Blossom doesn't make me say "Whoa!"

Pistachio & Pepper Dusted Tofu

Blossom has been on our neighborhood "to try" list for quite some time now and tonight we were in the mood for lighter fare. We had a mini-love affair with Pure Food & Wine when we lived over in the Flatiron District and we've enjoyed picking up quick bites from their Blossom Du Jour spot, so we were excited to see what Blossom had to offer.

We entered into an intimate, elegantly-casual dining room and quickly made our selection. The Mr. ordered the Pistachio & Pepper Dusted Tofu (served with a root vegetable crepe, lemon truffle emulsion, frisée in red beet vinaigrette) and I chose the Vegetable Mezze Plate (green & yellow wax beans, escarole & cannellini beans, summer squash & corn, sautéed kale, purple yam purée, spiced quinoa pilaf, tahini spirulina).

Hangin at HanGawi

 I owed my friend a dinner for her birthday and we wanted to go somewhere near Kips Bay where we were going to a movie afterwards, so we decided a trip to Koreatown was in order. I asked my friend for her recommendations and she went through a list of great restaurants, but her eyes lit up when she mentioned Hangawi, so I know that was the one.

Terri-bly Good!

I was having one of those SeamlessWeb.com moments while I was searching for dinner where everything sounded good, but I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choice. Did I want Indian? Italian? Mediterranean? Sometimes too many options is a bad thing. 


Unexpectedly, it was a little Vegan/Vegetarian sandwich shop that wound up catching my eye called Terri Vegetarian. Something about a highly user rated vegan Meatball Sub really piqued my curiosity. I got an order of that for The Mr and a Roasted Vegetable wrap for myself. I was also pretty captivated by the sides, so much so that I got three: raw kale chips, bean salad, and quinoa salad.

The PUREest of Them All

Received a complimentary Diner's Deck card to Pure Food & Wine and we went over right away to try it out. We were immediately inspired by the ambiance: incredibly elegant, but in a reserved, contemporary, non-pretentious way, so we chose to stay a while and enjoy the evening with the Chef's Tasting Menu.

Amuse Bouche: fennel with pomegranate, capers, & tarragon

Saffron Haricot Vert Soup with Almond

Hazelnut Crostinis with Crimini Mushrooms and Caper Bearnaise; caraway sauerkraut, local apple cider reduction

King Oyster Mushroom Scallops in a Lemongrass Coconut Broth;

Avocado in a Sunflower Seed Sundried Tomato Tortilla with Coconut Cashew Sour Cream

Heirloom Tomato Pizette with Macadamia Mozzarella and Cashew Cheese

Sweet Corn and Cashew Tamales with Chili Spiced Portabella; salsa verde, cashew coconut sour cream, avocado, raw cacao mole

Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles and Baby Bok Choy; snow peas, king oyster mushrooms, tamarind sauce, sesame salted cashews, cilantro oil

Frozen Coconut Mousse; pineapple sorbet, pineapple coulis and rosewater

Mexican Cinnamon Mousse; guajillo chili pepper chocolate cake, pear relish and sorbet

We could not believe how incredible every single bite was. I mentioned to the Mr. at some point 'Can you believe this is all Vegan?' and it literally did not even register, because then, much later on in the meal the waiter said something and he goes 'Wait, hold on, everything we have eaten tonight has been Vegan??'. This place will change ANYone's mind about raw vegan cuisine. Impress your vegan friends or baffle your steak & potato chums with a meal at Pure. But don't misunderstand, it's not a 'Wow, this is good for raw food' type of great, this food can hold its own against fully cooked, animal product-full food any day of the week.