happy birthday hux mommy!

today is my son's moms birthday, march 31st. and he was born on march 25th, six years ago. i remember the exact moment that he was conceived. i can feel the backward arch of my upper body, my legs firmly grounded, and the power between them; a hot july night, an open window and rattling venetian shadows slicing the bed and our bodies into strobes. and quickly, if she's a she, if he's a he; maybe huxley, aurelius, stream, zoe, korea, blue, elan, york? all in a moment, this power charging through me into her smoothness and out into the far reaches of a new universe. what a release! i hear her soft moan, and he is on his way.

happy birthday hux mommy!

"We love Sacred Chow!"

"We love Sacred Chow!"
Posted by Dena on: Saturday, March 29, 2008
Review: We would definitely recommend this restaurant! The food was delicious and creative. We tried 3 heroes while we were there--the Mama's Soy Meatballs, the Roasted Black Olive Seitan, and the Orange Barbecued Seitan--and we loved all of them. The service was excellent...our waiter was so helpful and friendly, and when I asked if one of the sauces was spicy, he even brought some out for me to try before ordering. Although the restaurant is small, it is clean, comfortable, and inviting. We look forward to trying the tapas and returning many times!
Pros: All vegan * Helpful staff * Yummy food
Cons: * *

Vegan365: Brownie sundae

Vegan365: Brownie sundae

SCRUMMY Brownie Sundae. Gluten free and vegan, of course.

Vegan365: Melissa, Ben and Dino

Vegan365: Melissa, Ben and Dino

My friends, when they came over to Chow, to hang out.

Vegan365: Tons of Dino goodness

My friend, Pete, came over to hang out in NYC. I cooked for him. The stuff with the tongs is Indian cabbage. And the other stuff is uppuma. This was before I busted out the fried plantains, and the spiced peanuts, and other deep fried yummies.

Vegan365: Tons of Dino goodness

and don't get me started on their cupcakes.

Sacred Chow is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. It's a small, vegan hot spot in the West Village with a menu full of tapas, sandwiches and a full list of daily soups, desserts, and specials. Their Shredded Tofu Spa Salad Hero is pretty awesome as is the Sacred Caesar Salad, Toasted Lentil Pate, Roasted Black Olive Seitan, Dijon Marinated Raw Kale, Root Vegetable Latkes and don't get me started on their cupcakes. Everything from the salad dressings, to the soy meatballs is made on site.
Food Type: Vegan, Sandwiches, Tapas, Healthy, Brunch, Kosher, Eclectic American
City: New York
State/Provence: NY
Zip/Postal Code: 10012
Country: United States
Thurs, 03/27/2008 - 00:59 — Flowerpetal

my comment on veganshero blog.

cliff said...
hi carrie, it doesnt sound as if you ate anything at sacred chow. if not, come on over and chow down with us. also, i encourage you, and the folks reading your blog, to read www.sacredchow.blogspot.com, for more info on the sacred chow vow. of course i have read all those lovely,17, and not so lovely, just two, comments, at yelp. we are working so hard to make sure no one is ever disappointed, and i think we're doing pretty good. but really, please try us out so you can judge for yourself. the wine and beer selections are fantastic. the smoothies are great too. look forward to meeting you some day. ps. although i am real busy at chow, i am also busy learning and playing chess with my 6 year old son huxley. and soon we'll have chess tables at sacred chow, so we can learn there as well.

