• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cadry's Kitchen
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Central Park, Candle Cafe West & Blossom

    Published: Sep 29, 2014 · Modified: Jul 20, 2021 by Cadry Nelson
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my Privacy Policy for more details.

    Text: NYC travel - Central Park, Candle Cafe West & Blossom. People rowing in Central Park.

    Vegan sightseeing, tourism & dining: Candle Cafe West, Central Park, and Blossom on Columbus. Plus, a sighting of Banksy graffiti.

    Central Park with pond, grass, and buildings.

    For most of the time we were in NYC, we stayed in a hotel on the Upper West Side. It was a great home base that had good subway access and yet was away from the dense tourist areas. It felt low-key, somewhat residential, and relaxed.

    There were little girls walking alone to school, parents pushing strollers, and boys riding skateboards. There were still plenty of things to do. But the calm atmosphere made it a nice place for walking around and enjoying the scenery.

    There were also a ton of mom and pop grocery stores in the area, along with big well known ones like Zabar’s.

    After a while I had to admit to myself that I really couldn’t go into every natural grocery store that I encountered, like I’m inclined to do in other places, or I’d never get anything done.

    Still, it made me daydream about the joys of living in a place where I could just wander outside from my apartment for an avocado or bunch of figs from a sidewalk seller.

    Central Park

    Castle in Central Park.

    People boating in Central Park.

    From the hotel, it was just a short walk to Central Park, which I enjoyed a couple of days while I was there. I’d never been to Central Park before. The sheer size was amazing but also the topography.

    I’d imagined it just being a really large park. But there was a lake big enough for rowing, a pond, bikers, walkers, and runners. There was a castle, large rock formations, and areas that felt like hidden hiking trails.

    Boating on water in Central Park with New York City skyline in background.

    One day I went on my own and listened to some musicians, who finished their set by selling CD’s for only ten dollars.

    “You can’t get these in stores… because we can’t either.”

    I actually laughed out loud. Everyone in the area turned and looked at me quizzically, including the musicians themselves.

    “It was funny…” I mumbled shyly.

    David and I went back to Central Park together one morning, and stopped first for bagels. I know it’s cliché to say that New York City bagels are the best, but they really are.

    Plus, every bagel shop we encountered had several varieties of vegan tofu cream cheese.  Yes, please.

    Candle Cafe West

    Candle Cafe West window and awning.

    Within a mile or so walk from the hotel was Candle Café West. We walked there a couple of times – once for lunch and once for dinner.

    (Update: Candle Cafe West is permanently closed.)

    The atmosphere was sleek and comfortable. There was enough space to feel like you weren’t on top of the table next to you.

    Chilled avocado soup in bowl with bread.

    The week we were there was incredibly hot and humid. It had me craving something light for lunch.

    I ordered the soup special of the day – a chilled avocado soup that tasted creamy and refreshing, like a combination of avocado and pico de gallo. There was a mild spiciness about it. And the flavors really popped.

    Olive, cuucmber, and chickpea salad with dollop of non-dairy cheese in bowl.

    I followed it up with a salad that I think was also a special. It came with all of my favorite things – olives, chickpeas, avocado, cucumber, and a cheese made from macadamia nuts.

    Cajun seitan sandwich with side salad.

    David ordered the Cajun seitan sandwich, which is made with a grilled foccacia, steamed kale, red onion, avocado, and a crusted seitan.

    The seitan was phenomenal and had a wonderful chewy crust that was entirely different than most seitan elsewhere. The seitan also had a piecey quality that was unique.

    I asked the server if they made the seitan in-house. I was told that it’s made by a local seitan-maker, who makes it just for them.

    Too bad – I have the Candle Café Cookbook. I was hoping to learn how I could make it for myself at home!

    Fried seitan dumplings in bowl.

    When we went back for dinner, we started with fried seitan dumplings.

    The cute little pouches were stuffed with onions, leeks, and baby bok choy. They were sitting in a soy sauce mixture made with sesame and ginger.

    Seitan piccata with creamed spinach over mashed potatoes in bowl.

    After my bout of seitan-envy earlier, I went with the seitan piccata. It was served on a bed of creamed spinach, mushrooms, and the loveliest garlic mashed potatoes I’ve ever eaten.

    They were velvety smooth and delicious. I think I could have been happy with just a big bowl of them. The dish was then covered in a light white wine lemon caper sauce.

