Round of applause, SC!

Usually when I hit New York for the weekend, I eat horribly: re-heated pizza slices dripping with grease, questionable hot dogs from street carts and Roy Rogers burgers tend to make up my diet because I don't know my way around the city enough to find the good stuff.

Well, this time around I had a vegan guide, and she told me Sacred Chow was THE place to go to for brunch, so I dragged my butt out onto the windy Brooklyn streets, braved the metro system and showed up just in time to beat the Sunday lunchtime rush hour. I have to say, no matter what city I'm in, if I see a Yelp sticker in a storefront window or door, I smile. It's like my ancestors have been there before me, making sure I'll have a good experience. /cheesy sentiments

Despite the reassuring red sticker, I was a little doubtful as I perused the menu, and peppered my friend with questions. Every 20 seconds or so: "What's seitan?" "What does gf mean?" "What's in a tofu scramble?" "What the hell is spelt?!" (Spelt is some medieval kind of wheat. Now you know!). I felt like I was learning a new language. Also, I yearned for meat, flipping through the pages. But I settled on an omega-3 waffle and a large side of home fries, convinced a cooked mixture of flax seed batter would leave me feeling empty.

I was sooo wrong. The waffle covered my entire plate, and was insanely filling. The blueberry sauce and cocount creme fraiche it came with were smooth and wonderful. I only ate about half the home fries before I had to stop, eyeing the rest wistfully. If I had had more room, I would have ordered a Young's double chocolate stout with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Stupid non-bottomless stomach!

Any place that can make eating healthy seem effortless definitely deserves my praise, and the fact that the prices were reasonable is amazing. Round of applause, SC.

PS: I had a brief love affair with your bathroom soap. Sorry for the mess.

Juliana C.
Chevy Chase, MD
www.yelp.com