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Lynn and I went into see the Basquiat exhibition at the Acquavella Gallery on Saturday and she happened to stumble upon Candle 79 as a promising place to eat lunch. The menu is organic vegan and we enjoyed the whole experience very much. We had a wonderful waitress named Kim who anticipated our needs with real grace, humor and aplomb.
As for the food? It was spectacular. We have eaten at vegan/vegetarian outposts on a few occasions but I can't say we have ever had a decadent vegan meal until our experience at Candle 79. I had a "Market Plate" which consisted of Ginger Miso Grilled Tofu, Chipotle Grilled Tempeh and Cornmeal Crusted Zucchini. I don't love Tempeh or Zucchini in particular but the chef managed to really enhance the rather bland qualities of these vegan/vegetarian staples. To complement this a chipotle avocado sauce accompanied my choice. Lynn had Live Young Coconut Pad Thai the coconut making a flavorful and convincing substitute for chicken or seafood. We so devoured our lunch that we sheepishly apologized to Kim for plowing through our food so quickly.
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I had a couple of "eco cocktails" the most interesting of which was the Manhattan Fig which had (of course) fig infused Rye, Red and Dry Vermouth, and maple bitters. It was particularly difficult to pick a cocktail since they all sounded so interesting and worth a try.
There are a lot of places Lynn and I love and have enjoyed, particularly in Manhattan. However, we typically don't make a practice of returning to them for the most part. This place is one of the exceptions.
M&L
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