all best, cliff
March 26, 2008 5:18 PM

www.veganshero.blogspot.com

Monday, March 24, 2008

Sacred Chow & Other Ramblings
This weekend I visited a few vegan hotspots while enjoying the beautiful sunny weather. Sacred Chow, located in the West Village, is a kosher vegan restaurant nestled on a cozy street off the beaten path. I had a chat with Dino, the assistant to the owner Cliff, who (according to Dino), is often inundated with the responsibilities of executing the operations of the restaurant that Dino will represent him with delegated tasks. This interview happened by accident, so I was lucky to get Dino on the spot! Sacred Chow's interior has the feel of an eclectic artsy charm with mismatched chandeliers dangling from the ceiling and still portraits capturing casual moments hanging at eye-level at each table. Dino's start with veganism began after he graduated from college with a bachelor's in biology aiming for a career in biomedical research until he discovered, to his chagrin, the common practice of animal experimentation. Dino, a practicing Brahman, became vegan after college. His parents, also Brahmans, are vegetarian, and, like most of India, worships the cow, but will consume its milk believing no harm is done to the animal. Given that India is the world's number one milk producer since 1998, with 92 billion kg per annum in production, the treatment of dairy cows in a country that quenches the thirst of over one billion of the human inhabitants piqued my interest.Tiny Brouwers, of Milkproduction.com, says in the "India Report" article that "57% of the production consists of buffalo milk and 43% of cow’s milk" while buffalo milk production continues to rise by 4% due in part to buffalo herds growing faster than cows and buffaloes producing higher quantities of milk. Despite that cows are even protected in India's constitution prohibiting the slaughter of a cow, a 2004 expose, "A Beef with India" by Mark Hawthorne, from SATYA magazine, reports a black market for cows to be marched thousands of miles to reach the only two states with legalized slaughter to meet the demands of the meat and leather markets. Furthermore, since the only the mother cow is explicitly protected under the Constitution, calf and bull are often exploited to their deaths. Exhausted animals that collapse during the arduous journey are often tortured to move by having " their eyes smeared with chili peppers and tobacco". This is mild compared to the video footage People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) captured depicting the abuse and neglect of cattle, buffalo, goats and sheep as they are dragged to slaughterhouses only to be "cut open with dull knives in full view of one another on floors covered in feces, entrails and urine. Some animals are skinned and dismembered while still conscious."People for Animals (PFA), an non-governmental organization (NGO) founded by Maneka Gandhi, India’s first Minister of Animal Welfare (1998 to 2001), continues to fight an uphill battle in a country where a "highly profitable meat trade" can supplement a per capita income with an average $800-$750 in 2005. India's pluralistic society, that includes Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians, raises the question of maintaining a secular law which is influenced by Hindu theology. Nevertheless, even Hindus are known to sacrifice other animals (e.g. horses, goats, sheep, etc.). In the face of these daunting challenges, PFA continues to advocate for the enforcement of animal welfare laws and aspires to establish "welfare centres in each of India's 600 districts". So, just as I had suspected, not all is perfect in India, and its animals are in the same great peril as the animals in the United States (and everywhere else). This contradiction of claiming the cow's sacredness while still exploiting its milk and meat compelled Dino to go vegan after college and drop biomedical research. Dino now helps run Sacred Chow which continues to succeed after going kosher vegan. Its modest beginnings saw $5 or $10 days as Cliff tapped out his personal finances and loans barely staying afloat. Now, the restaurant's newest location offers private engagements and catering with seating for 28-35 people. Reservations are strongly preferred. The most popular dishes are the meatball sub smothered in Sicilian sauce with optional vegan mozzarella and the root veggie latkes (which have lower glycemic levels). Everything is baked to perfection and nothing is fried (Sacred Chow's promise). Oh- and the coffee is organic fair trade. All of this sounds great but check out the reviews on yelp.Dino recently published his first cookbook, Alternative Vegan: International Vegan Fare Straight from the Produce Aisle, filled with easy and quick recipes. Over a one-year period his recipes were tested for feasibility by professional chefs, and he conscientiously avoided using ubiquitous ingredients found in most vegan dishes (e.g. tofu). So, eat up and enjoy!
Posted by Carrie A. Smith 1 comments
Labels: Christians, Dino Sarma, Hinduism, India, Maneka Gandhi, Muslims, People for Animals, PETA, PFA, Sacred Chow, SATYA, Sikhs

mahatma gandi, mahatma gandi, mahatma gandi, mahatma gan

mahatma gandi, mahatma gandi, mahatma gandi, mah

sacred chow's inspiration and forward movement is guided by this quiet essence.

this focus on fairness, rightousness and virtue is a greatness imaginable, it is the practice of mindfulness.

let's let go into the gravitational pull , "gandi-style".

excerpt from below: There's a line at the end of Satyagraha, when Krishna says, "I come into the world a man among men to put virtue on its feet again."

let's do it!

Philip Glass wrote his third opera, the seminal Satyagraha, in 1979. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's formative years in South Africa and the development of his philosophy, the work has its Met premiere on April 11 in a new production by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch. The 70-year-old composer, a veteran of 20 operas, told the Met's Elena Park what moved him to address the subject–and what Gandhi's message can teach us today.Satyagraha is about a visionary leader who believed in social change through non-violence. Nearly three decades later, you have written Appomattox, an opera about two iconic leaders of the Civil War. What do these operas have in common?They're both about social change. Interestingly enough, it's almost like coming back to the theme of Satyagraha. Those two men–Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee–were men of tremendous moral stamina and character. They are reflections of Gandhi. They were able to hold onto things that are the best parts of human nature.

