Lazy MoFo

That's me! The last week or two have kind of kicked my ass and I'm currently pet sitting, so even though I'll be cooking, I just don't have the patience to make sure it's all themed and photographed and blah blah blah. So this week's theme is Midtown Manhattan. It's considered one of New York's least vegan-friendly areas, but I'm going to prove you can eat lunch here for a whole week without going crazy. Photos will be taken at my desk, using my cameraphone, so don't expect anything spectacular. But to make up for that, there will also be pictures of the furballs I'm  hanging out with. Good deal?

OK, then. Let's start with Zen Palate.

I started with dessert because the photo of my entree was even worse.

Zen Palate mostly serves kind of Asian-esque food. They're most well known for their entrees that come with taro spring rolls and brown rice:

(please pretend only the bottom half of the photo is visible)

These specials are probably my least favorite items on their menu. I mostly get their Deluxe Tong Mein Noodle Soup with Vegetables. The vegetable and tofu pieces are so big I eat them and the noodles with a fork, then drink the broth. The fake duck in it is good too. I also like their portobello burger with yam fries. The Zen burger is pretty good, too. They also have one vegan dessert: key lime pie (photo above). It's the only key lime pie I've ever had and it's pretty good, but could use more crust, especially since it's so soft and crumbly (but really, MORE CRUST is my usual complaint with single-crust pies).

Zen Palate is vegetarian and pretty vegan friendly, but be careful when you order, even if you've eaten there before. I feel like every time I check out their menu, another *D has shown up on it. Also, they don't offer the "eco-friendly" option on Seamlessweb, which kind of sucks. They have three locations in Manhattan, so there's a good chance they'll deliver to wherever you are. Protip: there's a $12 minimum for delivery if you order through Seamlessweb, and it's $15 if you order through iMenu360. I think it's supposed to be a $10 minimum if you order over the phone, but they almost always forget and deliver my $8 soup without question (I know $8 sounds like a lot for soup, but seriously, you'll be full for HOURS).

And now, without further ado.....TABITHA!

Tabby's the sweetest cat I've encountered in my life. She's an older rescue and when my friends first brought her home, she was pretty terrified of people because of what she'd gone through in her previous life. She's made huge strides since then and loves hanging out with everyone now.

If you're in the New York area and are thinking about adopting a rescue cat, check out Empty Cages Collective. They're pretty awesome.