Vegan for Dinner

This evening we headed out for dinner to Candle Cafe on 3rd Avenue at 75th that serves interesting organic, vegetarian and vegan cuisine. One of the things that attracted us to it was the interesting array of fruit/vegetable/herbal "cocktails" (I use quotes since there is no alchohol) and smoothies. They even had a drink section labeled Farmacy, for the contents' supposed medicinal properties.

I selected the presumed house specialty Candle Cocktail, a combination of beets, greens, carrots, orange, ginger, and probably some other things. I have been a big fan of beets lately (hmm, that's not a phrase I could have ever imagined myself putting down in print), and so that was the clear choice. It was very good, sweet from the beets and carrots with some spice from the ginger.

The food was excellent, including a very filling casserole with layers of sweet potato, black beans, millet, and sauteed greens. While millet may conjure up images of starlings and bluejays (at least it does for me), it was a very good basis for the hearty casserole. It even had a side of faux-gravy, which although not a substitute for the real thing had a pleasant poultry spice flavor that brought Thanksgiving to mind.

Amusingly given it's vegan credentials, Candle Cafe is situated right next to Le Steak Cafe, so patrons have a chance to make a last second decision to go for fauna over flora. No word on whether groups of mixed dining preference can sit together in one and also order in from the other.