Special meal with vegetarian option in NYC

[Andrew]

I'm looking for a good restaurant to go to for a 'special' meal. We will be visting NYC in April. My partner is a vegetarian so it should usually have a couple of veggie dishes for each course. Quality of food is important as is location etc. I was thinking of the River Cafe. Other places suggested to me are One if by land two if by sea or Blue Hill views on these and all other suggestions welcome!

Thanks.

Edited September 30, 2010 by Andrew (log)

[LPShanet]

I'm looking for a good restaurant to go to for a 'special' meal. We will be visting NYC in April. My partner is a vegetarian so it should usually have a couple of veggie dishes for each course. Quality of food is important as is location etc. I was thinking of the River Cafe. Other places suggested to me are One if by land two if by sea or Blue Hill views on these and all other suggestions welcome!

Thanks.

Well, for the mother of all options, the clear choice is Per Se. They have a separate vegetable tasting menu, and are arguably the best restaurant in New York. So in terms of "special", I'd guess that fits the bill. One caveat: the vegetable tasting menu isn't strictly vegetarian, though they will happily make it so if you request that.

In terms of the places you're considering, I'd avoid One if by Land, Two if by Sea, unless you're only interested in ambience. The food there is truly ordinary. The room is great, but it's sort of a caricature of a restaurant otherwise, and very few local New Yorkers go there these days. As for Blue Hill, I'd say that if you have time, going to their Stone Barns outpost rather than the one in the Village would be revelatory for the vegetarian in your life.

[sethd]

I second Per Se. Daniel also has a vegetarian menu.

[sickchangeup]

The new Chef at Adour just added one too, here is it's current form:

vegetarian tasting menu

CRANBERRY BEAN VELOUTÉ

QUAIL EGGS, CHANTERELLES, BALSAMIC RÉDUCTION

AUTUMN WHITE VEGETABLES CARPACCIO

APPLE, PEAR, BLACK TRUFFLE VINAIGRETTE

YUKON GOLD POTATO GNOCCHI

BROCCOLINI, TUBER MELANOSPORUM

FIGS AND WILD MUSHROOM COOKPOT

OLIVE OIL – BLACK PEPPER CONDIMENT

CONTEMPORARY EXOTIC VACHERIN

MANGO MARMALADE, COCONUT, PASSION FRUIT EMULSION

$85

EXECUTIVE CHEF DIDIER ELENA

PASTRY CHEF SANDRO MICHELI

[kathryn]

If you're dead set on visiting One if By Land, have a drink at the bar before your dinner and then walk to Blue Hill, which is only a few minutes away walking.

[ojisan]

I had an amazing vegan kaiseki meal at Kajitsu. Located in the lower eastside.

[Mayur]

Kajitsu looks tasty; must check it out.

You definitely want to stay away from places like the River Cafe and One if by Land... ESPECIALLY as a vegetarian. The food will be extremely disappointing.

As to recommendations: Blue Hill is excellent for vegetarians, and Stone Barns is even better in terms of food, service, and setting. Also, I heartily second Per Se; that vegetable tasting is dynamite, and the setting is perfect. To be honest, any NYT four-star level place will do great food; I've been to all of them with my dad, who's a strict vegetarian, and they've done beautifully by him. The key thing is to let them know you're dining with a vegetarian when you make your reservation. They perform much better when they have advance notice.

[LPShanet]

Kajitsu looks tasty; must check it out.

Yes, Kajitsu is phenomenal. Worth checking out, even for people who are usually major meat-eaters.

[Andrew]

Thanks for all these suggestions, will 'avoid' One if by Land and River Cafe. We've got 5 nights so will try a few of the suggestions. I have lots of amazing reports about Per Se although at $275 + wine per head it puts it at the most expensive meal I will have ever eaten (even more than the Fat Duck which is absolutely amazing).