Going out to dinner as a Vegan can be hit or miss. Most places unless they are geared towards vegans/vegetarians don't always offer much and can be impatient with special requests.
During the College Arts Association conference this week I did find myself out with others and looking for somewhere to get dinner. We ended up eating at Rosebud downtown because it was near the conference and on my way to the next destination of the night. Now I know what your thinking "what in the world can a vegan eat there?!" Most of the pasta is homemade and most likely made with eggs, and everything else involves meat or cheese. After doing a little searching over the menu and discussing options with a very nice waiter. I had a chopped salad full of veggies with breaded eggplant on top. It was really awesome and totally satisfying. Also, just a side note the olive oil they served with the bread there was some of the best I can remember ever having.
For Valentine's day Chris and I went to Karyn Calabrese's Karyn's on the Greene. A restaurant that specializes in ALL Vegan entrees. Chris and I are big fans of her other restaurant Karyn's Cooked , well Chris is really a fan of the Vegan Steak Sandwich, because it's the only thing he orders because he loves it so much, and it really is great.
Karyn's new restaurant Karyn's on the Greene has only been opened for three weeks. It was very pretty inside, had the same earthy colors, and warm atmosphere as Karyn's Cooked.
Honestly, and I know I have only eaten there once, I came away being a bigger fan of Karyn's Cooked.
The meal wasn't bad, but it wasn't really anything to write home about. I could understand what she's trying to do with the theme, creating a more upscale menu and beautiful presentation, but I honestly left feeling unsatisfied for the money.
I appreciated the Chef trying to replicate the feeling and taste of traditional meals we all have enjoyed as meat eaters like meatloaf, and fried chicken. But sometimes I feel like Karyn goes to far, sacrificing the possibilities and the imagination of the Chef by imitating it to closely or being too literal.
We started with the Caesar romaine hearts, vegan cheese, olive powder, Caesar dressing, herb croutons Elbow noodles, vegan cheese which really turned out to taste like a $8.00 plate of over salted lettuce. This was one of the most disappointing things for me because as a vegan you have to give up things like creamy Caesar dressing, unless you are really adventurous and have time to make some from scratch, and I couldn't even tell there was dressing on the salad. (Pictured Above With Chicken)
Chris ordered the BBQ Bacon Meatloaf with horseradish roasted fingerlings, escarole, and Kansas City barbecue sauce. Again it was OK but I like the vegan meatloaf at Karyn's cooked much better you don't mind it's more rustic presentation because they slather it with sauce and have better sides. When Chris ordered this he thought it would be covered in yummy BBQ sauce and full of flavor. It was really quite boring, over cooked, dry, and the fake bacon was burnt and had no flavor. (picture above)
I ordered the Crispy Chicken Legs with sweet potato hash, Swiss chard, and Kentucky Bourbon barbecue sauce. Again it was good but weirded me out a bit. This would be a good example of them making the dish too literal. I don't think it's a big secret that what I was eating wasn't really chicken. The waiter actually starts off by telling you everything is Vegan. So I'm not sure why they had to present it as three, heavy, and thick drumsticks. The vegetables that accompanied the dish were very good, but I honestly wanted more sauce to dip the "Chicken Legs" into. (picture above)
For desert we shared the Banana’s Foster with Dark rum, vanilla bean ice cream, caramelized bananas, coconut tuile, and citrus dust. Now this was good but ridiculously small for a $9.00 desert. There was literally 1 small tablespoon of ice cream on top, and I guess $9.00 worth of rum covered bananas. (picture above)
Will I eat at Karyn's cooked again? Definitely! Will I eat at Karyn's on Green again? Maybe, most likely, the restaurant has only been opened for three weeks and may still have some kinks to work out, and there were some other dishes I would like to give a whirl.
We had a good time, laughed a lot, and made the best of it all. But honestly it was a bit disappointing for the money.
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