Caravan of Dreams

Last night, I sat down for dinner at Caravan of Dreams, a vegan restaurant in the East Village with a group of other NYC bloggers. Megan of Runners Kitchen organized the outing, and it was so nice to meet Katherine, Lindsey, Liz, Irina, and Jacqui.

It was a treat to spend a night out talking shop with a bunch of ladies with similar interests!

My photos turned out pretty awful, so check out Megan's blog for some quality photo documentation.

As a teaser, here's a pic of the tasty salad that came with my ginger stir-fry entree. This place is a must-try for vegans and non-vegans alike. I can't wait to go back!

Delhi Heights

For some reason, it's hard to get good Indian food in Manhattan, so Chris and I finally got around to heeding the advice of those in the know and headed out to Jackson Heights for lunch today.

We went to Delhi Heights on 74th Street, where we had ourselves a delicious meal of chili paneer, daal tadka, raita, rice, and naan. At the end of the meal, we ordered masala tea, which is brewed right in the milk. We could also have opted for the $9.95 buffet, so perhaps we'll have to go back another time.

Despite eating until we were a little more than satisfied, we still had quite a lot of leftovers to take home. Even better. But man, I'm glad I went to the gym this morning! It's not so much that the food there is "heavy" or the portions are oversized—it's just so good it's hard not to eat more than you need to!

Calorie Counts are Frequently Off

Overall, as I've said many times, I tend to be a fan of calorie labeling in restaurants and other eating establishments because I think they motivate people to think a little more closely about what they want to "spend" their calories on the way we also consider what to spend our dollars on. I've also expressed that I worry that some people could become a little obsessed (who likely would look up calorie content online even if it weren't posted on a menu), and unfortunately, this bit from Time isn't going to help anyone chill out.

Susan Roberts, professor at Tufts, along with Jean Mayer of Tufts' USDA Nutrition Research Center on Aging decided to analyze an array of restaurant and frozen food items, taking care to select the ones dieters might be most likely to reach for. Sure enough, the calorie counts posted on labels and menus were off by as much as 18% for restaurant foods and 8% for frozen foods.

I think the main thing I would take away from the article is that even when an item is said to contain a certain number of calories, your best bet is really to listen to the cues your body sends you. Eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full, for most people (myself included), sounds simpler than it is in practice, but mindful eating is something to work towards.

For a laugh, you could try practicing on a raisin. The Center for Mindful Eating is a really interesting organization, and their website is worth checking out. You might also want to read this post I wrote last summer for Five Seasons Healing, an acupuncture practice in Union Square.

Vegan-Friendliness

Sometimes I take for granted how easy it is to find vegetarian and vegan eats in New York. Today, for example, while doing my holiday shopping, I stopped in at Pure Juice for a tall glass of "green spice" juice and raw vegetable sushi rolls (made with jicama-and-pine-nut rice!). A little later, I met up with a girlfriend for coffee at Cocoa V, a vegan chocolate-and-wine place, which just opened up on Ninth Ave.

Of course, our coffee plans actually turned into healthy glasses of Malbec and a sharing of a vegan cheese plate and chocolate once Chris arrived. The portions are small (but in that "perfect taste" way), and it's not exactly cheap, but it was a very nice treat to linger for a couple hours and enjoy a moment of peace before the holiday madness envelopes us all. The hot chocolate samples they brought out were pretty awesome too! Worth stopping in even if you're not a vegan. I mean, hell, I'm not even technically a vegetarian.

After that, we all hit up the Chelsea Market to pick up cellophane for cookies Chris and I had made as well as some last-minute treats for family members. I couldn't believe how many interesting shops and places to eat there were in there! I'm definitely going to go back sometime in the very near future! If you're in the New York area, you should check it out!

Hope your holiday prep has been more fun than stressful!

Neighborhood Gem

I don't usually post too much about restaurants, but last night when we got home, Chris and I stopped in at this Greek restaurant, Dafni, which opened in our neighborhood this summer. We'd always walked right by it, sort of writing it off because of its proximity to Port Authority, but man, were we wrong!