What do you recall about composing Satyagraha?I remember starting at the beginning and running straight through to the end. When I came to the last note of the last scene, I was done. I didn't go back, and I did hardly any rewriting. When I began writing Satyagraha, I had already been going to India for over 12 years. I knew a lot about Gandhi. I visited the places he lived, I knew people who knew him. I studied his autobiographical writings. Within a few years of that period of study, I was writing about him, so I was very close to the material, and for that reason I think it was easy to write. This was right after Einstein on the Beach, which was '76. I had an idea of doing a piece like this which is ironic in a way–because by the late '70s, I thought that the political and social landscape had become so violent and that it was really time to think about the man who invented the idea of social change and non-violence. Little did I know that 30 years later, it would be far more violent.

You described your approach to writing opera as playful. How did your background in experimental theater influence you?I was interested in re-balancing the elements of opera: text, movement, image, and music. The scenes [in Satyagraha] were not arranged in chronological order. If you were looking at a book of photographs–let's say a family album–you might not look at it in sequential order. We can view history that way. I created the opera that way as well. Since we already know the story, we don't really need to arrange it in a normal sequence. So I took the elements of theater and rearranged them. I considered them playful; some people might have considered this sacrilegious. But we're still looking at these pieces, so they couldn't have been such a bad idea.

How familiar were you with opera and its conventions when you first started composing in this form?When I went to music school, I studied opera. I didn't think I was going to write any. But when the Met was on 39th Street, I sat in the student seats for a few dollars, at the very top where I could have a score desk. That's how I learned about opera, whether it was Berg or Verdi or whomever. So I wasn't coming to opera without that knowledge. But I was taking it to a place that was very different.

What advice did you give to Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch as they were creating this new production? I said, "Well, look. We did it the way we did it in 1979. But I expect you'll do it differently–you should." I wasn't interested in advising them. I was more interested in what they would do. They're brilliant people. I'd seen their theater. I didn't want to stand in the way of anything that would come to them. This is an opera that was composed 30 years ago. If it has a future, it will be because other people, and not my generation, will reinvent it. If that's truly happening, I should not be part of it.

What does the concept of Satyagraha mean to you now?

Being inspired by social change through non-violence was authentic. I can identify with that idea as strongly today as I did when I wrote the opera. I was in my 40s at that time, so I wasn't like a kid. But I'm in a very different place now. For one thing, I've seen the world change in a dramatic and not particularly good way. We're in a more desperate situation than we were 30 years ago. I don't know what the power of art has to do in the world. Sometimes it's hard to see that it has any. And yet when I talk to people about this piece, it seems to have had a strong meaning for them... There's a line at the end of Satyagraha, when Krishna says, "I come into the world a man among men to put virtue on its feet again." I'm inspired to do opera with this hope.

Working with Alyson today!

Thanks, Cliff. I /am/ a genius with our customers, because I genuinely enjoy having them there. It's almost as if they're visiting me in my own home. I try to make everyone feel like she or he is the only person on the planet when I'm with him or her. Hopefully, people feel that way when they're with me. :)

I'm going to be working with Alyson today, who is this wicked cool lady who started working at chow a few weeks back. She was looking forward to working the front of the house, and I'm definitely looking forward to showing her how it's done, so that she can flip-flop between the kitchen and the front of the house. I've even dug up my 1980s CDs for the occasion to give me something to perk up my mood (more so than usual).

The ever wonderful Cathy came in yesterday with her friend, and they ordered stuff, and chatted for a while. I love it when Cathy comes in, because we always chatter on at each other at TOP SPEED, and get across so much information. She's such a cool person to know, and I'm chuffed that I got to meet her in person (in addition to meeting her on the VFF). Nina (my partner-in-crime upstairs) was laughing hysterically at our exchange, because it was flying by at the speed of light. Too much fun!

Last night was wicked fun, because I got to hang with the beautiful soul, Nina. I was showing her how to handle more busy nights without having major upsets. She's so adorable! She even took the incentive, and started taking over tables without asking, which I was too proud of! I love how she's taking initiative. :)

Soon, Cliff. Soon, I'll be in the office with you, and we can GROW this thing properly.

wha duh fuh?

yeah, wha duh fuh?

duh greenland in duh ice age with duh dumb bushie bush mun!

if we put our ideas into action to help make our global mess, a little less messy, wow, we really will give peace its chance.

i can show you how to easily prepare a feast of abundance and satisfaction from amazing plant-based ingredients, meals and desserts along with great wine and beer, that are so low-carbon, they'll make your socks freeze.

cheers to frozen sockaritas, great food, beer and wine, and to cooling down the planet in 2009!

and keeping duh greenland in duh ice age with duh dumb bushie bush mun!

