Candle 79

154 E 79th St

For the record, anyone who is vegetarian automatically gets promoted to my new best friend. InterSportsWriter and I sealed our new best friendness at an Upper East Side vegetarian restaurant called Candle 79.

To get started, I ordered the PB&J smoothie and a glass of white wine.

For the entrees, my dining companion and I ordered the chickpea cake with mixed vegetables topped with almonds.

We also had the cornmeal crusted seitan served over mashed potatoes and spinach.

What is seitan? Seitan is made from wheat gluten and is used as a protein substitute for meat dissenters. It tastes better than it sounds—I think.

Seitan’s chewy texture did little for me and my tastebuds. The chickpea cake was not much better. Both entrees were somewhat bland in flavor. The fact that I preferred the mashed potatoes above all else says something about the meal. Maybe I’m just not a seitan/chickpea cake kind of person. In addition, the cake was dry.

Maybe it’s me, but the PB&J smoothie was also a disappointment. Once upon a time, I was in a serious relationship with my blender; my mornings and afternoons were not complete without some form of protein shake/smoothie. You can imagine my despair when I realized I could have made the exact same “PB&J” shake at home, only better, and not been $8 lighter.

The service was great on an early Thursday evening, and had I not been rushed to catch a boat (literally), I might have tried dessert. Sadly, this place will not get my business again.

The owners also have a sister restaurant called Candle Café, a vegan eatery of which I have not been and not sure I will. However, I will give them props for the inventive dishes. Chickpea cake…Who knew?

DAMAGE ~ 80
VERDICT: Pass