We split an order of kolokithokeftedes—zucchini fritters with onion, mint and cheese served with tzatziki—and the vegetarian moussaka—layers of vegetables in a tomato sauce with cucumber relish and fava dip on the side. That shut us up.

If you ever find yourself in the area, you should definitely drop in. They also have a pretty good wine list, which I'm looking forward to exploring in the near future.

Photo from restaurant website.

Could calorie labeling become part of health reform?

Included in the 1,990-page health care reform bill introduced by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was an outline for general nutrient-labeling requirements for restaurants and retail outlets with 20 or more outlets.

Affected restaurants would be required to prominently post calorie counts on menus and menu boards as well as calories per serving for items in salad bars and self-serve set-ups. They would also be required to post a reminder about the recommended daily caloric intake to help put all those numbers in context as well as let customers know that more nutritional information on their menu items is available upon request.

Vending machines would also be subject to calorie-posting rules.

Read more here.

Personally, I don't see much harm in informing the public—I think that this information can help people make good choices for themselves. Of course, it makes it easier for obsessors to obsess, but a lot of people in that boat look up calorie counts online anyway. I don't think it's necessarily the cure to all our country's diet-related health problems, but I usually am in favor of educating people.

For some, this could have a positive impact, and for others, it could have no impact. You wouldn't really be able to tell the overall effect for a while after substantial research, but I'm interested to find out if it works.

Of Cupcakes and Control Methods

Chris and I met up with my cousin and his wife for brunch in the village today at this place called Good. Yes, it actually was pretty good—get the Passion Mimosa if you go.

Afterwards, we went for a long walk. Despite it being one of the hottest days of the summer, it was really nice. We also checked out the High Line. It was a great way to spend an afternoon—eating a good meal with good people, taking a walk, getting some sun...

Studying what I do makes eating out a bit different in that I think about what my food has been through before landing in front of me. In my microbiology class, we talked a lot about food-borne illnesses and how to avoid them. One of the main ways is to make sure that hot food stays hot and cold food stays cold. However, I'd never really thought about food in window displays.

While I thought of posting a mini-rant about control methods, the sight of these cupcakes made me giggle a little to myself. I couldn't resist snapping a picture!

Return of the Saucy Cock Box

I'm celebrating the Fourth of July with my family at the Jersey Shore. Last night, Chris and I joined my mom, sister, and a few of my sister's friends at a local restaurant that has great chicken (and vegetarian chicken) wings. Usually we split a big order and get side salads of something.

We got a whole bunch but ended up taking most of them home in an aptly-labeled take-out box...

Sharing is Caring

So we finally are settling in to our new place. It seems to be going pretty well. We look out over a Papaya Dog and are next door to a halfway house and down the street from a Catholic Church— it's pretty typical New York.

We're also right near a Subway, so last night, Chris ran out and got a foot-long sub for us to share. It was a simple and satisfying meal that we got to enjoy on the roof deck of our new building as the sun went down over the city.

We often share entrees when we go out to eat. At most restaurants, a main dish is enough for, like, three people, so it works out perfectly. You save money and still have room for dessert if you want it. Not to mention, it's terribly romantic. Hah.

Of course, some foods are better for sharing than others, but that's probably a matter of taste. I was just about to say that I can't imagine sharing a hot dog with someone, but then I remembered a family/business trip to Maine and watching a mother split a hot dog amongst herself and her four young daughters.

Not only that, but an early 90's PSA on Nickelodeon told kids in no uncertain terms that they could not catch AIDS from sharing a hot dog with their friend. Good thing—I'll bet parents were worried, you know, with all those kids sharing hot dogs out there.

Whatever—it doesn't matter anyway since I hate hot dogs and Chris doesn't eat meat—just goes to show, I guess. Show what, I don't know. Perhaps that you can cut or divvy up pretty much anything?

Clearly, I am overthinking this point and really just get back to unpacking...