Good morning! Er… afternoon 
. It was a late- and fun!- night last night so yours truly didn’t find herself rolling out of bed until eleven this AM. Definitely needed the extra sleep, though! It is an absolutely beautiful day, and I can’t wait to go outside and enjoy it.
First, though, I wanted to share some of the restaurant meals I’ve had in the past week or so. I always get excited when I find a good place to eat that has a couple of good vegetarian options. I’m working on putting together a running page that keeps all of my favorites in one place, but here are some of my latest finds in the meantime.
My friend Danielle and I found a fun outdoor place the other night. We realized that it’s been two and a half years since we met at work (when I was in publishing), so it was also a bit of a friendship-versary date for us!
Veranda was featured on Scoutmob (get the app for 50% off your meal!), so in addition to a good meal we also had a pleasingly low bill. I enjoyed an East Sider (Plymouth gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, mint, cucumber slices, club soda) with my Market Vegetable Plate (portobello mushroom cap, gigantic beans, green beans + spinach).
Everything was delicious, including the plain + friend pita with housemade hummus. My only complaint- and this is true for many restaurants- is that my plate of vegetables cost more than Danielle’s lamb!
We enjoyed a lovely evening of people-watching on Sixth Avenue, and had a great view of the World Trade Center reconstruction. Can you see the tower in the back?
I was craving “meatloaf,” so my mom and I had a post-movie dinner at Josie’s last week. When I ate meat, I was never a fan of real meatloaf, but for some reason I can’t get enough of Josie’s faux version! It’s made with lentils, seitan and sweet potato, and served with bok choy. It makes my heart sing. I need the recipe.
My friend Howard and I met for lunch at Souen, a really good macrobiotic restaurant in the East Village. I was overwhelmed by the number of vegetarian options, so I took the easy route and ordered a bento box so I could try a little bit of everything. It came with tofu, brown rice, pickled cabbage, burdock, seaweed salad and miso soup.
Black sesame ice cream (made with rice milk) for dessert!
B, our friend Jonathan and I met for dinner at Awash. We’d been talking about Cutting For Stone for weeks, and we had Ethiopian food on the brain! We split an enormous veggie sampler plate three ways, and left pleasantly full (and with leftovers for breakfast). Sadly, it was pretty obvious I’m not a native Ethiopian… I made quite a mess with the injera (Ethiopian bread made with teff flour) and left with my fingers quite stained!
I’ve been cooking at home, too, but my work schedule was a little crazy this past week (closing at 10 PM, opening at 7:30 AM) so I haven’t been too creative. Luckily I have a very sweet boyfriend, who surprised me with a packed homemade lunch of veggie stir-fry with Israeli couscous, mango and avocado. The man can cook!
Well, I’m going to set the timer for my “ten minute tidy,” and then take advantage of the lovely day! What are you up to this weekend?
