189262 Wed Mar 15 14:10:37 -0800 2000 31 18 Manhattan 0 1010639 Are there any decent health food places in Manhattan these days? I'm sure Angelica's is still the same (overpriced and bland) and I do like Kate's Joint, but it's been years since I went anywhere else (I'm talking american health food, not asian veg, not generic meatless). Anyplace people can get decent whole grains and good veg dishes without a lot of fat? Jim (cholesterol: 280) Wed Mar 15 14:10:37 -0800 2000 0 Jim Leff 1 1010640 I like Kate's too, but I'm not sure it's health food -- they have an awful lot of tasty, deep-fried, cheesy, greasy things, even if they are vegetarian. Crispy fried tofu "buffalo wings." Mmm. And I like Angelica, but you do have to order carefully. Their home-made kombu-garlic pickles and ruby kraut are yummy and not bland at all, and I'm quite fond of the lentil-walnut spread with rice crackers. But a bowl of plain rice and veggies is just gonna taste like rice and veggies, and is sometimes a welcome respite from a regular diet of highly sauced, spiced or fried things. But Black-Eyed Suzie's and Ozu, recently mentioned in other threads, come to mind. Haven't been to Caravan of Dreams, also mentioned recently. Another good recent suggestion was sushi, which is pretty low fat (and high in omega-3, if you care), if you stay away from the toro and such, or try a place like Soba-ya on 9th, where you can get clear soup with various yummy things in it. Wed Mar 15 15:31:26 -0800 2000 1010639 0 MU 2 1010641 You're right about Kate's, of course. I'm not looking for general meatless (e.g. sushi); more like whole grains and steamed stuff. Cleansing/detox stuff. I know I should just cook it...sigh.... Caravan of Dreams showed great promise when it first opened, but there have been some serious problems there. I haven't tried it in years, nor has anyone else I know (but if it's good again, somebody please tell me!). Thanks, Mu! Hey, maybe we should have a whole board to discuss this stuff! ciao Wed Mar 15 15:45:44 -0800 2000 1010640 0 Jim Leff 3 1010644 Also on the other board (What's My Craving..."healthy but scrumptious?") I mention Little Havana Restaurant on Cornelia, supposed to be excellent, authentic, cuban cooked by the chef-owner who just happens to be into healthy food, creating alternatives to frying while remaining authentic and using organic veggie, free-range chicken, etc. There's always the Whole Foods in SoHo salad bar and the 'macrobiotic' Temple in the Village on W.3rd St.....it even has tables (as opposed to Whole Foods). Or get really good take out from a healthfood store.....what's that take-out in chelsea: Sacred Chow--is it healthy?? Wed Mar 15 16:55:56 -0800 2000 1010641 0 Jessica S. 4 1010737 Just last night I got some takeout from the health food mini-supermarket on third avenue and 16th (or is it 17th) on the corner. Wish I could remember the name but it was quite good. I like some of the food at Caravan of Dreams. Can't bear those health food desserts, though. I used to go to the Caldron. I remember that even if everyone at the table ordered something different, it all ended up looking the same--big scoops of brown stuff on a plate! Fri Mar 24 15:34:14 -0800 2000 1010644 0 anne 3 1010645 What about Sou-en? Healthy, can be very tasty. (As I recall, anyways; I haven't eaten there in a year or so.) Plus if you eat at the UWS branch you get to commune with the ghost of John. Wed Mar 15 17:12:05 -0800 2000 1010641 0 Jeremy 4 1010679 Haven't been to Souen in years but I've been meaning to stop in again because of a dish called Gomuku (or something like that) which was a tasty mix of items like steamed vegetables (one yellow or orange, one green), a grain, etc. Just like you'd cook at home if you wanted to have six pots going. And it was flavorful, not the unappealing cardboard looking/tasting at most vegetarian joints. And how about another old standby, the Spring Street Natural? Food's good, it's big enough to get in without reservations, it's not creepily Manson hippie-ish, they have fish, liquor, and desserts. Fri Mar 17 12:26:24 -0800 2000 1010645 0 Karen 5 1010682 Well, I have to take exception to the idea that Spring Street Natural has good food. I've never had anything there that rose above the level of mediocre. Fri Mar 17 16:46:38 -0800 2000 1010679 0 Jeremy 3 1010647 MU pretty much spoke for both of us on this issue, and although she eats creatures (I had to learn of her lamb chop adventure on this site!) she is actually more of a "health food" eater than I am. She even did time eating a macrobiotic (!) diet. Still, I must add another voice in support of Angelica's Kitchen. I agree about the price being a bit high, but I've always found the food to be tasty and filling. What I don't like is the damn lines to get in. Nobody goes there anymore because it's so crowded! - VF Wed Mar 15 20:48:21 -0800 2000 1010641 0 VF 3 1010660 Jim In Brooklyn on Court st. there is Love Cafe. They are vegetarian, Vegan even, I think. The food is just plain normal, nothing great, and the service last time I was there was pretty slow. But when I'm in the mood for steamed vegetables and brown rice and I just can't get myself to cook another