we can share these fantastic sacred chow menu ideas, which are 100% plant-based, heart-healthy, balanced and sustainable, low-carbon and kosher-certified, with the world. I feel it cooling down already!

i promise to teach you how to make the most minding blowing no flour crust with the greatest velvety chocolate filling ever.

halva chocolate pie y'all!

as my grandpa would say, "it's out of this world!"

and that's exactly the point.

take action with our ideas, right here, now!

balance above the fire.

it was so busy at sacred chow tonight, and dino felt like doody, so he went home to sleep and it got super busy. i had to put my body into fifth gear, and pushed myself to hop, hop, hop to it.

it is at the times like this that i am awed by our power to do anything. our mind is like a star shooting through the universe, sending our bodies to places unimaginable. still, we are here, grounded on earth, and earth's power is significant in its ability to shift even a cool equilibrium like the one i own. after-all, think of middle earth and the belching fires moving about, ready to tear apart the outer earth with earth quakes, tsunamis, lava flows... i am equally awed by her power, and stand ready to serve her requests.

yet, i got mad at dino for a quick second, and called his sick face to tell him so. he was so sweet to let me unravel. and i hung up no less relieved.

you see, dino is a master with our guests, and nina, who was working the front of the house is new to f.o.h. demands and she was feeling so overwhelmed, and for good reason, folks were waiting in line, and sitting having drinks at our waiting benches waiting for tables, and there were lots of take outs. robert, who is also sort of new, gets a bit off his game when the tickets become too numerous for a single being to handle, other than myself, josef and li fang. well, we 3 are super beings in the kitchen, especially when the earth is a little more understanding.

though tonight she was less so; but even though she is imperfect, i stand ready to serve her.

it seems that it all works together, this balance above the fire.

yes, i see that it does.

Quinoa (keen wah) Updates!

I never expected such a thorough and prompt response to my Quinoa (keen wah) question, but Sergio from Andean Natural gave a very complete answer.

Andean Natural said...

Hello, I represent a group of farmers in Bolivia growing quinoa. We work with 4 processing plants.

In order to assure that our quinoa is gluten-free, we make sure that:
- the fields that we grow quinoa on have not had wheat for the past 3-4 years (this is mostly easy for us since wheat does not grow well in the quinoa fields)
- The processing plants are dedicated- they do not process or store any wheat or wheat products or anything besides quinoa (ok, we do have one that stores sesame- but that is gluten-free as well)
- We run ELISA tests regularly to check for gluten in our product
- We clean the containers to make sure that if they ever had wheat that there is no chance of contamination
- We pack our quinoa in triple paper bags to avoid contamination in handling or even at our clients storage.

Quinoa is naturally gluten-free (it is a seed from a chenopod, not a grass-type plant) and we do our best to keep it that way for our clients.

All this said, we are importers and wholesalers, so we do not know how our product is handled once it leaves our hands. For example, a healthfood store may place our quinoa in a bulk bin that had Kamut before, without thoroughly washing and drying the that bin.

My advice would be to investigate the brand that you are using- call the manufacturer, ask if they were packed in a gluten-free plant. You even have the right to ask for allergen statements on the quinoa. Wheat is an allergen, so it is the duty of the processor or raw material provider to give you this info.

Sorry for the information overload, but it pains me to hear that gluten-allergic consumers shy away from quinoa because the product is not handled right somewhere along the chain.

Finally, quinoa is sometimes not washed well by processors in Bolivia or Peru. So it is important that you rinse your quinoa well- it you see some suds it means the quinoa still has saponins- which in quantity can cause stomach cramps. Generally you can taste the quinoa that has saponin- it leaves a bitter after taste in your mouth.

-Sergio

And then Cliff, having seen Sergio's response went ahead and clarified how we handle Quinoa (it's one of the few things that I haven't made)

just so all you folks know,

the quinoa we purchase at sacred chow is thoroughly washed of saponin before we cook it down for you to consume. however, i need to check out the brand that we use and its distribution chain for allergens. we will keep you updated, for this is the only way the quinoa we use could be causing problems. this way, we will know for sure. please know that we are taking all steps to assure that your experience with sacred chow is comfortable and satisfying in every way possible.

the sacred chow vow mandates that sacred chow provide you with sustainable and balanced food choices.

you have our vow!

talk to us, tell us and we will find the answer together.

thank you dino for being so smart for raising our awareness on this topic! maggie too!

and thank you sergio! your edifying information is vital in our search to finding the answer to dino's blog question.

all best,
cliff

Dino feels like doody.

