Home | World Listings | VegDining Card | Submit a Review | Login | Contact Us |
by Michael Marinelli
Special to VegDining.com The vegetarian experience in New York City is as varied as the city itself. Vegetarian types have become a representation of the city's population as a whole - a true melting pot. With new restaurants and health food stores sprouting up all over the city, a lot of people seem to be jumping on the vegetarian bandwagon. The recent explosion of interest has encouraged the flourish of non-traditional vegetarian restaurants. In fact, the recent opening of Veg-City Diner, complete with its counter, vinyl booths and rotating pastries, is a perfect example of how the vegetarian dining experience has evolved. It can no longer be considered the antithesis of American cuisine. Health food stores have also begun catering to the consumer's needs, evidenced by the frequent introduction of new products and the sale of ready to eat meals. There is certainly no shortage of choices when venturing out for a meal in New York City. Beyond the over 100 vegan / vegetarian / vegetarian friendly restaurants in New York City, many others also provide viable vegetarian selections. Indian places generally have many vegan choices, just be sure to ask that they cook with oil and not ghee(clarified butter). Besides homemade pasta (which is generally made with eggs), and cooking with butter versus oil, Italian restaurants can provide hearty meals for vegans-mangia! Unfortunately, traditional Mexican food is prepared with lard, cheese and meat stock. Thankfully, for those of us with bean burrito obsessions, New York City has many non-traditional healthy Mexican restaurants that don't use lard and even offer whole wheat tortillas, soy cheese (most soy cheeses include casein, a dairy derivative), tempeh bacon and tofu sour cream. Since the mid-90s, sushi at Japanese establishments has become the standard for the New York City chic. If you're vegan, you can still don your black on black on black outfit and join the elite for some saki and handrolls-ask that no fish products be used in the preparation of the veggie sushi or the soy sauce. The following are a few vegetarian favorites to get you started; this is by no means a complete list:
A more comprehensive review of the New York City dining options can be found in the New York section of VegDining.com. Some handy guides for the traveler, besides of course VegDining.com, are The Vegan Guide to New York City, which can be purchased at the Union Square Farmer's market and New York Naturally, which is available for free at most health food stores and selected restaurants. Good luck and enjoy all the diversity that New York City has to offer! |
||
Michael Marinelli is a vegan and VegDining's New York City correspondent. He can be reached at
Michael_Marinelli@VegDining.com.
Photos by Michael Marinelli. |
Copyright © 1999 - 2024 by VegDining.com. All rights reserved. VegDining, VegDining.com and VegDining Card are Trademarks of VegDining.com |
|
Home | World Listings | VegDining Card | Submit a Review | Login | Contact Us |