thing I go there. I usually get take out and it's fine. They do charge $1.00 for extra tahini sauce which comes in a tiny container. TINY. If you do want to cook this stuff yourself, I find that if I buy a bunch of stuff at the beginning of the week and prep it all, put it in ziploc freezer bags or tupperware I can usually get myself to throw it over/in some boiling water. I cook alot of rice and reheat it (in the microwave) and voila! dinner. I also make a huge salad with lots of vegetables and keep it in tupperware. That way when I get home from work I have no excuse not to eat salad. Thu Mar 16 18:02:45 -0800 2000 1010641 0 sarah 3 1010747 Candle Cafe (see previous post) has the detox stuff you are seeking, many choices. Also check out Mana on Amsterdam between 91st and 92nd, beans n greens of the day and such. And Black Eyed Suzies Cafe on E.7th between 1st and Avenue A--- Always YUM! Wed Mar 29 06:32:12 -0800 2000 1010641 0 bellrock 1 1010643 i really like josie's (amsterdam & 74th). i particularly love the veggie meatloaf and the cajun catfish fajitas...i was only disappointed once--and, if i recall correctly, i ordered one of their pasta dishes. that's just one chow's humble opinion. :) Wed Mar 15 16:43:14 -0800 2000 1010639 0 gj 1 1010646 Herban Kitchen on Hudson is a few years old and slightly more expensive than the above mentioned places, but it's been consistently good every time I've been there. It's not a vegetarian restaurant, they serve free-range turkey & chicken, fresh fish & a wide range of vegetarian options. There's a vegan plate which is inconsistent, but is comprised of daily selection of greens, grains & beans. I've had a few of their fish dishes, the Salmon has been overcooked a few time, but in general they take care in their preparations. I think their bread in baked daily and their lunch prices are reasonable while their dinner prices seemed slightly expensive. I haven't been in a few months and the menu changes seasonally so unfortunately I have no specific dishes to recommend. Also, Sacred Chow on Hudson & Perry has very nice vegetarian and vegan take out. There are few tables there these days, but it's still primarily a takeout place. Their tempeh is always well seasoned and their sides are usually creative. This is my first post here, though I've been lurking for awhile. It's not as informative as I'd like, perhaps someone else has eaten there more recently? Wed Mar 15 18:10:47 -0800 2000 1010639 0 Lisa L 2 1010648 Your post is fine... welcome to the fun :-) Good call re: Herban Kitchen... how could I have forgotten. It's right near my office, a calm oasis for lunchtime.....so calm though that the service can be s-l-o-w. Some faves of mine: the salmon wrap, made with a lox-type salmon, the lamb burger (a special), the desserts are all yummy (cookies, cobblers, puddings), as are the creative and big drinks: pints of herbal iced tea, or lemonades (watermelon lemonade, etc.). Enjoy! Thu Mar 16 10:41:18 -0800 2000 1010646 0 Jessica S. 1 1010650 This thread brought back old memories of the Paradox in the East Village. Its been many years - big pots in the back of brown rice, beans and veg, sesame salt and tamari on the table? Does anyone serve this primitive but tasty macrobiotic/hippie style anymore? Thu Mar 16 12:33:06 -0800 2000 1010639 0 jen kalb 2 1010651 Smack-dab in that genre: Angelica, Souen, Ozu, (all just mentioned) Henrrietas (in Bklyn Hts & Pk Slope). Available at Zen East & Zen Palate, though they're more pseudo-meat oriented. Anybody tried Zenith? There used to be another macro place on Broadway in the 80s which had their menus decoupaged to slices of logs, bark included. I forget their name, though. Thu Mar 16 13:02:12 -0800 2000 1010650 0 MU 3 1010652 Are any of them dirt cheap and casual??? The total Paradox experience, rough wood communal tables, army jackets, etc. was not a pricy or precious one. Thu Mar 16 13:20:53 -0800 2000 1010651 0 jen kalb 4 1010655 None of them are terribly expensive. I think the max entree price at Angelica, for example, is something like $15, but that's for the daily specials that involve several items and lots of preparation. You can get away for about 8.50 for an enormous (unfinishable, to me) "dragon" bowl of rice, beans, seaweed, and steamed veggies with some kind of dressing. A smaller bowl, which you are forced to refer to as a "wee dragon," runs about $6.50. Price ranges for the other places are about the same, and they all have a jeans-and-Birks sort of clientele, with the exception of the snazzy upstairs of the Union Square Zen Palate. Angelica and Henrrietta's are the only strictly vegetarian places, while the others, in macro fashion, also have fish. I think Henrrietta's might be a little cheaper, but the food isn't quite as good as the others, and it has a vaguely Mexican theme. Angelica still has a communal table, often the only seat available with no waiting. But sometimes you have to wait for that too. Thu Mar 16 13:33:10 -0800 2000 1010652 0 MU 4 1010656 many thanks for the reminders - I'll take my vegan! efdee, yes, there was one called the cauldron too - upstairs and on 7th st, I think whereas Paradox was in a little building on St. Marks. I