eat your chow.

The Porch, Chelsea

Before summer could slip through my fingers, I took a day off work and headed to the High Line to explore. The park, stretching 20 city blocks on an abandoned elevated train track, is one of my favorite places in New York, but I don’t get over there nearly enough. I was pleasantly surprised to find tons of new food vendors, including The Porch, operated by Chelsea Market’s Green Table.

The menu is super basic, and is all about creating the most delicious food with the fewest, locally-sourced ingredients. Take for example my three-ingredient sandwich: raw cheddar, pickles, and mustard. This sandwich actually had the most ingredients of all the offerings. Washed down with a lemonade (or a New York state wine or brew), it was perfect summer fare on a hot afternoon.

Everything The Porch serves and uses is compostable, a nice touch for a High Line eatery. It really is the perfect place to spend these last few summer days. 

Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar, Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market

On Sunday, the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market kicked off the Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar, which will take place the second Sunday of each month through October. The half a dozen trucks’ lines ran smoothly, with no more than a 15-20 minute wait. (Besides Kimchi Taco Truck, which was out of control!)

Rickshaw Dumpling Truck’s chicken and Thai basil dumplings, 6 for $6.

Kelvin Natural Slush Co. slushies, in Ginger-Raspberry and Ginger-White Peach, $3.

The Cinnamon Snail vegan donuts in S’mores and Maple Pecan, previously mentioned here and here.

Pure Food and Wine, Gramercy

This weekend I finally had lunch at Pure Food and Wine. Remember that episode of Sex and the City, when the girls eat at Raw (and Smith Jerrod is their waiter)? Yeah, it’s just like that. To quote the website, “the raw vegan menu is entirely plant based and does not use any processed ingredients. Nothing is heated above approximately 118 degrees in order to preserve vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.”

I love me some good, fresh food, and Pure did not disappoint. Flavor explosion: the signature zucchini lasagna was amazing (no noodles; instead basil pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato marinara, macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta), the Thai spring rolls delish, and the lemon bar tasty (although not worth $8). 

The cozy ground-floor restaurant is adorable, and the light fare on the candlelit back patio would make for a perfect sexy summer rendezvous. Although the service was lacking (one waiter for the entire restaurant!), I look forward to lingering outside when the weather warms up, with a crisp bottle of sustainable white.

Teany, Lower East Side

I’ve been dying to eat at Teany since forever, but something always got in the way. (Including the time two years ago when I showed up for dinner only to learn there was a fire there the nite before.) I’m a long-time fan of their Teanychino tea latte, but on Sunday I finally had a full feast.

The tiny 9-year-old cafe (owned by Moby) is bright and calming, and the menu is chock-full of vegetarian and vegan options. They also have 98 hot tea selections—total paradise! I love how Moby describes the concept on the website:

When we first had the idea to open teany we also decided that teany should focus on tea. The reason for this is that tea is healthy, tasty, fascinating, varied, and full of history. Not to mention the fact that we both thought that a small space filled with 96 canisters of tea from around the world just seemed like a cool idea.

The afternoon tea special sounds amazing—pot of tea, two tea sandwiches, scone with cream and jam, and cupcake or cookie; 22/pp or 38 for two—and is definitely my excuse for a return visit asap.

I feasted on the vegan warm ginger chicken salad (the chicken is soy-based) and a slice of vegan carrot cake that was so rich it didn’t taste vegan or healthy. Win!

I love the simplicity of the place and can’t wait to make this one of my new hangouts.

PS- Teany bottled teas are sold widely across the East Coast, and perhaps elsewhere? Check it out.