:(

who is maggie?

she is a sweet magnolia flower. one of the sweetest on the planet. we love this beautiful being, her heart is like chocolate, her personality, like champagne, her wisdom, like rock candy; salt of the earth, a flowering of such rare desert beauty that it feels almost magical that she is so close to us, right here on sullivan street in nyc.

sharing time and space with her is like standing in the grand tetons, in "g-d's country", if you can follow me to sacred chow, you'll know what i mean.

the essence of this magnolia, drifts into and wafts through our olfactory, being in her presence is like being in an "ol'faction" bake shop -

here at sacred chow!

come visit maggie asap, and see her majesty for yourself.

Is Quinoa (keen wah) gluten free?

Maggie called me today to triple check on whether or not Quinoa is gluten free. I checked my Gluten Free dining warnings card, and it did not mention quinoa. So I checked the googles. First two links say don't touch it, but Celiac.com says it's safe. Hrm. To err on the safe side, I asked Maggie to let them know that it's not safe, because it's being debated, apparently. Any GF people out there want to weigh in? I heard some people say that it makes them feel bloated and in pain, but others mention that they're gluten free, and love quinoa.

our common element.

listen to the noise in the environment around you, the sounds of us creating - the cars horn, elephants on the move, the trickle of water moving through the pipes, the hymn of our common element, hammers pounding in the distance from minerals deep within the earth, and wood from the forest.

fuck no luck, too many guns, too many nuns, no time for fun or sons, gotta run.

an oddly beautiful connectedness, and uniqueness!

sacred chow is a deep well filled almost to the top with the purest of love, respect, fairness, peace and freedom to roam. come friend, pour a piece of yourself into our well of being. dip into the common element, float about in its echo-chambered languidness.

feel the sacred chow!

heave ho sacred chow!

i've been thinking about "whipping up" sacred chow into a romantic priced fixed midnight menu of candles along with the shadows from the street light across the way, our sacred water fountain, simple yoga w/ floor mats, no tables or chairs, relaxed instrumentals and meditative voice, beer, wine,and tapas.

also, a delicious daytime kiddie-parent thing, fun puppet storytelling along with frosting and eating the yummiest cupcakes...

there is an audience that is yearning for a sacred chow down, a healthy, delicious, relaxed and wise way to communicate and feel fairness and respectfulness for all "g-d's" creation. in here, the mission is sacred, high-energy input with low-carbon results for a cooler planet, and a cooler me and you too. the chow, wine and frosting is sustainable and balanced, heart-healthy, 100% kosher-certified and plant-based; the yoga, music and voice, add vision to our daily motion with the planet, our inner being, and accordingly, our fellow beings. and we bring this sacred groove everywhere.

yes!

to the far reaches and back again,

we heave this groovis rhythm into creation.

how groovis is that?

so groovis!

come my groovis friends, heave ho sacred chow!

eternity's magic.

in here or out there, we are here and out there. writing and reading these words, here and in a moment out there, is evidence of this. in here for out there, if we try to control our angry urges, with patience and contemplation, we will begin to control violence here. we are an inventive lot, and meant to be so. we will forever be a part of creation's ever-flow, to the far reaches and back again. and here for out there, we are created by creation to make creation for creation to feed creation's perpetual flow. here, volcanoes erupt, out there solar storms burst through space, heat, fire and destruction creating new matter, you, me and everything. violence is a part of creation's uncontrollable movement to be. here for here and here for out there, we are on a sacred mission.

let's chow down the sacred together, and be a force for peace and freedom. we are eternity's magic.

be a carbon low life!

dino, thank you so much for the heart-felt b-day cheer, and helping me to be able to rest. my mind is clearer. it's amazing how a few days of rest allows magic to unfold with such clarity. huxley has 103 temp today and he doesnt want me to leave. he insisted on taking a freezing cold bath to reduce his heat. i dried him off and he didnt even go under the covers to warm up! i told him how strong and brave he is. and his temp went down. he's with grandma now, and i'm getting ready to go to sacred chow soon.

i love this blog! and truly, this blog and sacred chow belong to all of us. sacred chow is a great symbol for low-carbon living. understanding this takes practice, but we can do it. it requires us to come together and declare, out loud, what i have been saying about myself for a very long time.

okay, yes dino, iris and other friends and dragons, i admit it: i'm a carbon low life!

wouldnt you like to be a carbon low life too?

be a carbon low life -

take the sacred chow vow!

be a carbon low life -

take the sacred chow vow!

Fast paced, but enjoyable shift.