blessedly dont remember the bread, but there was a little store at the corner of 1st ave that had "seed cake", hard and full of millet and other stuff. I remember all this stuff was good but maybe it was the good appetite of youth! Thu Mar 16 14:00:09 -0800 2000 1010652 0 jen kalb 2 1010653 I had the same flashback to the Paradox, and was there another one called the Cauldron? One or both of those restaurants had bread that was so dense, hard, and inedible, that even nostalgia can't improve it. Thu Mar 16 13:24:30 -0800 2000 1010650 0 efdee 3 1010663 "I had the same flashback to the Paradox, and was there another one called the Cauldron?" Cauldron Well on 6th street, which I believe also ran a natural-foods store next door, didn't it? And does anyone remember Hiro - also on 6th street near 1st Avenue, which served a real rough, macro-style Japanese-type food? We're talking early 80s here. Thu Mar 16 20:44:49 -0800 2000 1010653 0 Frank Language 1 1010668 Thanks for all the swell replies, everybody! I've received an email from someone who has trouble posting...I'll paste it in: On 12th Street between University Place & Broadway, there's a gourmet sitdown/takeout organic restaurant that has imaginative vegetarian dishes and is excellent. The name escapes me but it's on the lefthand side of the street if you're walking east from University Place. One dish though that is skimpy is their Vegetarian Strudel ($12.50). I told them it should be priced lower and put in the appetizer category instead of mains. It is not macrobiotic but more gourmet health food. For some quick, reasonably priced, hippy steamed veggies/grains, there's a restaurant called Village Natural at 46 Greenwich Avenue (bet. 6th & 7th) that should work for you. It's downstairs and next to a mystery book store. Fri Mar 17 03:54:37 -0800 2000 1010639 0 Jim Leff 2 1010671 Sorry about the cholesterol reading, Jeff. I, too have had a pretty high reading (245) some months ago and am now waiting for the most recent test results. Knowing now about much of the bad-for-stuff that goes into much restaurant cooking, tasty as it might be, I too search out the healthier places. Living in Queens, I have often gone to Quantum Leap in Fresh Meadows. The cooking can be uneven and, depending on who is in the kitchen that night, can be a little bland or even boring. But, it is basically healthy and when they are on, can be very fine, indeed. Mike. Fri Mar 17 09:42:49 -0800 2000 1010668 0 Mike 2 1010673 Hello- Cafe Love was mentioned as a possibility in a recent posting, but it unfortunately closed not too long ago. I'd recommend Bachue, on W.21st between 5th/6th. It's run by the natural cooking school in Chelsea and is marginally Colombian and totally vegan. So far what I've tried has heaped the plate and been well-seasoned, and the service is friendly if totally slow. Another plus is the chocolate chip cookies, which I stop in for when I'm in the area and delude myself into thinking are good for me! Really great brunch, too. Fri Mar 17 09:53:28 -0800 2000 1010668 0 Lauren 3 1010807 How can I locate the Natural Cooking School in N.Y.'s Soho neighborhood? I appreciate receiving a telephone number/address. Thanks much! Kanta Fri Jan 10 19:19:52 -0800 2003 1010673 0 Kanta Masters 4 1010808 Is this what you're looking for? Link: http://www.naturalgourmetschool.com/ Fri Jan 10 22:00:30 -0800 2003 1010807 0 mickyme 1 1010698 hey alphahound, this whole health food thing is a quixotic, ill-conceived quest. Your mission, if you choose to accept it is to complete,(or perhaps more appropriately put, to update) a comprehensive survey of all places serving beans and rice in the five boroughs. you MAY NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES order tostones, maduro fritos, fried pork chunks or chicharrone to go with it, although you may eat them if they are offered as a free sample. This message will self-destruct in 15 seconds... Mon Mar 20 15:46:57 -0800 2000 1010639 0 andrew reibman 2 1010701 I've already done that Mon Mar 20 16:12:29 -0800 2000 1010698 0 Jim Leff 1 1010746 Candle Cafe, 3rd Avenue and 75th St. A veggie place, lots of options, well prepared, and fresh. A good deal is choose 3 side dishes (from 12 different ones) for $8.95. The baked sweet potato is especially great (if one likes sweet potatoes that is!) The staff is very friendly. Many salads, sandwiches and entrees available also. Its healthy and satisfies all at once. Tue Mar 28 21:29:35 -0800 2000 1010639 0 bellrock 1 1010750 This just occured to me: is EAT on Bleeker Street still around? I haven't been there in about 10 years but I recall liking it and it being fairly health-food oriented. Thu Mar 30 13:31:22 -0800 2000 1010639 0 Jeremy 1 2304690 Quantum Leap on 1st Avenue and 13th Street--very nice for the price. Tasty and good prices. If you want to splurge, go to Counter at 1st Ave between 6th and 7th. QL is my choice for a regular night out, though. Sun Feb 18 11:45:57 -0800 2007 1010639 75565 blowthisclambake 2 2305376 I heart QL. There are a few other inexpensive places where you can go: Spring Street Natural Wai? Café Organic Grill Bunchberries Pump Eva's Sun Feb 18 17:09:10 -0800 2007 2304690 10681 piccola