A Vegetarian Grows in Brooklyn

How come they can’t replicate Kate’s in Manhattan in Brooklyn? Is there really something in the Brooklyn water? The mile-long menu is still impressive, but maybe the kinks have yet to be worked out.

Vegan fast food CAN be done and now it has been! There are no healthy claims, thank goodness, so you can drown your sorrows in the equivalence of a Big Mac and fries, but at least it’s vegan, right?

Heavy on the soul food, as well as general comfort foods like cheeseteaks, Red Bamboo’s ambience makes you feel like you’re in a trendy East Village restaurant, the menu’s mission preaches healthiness, but when you bite into your entree: gluttony! This stuff cannot possibly be good for you!

I live near Vegetarian Palate, but I would probably trade it for most of the other places in this guide. The food is faux-meat Chinese, i.e. unhealthy but satisfying. It gets the job done, but hands down, it “wins” for worst restaurant decor.

For whatever reason, Brooklyn lacks the many wholly veg. Indian restaurants, and the run-of-the-mill places present you with curried cauliflower and the fatty cheese dishes. (I still love you Sag Paneer)

Joy doesn’t do tofu or tempeh, but the vegetable dishes are pretty satisfying: chickpeas and potato, mushroom, spinach and lentils. If you’re a fan of chicken masala, try the chickpea version instead.

Not that I want to get into the “Are you a TRUE vegetarian” discussion, but…well…if you are, you don’t eat fish. Which means that going out for sushi can be equated with avocado rolls.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but sushi menus skimp on exciting options. Not Sushi D! I love their Greene roll: sweet tofu, asparagus, cucumber and watercress. Don’t ever get left out of the sushi fun, okay?

A lot of Thai places tend to be vegetarian-friendly, but Wild Ginger is 100% so. The regular food is good, but the drinks and desserts stand out: lychee sorbet, ambrosia plum tea, and the usual stanby, Thai Iced Tea.

I try to eat my veggies like anyone, but I am a sucker for mock meat, and Wild Ginger’s menu is pretty heavy on the fake protein.

What a clever name! Just like G-spot is for our wonderfully stupendous site, Guidespot! I wish the V-Spot were better than it is, but it’s the only vegan restaurant for dinner in Park Slope.

If you go, go for brunch and try the whole wheat pancakes or the quintessential tofu scramble. If you choose the former, you won’t have to eat for the next ten hours, honest.

This is a bigger, nicer version of the West Village ‘Snice with Wi-Fi and all the same vegan sandwichey goodness. This stretch of 5th was hurting for some lunch options that weren’t pizza, and gourmet vegetarian is a good way to go.

Although the service is, shall we say, lacking (what is the deal with Williamsburg in this respect?), they’ve got tempeh bacon and that makes it alright. Bacon seems to be the meat product that veg-heads miss the most and can still attest to “liking” and reminiscing about.

After a night of bar-hopping, devour a Bliss Bowl, full of organic veggies, brown rice, sweet potatoes, tofu, and a choice of tasty dressings. Operation Cure Hangover will now commence.

Expensive and not wholly vegetarian, talk about a Second Coming! The veggie deli food here is perfect for that picnic in the nearby park with your vegetable-chomping date.

Or do like we did and hike on over to the semi-nearby Brooklyn Botanic Garden and eat on the lawn, even though you aren’t allowed. I figure that eating all veggie sandwiches should be permitted in massive vegetation central.