I got in at the usual time, after having stopped at McDougall Street for a quickie falafel hit, and sat at the computer to check emails, and respond to the backlog of stuff that I had to respond to. Cliff gave me a buzz, and let me know that since it's his birthday today (happy birthday, boss man!), he'd be playing hooky today. No worries, though. If Boss Man is getting some sleep, it'll be that much the better when he comes back in, so that he's not so sapped of energy. I like it when he comes in all well rested. It's just unfortunate that he doesn't take off two consecutive days ever. I'll work on that.

Things actually went a lot more smoothly than I had any reason to expect them to. We cranked out the food for the customers, and cooked the stuff we'd been running low out at the same time, while still not feeling pressured or tired. I also got a chance to check the stats for our site, and it looks like we've actually got people reading. Who knew? I think that encouraged Cliff to start posting a bit more, as you can probably see from the previous posts. When he posts more, people read more, and the whole wonderful cycle continues on as we keep searching for ways to grow this.

P.S. I made a DIVINE walnut hummos that's creamy, light, and tastes a lot richer than it actually is.

it's the monkey's suitcase for you!

today i stayed home from sacred chow. huxley had a half day of kindergarten and he had his first play date with sophia. i never met sophia before, he has told me how much he loves her. they had a really "grown-up" play date. they did their homework together, sophia read a book to us, we colored dragons, played a foster's imaginary friends online game, ate some vegan sausages and lemon ice pops. huxley could not stop proclaiming his love for sophia. i asked sophia if huxley was making her feel uncomfortable, no, i love him too she said. when her mom came to pick her up, they both hid to prolong their time together. after she left, he fell into a deep sleep for a bit. when he woke up, he told me about a dream he had.
a t. rex was following me, and he was about to eat me. but then i fell into a crocodile river and the croc ate me. i punched him in the stomach and he spit me out. when i got out of his mouth the t. rex was waiting for me. i ran fast and climbed up some vines hanging down from the forest. i saw a monkey, he was about to push me back into the river. i was too tired to do anything, and the monkey pushed me, and i fell back into the river. and the monkey yelled these words down to me over and over, " it's the monkey's suitcase for you, it's the monkey's suitcase for you!"
that's all.

well above standard...I am so disappointed...Cool Waiter... it's quite small...freaking delicious...I love this place!...the service isn't so good...

HMMM, GOOD DAYS, BAD DAYS, RIGHT?

yup!

BUT IT'S ALL A PART OF A DELICIOUS PROCESS.

READ, POST, READ, POST, AND HAVE FAITH. THE TREASURE IS IN THERE FOR US TO UNCOVER, A SACRED RESPECT, BALANCE AND LOVE.

e. yorke said...
the chocolate halva pie is ridiculously amazing...i just tried it today. i actually googled it to see if anyone had conceptualized such a delicious dessert before, and that's how i found this blog :-)
Wednesday, 12 March, 2008

Review by naa530 on March 12, 2008:
Sacred Chow is one of my favorite places to eat in New York. I have found everything I've had here to be exceptionally good, particularly the Reuben and the Sacred Caesar salad. The service always seems to be pretty good, my only complaint is that its quite small and when the tables are full it can feel a little claustrophobic. The weekend brunch is great, especially the banana bread french toast. They also have daily specials that are always interesting and usually very good.

Olga R.
New York, NY
5 star rating 03/11/2008
this place is so freaking delicious. my friend and i shared the korean cutlets, root vegetable latkes, soba noodles, and sunflower lentil pate. for dessert, the special was chocolate halva pie and it was seriously one of the best desserts i have ever tasted in my life...i think we made audible pleasure noises as we consumed it. the service isn't so good but i really didn't care because the food was so delicious


Posted by Anonymous on 03/10/2008
delicious! I love this place! I've been here a few times, and everything is delicious. The black olive seitan is great- a little chewy, but in a sandwich, it's awesome! My two favorites entrees are the tapas salad (with cornmeal crusted brussel sprouts) and the meatball sub. All of the tapas are great, and listen to the waiter's recommendations- they really know whats good. Enjoy!


Review by knuckles on March 7, 2008:
Something has happened to this restaurant in the past couple of months. It used to be my favorite NYC spot, and I loved to split the tapas with my friends. But the prices have gone up and the quality of the food has gone down. The brussel sprouts, which were a mainstay, are suddenly soggy and overcooked. The soups are just always off somehow, just overly seasoned as if someone dumped a thing of burnt cumin in and the seitan has become rubbery and salty. What happened sacred chow? I am so disappointed. I hope they can get it together again.

Review by keramel on February 23, 2008:
I went here last night with 4 other people. I'm vegan, one other is vegan, two others are vegetarian, and one is an omnivore.

The smoothies are amazing. Definitely recommend the Charlie Brown and the Gym Body.

