Meat-eaters and vegans come together at Counter

[Guest guest]

Issue date: 3/12/07 Section: Leisure Print Email Article Tools Page 1 of 1 Media Credit: Greg Piccolo Media Credit: Greg

PiccoloCounter105 First AvenueBetween 6th and 7th Streets212.982.5630I've realized that a lot of meat- eaters tend to steer clear of vegetarian restaurants because they feel that there is too much of an "anti-meat" message involved. For the most part, they are correct; many meatless eateries in New York City are sparsely-decorated, pamphlet-distributing institutions that can seem unfriendly to carnivores. Although I obviously enjoy these enclaves, sometimes I just want to go to a "normal" restaurant, drink good wine and enjoy food with my friends, who usually don't share my views on eating. Then I discovered Counter, a vegetarian restaurant and martini bar in the East Village, and realized that this is the perfect place to bring a meat eater to, and have them leave full, satisfied and with a better understanding of exactly what vegetarian dining is about, without making them

feel guilty for eating meat.Counter is as much of a bar scene as it is an upscale restaurant. The dim lighting of the dining room provides enough of an intimate setting for a date and is lively enough meet new people over drinks. The bar has retro-diner stools and surrounds a vertical display of purely organic rums, vodkas and wines. The restaurant itself holds around 70 people for dinner, which makes for a wait list on weekends. Weekend brunch is just as popular, and on a Saturday in the mid-afternoon, diners were still piling in."We want to educate them in a subtle way," says Ariel Lacayo, partner and manager sommelier of Counter. In addition to making sure that every diner is happy and having a good time, Lacayo's desire is to teach patrons about the blending of food and wine with one another, and more interestingly, wine and wine with one another. "Why not?" he replies when I ask him about the pairing of two drinks together. "Because wine is made of

grapes, grapes are food. Therefore wine is food." His passion for fine wine is evident in the 250+ wine list, which has won awards from Wine Spectator magazine. He says that eventually the wine list will grow to 400, and will include a wine representative from every region of the world. Deborah Gavito, the other half of the team, a vegetarian who sells homemade vegan desserts at the Farmer's Market in Union Square, is the imagination behind the creative martini list. All of the vodka used at Counter is infused on the premises and is displayed in large colorful glass jars in the dining room. All of the martinis ($12), with names such as "Angry Lesbian" and "Tie Me to the Bed Post," come with witty descriptions that are as creative as the drinks themselves. I tried the "Married in a Fever," which is a red wine poached pear nectar with pear-infused vodka, garnished with pineapple and ginger. I never thought that you would be able to taste a

difference drinking an organic alcoholic drink, but I was mistaken, as the fresh fruit emphasized the unique taste of the vodka perfectly. Also worth trying is the "Not Tonight, Dear" (juniper gin, sweet and dry vermouth and fresh raspberries), not only for the kitsch name, but because it was a solid martini.The first thing worth noting on the menu was its lack of meat substitutes, which was unusual for vegetarian fare, but allowed for more creativity on the menu. I agree with Gavito, when she said her reason behind this was because it is harder to make a vegetable an entr�e, but when it is executed right, it succeeds tremendously. For dinner, my guest and I tried the Mezze platter ($15) of panisee with aioli (chickpea fries with a vegan mayonnaise), artichaut farci (stuffed artichoke heart) and zaalok (roasted pepper and eggplant caviar). The chickpea fries were savory and the "mayonnaise" was creamy, unlike many mock varieties on the market. The pita bread

that came alongside the zaalok was matched well, as the sweetness of the zaalok worked with the spices of the eggplant.For an entr�e, I tried the cauliflower "risotto" ($18) which was made without rice and came with shitake mushrooms and crispy polenta sticks. It was as hearty as traditional risotto, but didn't leave me with that dreaded stomach pain that comes from eating something so heavy. My guest chose the special of the day, a vegan "meatloaf" made of lentils with mushroom gravy and topped with asparagus and mashed potatoes (no butter or milk) that looked and tasted better than any meatloaf I have ever eaten. It was moist and didn't fall apart when cutting it, like some bean-based dishes can. The gravy was a treat since that too is hard to come by in vegetarian form. We also tried the Vegetable Tasting Mosaic ($19), which was a platter of fresh vegetables, quinoa (similar to cous-cous), portabello mushroom roulade, fennel and escarole.

My favorite item was the whipped maple syrup sweet potatoes, which were sweet, creamy and left me craving them the next day.For dessert, everything was vegan (the dinner and brunch menus include some dairy) and they tasted just as good as they looked. The cr�me brulee ($9), which came with orange peels and berries was lighter and airier than its dairy-based counterpart, but was equally delicious and didn't cause the same guilt that eating the French treat can. The pecan hot fudge sundae ($8) came with soy pecan ice cream stuffed on top of crispy phyllo dough and garnished with hot fudge. On top of the ice cream, was a single real yellow flower that I thought was a beautiful touch for a beautiful meal. Counter is a great place to bring a meat-eater to and not have them worry about not having something to eat. It's an even better place to drink a few martinis in a trendy, but comfortable setting. And it serves to satisfy the vegetarian who is

tired of Asian-infused everythingPeter H

 

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