Craftbar

About every four to six weeks I meet up with two of my bff's for dinner in NYC (usually somewhere south of midtown.)  We almost never frequent the same place twice (Giorgio's of Gramercy was a quality exception, Nero was not...)  This month we hit Craftbar on Broadway between 19th and 20th.
As usual, I checked out the menu beforehand to be sure there'd be something for me to eat.  I mean, at lunch, salads are great.  For dinner, 2 appetizer salads aren't a great thrill (unless they're somehow really different from one another) so I wanted to gauge my options.  Things were looking good!
Rachel and I got there early so we grabbed a table while we waited for Jennifer.  While she raved about the rosemary parmesan bread sticks, I enjoyed a nice glass of Syrah (the wine list has quite a few by-the-glass options) and some fresh, warm sourdough with olive oil.
I told the waitress I was a vegan and asked what the chef might do to accommodate me.  What they served was a really pleasant surprise ~ a platter of three of the "sides" from the entrees, with whatever adaptations were necessary (if any) to make them vegan.
Th first was a small dish of hot artichokes and cardoons in nicoise olive-piquillo pepper relish (which was more like a fragrant broth).  The second was Tuscan kale sauteed with fresh chick peas, crispy garlic chips (wow) and a slice of preserved lemon.  Last were roasted Jerusalem artichokes on a bed of wilted radicchio and shallots.  My friends loved their food (though admittedly, none of us loved our waitress) but I think mine was the best!
Check it out...it's a long, holiday weekend in NYC so if you're here, now's the perfect chance!
By the way...the chick peas were practically diced! I'm guessing a good food chopper would do the trick and I'd recommend giving it a try.  I was sure they were nuts at first and such a flavorful compliment to the lemony kale!