We started off with the tapas. Keep in mind, these are very small plates so if you're sharing with a large group, everyone may only get a bite. We ordered the Curried Broccoli, Hummus, Kale salad with amazing Dressing, Orange BBQ Seitan, and the Soba noodles with Peanut Sauce. Each was someone's favorite, so it depends on what you like. I was amazed that the two most boring sounding dishes were actually quite wonderful: the broccoli and the kale. I liked the Seitan, but the Soba noodles were delicious.

For entrees we all had hoagies. Two people ordered the shredded tofu spa wrap, two ordered the mama's meatballs, and one ordered the hummus wrap. The cole slaw that accompanies sandwiches is delicious.

I had the spa wrap, which was described by our server as, "People say it tastes like chicken salad; I don't know what that means. But it's good!" It was good. The dressing has a strong dill taste, which was delicious. But if you don't like dill, then avoid the sandwich. The meatball sandwiches weren't as good, to me, because they were dry. The bread is toasted and the meatballs isn't really in a sauce. The meatballs were delicious, but I'd ask to have the bread UN-toasted so it's not as dry. Or maybe ask if you can get some tomato or something. Or put the coleslaw on it. :)

The hummus sandwich was also delicious and didn't suffer from the dryness factor.

Overall, the food was all delicious and I'd come back.

Note that the restaurant is small. You should call ahead to make sure you get a table on a busy night.

Also, there's only one server. He does a great job, but just keep that in mind if you're trying to make a movie or show afterwards

By Sarah G. Posted 02/20/08
This restaurant manages to make miracles out of the most healthy foods. Nothing is fried and no refined sugars are used. Nonetheless, this vegan restaurant is innovative and delicious. Using seasonal foods, there is always something new to come and check out.

"I DREAM ABOUT SACRED CHOW"Posted by vegantraveler on: Saturday, January 26, 2008
Review: Every morning I wake up and wish I were here. I constantly talk about how I had the best breakfast ever! The most delicious tofu scramble smothered in creamy vegan cheese...so heavenly!! Please if you have a heart let me live in the kitchen so I can wake up every morning here!
Pros: Everything Rocks * Cool Waiter * Cons: * *


Posted By Gerald Pugliese, Friday, December 29, 2007
diseaseproof@gmail.com.
This week Eating to Live on the Outside is back in the Big Apple—New Yawk City! And our destination? Sullivan Street between West 3rd and Bleecker, the home of Sacred Chow Vegan Bistro. Right off the bat I can tell you Sacred Chow is well above standard American restaurants like The Office and Houlihan's, but it’s still got some glitches that I’d be careful about. Okay, let’s take a look.

The first dish to snatch my attention was the Four Seasons Salad. Why? Well for starters it’s got beets in it, and Dr. Fuhrman speaks very highly of beets. So that’s a plus. It also comes with seasonal greens, carrots, apples, Dijon vinaigrette, and crunchy yuba strips. Of course I’ll go easy on the salad dressing, but the yuba strips also give me pause. Yuba is made from soy. Specifically, yuba is known as soymilk skin. It is the soycream the rises to the surface of boiled soymilk. It is cut, dried a bit, marinated and roasted, not fried, crisp at Sacred Chow. Now I’ve got nothing against organic soy. I drink soy milk and I eat tofu on occasion, but it’s still a minimally processed food. Sure, it’s better than whole wheat croutons, that are minimally processed as well, but unlike the croutons I won’t omit them from the salad, but I won’t exactly feel bad about eating around most of them. I tend to be very discriminating about my soy.

The Grilled Western Tofu Hero is also looking mighty tasty. Its toasted whole wheat Italian bread stuffed with thickly sliced western tofu, dill soy-mayo, baby greens, and soy-cheese. Oh, it also comes with something called Chow slaw (I’ve heard it's a spicy peanut, red cabbage and carrot coleslaw) and a pickle—I love pickles! Now I know I just said I’m picky about my tofu, I swear I am! But out of all the sandwiches on Sacred Chow’s menu, the Grilled Western most appeals to me. Granted, soy-mayonnaise and soy cheese aren’t exactly my favorite foods, although you can omit them, but 2 other heroes are made with seitan, and seitan doesn’t really appeal to my taste buds, and there's a Tempeh Rueben and a Hummus of the Day. But for me, today, the Grilled Western is the best fit. And yes, I can live with the bread. I’ll just stay focused on all those baby greens! Although, I have heard, if you ask, they can make a wrap from steamed leafy greens!

