Blonde Bond

The tour of New York City continues...

This evening, Chelsey and I met up with Theodora for dinner at Pure Food & Wine, another one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the city. I'd talked an especially big game on the desserts here, so I seriously hoped that Chelsey would be impressed.

Even though Pure's cocktails are incredible, I've been in a beer mood lately (can you tell?) and went for a brew. This was a Schneider Edel-Weiss beer, which was yeasty and malty. I've learned that hefeweizens are my favorite kind.

Whenever I go to Pure, I choose one of two things for my entree: the S&M salad or the heirloom tomato lasagna. I know it wouldn't hurt to branch out, but when I love those so much, why risk it? Tonight I went with the former.

A massive heap of greens, topped in hempseed dressing and served with dulse, rosemary crackers and avocado. It may look like just a pile of lettuce, but it was absolutely incredible, as usual.

My dining companions both got the raw lasagna, which they each said they loved. I's never steer them wrong.

Of course, you cannot go to Pure without getting dessert. I repeat: you cannot go to Pure without getting dessert. (Do I make myself clear?) I chose the mint chocolate sundae, which Chelsey also got at my recommendation: chocolate, fresh mint and mint chip ice creams, mint chocolate cookies, chocolate sauce and vanilla cream.

This is still my absolute favorite food in the world. Chocolatey, rich, minty and unique. I'd eat this five times a day if I could. I'm still not sure how this is entirely raw and vegan, because it blows "real" ice cream sundaes out of the water.

Theodora got the passion fruit panna cotta, which she said was good...but obviously, our sundaes were better :)

After dinner, we decided to go out for a drink at Rye House, a whiskey-centric bar in Flatiron.

The bar had a slightly rustic feel, along with a great draft beer selection and some interesting sounding cocktails.

I ended up ordering a Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA, which was strong and slightly citrusy.

The three of us sat and chatted for a good while. It's the blonde bond.

What's the best thing you've ever eaten? This sundae wins, hands down. Chelsey agrees with me ;)

Cheater, Cheater, Chocolate-Eater

This evening, I met up with the lovely and amazing Michelle and Lori of Pure2Raw for dinner at Pure Food and Wine, one of my all-time favorite restaurants.

Michelle and Lori were in town on their way back from showing their Twin Cakes baked goods at the Boston Marathon Expo. I'd met Michelle at Foodbuzz back in February, and I was glad I finally got to meet Lori, too!

We were seated in the private back room, which I'd never seen before. It was a bit more airy and rustic than the rest of the restaurant- it must be especially beautiful in the summer time!

Before getting to the food, I ordered the Master Cleanse-Tini: lemon, maple syrup, cayenne and sake. I'm coming down with a little cold so I was apprehensive about getting a drink, but I think the cayenne actually helped clear up my sinuses a bit. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself ;)

For my entree, I ordered an old favorite: the Zucchini, Local Roma and Heirloom Tomato Lasagna, with basil pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato marinara, and macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta.

I had this dish on my birthday and loved it, and the second round definitely didn't disappoint. So creamy and rich, yet surprisingly light. I never wanted it to end!

Lori got the Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles and Baby Bok Choy, served with snow peas, king oyster mushrooms, tamarind sauce, sesame salted cashews and cilantro oil:

And Michelle got an heirloom tomato stuffed with some kind of curry cauliflower. They just changed the menu, and this was a brand-new dish- it's not even on the website yet!

All evening, I was waffling on whether or not to order dessert. I've passed on the last two occasions I've visited Pure/One Lucky Duck, and ultimately decided that I've been a good girl for long enough. I caved and ordered my all-time favorite dessert: the Mint Sundae, with chocolate, fresh mint and mint chip ice creams, mint chocolate cookies, chocolate sauce and vanilla cream.

Michelle got one, too!

And Lori went with the Trio of Dark Chocolate Coated Indian Spiced Ice Cream Treats: chocolate cardamom coconut ice cream  cone, pistachio gelato ice cream sandwich, and chai tea creamsicle.

