NYC Jem

Diablo Burrito in it's new $0.75 home

First of all, the search for a vegan place came about because my kid and niece wanted, in the worst way, to eat at Max Brenner's Bald Chocolate Man.  I do a search on VegOut, my iPhone go to app and lo and behold, there's a place at the SAME address.  What?

So our waiter says, yeah, great place, he used to work there and when they closed for renovations a few years ago got the job at Max's and never went back.  So I read a review on HappyCow and I discover that someone had a hard time finding it because unless you know it's there YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!

841 Broadway, between 13th and 14th.  Go in the lobby, say hi to the security guard, go to the elevator and push 2.  Have faith.

You're in a yoga studio but keep poking around and you'll find this small eclectic place.

I really don't like a sprouts and raw veggies on a pita kind of place but the menu had seitan, which they make themselves ... Rosemary Seitan actually and if I remember a tempeh dish or two.  So I ordered the burrito, I think it was called the Diablo Burrito, because we were walking and I thought it would be convenient.  (But I forgot to ask for it to go.)

The burrito was in a whole wheat wrap, had lettuce, tomato, avocado, black beans and of course, the seitan.  The salad of mixed greens had a mustard dressing.

The burrito had a curryish flavor and wasn't too spicy at all but in all fairness, I did eat it about 2 hours later on a stoop on Rivington Street.  The piece of seitan I ate before they put it in my 'to go ' container was delicious and had a great mouthiness to it.

For $19 it was a pretty pricy burrito but seitan isn't being served on every street corner yet and we still have to pay a premium for specialty prepared vegan dishes.

That being said the real negative, to me, was that when I asked to have the meal 'to go' they charged me $0.75.  As you know, I hate nickel and dime stuff and at $19 for the burrito, plus a buck for a tip, that is just nonsense.

This is definitely a place to eat at if you're in the union square area.  It's peaceful, quiet, and serene.  My 11 year old said, "What a zen place."

Curley's is 4 long blocks away and Zen Palate I heard was reopened on Union Square East so you do have choices.  We'll definitely do this place again.

Now, as far as Max Brenner and the Bald Man Chocolatier, what I got was a basic Dr. Praegars veggie burger, vegan, no bun or dressing and a side of fries.  I later found out that the fries were cooked in the same oil as all the other proteins but live and learn.  What I do want to give a thumbs up to is the way it was presented.  I made me feel, for the first time getting a veggie patty in a restaurant, that some care was put into the plate. Here:

So thank you Max Brenner for at least putting this on the menu for me.  Now if you can up the vegan choice and please please a vegan chocolate for us too!

All that being said, the kids had fun!