Now this brings me to my next selection—or should I say—my next massive quandary. Tapas, what the heck is it? I don’t know! So I looked it up, and being an Italian guy from Jersey, I didn’t exactly grow up on Tapas. According Merriam-Webster, tapas are small plate food, finger-type hors d'oeuvre. Oh! Well that makes Sacred Chow’s tapas offerings a lot easier to comprehend, and explore. All right, now that that’s out of the way, time to order some a small plate or two.

Sacred Chow has a lot of small plate options. So many that it looks like they actually encourage you to make a meal out of them. Three for 15 bucks is a pretty good deal if you ask me. So if I had to pick three, what would I order? Okay, first I’m going with the Dijon Marinated Raw Kale. As Dr. Fuhrman’s blogger, I think he would personally strangle me if I didn’t pick the kale—so that one’s a keeper. Next I’m going with the Sautéed Shiitake Mushrooms with Toasted Sunflower Seeds and Light South Indian Dressing. I like mushrooms and sunflower seeds, and the dressing sounds like it could be a hit, so I’m going out on a limb here, but I think this combination will be nothing but good times. And finally, I’ll throw the Vegetable of the Day into the mix. Why? Because I like surprises—no, that’s not true, I’m too neurotic for surprises. So I’d just sit back and hope for a really good veggie, like zucchini or Chinese eggplant.

So there you have it, that’s how I’d pay homage to the Sacred Chow. Check out Sacred Chow’s menu and let us know how you Eat to Live on the Outside? Leave a comment or email us at diseaseproof@gmail.com.

dan my fling.***

the other night, dan and i were washing down the restaurant with soap and bleach, and we were sharing a few pints of beer from the tap. and dan said, it's really fun to work here, oh i know that you're not supposed to have fun at work, i'm sorry i dont mean it that way. and i said, i dont see it any other way. we laughed and drank more beer.

cheers to fun!

fyi*** carly simon song.

fiddler on the roof.

last night i was singing to nina as she was washing dishes and i was drying them. i was singing to her, jerusalem, city of gold, in hebrew. i told her that i sing this lulling, soothing piece to huxley, my almost 6 year old son, to fall asleep to. an hour or so later, nina started singing, tradition, from fiddler on the roof. her song took me to the gathering place of an old, small village somewhere beyond our realm. in the gathering place was a man playing an accordion and a woman singing and clapping along with their music. other folks began to gather around to share, sing and clap with such intense joy, focus, excitement and peacefulness. this was so beautiful to feel, and so overwhelming and heart-warming. while nina and i were washing and drying dishes, the fiddler on the roof stood precariously on his perch, she sang, he played and we shared in our gathering place. tradition, tradition!

Running Away

When I moved to New York City, my friends and family thought that I was running away from my previous life. Recently, after taking stock of everything, I realised that I was running toward the life that I had always wanted. Working at Sacred Chow is the pinnacle of the dreams that I had as a boy. I always wanted to make people smile. I sincerely desired to make an impact on this beautiful world that we share. And now, with the movement that Sacred Chow is, I can truly say that I'm living my dream.

I wasn't running away. I was running towards my ideal life.

Daily Specials for 9 March 2008

Hummos: Sunflower
Soups: Broccoli Bisque
Lima Bean-Dill

Vegetable: Cornmeal Crusted Brussels Sprout

Grain: Roasted Tomato-Fennel Risotto

Protein: Puffed Tofu with Tomato Dill Sauce

Desserts: Chocolate Halva Pie
Apple, Pineapple, Blueberry Crisp

A Word from our Fans:

To preface, Karin had a birthday party here last week, and seems to have enjoyed it:

Hi Cliff,

Just wanted to thank you & the Sacred Chow staff for a lovely birthday dinner. The food was delicious & servers were so gracious and friendly. My friends all loved the place too! We'll definitely be back.

Best,
Karin

Purim, Passover, Pride Whisper Hour

The other day, Cliff mentioned that I should get the word out there that we're going to do /something/ for Purim, Passover, and the Gay Pride Parade as a Whisper Hour event. So, I put the word out there on the Craigslist, and it looks like we've got some people who are definitely interested in coming over and doing something interesting. Mind you, we won't stop at just those three holidays. There are other holidays and ideas that we'd be happy to share, as long as we'd had some prior notice and understanding, y'know? That way, we can get the word out there, and let people know that it's coming up, and maybe do like a fixed price menu for it.

Also, if you're reading this, let us know. Cliff thinks we're speaking to the air, which I know isn't true.

Whisper Hour is BAAAAAACK!

Whisper Hour on Saturday Evening, at 7:30 PM. Come one, come all to enjoy a night of Eileen's beautiful flute music. Sit back, and let the music take you away.