* Favorite New Restaurant Alert! *
If you’re like me, then whenever you plan to go out to dinner, you can never remember what places are on your “to go” list and you wind up somewhere totally random. That’s nice and all, but then when are you ever going to make good on your list?
So you can imagine how happy I was when my pescetarian friend and I ventured to one of my “to go” places recently, and I’m totally obsessed with it now.
The Organic Grill is a hop, skip and a jump away from my apartment and, even better, it’s a vegetarian’s and vegan’s heaven. Tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils — it’s all there and it’s all done extremely well. If you know the other East Village vegetarian gem Angelica Kitchen, in comparison, The Organic Grill is a smaller, slightly more casual spot.
The menu is quite large so be ready to spend some time mulling over all of the options. We ended up with sandwiches, me: the tempeh bacon panini and her: the lentil burger.
"The Organic Grill Panini": Spinach, onion, tomato, cheese and tempeh bacon on ciabatta
Lentil burger
Both were really filling without making us feel heavy by the end of our meal, and I think a lot of that is thanks to the fresh ingredients. Man, so glad I discovered this place before I (possibly) leave my ‘hood this fall for a new apartment.
By the by, need some help navigating the world of soy protein? FitSugar did a nice chart of tofu vs. tempeh, and Living Vegetarian did an even more comprehensive comparison of tofu, tempeh and seitan.
There are so, so many things I want to try there, so I’ll certainly be back. Next, I’m dying the try the grilled pizza (tempeh bacon, soy sausage, grilled onions and fresh spinach) and the roasted mushroom burger.
The Organic Grill
123 First Ave. (between 7th St. and St. Marks Place)
212.477.7177
6 to Astor Place
L to First Ave.