    Grilled kale salad with grilled tempeh in bowl.

    David opted for the grilled kale salad, which came with beluga lentils, string beans, turnips, avocado, and sunflower seeds in a chive vinaigrette.

    He also added grilled tempeh to the dish for some extra staying power.

    Oh, and one more thing about Candle Cafe West – they deliver!  I half wanted to order delivery to the hotel just because I could.

    Can you imagine being able to get this delivered to your home? I seriously haven’t ordered anything via delivery since 2010! (Our college town pizza options leave a lot to be desired…) But if could order something like this to my door? Absolutely!

    Blossom on Columbus

    Exterior Blossom on Columbus.

    Candle Café West wasn’t the only vegan restaurant in the area (far from it!).

    I also went to Blossom on Columbus for their opening day in the area.

    Interior tables and booths at Blossom on Columbus.

    The server was incredibly friendly, and we chatted a long while.

    Her in-laws are from Iowa, and her parents live in Kansas City. So we had a lot to discuss about the terrific vegan options in unexpected places like Missouri.

    Vegan gyro on plate at Blossom on Columbus.

    I ordered the gyro. It was one of the best things that I ate while in New York.

    The seitan was succulent and light. It was served open faced with lettuce, tomato, onions, black olives, and a garlic tahini sauce.

    It was served with a side of mouthwatering garlicky kale.

    The meal was so good that I was hoping I’d have time to go back and sample some more things from the menu. But I wasn’t able to do it on this trip. Next time!

    Banksy graffiti in NYC of a boy hitting a hydrant with a hammer.

    One more highlight from the Upper West Side that I wanted to share was this graffiti art by Banksy. It was just down the street from our hotel. I was so excited to see one of his pieces in person.

    To see my other travel posts from this trip, read these posts on Brooklyn and Liberty Island. For all of my NY posts, check out my New York travel page.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. veggiegirldianne

      September 29, 2014 at 9:56 am

      I’m going to have to make a trip to Blossom and to try that gyro! Yum!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 29, 2014 at 10:20 am

        Yes, you do! It was phenomenal. I’m so glad you let me know that Blossom on Columbus would be opening while we were there!

        Reply
    2. Shannon Y-I-V

      September 29, 2014 at 10:33 am

      I’ve seen the frozen Candle Cafe meals at WF before but going to the actual restaurant would be 1000x better. Yum, those fried seitan dumplings are calling my name! Everything else looks great, too.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 29, 2014 at 9:11 pm

        Yes, I had to order the dumplings! Finding vegan dumplings can be tricky because of egg in the dough, and so they were a must.

        I’ve never tried the Candle Cafe frozen meals either, but people seem to like their frozen mac & cheese.

        Reply
    3. panda cookie

      September 29, 2014 at 2:42 pm

      Yes! The variety of tofu spreads that are all over the place. Oh how I miss that. I never lived more than a few blocks from a good bagel.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 29, 2014 at 9:14 pm

        Oh, lucky you! I actually tried a bagel for the first time when I was 18 years old, if you can believe that. In my area the only vegan bagel spread options are an uninspiring hummus and an equally uninspiring peanut butter. The tofu cream cheese on offer in NYC was so fluffy and flavorful, and it’s awesome how omnipresent it is!

        Reply
    4. E Jackson

      September 29, 2014 at 6:30 pm

      Hi, I’m traveling to New York in February and just wondering what was the name of your hotel?
      Thanks
      Emily

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 29, 2014 at 8:53 pm

        Hi, Emily! We stayed at the Lucerne Hotel. I was very happy with our stay, and would totally stay there again on a future trip. I hope you have a great time in New York.

        Reply
        • E Jackson

          October 07, 2014 at 7:01 pm

          Thanks for that – its great to get a recommendation. I’m following your Vegan NYC posts with interest! Emily

          Reply
          • Cadry

            October 09, 2014 at 8:06 am

            I’m glad to help! I’ve also heard good things about NYLO, a boutique hotel that JL from JL Goes Vegan mentioned on her blog. It is also on the Upper West Side. I looked into it for this trip, but they were already booked.

            Reply
    5. Jojo

      September 30, 2014 at 11:35 am

      Everything looks so great, I don’t even know where to start! I mainly miss Central Park and excellent bagels and I wish I was having that seitan piccata for dinner!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 02, 2014 at 9:23 am

        Central Park was so impressive! It’s amazing with the property values the way they are that they’ve maintained such a large green, outdoors area, but I’m glad they have. What a gift to their community! Plus, it’s so clean in the park. I didn’t see any trash or litter, which is pretty amazing when you consider how many people use it.

