Ice Cream from Wheeler's Black Label Vegan Ice Cream

I had the good fortune of getting a pretty container of Vegan Ice Cream treats from Wheeler's Black Label Ice Cream Company. They're actually located in Boston, but they contacted me to announce that coming this summer they'll be serving their frozen vegan bon bons somewhere in the vicinity of McCarren Park. So naturally I said I'd give 'em a try!



In side the colorful box was an assortment of ice cream lollipops, some covered in plain dark chocolate, others included nuts. They were beautiful, nestled together, arranged in little paper cups.



I was given three different flavors, although they produce many more. My favorite of the bunch was the strawberry flavor. With chunks of real strawberries, it had the truest flavor, and was sweet & tart in all the right amounts.



There was a vanilla that was OK. Not quite vanilla, but nice in it's own right. The nuts were also a nice touch, slightly roasted, they added an earthy quality. There was a third flavor that I couldn't quite place (and they didn't provide an insert describing what they'd sent me). It was almost like nutmeg or cinnamon, some kind of astringent spice. It was good, if a little unusual.



So, keep your eye out for Wheeler's Black Label coming soon (hopefully) to McCarren Park, or thereabouts. Let me know if you spot them!

Dinner from Wild Ginger

After an evening of shopping with my mom and my sister, we were hungry and in need of sustenance. Both of them are vegetarian so when we got out of the subway, we headed straight for Wild Ginger (112 Smith Street, Between Dean St. & Pacific St., 718-858-3880) to get some takeout. The space is really nice though, and I'd like to go back to have dinner there. It's very tastefully decorated, dark and cozy with dark mirrors that make the space feel twice as big as it is. Within minutes we were on our way home with dinner.

I chose the Satay Tempeh, cubes of tempeh grilled in a satay sauce. It was really good, but I was a little disappointed as I was expecting a peanutty satay sauce - instead this was slightly BBQ flavored.



My mom ordered the Hijiki Salad - marinated black seaweed with edamame peas. Slightly salty, peppered with edamame - it was a lovely dish.



She also got the Tofu Salad because it was described as being made with beets. That was just a little misleading. Little strings of shaved beet sat atop big, pale chunks of tofu and mixed greens. It was good, if on the plain side. A citrus-ginger dressing came with.



We got an order of the Cold Noodles for my step-dad, which are made with green-tea noodles and topped with a sesame sauce. This, too, was on the light side, subtle and a bit disappointing if you were hoping for a more peanutty crunch. Not that it was bad; it was very good, but not your typical cold noodle flavor.



We love our appetizers, so my mom also got an order of Shumai stuffed with spinach. These cute little green packages were very tender and tasty, especially dipped into the soy sauce that accompanied them.



I ordered the Singapore-Style Mei Fun noodles, cuz, how can you resist that name? Thin, angel-hair noodles in a slightly curry-flavored sauce, with nicely cooked strips of tofu and slices of mushroom and bell peppers were tasty and quite filling. I ate half of the dish and it looked like I had barely made a dent!



My sister got the Vegetable Yaki Udon, sans tofu, as it's her favorite but she hates tofu. This was the best dish of them all as far as I was concerned. It was the most flavorful and had lots of different veggies (peppers, cabbage, mushrooms) packed in.



So, a big Thumbs Up to Wild Ginger. I'd definitely go back here for dinner sometime as the food was good and the space was lovely to be in.

New Restaurant: Rockin' Raw

Last Friday I went to the Grand Opening of a new restaurant in Williamsburg called Rockin' Raw, (178 N. 8th Street, between Bedford and Driggs, 718-599-9333), a spot that will feature all live, vegan, raw, organic food along Peruvian/New Orleanian lines. The awning is bright purple and was lit with very bright lamps which did not set a positive first impression. Thankfully the interior is much softer. The space is long and narrow with mostly white walls accented by a few red walls and a dark floor leading to an amazingly large and lush backyard.



First they sent around trays full of their "crabcakes" with dill sauce; made with spelt, they were really dense and crunchy (maybe a little on the dry side though) and the bright green sauce was flavorful and very garlicky.



There were also Nori Chips with Sunflower Seed Pate and topped with tomato which were really good. Nori is made from seaweed so these were nicely salty and had a good crunch to provide some texture. I was impressed with these.



