Ooh Baby Baby

What do city girls in the city after work? They go out to dinner with their girlfriends of course! Succumbing to the Sex And The City trend of eating out with galpals, I met my friend Ali last week for drinks and the fateful girls dinner. As I have mentioned before, I work two days a week downtown in the heart of Soho--a shopper's heaven. You want to see fashionable ladies strutting around? Go to Soho.

I waited for Ali on a street corner in front of an air conditioned designer boutique. I was loitering, but didn't care. They want to waste their AC and draw in customers by leaving the doors wide open to the muggy NYC streets, be my guest. I plan to fully take advantage of their waste. So, while I was cooling off, I heard these girls, smoking cigarettes on what seemed like a coffee break, discussing their new vegan diets. "I mean, totally, like it's so good for you. Raw veggies, barely any gluten, nuts...Oh my god so many nuts. Though my skin is going to be like totally gorgeous." Listening to these women, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to question/discuss the vegan diet with my friend Ali who was a vegan herself.

After sixty "likes," you knows," and "oh my gods," Ali arrived and started directing us immediately to our destination: Essex Restaurant. Coincidentally, my friend Mimi had recommended that I try this restaurant for brunch. Ali and I walked through the streets of the Lower East Side, window shopping, sweating, and catching up on life.

Essex. Now how do I put this? Simply amazing. We arrived at 6:30, smack in the middle of their happy hour special: half-priced drinks from 6-9pm. The restaurant also has a nightly seafood special. Our novice waitress kept forcing the mussels special on us even after we articulated and re-articulated Ali's vegetarianism. However, I did have a ginger pear saketini and a mango belini half price so I won't complain.

Over drinks, we had mini spanakopita that weren't identified as such, but tasted exactly the same as the Greek specialty. Girl talk increased exponentially as the entrees arrived. I had a delicious manchego macaroni and cheese with an edamame, green bean, and blood orange side salad. Strange combination, I know, but the kick from the citrusy beans complimented the tangy creaminess of the cheesy macaroni. So filling! Ali had the real kicker though. Essex does a Potato Pancake Special that blows most latkes out of the water. It is set up as a triplet. One potato pancake has a huge slab of creamy goat cheese with fresh argula. The second is topped with sauteed onions and a side of homemade applesauce. The third--last, but not least--is a potato pancake topped with smoked salmon, caviar, and creme fraiche. Miraculous. Whoever thought a greasy Hanukkah dish could be so good?

After stuffing ourselves to the brim with carb-tastic food and alcohol, Ali suggested she educate me on vegan cooking by taking me to BabyCakes, a bakery that offers "all-natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs." They also sweeten most dishes with agave nectar, the syrup from the center of a cactus!

The store reminds me a little of an artists studio mixed with a barbershop. It has that narrow, working-space quality and the homey feeling of a private studio. Original local art graces the walls of this small shop and cushions line the quaint window seat area at the front. I purchased two cupcakes. The carrot and the brownie. The brownie was strangely sweetened with organic ingredients, almond flour, and agave nectar. There is no milk in the chocolate so it is extremely rich and thick. It sort of felt like the first time I tried Diet Coke. I couldn't place the aspartame flavor, but I let it bubble on my tongue for a while until the sweetness settled into my palate. I think agave-flavored anything is an acquired taste like Diet Coke...you need to accept the fact that it will not buzz like refined sugar.

The Carrot Cupcake, on the other hand, was like eating a nuttier carrot cake. It was delicious and flavorful, but there was no creamcheese frosting. Substitute frosting may look glossy and beautiful from a display case, but it doesn't stand a chance against creamcheese. There is a reason god made female animals produce milk (beyond the obvious infant nuturing concept). Dairy is for delicious creamy consumption! As Julia Child says so aptly, "you can never have too much butter." So true. So very true.

In short, while the decor and the ambiance of BabyCakes was adorable and my company beyond wonderful, I can't say that I would grab a vegan cupcake before a delicious buttercream frosted masterpiece. And I wouldn't even dream of making these kinds of desserts at home for myself because, as Ali says, "You need to spend approximately $100 at Whole Foods to get all the weird required ingredients for a single batch." Thanks, but no thanks.

Essex Restaurant: 120 Essex Street, NY, NY 10002 near the Essex, Delancey Street Stop (F, J, M, Z)
BabyCakes: 248 Broome Street (Btwn Orchard & Ludlow) NY, NY 10002; near Delancey Street Stop (F, J, M, Z)