I’m so far behind in restaurant reviews that it’s
almost not fair for me to do write ups since I ate it all so long ago. But I
have a pretty good memory- and I also have plenty of pictures to remind my
taste buds about my meals. A few
weekends ago, I used an awesome Groupon to go to Quintessence in the East
Village.
Quintessence specializes in raw food- and while I’ve
eaten my fair share of vegan and vegetarian meals- raw was something new to me!
In addition, Quintessence is organic, vegan and gluten free!
I sat down at the little bar stools along the window
with a trendy glass bottle of tap water and a beautiful sunflower, complete
with buzzing bee. The waitress handed me my menu and to my surprise, it was a
tablet! You could go through the menu reading descriptions and looking atpictures! Each menu item also listed all of the ingredients. It was a little
slow to load, so I eventually asked for a print menu as well, but it was pretty
cool and I loved being able to see the pictures, especially since eating raw
was new and I wasn’t completely sure what to expect.
(So cute)
For my appetizer I decided to order the Chipotle
Pate roll, described on their menu as, “amazing
sweet, smoky, hot citrus dip takes this wrap south of the border for a deep
flavor explosion. Cooled down with cucumber, bell pepper, avocado, and romaine
lettuce, all wrapped in raw nori for a perfect balance of heat, intense flavor,
and cooling juiciness.”
(Menu picture of the Chipotle Pate roll)
This was a little disappointing to me- it
was pretty much just seaweed stuffed with the dip- which was very flavorful but
also very spicy. My mouth was burning, nose was running, and all I was tasting
was “ouch that’s hot” in my mouth. I hoped my entrée would be better.
(Mine! Accurate menu picture is appreciated!)
After some back and forth the winner
wassssss: Portobello Steak Burger with Chipotle Cheese Sauce. I guess I didn’t
put two and two together that the chipotle pate and the chipotle cheese sauce
were the same thing- oops! Luckily, this sandwich was heaps better than the
nori roll- the chipotle sauce didn’t overwhelm the other flavors. The Portobello
was marinated in a delicious sauce and was definitely juicy- the onions were
probably my favorite part.
(Menu picture)
The choice of “sprouted kamut bread,” “coconut
squash bread,” or “grain-free veggie bread” was a tough one for me as I hadn’t
tried any of those options before. I asked my waitress, and she steered me
towards the sprouted kamut bread. It was…interesting. Definitely not the
consistency of regular bread- it was like a very thick chewy sponge, but it was
kind of cool, and tasted fine!
(Mine!)
The good thing about Quintessence is not everything they serve is raw. My Groupon
was for a good amount of money, so I decided to get two more dishes to bring
home for dinner the next two nights. Both of these weren’t raw dishes, and I
ended up liking them a lot more.
The first was the Bibimbap! The menu describes it
as, “Inspired by a popular rice dish in Korean
cuisine, this version has all the flavors expected from Bibimbap, and is
completely vegan. A large bowl is filled with shitake mushrooms,
spinach, mung bean sprouts, zucchini, dried fofu cubes, and carrots served on a
bed of slow-cooked sprouted quinoa seasoned with our spicy homemade Korean red
chili pepper sauce (aka Gochujang).”
(Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of mine for comparison!)
This tasted fresh, healthy and
delicious. Nothing mind blowing, but a
solid meal of veggies and grain that I added my own avocado to. The best part
was by far the Gochujang sauce, which I used every single ounce of. So full of
flavor that I didn’t even mind the heat.
According to the website, this sauce is made of Birch Xylitol, Korean Chili, Miso, Salt, Vinegar, Sesame Oil, Garlic, and Onion. First, I need to figure out what Birch Xylitol is and then, I need to make me some of this sauce.
According to the website, this sauce is made of Birch Xylitol, Korean Chili, Miso, Salt, Vinegar, Sesame Oil, Garlic, and Onion. First, I need to figure out what Birch Xylitol is and then, I need to make me some of this sauce.
The second dish I brought home was one
of the “small plates,” the Miso Veggie Stew! This was “A scrumptious vegetable
stew... kabocha squash, burdock root, daikon radish, yellow squash, kale,
carrots, and red bell pepper, seasoned with brown rice miso."
(Menu photo)
And indeed
it was scrumptious! As you can see in the pictures, it wasn’t really a stew-
not much liquid or broth to speak of! This was hearty and filling with the
squash, roots, kale and brown rice! And only $5!
(Not the prettiest picture of my meal...)
The other dishes I got were much more
expensive- the Bibimbap was $14, the Portobello Burger was $15 and the nori
roll was $7- this Miso Veggie Stew was one of my favorites, $5, and plenty
filling. For $15, I felt that the Portobello Burger should have come with some
sort of side dish!
I’m not sure I’m sold on raw eating- the
nori rolls were disappointing and the kamut bread was a little strange…but dishes
of healthy grains with lots of veggies and delicious, all natural sauces like
the Gochujang sauce- that I can get behind!
Afternoons in the East Village trying
new foods are always enjoyable :)
