January, 1996
Candle Cafe
1307 Third Avenue (at 75th Street)
Phone: 212-472-0970
The Upper East Side is not a place usually associated with sustainable
living, populated as it is by huge highrises (many with "Trump"
in their name), overpriced boutiques for clothes and gems, lavish steakhouses,
and in winter a bevy of fur, very little on the original owners. But
as I found on a recent visit, there are some real jewels: organic markets,
a vegan take-out shop, and Candle Cafe, an elegant pure vegetarian restaurant
with some of the best food in Manhattan.
Even if Candle Cafe is off your usual route, it’s well worth a
special trip. The long, narrow restaurant immediately welcomes with
the glow of its eponymous candles. Candles grace each table and hang
in pairs, unlit, along the restaurant’s undulating right wall which
is draped in earth-hued canvas panels. Tables and chairs are bistro-black
sleek, and the lighting is low.
Candle Cafe is up front but not pushy about its ecological consciousness:
the menu says the space was built with earth-friendly materials, and
that recycling, filtered water and sustainable food production (organic,
when possible) are central tenets of the business. The meals that result
prove that sound principles can produce sensational food — and
that health can be luscious.
The stuffed mushrooms (appetizer, $6.95) were huge and delicious, with
a nutty center and rich wild mushroom glaze. The bean pate ($4.50) was
thick and powerfully flavored — a mini-meal in itself. Entrées,
some of which change every few days, range from tempeh burgers to seitan
enchiladas to a hearty spinach pie (sensibly priced from $4.75 to 11.50).
The Paradise casserole ($11.50), offered on a recent night, was described
as "the best thing I’ve ever eaten" by a friend who’s
a gourmet cook. Layers of sweet potato, black beans and millet are served
on a bed of greens with roasted root vegetables and wild mushroom gravy.
The grilled tempeh portobello burger ($8.50), served in some of the
best pita bread I’ve tasted, was thick, hearty and a bit sweet.
Needless to say it was delicious, as were the grilled vegetables and
huge tomato slice that surrounded it. The spinach pie with mashed potatoes
and steamed vegetables ($11.50) was hearty and well-seasoned, a healthy,
lighter redux of a classic, heavy British meal.
At Candle Cafe, the "sides", which in other restaurants are
often perfunctory slices of lettuce or kale, receive as much attention
from the chefs as the main courses. So packed with flavor and texture,
they must be fully eaten. As a result, there’s a danger at Candle
Cafe of over-eating because the food just tastes so good. My suggestion
is to make several visits, choosing a few dishes each time and leaving
room for dessert. Another option, which I tried on a recent visit, is
to eat several small dishes and a soup. The center of our meal was Wigmore’s
Living Foods Salad ($5.25 for small; $9.00 for large), a colorful, crunchy
and ‘from the garden’ plate of mesclun greens, several kinds
of sprouts, carrots, raisins and scallions with a light (but as with
all Candle Cafe’s food, flavorful) balsamic vinaigrette. We added
butternut squash soup ($3.75 small bowl; $4.50 large), a thin and delicious
purée of the sweet squash with discreet spice, and bean pate,
and left feeling sated and energized.
Another strategy is to order a Good Food plate ($5.00 to $8.00). Choose
between two and five dishes from an array of macrobiotic-type offerings:
grain and bean of the day, sea vegetables, noodles, grilled bread and
a huge array of sauces, including carrot butter, B-12 tamari dijon and
roasted garlic tomatoes.
Candle Cafe desserts look delicious, but I’ve only had room to
taste one, an apricot-apple and granola confection which was a near-perfect
blend of flavors: lots of fruit and lots of crunch. I’ve never
tasted a crumble quite like it before. Also on the dessert roster are
dairy-free kanten parfaits, pies, cakes and an array of cookies, muffins
and brownies/blondies. Candle Cafe has a full juice bar, organic coffee
and decaf, grain coffee, teas, and a menu of alcohol-free, health-packed
fruit cocktails with exotic sobriquets. Catering and take-out pies and
cakes are available.
Natalie Merchant and funky alternative rock play in the background,
candles flicker, and diners are made to feel at home by owners Joy Pierson
and Bart Potenza, founders of the Healthy Candle, one of the East Side’s
first progressive dining outposts. My only complaint: Candle Cafe is
so far from the New York City where I live and work and eat. Instead
of sulking, I guess I better just schedule another visit uptown.
Candle Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with brunch on
Saturdays and Sundays. Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m., Sat. 10
a.m. - 10:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Mia MacDonald is an animal activist who lives in Brooklyn.
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