Few things are as sacred in life as the bond shared by people complaining about the hardships of adulting. Such was the case on a recent cold and stormy night, when a friend and I found ourselves in NYU territory at Sacred Chow, a tiny vegan and Kosher restaurant nestled on Sullivan street.
Sacred Chow was the next installment in our bi-monthly dinner date series, what we call our Whine Wednesdays. Because of the inane alcohol laws of our country, there is no wine involved, but thankfully there is no age limit to grumbling.
When we first sat down, our stomachs were doing the complaining for us, and the hunger pangs only grew stronger once we were given the menus. While the offerings aren’t expansive, encompassing salads, soup, paninis, burgers, and tapas, they make up for it in creativity.
The fare has global inspiration, with Chinese nama-gori (frozen tofu), Yiddish ‘pastrami,’ Italian 'meatballs,' Thai ginger seitan, Mexican latkes, and an Indian masala burger. And the best part? All vegan.
To start on our plant-based adventure, we ordered the 'Mama’s Meatball Parm’ tapa to share. While we waited, we enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant, which features soft light marked by candles, a gorgeous tree mural, and trendy exposed brick.
Once our food arrived, we immediately entered meat-free heaven. The ‘meatballs’ were made of crumbled French lentils and were pan-seared with a spicy, chunky tomato sauce, seasoned with oregano and basil, topped with gooey shredded cashew-based parmesan cheese, and garnished with a basil leaf.
With six hefty meatballs per order, the $10 price tag was definitely worth it. The consistency was extremely close to actual meat, the sauce was rich with a nice hint of garlic and huge chunks of tomato and onion, and the cheese was great.
While vegan cheese is often suspect (cough, cough Daiya cough, cough), this cheese, closer to the consistency of mozzarella than parmesan, was perfectly melty, with only a slight nutty undertone.
Soon after we had (literally) cleaned the plate, our matching entrees arrived; we had ordered the Thai-ginger BBQ seitan panini. While we feared flat, thin paninis, we were happily proven wrong, as the orange juice, garlic, ginger, and molasses-roasted seitan slabs were served on a fluffy French baguette.
The sandwich also featured caramelized Vidalia onions and sautéed kale, which I was a bit apprehensive of. Luckily, I was happily contradicted once more, as the kale was not bitter in the slightest.
The humongous sandwich was served with a scrumptious slightly sweet chutney and addictive house-made ketchup to go with their truffle fries. While I opted for the sorrel side salad, my friend ordered the fries, and–in a word–they were heavenly.
While the fries were closer to roasted potato wedges, they came with a hearty dusting of pepper. We of course finished them before even touching the paninis. Again, our plates were practically licked clean.
The waitress later came by with the dessert menu, and though the triple chocolate brownie and mango cheesecake sounded tempting, our stomachs were bursting at the seams. Satisfied and stuffed, we rolled out of the restaurant and took a well-needed walk home.
To people who say plant-based products aren’t satiating, we say, get some chow at Sacred Chow, and be happily disproved.