NYC Day 7 – Food Distribution, NYC Dosas, & Pure Food & Wine

When we first checked into Sanctuary Guest Suites (SGSs) we were told that every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday guests are invited to join SGSs’ Food For Life program as they distribute free food in Tompkins Square Park to those in need. Without discussion Ethan and I knew immediately that we wanted to help. It just took a glance – yup, yup – and we were in.

On Wednesday morning we met up with the compassionate folks behind the Food For Life program and spent a couple of hours helping hand out meals. Ethan did most of the handing out while I snagged a couple of impromptu audio interviews with Matthew Gross, a seven-year-long Food For Life volunteer, and Adi Tarantino, a Food For Life founding member and organizer. The audio and transcript of the interview are below the following pics.

It was a truly wonderful experience and we look forward to more volunteer opportunities while on the road. If you have any in mind, please feel free to email us at info[at]wtfveganfood.com. And if you would like to learn more about volunteering with Food For Life, please reach out via Sanctuary Guest Suites.

Click the ‘play button’ below to hear about what we did that morning and to learn more about the Food For Life program.
[audio:https://wtfveganfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/FoodForLife.mp3|titles=FoodForLife]

Click here to read the interview transcript.

After volunteering we headed to NYC Dosas, a vegan street cart in Washington Square Park. When we arrived it kind of felt of like we discovered a hidden treasure but the truth is that this place is quite popular among local vegans, and appears to be a hot spot for those who work near the Park, as well as those passing through. Run by Thiru Kumar, NYC Dosas is the perfect pit stop if you’ve got a hankering for delicious, fast-food-style Indian cuisine. YUM!

NYC Dosas – 100% vegan

50 Washington Sq S
New York, NY 10014

We found an open bench in the Park to sit, chow down, and people/dog watch. Aaaaah.

The cool thing about these drumsticks is the “bone” in the middle is made of sugar cane. So you can eat it! :)

After NYC Dosas we went to our friend, Dan’s place to do some work, relax for a bit, and then head to dinner at Pure Food & Wine. Dan came with us and we once again met up with our new friends, Stage and Johana. We were also delighted to enjoy the company of Candle 79 manager, Benay V.

Pure Food & Wine – 100% vegan

54 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003

Oh dear. More not-so-great food pics. I’m quickly learning that dining in the evening, especially at restaurants that favor mood lighting, is the worst for picture taking. At this point we were using the light on Ethan’s phone to brighten each plate while I snapped a shot. These are okay but could have been better. There are also a few pics of the restaurant and our friends that I’m not posting because they just came out so horribly. Learning, learning, learning! :)

Anywho. While I’m sad the photos of these dishes will not do them justice I will say that every bite of every dish we had on this night was heavenly. I had been to Pure Food & Wine only once before and my recollection of that evening was just as decadent. Add in some new vegan friends and you’ve got a wonderful, wonderful evening. The wine and laughter were a flowin’ as well. :)

I was hoping to use their online menu to recall what we had but it looks like the dishes have changed. They are a raw food restaurant so naturally their meals are seasonal. Doh!

Since we had such a large group I believe we were able to try almost every appetizer on the menu (pics below). Every app was truly delicious but Ethan and I agree that the stand out was the mushrooms filled with a creme sauce of sorts. The flavor was incredibly rich but not over the top. The sushi was pretty amazing too. Oooooh my!

Fortunately some of the main meal dishes we got this night are still listed on their website. Here are descriptions of a few of the dishes pictured below: photo #1 – zucchini, local roma and heirloom tomato lasagna (basil pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato marinara, macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta); photo #4 – pad thai with kelp noodles and baby bok choy (snow peas, king oyster mushrooms, tamarind sauce, sesame salted cashews, cilantro oil); photo #5 – brazil nut crusted almond and sea vegetable croquettes (tartare sauce, local sweet chili sauce, wild arugula with pink pepper).

Everything here is crazy delicious. But of the meals pictured below the one that I remember most is the brazil nut crusted almond and sea vegetable croquettes. The flavor was amazingly rich. And aside from taste let’s face it, the dish just LOOKS gorgeous. Two snaps for beautiful plating! ;)

Moving on to the best course…err.. I mean, the third course. ;) In the pic below the closer martini glass is filled with raw mint ice cream and chocolate. Ethan is still talking about this one (he loves mint!). And the far martini glass is a banana cashew cream dish, I believe.  And my sincere apologies as I can’t recall the name of the lovely dish pictured below the martini glass desserts. However, I will say that the desserts at Pure Food & Wine have always been on my top 3 dessert recommendation list. They’re seriously amazing.

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