        Reply
    6. acookinthemaking

      September 30, 2014 at 2:46 pm

      I miss NYC so much and I love reading your recaps! I think we are finally going to head down in two weeks though, and I have yet to try Candle Cafe West, so perhaps this will be just the time to do so 🙂 That Cajun seitan sandwich calls to me.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 02, 2014 at 9:25 am

        Oh, how lucky that you’ll be heading back to NYC soon! You’ll have to let me know if you get the Cajun seitan sandwich. I was having some major food envy over that one, even though I managed to steal a few bites!

        Reply
    7. Randi (laughfrodisiac)

      September 30, 2014 at 4:27 pm

      Oh man, like I wasn’t missing NYC enough already! Blossom and bagels, sigh. So good! I haven’t had the seitan dumplings from Candle but I definitely will next time! They sound like everything good in the world. I’m glad you got the seitan piccata; I think that is their most famous dish (for good reason). Maybe the next time you visit NYC will be the next time I visit NYC!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 02, 2014 at 9:26 am

        I would love that! Or I would also settle for meeting up in London! 😉

        Reply
    8. Nicole @ Vegan Nom Noms

      October 05, 2014 at 1:24 am

      I was *just* staying in the Upper West Side a few days ago at a friend’s and reveling in all the vegan places up there! I went to the Uptown Juice Bar (or something like that) and they had a vegan buffet by weight and it was amazing and I also went to some grocery store my Columbia that had a bazillion pre-made vegan salads and about 10 different flavors of overnight oatmeal with soymilk all ready in little containers. It was epic. I pretty much always stay in Brooklyn when I visit NYC, but now I realize I have to switch it up sometimes!

      I totally feel you on the bagels though, that tofu cream cheese is amazing and the bagels really are better!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 12, 2014 at 11:44 am

        You’re so right about staying at different places while in a city. You really get a different vantage point with a change of location.

        In the past I’d thought that the bagel love was overblown in the same way that Iowans claim their corn-on-the-cob is the best. (It tastes like any other sweet corn. Obviously fresh corn is going to be better than corn that isn’t fresh, but fresh corn is available in lots of places outside of Iowa too…) However, this trip to NYC, it was clear that their bagels really are a step above.

        Reply
    9. ameyfm

      September 26, 2015 at 6:18 pm

      Cadry, I’ve just re-read all your NYC posts AGAIN with great interest! We are here and having fun! But there are so many places to eat and I am having eating anxiety. Ha ha. We’ve been here 3 days and I still haven’t had a bagel. Ack! I gotta find a place with good tofu cream cheese. Mmmm.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 02, 2015 at 10:14 am

        I’m so glad you’re having a good time! I can’t wait to hear all about it and see the doodles your trip inspires. I totally know what you mean about eating anxiety. There’s no way to hit it all in one trip. Inevitably, there are at least one or two places that I miss that were on my “must” list. All the more reason to go back! I hope you’re able to go to Candle 79. It would have to be on my top 5 restaurants anywhere.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Cadry!

    I’m a longtime vegan. (15 years!) But I grew up eating a Standard American Diet. I know that all of us crave foods that are familiar, comforting, and delicious.

    That’s why it’s my passion to share mouthwatering plant-based recipes that taste like home.

    More about me →

    Summer recipes

    • Irresistible dill pickle hummus
    • Green salad with blood oranges & peanut dressing
    • Tangy peanut salad dressing (vegan)
    • Buffalo hummus with vegan blue cheese

    Salads

    • Easy tahini dressing for salads, bowls, or falafel (vegan)
    • Balsamic vinaigrette dressing (Just 5 ingredients!)
    • Vegan chef salad with seitan & avocado
    • Israeli couscous salad with olives & artichokes

    Summer cookout

    • Tofu satay with peanut sauce (air fryer, baked, or grilled)
    • BBQ jackfruit sandwiches
    • Bowtie pasta salad with chickpeas & artichokes
    • Vegan pasta salad with creamy mayo dressing
    Logos for sites where Cadry Nelson & Cadry's Kitchen have been featured.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Meet Cadry
    • Work with me

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Cadry's Kitchen