variations on lasagna, including a “create your own” option.
But not to worry, fellow veggie-lovers: 8 out of the 17 lasagnas are vegetarian! From artichoke hearts with capers to garlicky eggplant, there’s no lack of creativity when it comes to the title dish. It won’t put a hole in your wallet, either. Their gigantic original lasagna costs only $13 bucks… and I bet you can’t finish it. I Can Has Cheezburger? 01/18/2010
 I devoured it too quickly to take a picture... Every so often, the carnivore in me craves a big ol’ tasty burger with a side of fries. Unfortunately, the whole ground-up-dead-cow thing isn’t as appealing as it once was, so I turn to veggie burgers as a solid alternative. Now, us veg-heads know that when we order our veggie burgers it’s always a big, embarrassingly healthy ordeal. Salad replaces fries, hummus instead of cheese, pita over a potato bun… can’t a girl get a respectable cheeseburger around here?! The answer, happily, is yes - at Lucky’s Famous Burgers in Hell’s Kitchen.
This “fast food” burger joint, positioned between 8th and 9th aves on 52nd, is a perfectly unpretentious spot that serves up made-to-order, honest food. Their menu lists the usual beef and turkey burgers, but it’s the savvy $6 Veggie Cheddar burger that caught my eye. Topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and served on a Martin’s potato roll, this is as close to normalcy as a vegetarian can get. My beef-eating boyfriend and I also split a side of crispy fries, which we dipped in their mysterious and very tasty “Lucky Sauce” (99% sure it’s barbeque sauce and mayo)...  I haven’t given much thought to product reviews on The Savvy Soybean- I quite enjoy supporting mom n’ pop shops and getting the word out there about their homemade foods and much deserved success - but it recently dawned on me that the big, wealthy food companies had to start from somewhere, too. Perhaps it was in a small cottage in Southampton, home to the original Tate’s Bake Shop. Or maybe it was a professor of Asian philosophy who had big dreams and a passion for soybeans. It sounds strange, but that’s exactly how Ted Nordquist, founder of WholeSoy & Co., began his environmentally conscious, organic soy yogurt enterprise. WholeSoy & Co.'s fascinating history can be found here on their site. A moral company, steadfast to its core beliefs… now that’s a “man” whose product is worth blogging about...
It Was Worth It. 01/13/2010
 Is there anything more perfect than a gigantic pocket of homemade fried dough stuffed with melted chocolate and creamy banana? Of course, not! That’s why Empanada Mama, nestled between 51st and 52nd on 9th avenue, is here to stay. They give the people what they want for about $2.50 a pop- everything from sautéed Portobello empanadas to sweet plantain with cheese. They even have variations on their dough, ranging from wheat to corn flour.
Mi novio y yo hit up Empanada Mama after a mediocre Mexican lunch down the street. We owed it to ourselves to eat something yummy while keeping with the Mexican theme (at least that’s how we rationalized it). Their dessert empanadas looked outstanding, so in we went to the brightly painted eatery... Late Night Snack At Menchanko-Tei 01/10/2010
 It was 11:30 and I was ravenous. With oatmeal in my pantry and New York City at my doorstep, I turned to Menupages for some late-night suggestions. I realized my craving wasn't the typical greasy, cheesy midnight snack. I also realized, to my greatest surprise, that not many restaurants are open till all hours of the morning. Sure, there are those 24-hour delis with questionably fresh selections and bars are surely open late, but I wanted something different - something comforting that wouldn’t send me to bed feeling like a hippo. Enter: Menchanko Tei- a Japanese ramen and soup bar open till *gasp* 12:30 AM...
HOLEY CREAM, BATMAN! 01/08/2010
 photo courtesy eatingintranslation @ flickr It’s official! Holey Cream: Outrageous Ice Cream and Bake Shop, on 53rd & 9th, is open for business. You might remember my gushing, wistful post a few weeks back about the place- so naturally, I had to follow up and get me some doughnuts asap.
As giddy as I was to barge through the door, I must admit their look was a bit off-putting. I guess I was expecting more of a Doughnut Plant, “mom’s kitchen” kind of thing- an aesthetic customary to Hell’s Kitchen and the Village. Shiny, super stylized and youthful, Holey Cream unfortunately reminded me of the Baskin Robins/ Dunkin’ Donuts joint franchise. Perhaps they’re aiming to create an easily duplicable image in hopes of going national? Whatever the reasoning, I was willing to look past it for the sake of my doughnut craving... |
RSS Feed