They also passed around some sushi rolls with various stuffings like jicama & cauliflower or mango, cucumber & parsley. Both of these were tasty, crunchy and complex. It's amazing what you can do with food when you change the consistency and texture of a few ingredients.



So, if you're vegan or want to live the raw food life, this place makes really creative, good-tasting food. If you're not either of those, you still might like trying Rockin' Raw out for a change and to experience simple ingredients like sunflower seeds and spelt in a whole new way!

Dinner at The V Spot

I just got back from a really good meal with a friend at The V Spot (156 Fifth Avenue, between Degraw and Douglass, 718-622-2275), a Latin Vegan restaurant in Park Slope. I always would forget that The V Spot was a restaurant because I think I wanted it to be a lesbian bar. The name just conjures randy images. But anyway, our dinner was quite good, and as a meat eater, I'm always happy to support tasty vegan & vegetarian places as much as a good carnivorous meal.

They don't have hard alcohol at The V Spot, serving only beer and sake-based cocktails. I started out with their Mojito which was made with sake, organic champagne, mint, lime & sugar. It was good, with lots of mint, but definitely had that white-wine cocktail kind of taste. They have a 2-for-1 happy hour from 5-8pm weekdays, so I also tried something with mango & coconut in it which was a bit thick and less enjoyable than the Mojito.



We shared an appetizer of Summer Rolls, rice paper wrappers filled with avocado, lettuce, cucumber & carrots and served with Thai peanut sauce. They were GIGANTIC, and quite difficult to eat. We sorta split them open and messily ate them with our forks and hands. Do not get this if you're on a first date! The peanut sauce was great though - one of my favorites!



For my main entree I ordered the Portabello Mushroom Tacos made with spinach, avocado & potato and served with a side salad and sweet plantains. I can't get enough of plantains and these were cooked perfectly, a bit burnt, but thinly sliced and slightly caramelized. The tacos were delicious, not sure I found any mushroom in there, but the spinach was fresh and tasty and the potato added a nice texture to the dish.



My friend ordered the Tortilla Salad which is made with corn, black beans, tomatoes & avocado over mesclun greens and a choice of dressing (lemon, sesame ginger, balsamic) and bordered with fresh, homemade tortilla chips. This was delicious as well and quite substantial. A good combination of ingredients, which were fresh and nicely proportioned.



We were too full to look at the dessert menu, but judging by the main dishes, I'd venture to say that they're pretty good as well. Anybody had their desserts?

Breakfast at 'SNice

I met a friend at 'SNice (315 Fifth Ave., at 3rd Street, 718-788-2121) for breakfast last weekend and had such a lovely morning sitting in their garden patio. There are a bunch of wooden picnic tables outside where the sun reaches around 10am. It's a great spot to people watch as well, since it's right on the corner. They're forecasting sunny & warm this weekend, so if you're in the area check it out! It's an all vegetarian, mostly vegan restaurant with lots of great stuff on the menu, but even if you're not a vegetarian, the food is really good and tasty.

I got the Tofu Scramble Wrap with black beans and salsa which was substantial, delicious and fairly spicy. The tofu had a nice consistency very close to real scrambled eggs and the wrap was densely packed with the filling. I ordered an apple juice to wash it down with.



I've written about the cupcakes before which are quite yummy as well, and while I didn't write about it, the Vegan Tempeh Reuben was fantastic. They also have smoothies, salads & other baked goods.

Ethiopian at Ghenet Brooklyn

Mmmmm, I love Ethiopian food and I love the event of going for Ethiopian, where the traditional way to eat is that you sit around a big plate laden down with a variety of dishes and eat with your fingers. I recently went with a group of friends to Ghenet Brooklyn (348 Douglass St. at 4th Ave., 718-230-4475), a sort-of-new addition to Park Slope's ever-changing 4th Avenue. The interior is warm and inviting, although A LOT of incense was burning off and on throughout our meal which was a tad overwhelming, but did not in any way negatively affect our experience of the food. The waitstaff is also friendly and helpful should you need some guidance with ordering, or modifying the incense-burning.

