by Elizabeth Gariti
Meat lovers rejoice! Finally, there is a vegan restaurant just for you. Candle 79, at 154 E. 79th St., offers sophisticated fine dining with an organic vegan menu that has a full array of dishes designed to satisfy your carnivorous cravings.
Gone is the austere, make-do atmosphere of the typical vegan cafe with the sound of the juicer running in the background. Candle 79 is an intimate, Upper East Side bistro with the sophisticated insider’s feel of New York City’s finest restaurants and the stylish clientele to match.
The generous use of natural wood, plush pillows, candles and caramel-colored lighting gives it a mellow cozy interior that sparkles with the reflective surfaces of mirrors, candle holders and stained glass. It compliments the exotic menu that is a study in taste and texture.
Candle 79’s menu is all about texture – smoothing out the rough textures and bringing up the bland ones. The menu combines the rich, three-dimensional flavors of organic food with salts, spices and dressings like cranberry sage, rosemary-fig and spicy sherry.
“Eating with a conscience doesn’t equal deprivation” is Candle 79’s mission. They adhere to true vegan principles, using only organic ingredients from small farms and no animal by-products, not even honey. Seitan, a whole-wheat, high-protein vegan staple, is Executive Chef’ Angel Ramos’s specialty.
From Grilled Seitan Chimichurri to Seitan Piccata and Grilled Rosemary-Pepper Seitan, the meat substitute is spread throughout Candle 79’s autumn menu from appetizers to entrees.
My friend, Bob, and I found all these principles at work as we sampled something from every category on the autumn menu. We started with drinks, of course. He had a Pomegranate Pear Sake Martini with pureed pear that tasted like pear nectar. As a sake and mojito freak, I couldn’t resist the organic Sake Mojito. It’s really different from most mojitos—since it’s made with sake and not rum, it’s smoother and not as rough, and, with organic sugar, not as sweet. It seemed to last longer too.
We proceeded next to the starters—lots of ‘em. A complimentary Rosemary Polenta amuse-bouche accompanied an order of Hydrogarden Farm Edame with celtic sea salt, chili and lime, and a dish of Grilled Seitan Chimichurri in citrus herb marinade served like shish-kebob, on sticks. The chimichurri looked and tasted like chicken, tart with the tangy pungency of the citrus marinade. And the edame was a far cry from the frozen fare of most sushi restaurants. The natural flavor of the organic soybeans was the right base for the zing and strong saltiness of the sea salt, chili and lime.
This was followed by the Daily Soup for me—Jerusalem artichoke puree topped with grilled bread and drizzled with olive oil, a velvety green soup with strong cumin overtones. . . a quick warm-me-up for the rainy night outside. Bob had the special salad of wild watercress mixed with avocado, chick peas, hearts of palm topped with Chipotle onion rings and pumpkin seeds in an oven-roasted tomato and chipotle dressing. He pronounced it “meaty”, and it was—hearty and very fulfilling with the avocado and chick peas adding “oomph” to the watercress.
Finally, the entrées. For the sake of variety, I decided to have the Grilled Rosemary-Pepper Seitan and Bob the Quinoa Crusted Tempeh.
Tempeh is Indonesian-fermented soy with a nutty flavor and more texture than tofu. It came in thick, crusty triangles on top of a bed of caramelized sweet potatoes in chipotle cranberry sauce. From the first bite, I was filled with a warm, satisfied feeling and promptly pronounced it, “vegan comfort food.”
My one complaint about my meal is that the Grilled Rosemary Pepper Seitan is too meat-like. I am not a big red meat eater and shy away from anything that’s too heavy or gamey. Complete with mashed potatoes, this dish had that weighty meat-like feeling complete with a meat-like aftertaste. Perfect for the cholesterol watcher who’s trying to give up the rib-eye, but I liked Bob’s dish better!
Forget Weight Watchers, frozen yogurt of the rest of those so-called “healthy” desserts. When it comes to health-conscious decadence, Candle 79’s desserts are the real deal. Their ice cream, made from soy milk and young coconut meat sweetened with Florida crystals, is smooth, creamy and holds flavor like none else. One of tonight’s flavors was Peanut Butter and Jelly which tasted so real you could feel the Wonder Bread. Eating it reminded me of that special gum made by Willie Wonka—a whole sandwich in just one scoop!
And then there was the White Grape Ginger Sorbet. . . clean and fresh with a palate-cleansing tartness and a whisper of Lotus Blossoms—it was to die for! I could have eaten a full carton!
This was accompanied by a special dessert wine, a late-harvest red Zinfandel from Mendocino. The grape is left on the vine until it’s almost a raisin. Then it’s picked and made into wine. The Zinfandel had a crusty, tannin-like flavor that resembled currants. It was like Port but lighter.
Candle 79 is the sister restaurant to the Candle Café (3rd Ave & 75th St.), a vegan cafe with a more casual atmosphere. Candle 79 upholds the vegan traditions of Candle Café but provides a fine dining experience that expands the creativity of the fare. The restaurant has brought “upscale organic vegan cuisine into the culinary mainstream”. Only 20% of Candle 79’s patrons are true Vegans. The rest are sophisticated patrons who appreciate excellent food. Many make it their nightly dinner spot.
Candle 79 mixes up nature’s bounty in astonishing ways. Their combination of spices, textures and flavors enhances the natural taste of the organic foods. If no one told you it was vegan, you’d think it just great food. Which it is.
| Candle 79154 East 79th Street (near Lexington Ave.)
New York, NY 10021212-537-7179M-Sat: Lunch 12pm-3:30pm; Dinner 5:30pm-10:30pmSun: Brunch 12pm-4pm; Dinner 5pm-10pm |
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