Restaurant Shoutout - Counter

One of our favorite restaurants in New York is Counter in the East Village. It is a vegetarian bistro that focuses on organic and local food. The best part about it is that it isn't exclusively vegan - they still serve eggs and cheese, but the dishes that use dairy are clearly marked on their menu. This means that omnivores are more easily persuaded to give it a try than a vegan restaurant, but there are still a TON of options for me. The result is that we've eaten there way more times than any other restaurant in the city and we always take out-of-towners there for brunch.

Unfortunately, they are closing this month after eight years of operating which seriously brings a tear to my eye. They have not announced an exact date yet, so run on down there if you can and experience it for yourself. The owner is going to focus on her other business, Body & Soul, which sells baked goods at the Union Square Greenmarket so make sure to get down there and support her! I hope that more restaurants begin catering to ALL diets. It's so hard to find a place that omnivores and veggies can both enjoy without one group feeling very deprived.

I took these pictures there this past weekend while having brunch with my mother-in-law. We'll miss you, Counter! 



I love the decor, the chairs have seen better days, but they're still so pretty!

I always loved this strand of oversized prayer beads.

This probably would have looked more appetizing if I'd taken the picture BEFORE I started eating.

My favorite dishes included vegan biscuits and gravy (just like Grandma used to make!), homemade tempeh bacon, vegan french toast (the best I've ever had), the peach BBQ tofu with polenta and greens that they had in the summer, and the warm apple semolina cake that was served in a mason jar with ice cream on top!

Johnny's favorites were the egg, tempeh bacon and biscuit sandwich, the tea-smoked tofu crispy panini, and the apple cake. I'll have to try to recreate some of this stuff at home!