We started out with three appetizers, the Kitfo Tiklil (Classic Ethiopian steak tartar rolled in Kategna), Asa Tiklil (Tuna tartar rolled in Kategna), and an order of the Kategna (Toasted Injera coated with Berbere served with mild cheese). They two Tiklils looked almost the same, so I'll just include a photo of the Steak Tartar version which everyone seemed to prefer over the Tuna. It was more flavorful and had a bit more depth to it than the Tuna which was on the bland side. Each though was super spicy because of the Berbere spices used on the outside of the Kategna.



The Kategna appetizer was great and the mild cheese was wonderful - sort of tangy like a soft goat cheese and just as creamy. The Berbere is made from red chili peppers, onions, garlic and other spices, then sun-dried and mixed with more spices so it's REALLY hot, so be warned.



We then ordered a Combination Plate for Four which consisted of all the Vegetarian Dishes and four of the Meat Dishes. There were six of us, and it was more than plenty.



In the middle you have Gomem (Collard Greens), Engoudae Wett (Mushrooms with Berbere Sauce), and Fasolia (String Beans and Carrots in a caramelized onion sauce). Around the outside, starting at the top with the dark reddish section and going clockwise is Doro Wett (Chicken in a blend of Ethiopian spices), Atkelt Wett (Cabbage, Potato & Carrot cooked in a caramelized onion sauce), Sega Aletcha (Mild Beef Stew), Mesir Wett (a Lentil dish), Doro Aletcha (Mildly seasoned Chicken in a light onion sauce), Shiro Wett (a spicy bean dish), Sega Wett (Beef with Ethiopian spices), Aterkek Aletcha (Split Peas in a light sauce) and Shiro Aletcha (a Mild Bean dish in an herb sauce).

The descriptions are quite vague, not mentioning any of the specific spices, but they do have subtle differences in taste. The chicken dishes had a boiled egg in the middle of them, and the Doro Wett has a smoky, almost BBQ flavor. The Spicy Bean dish was not spicy at all, certainly not when compared to the Kategna in the appetizers. The Mushrooms were a big hit, as they were meaty and very flavorful. The Beef Stew was also popular, as it had chunks of tender meat, whereas the beef in the Sega Wett was a bit dry. Many of the bean dishes were on a the sweet side, and some of the vegetables had a tang to them.

The Injera, the big, spongy bread everything is served on and which you eat with was great, and we got an extra order. It almost tastes a bit like sourdough, as it has a little bite to it, which is nice in combination with the milder veggies and meats.



All in all the visit was a success. In the future, I wouldn't get so many appetizers, as the combination plates are more than enough. And I would've liked to have tried some dessert, like the Cream Caramel. I was also intrigued by the presence of Tiramisu on the menu!

Cookies & Cupcakes

I'm a big baked-items fan. Cookies, croissants, cake, cupcakes, scones. I'm always on the search for the best of the best. Cookies are my favorite though, and I'm always looking for a place where I can get a reliable, satisfying cookie.

This first cookie was purchased at the Carroll Gardens branch of Naidre's (502 Henry St. at Sackett St., 718-596-3400, www.naidres.com). They get their baked goods from a number of spots around town, some of which are great, some, not so great. This cookie, the Oatmeal, Dried Cherry & Pecan, was great. It was chewy, packed with plump, tart dried cherries and nutty pieces of pecan. Sweet, but not too, and the oatmeal made me feel like I was also eating healthy.




This second cookie was purchased at the newest incarnation of the space at 264 Clinton St. at Verandah Pl. It's called Ted & Honey (718-852-2212) and is located where the big, red Delicatessen used to be. I actually worked there for a brief time in the early months of 1998 and loved it so I'm happy to see it up and running again as an eatery. This Macadamia Chocolate Chip cookie was so crisp and full of melty chocolate chips and pieces of Macadamia. YUM, so good. I took it home and ate it with a big glass of cold milk.



Then there's this cupcake I tried from S'Nice (315 5th Ave. at 3rd St., 718-788-2121). Woah, what a cupcake. It's the Carrot Cake Cupcake and was SO dense and the frosting SO rich, I had to eat it in two sittings. S'Nice is a vegan & vegetarian restaurant, with really surprisingly good food. It's great, despite that lame-o name.