The Simple Kitchen

Hello, friends!

Please forgive me for my tardiness in writing a new post.  I suppose I can blame it on spring fever.  Doing cartwheels through fields of dandelions has apparently addled my brain!  No...no....I joke....that is what I do!

But anyway, I am back and I won't abandon you all again....promise.  Honestly, I am looking for willing souls who will pay me to cook, write about or do just about anything with food.

I have had a few conversations with friends lately about vegetarianism versus veganism and how at times these two camps go to war like bitter enemies.  A few tweets went around after the Vegetarian Food Festival about how veganism is the only way to go and vegetarians are evil for eating dairy and it is all very militant.  I know alot of vegans that are very happy. In fact, my friend's twelve year old daughter is a staunch vegan.  But once you introduce judgment into it, I can't help but wonder one's true motivation.  I read things about the dairy industry that make me feel awful for those poor cows.  Apparently, cows are given hormones to trick them into thinking they are pregnant so they will produce milk.  Once they get older and start producing less milk they are no longer useful and god knows what their fate is.  I do try to drink almond milk or soy milk as much as possible but I really do like milk in my coffee and I love cheese.  The bottom line to this whole diatribe is this...it is a personal choice and you have to be true to what you believe in.  It is a lifestyle and we all do the best we can each day. It is important to know where your food comes from and what happens before it arrives at your market and in some cases, it truly is a house of horrors. Now I will get off of my biodegradable soap box and tell you about an amazing restaurant I just discovered.

It is called "The Simple Kitchen" and I had lunch there yesterday.  It is an organic cafe in Chelsea which serves biodynamic and organic wine, as well as fantastic food. What is biodynamic, you ask? I have no freakin idea...but I have looked it up and here is the definition: a method of organic farming that emphasizes holistic development without the use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides.  Sounds good to me and it seems to work because the ingredients were beautiful.  It's a small sunny space with limited seating.  There is a big farm table in the middle for communal seating, two small tables and a counter along the window.  Most people seem to get take away so it was pretty empty when I walked in with my friend, Dizery, but we took a seat at the farm table.  You order what you like and they bring it to you.  In the refrigerated area, it was stock full of prepackaged salads such as Poached Chicken salad, Shaved Cabbage salad with baked tofu and Golden Beet and Quinoa Salad. There were entrees such as Vegetable Curry with brown rice, Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs and Beef and Broccoli Rice Bowl, which my dear lunch companion chose. She made a happy plate so I know she enjoyed it.  I had the Seasonal Hummus Wrap and it was perfect! I am still thinking about it and want to have it again asap!  There was creamy, flavorful hummus cradled inside a wrap with mesculin greens, cucumber, shredded carrots and came with a tahini sauce which I loved!  Tahini is something we see everywhere but there was something about this tahini that was so addictive.  It had a subtle sweetness from locally grown honey and gave you such an explosion of flavor.  The vegetables were crisp and fresh and I loved the lemony hummus.  We decided to sample one of their desserts so we shared a slice of carrot cake.  It was more spice-cakey than carroty and I love that kind of cinnamon, cardamom flavor almost as much as I do chocolate.  Then you take into consideration the cream cheese frosting (another fave of mine) and it was a beautiful end to a beautiful meal.  Not only was I satisfied from eating fantastic food but I felt good about where it all came from. The meats are humanely raised and free of antibiotics and hormones.  If my friends are going to be carnivores I would rather they eat it this way.  I once heard Alicia Silverstone say on Oprah that she would want to meet the cow or chicken and see that he was raised happily, and I totally understand that. But until we can actually do that, this is a good start.  They also offer a weekend brunch although it is a fairly limited list of brunch items.

The Simple Kitchen is located at 361 West 17th Street. It is reasonably priced and you can check out their website at http://simplekitchencafe.com/.

So go out there and enjoy the beautiful spring and eat really good food!  Please let me know your thoughts and any questions or requests you may have for a topic.

Love,
Robina