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Vegan sightseeing, tourism & dining: Candle Cafe West, Central Park, and Blossom on Columbus. Plus, a sighting of Banksy graffiti.
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
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, and 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, a castle, large rock formations, and areas that felt like hidden hiking trails.
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, and 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
Within a mile or so walk from the hotel was Candle Café West, and we walked there a couple of times – once for lunch and once for dinner.
The atmosphere was sleek and comfortable. There was enough space to feel like you weren’t on top of the table next to you.
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.
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.
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, and I was hoping to learn how I could make it for myself at home!
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, and sitting in a soy sauce mixture made with sesame and ginger.
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.
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
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. (They used to have another location not far away on the same street, but they’d opened that day in a new space with an adjusted menu.)
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.
I ordered the gyro, and 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!
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.
I’ll be back in the future with more posts from our New York trip. To see my other travel posts from this trip, click here for Brooklyn and Liberty Island.
veggiegirldianne says
September 29, 2014 at 9:56 amI’m going to have to make a trip to Blossom and to try that gyro! Yum!
Cadry says
September 29, 2014 at 10:20 amYes, you do! It was phenomenal. I’m so glad you let me know that Blossom on Columbus would be opening while we were there!
Shannon Y-I-V says
September 29, 2014 at 10:33 amI’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.
Cadry says
September 29, 2014 at 9:11 pmYes, 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.
panda cookie says
September 29, 2014 at 2:42 pmYes! 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.
Cadry says
September 29, 2014 at 9:14 pmOh, 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!
E Jackson says
September 29, 2014 at 6:30 pmHi, I’m traveling to New York in February and just wondering what was the name of your hotel?
Thanks
Emily
Cadry says
September 29, 2014 at 8:53 pmHi, 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.
E Jackson says
October 7, 2014 at 7:01 pmThanks for that – its great to get a recommendation. I’m following your Vegan NYC posts with interest! Emily
Cadry says
October 9, 2014 at 8:06 amI’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.
Jojo says
September 30, 2014 at 11:35 amEverything 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!
Cadry says
October 2, 2014 at 9:23 amCentral 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.
acookinthemaking says
September 30, 2014 at 2:46 pmI 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.
Cadry says
October 2, 2014 at 9:25 amOh, 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!
Randi (laughfrodisiac) says
September 30, 2014 at 4:27 pmOh 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!
Cadry says
October 2, 2014 at 9:26 amI would love that! Or I would also settle for meeting up in London! 😉
Nicole @ Vegan Nom Noms says
October 5, 2014 at 1:24 amI 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!
Cadry says
November 12, 2014 at 11:44 amYou’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.
ameyfm says
September 26, 2015 at 6:18 pmCadry, 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.
Cadry says
October 2, 2015 at 10:14 amI’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.