Absolute, complete and utter bliss. To be completely honest, one of the reasons I was hesitant to order dessert was because I worried about looking like a Lent failure when I posted it. Documenting a large portion (though not all) of my daily eats comes with a sense of accountability, and while sometimes that accountability is a positive thing- I'm constantly encouraged to try new foods and eat plenty of vegetables- I need to remember that the biggest accountability I have is towards myself. I am human, and sometimes I am powerless in the face of chocolate. That doesn't make me a bad person, or an unhealthy eater, or a bad blogger. Yeah, in terms of Lent I had a moment of weakness, but my point is that I shouldn't worry about how that weakness looks to anyone else. It's my body, my Lenten resolution, and my choice. Besides...that sundae was so worth it ;)

Though the food was absolutely phenomenal, the company was what really made this meal so special. Lori and Michelle are truly sweet, genuine people who have a tremendous passion and work ethic for what they do. It was informative and inspirational to hear about their experiences, as well as just to chat and get to know them better. I honestly felt like I was with friends I'd known for years- we spent two and a half hours in the restaurant! It was one of the best meet-ups I've been to, and I was truly sad to say goodbye at the end of the night.

And now, I'm off to bed. Gotta sleep off this cold...or maybe just find myself a few more Master Cleanse-Tinis? 'Night!

My Favorite Meal

Tonight, I got to have what has probably become my favorite meal in the last few months!

I met Katie and Diana for dinner at Pure Food and Wine near Union Square, in my opinion one of the best two vegan restaurants in the city (Candle 79 holds the other spot!).

Though I'm often temped to try something new when I eat there, in the end the classics always end up winning out. What can I say, I like knowing that I'll absolutely love what I order! And the S&M salad never disappoints...

Greens, avocado, hemp seeds, dulse, rosemary quackers and pumpkinseed lemon dressing. It doesn't sound like anything special, but it's absolutely divine. Plus the portion size probably fulfills your greens quota for an entire week.

The best part? Despite being quite filling, it's not heavy at all, leaving plenty of room in your stomach for this:

The raw mint chocolate sundae. Chocolate, fresh mint and mint chip ice creams, with mint chocolate cookies, chocolate sauce and vanilla cream. AKA my favorite dessert ever. As usual, I practically licked the glass clean. I think I could eat this every single day and never get sick of it!

This evening's company was just as good as the food. The last time I saw Katie and Diana was for dinner at Pure back in November, so it was great to catch up with them! Crazy to think that four months have passed since then.

The cherry on top of the cake was the fact that Diana had a 30% off coupon she scored on Blackboard Eats. Pure can get pricey, and even though it's always worth it, it was nice to enjoy this meal for a little less.

I'm off to put this happy belly to bed. Goodnight loves!

What's your all-time favorite meal?

The Best Birthday Non-Cake

Last night, the lovely Gracie and I celebrated my birthday at Pure Food and Wine, a raw food restaurant near Gramercy that I'm slightly obsessed with.

Since it was a special occasion, we had (a bit too much, on my part) champagne ;)

I knew I wanted the S&M salad (and so did Gracie, the moment I mentioned avocado), so we each got our own and decided to share the zucchini, local roma and heirloom tomato lasagna entree, as well.

I seriously have dreams about this salad.

Greens, avocado, hemp seeds, dulse, rosemary crackers and pumpkinseed lemon dressing.

It. Is. So. Good.

The lasagna was equally amazing- basil pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato marinara and macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta, layered between strips of zucchini and fresh tomatoes.

The macadamia ricotta and basil pesto were the standouts of the dish for sure. I wanted a bowl of them to dig into with a spoon.

Though we were pushing fourth-trimester food babies after inhaling those dishes, obviously the two dessert queens could not resist something sweet. I chose my all-time favorite dessert: the raw mint chocolate sundae with chocolate, mint and mint chip ice creams, mint chocolate cookies, chocolate sauce  and vanilla cream.

Remember how yesterday I mentioned the three foods I could live off of forever? I lied. I could live off of this dessert alone.

It was the best birthday non-cake I could have asked for, and a wonderful evening in general :) Thank you to everyone (especially Gracie) who made yesterday so special for me- it was definitely a birthday to remember!