My heart is still pumping out massive amounts of saturated fat coursing through my veins after sampling food from more than ninety restaurants and food vendors at The Village Voice’s 4th Annual Choice Eats in New York City.
Did I have to try every skewered, fried, seared, poached, pickled, baked or broiled piece of flesh that came my way? No, but it would have been a great disservice to my inner meat addict to leave those morsels behind. Props go to The Village Voice staff for managing to keep the crowds under control—even at the evening’s peak, I never felt as if I was going to get trampled in order for some map-wielding foodie to make her way to the Del Posto booth (although, believe me, people had done their homework and showed up with highlighted ground plans of their most desired destinations).
Of course, the evening wasn’t all meat. I think I noticed some abandoned broccoli at one point and savored the fruity deliciousness of a Calvados “French Margarita,” which I counted as a daily serving of fruit since it had lemon juice in it and at least tasted like apples.
Since spring is around the corner (and I’ve got a suit to fit into for my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah) here’s shout-outs to those daring restaurateurs who are featuring some fresh, spring seasonal vegetarian dishes. Check out this top five and go out and eat something green:
The Fat Radish
Chef and restaurateur Ben Towill and his business partner Philip Wisner have created a trendy downtown vibe that still pays homage to London’s original Convent Garden marketplace. Go for the celery root pot pie with black garlic and Gruyère cheese.
(Photo: Scenologist)