Taste the Art of Vegetarian Flavor at Zen Palate
Written: Sep 28 '03
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Pros: Excellent food, reasonable prices, nice atmosphere.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: This was the best vegetarian food I've had in a comfortable atmosphere. A highly recommend.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Zen Palate - Upper West Side |
Recently we visited my daughter and her boyfriend in New York City. He suggested Zen Palate and it was a super choice.
Location, Reservations, Hours, Parking:
Zen Palate has several locations in the City including 663 Ninth Avenue at 46th Street (Midtown West) and 34 Union Square East at 16th Street (Flatiron/Gramercy/Union Square)
We ate at the Zen Palate located at 2170 Broadway between 76th and 77th Streets. This is on the upper West Side. The phone number is 212-501-7768. Although you may be able to find on-street parking, New York is very, very subway friendly. We traveled by train and bus (coming from Brooklyn). The subway stops are 1, 9 to 79th street. My daughter knows her way so it was very easy. If you aren’t in the city you might want to make sure you know what train to get on before you go!
Zen Palate only takes reservations for parties of 6 or more. There were 4 of us and I was concerned about the wait but surprisingly at 6:30 PM on a Saturday night, there was no wait. There were plenty of people, but I never saw a line form.
You can take food to go or have it delivered as well with a delivery minimum of $6.00 and a credit card minimum of $15.00.
Their hours are:
Monday to Thursday: 12:00 PM - 10:45 PM
Friday and Saturday: 12:00 PM - 11:45 PM
Sunday: 12:00 PM - 10:45 PM
They accept all major credit cards.
Other information:
A very friendly woman, who showed us to a fairly small, simply decorated room greeted us. It was very pretty though and had the right ambiance for a Saturday night vegetarian restaurant. I found it tastefully done without being fancy but a few steps above “hippie crunchy.” Be careful as you walk in. There is a short corridor that is on the dark side and although there are no steps it may be hard to see. Grab a mint on your way in or out although they did put down mints at the end of the meal.
As we sat down they dimmed the lights. It seemed appropriate for that time of night. The atmosphere was fairly quiet. There were no children there – mostly couples, friends and small groups of families. I see no reason to say this is not a child friendly restaurant. On a Saturday night, the crowd didn't include children.
Our waiter was very nice and helpful. My daughter’s friend gave us some suggestions and we also asked the waiter for his favorites and several of them duplicated “John’s.” He explained items we didn’t know or how spicy some foods were. If you have never eaten in a vegetarian restaurant you will not know what some of the food is. In my experience don’t be afraid to ask. Our waiter was more than happy to explain. We spent about 1-½ hours there and never felt rushed. It was a wonderful experience.
There are no alcoholic beverages served.
The food:
This was the best vegetarian food I have had, at reasonable prices and huge helpings.
We started with scallion pancakes which are similar but really much better than I’ve gotten in Chinese restaurants for $4.25, Steamed Vegetable Dumplings (made with whole wheat, not white, flour) and Steamed Green Beans which were a bit on the spicy side but delicious. On to the main course. You can get a pasta entrée for as little as $6.00 or one for as much as $13.50 but the average price and the price we paid for our 4 entrees were in the $9.50.
My husband and I both got Shredded Heaven, which was suggested both by John and the waiter. It was excellent. I took back ½ of the dish with me. There was enough on my plate for two people. It comes with Chives, Bean Sprouts, Three Kinds of Shredded Soy, Wheat Gluten, Taro Spring Roll and Brown Rice. It was excellent. My daughter got the Tofu Delight with Zucchini, Tomatoes, Soft Tofu in a Black Bean Sauce, Taro Spring Roll, and Brown Rice. “John” got Sesame Medallions which are thinly Sliced Wheat Gluten in an Asian Barbecue Sauce (looks like meat) Garnished with Steamed Broccoli, Taro Spring Roll and Brown Rice.
We had iced teas and apple juice, which were $1.50 each and ended with hot teas (mint, green).
Final thoughts:
Zen Palate is getting 5 stars. I couldn’t have asked for better food at reasonable prices in a comfortable atmosphere. It is in a great location – a bit more upscale than Angelica Kitchen, which is also excellent, but Zen Palate will give you more for your money and you won’t have anyone sitting right next to you.
Feel free to leave me a question or comment.
A NYC Deli:
Pick a Bagel on Third
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Ask the waiter to explain anything you don''t understand.
Best Suited For: Trendy Crowd
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