Advice for Pre-Dining Vegans, Vegetarians and Nut-Allergic Peoples

If you have any type of special dietary needs or allergies this information is for you. Trust me, it will help set the tone for making your dining experience a more pleasant one.

If you're making a reservation at a restaurant, be sure to ask the server if they can accommodate your dietary needs. This is also a good time to alert the reservations staff of any allergies that you or those in your party may have. If you have nut allergies in your party, this is a good time to ask if any of the foods are prepared with nut oils.

If you don't have a reservation and are just walking in to be seated, make sure to tell the host about your dietary needs or restrictions. S/he may be able to give you some good advice and/or alert your server.

When you are seated and your waiter comes to greet you, let them know right away (before they start spouting off the specials) that you have vegetarians, vegans, nut-allergies, or other dietary restrictions in your party. It will alert them right away and they may be able to offer some suggestions or avoid giving you the long list of specials that you can't eat anyway.

If you don't see anything on the menu that you can order as is, ask the waiter if the chef can prepare something for you. I don't eat dairy so I often ask if my food can be prepared in olive oil instead of butter. I also have a nut allergic child so I make sure to let them know that we have a serious nut allergic person in our party and to please refrain from preparing any of our food with nuts or nut oils.

These simple requests can help set the tone for a great dining experience because everyone knows up front what the issues are. If you are dining at a vegetarian/vegan restaurant with nut allergic people, it's always a good idea to let the waiter/chef know because some restaurants do prepare foods with nuts and nut oils and don't mention that on the menu.

Now you are fully equipped to start your dining experience off just right.

Peacefood Cafe ~ NYC

Peacefood Cafe is an organic vegan restaurant/cafe/bakery also located in the Upper West Side of New York City on Amsterdam Avenue at 82nd Street. It's a casual cafe style eatery where you order your food at the counter then find a table and the wait staff brings it to you according to your number. It's very clean and hip with chic decor and trendy music. They have a variety of raw, cooked and baked goods. I sampled the Tahini Sprouts Sandwich, the Vegetable Tempura and the Chocolate Brownies paired with a Soy Latte for dessert. Other dessert items include strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, coconut cream pie, tiramisu, key lime pie and many more. It was all super fresh and scrumptious. I highly recommend this place. They are open for lunch and dinner. Peacefood cafe also has a sign requesting that you tell your waitperson if you have a nut allergy so that they can make sure to prepare your meal nut-free. Easily accessible by subway.
Sides and Entree's $6 - $11.
Vegan

Blossom ~ New York City Veggie Hotspot

Blossom Restaurant located on Colombus Avenue in the Upper West Side was a real treat. It's a vegan restaurant ready to stand up to the most discriminating omnivores. The food was tasty and the proportions plenty. Not to mention the posh ambiance, a perfect fit for Upper Westside dining. Everything that I tasted was delicious and impeccably prepared. The food was both pleasing to the eyes and to the palate. From the Black Eyed Pea Cake, to the hearty Lentil Soup, to the Tofu Tempura, the Autumn Sweet Potato Rolls or the Seitan Skewers. You can't go wrong at this restaurant. It's great for the whole family. I think your meat loving friends will thoroughly enjoy it too. And it's certainly a great place to treat your vegetarian/vegan beloved. It's also equipped with a bar and has nice selections of wines to pair with your meal.

We dined at the Upper Westside location. The neighborhood is known for it's boutique retail shops and the restaurant is only a couple blocks from Central Park. It's upscale and easily accessible by subway or taxi. There is also a Blossom restaurant located in the Chelsea district.

Vegan