What we all need is a little bit of love, even when we merely go to a restaurant to fill up our stomachs. If this is how you feel, you should definitely try “Tamba,” an Indian restaurant run by chef Daljeet Malik and her husband, Sikander Malik, whose passion for what they are doing is expressed equally in food, decor of their bar and grill and the way they treat customers. You could easily spend hours there savoring simple but flavorful food with variety of sauces and spices. It’s just so comfortable there that you’ll never want to leave, and you’ll never be rushed, either.

The first thing that attracts guests coming to “Tamba” is the restaurant’s appearance. Decorated in copper (as this is what “tamba” means, and as it is believed, this metal has healing powers), the place has a modern look and is consistent even in details. For instance, in addition to copper lamps on the ceiling, there are copper mini-vases hanging above the bar, copper plates on the walls and even silverware has copper handles. The preciseness of the decor shows us right away how much thought was put into making the space look like it does.

Open since January 2010, “Tamba” is the successor of “Malika,” a restaurant the Maliks used to have on 43 street between 2 ave and 3 ave, which they gave up when the rent went too high. However, instead of being the new “Malika,” “Tamba,” located on Lexington ave between 27 and 28 streets, has its own ideas and several totally new items on the menu.

booth by the window with a beautiful portrait

As far as the menu is concerned, it represents the mixture of Northern and Southern Indian cuisines. Precise with her recipes, chef Malik keeps her dishes as healthy as possible, with little oil and salt (or no salt at all upon request), and you can have your food mild, medium or spicy depending on your taste. And if you are a vegetarian or vegan, there will also be no problem to find an appetizing dish that you will enjoy.

Just before you start, there is a warning for you: the description of food on the menu is extremely modest. Therefore, don’t hesitate to ask your server for recommendations. With the variety of flavors that are hard to be put into words, there are items that will strike you once you bite into them and leave you indifferent if you just read the information about them.

Begin your meal with the most popular appetizer, Chicken 65, “crisped and sauteed with curry leaves and spicy sauce,” as it says in writing. In reality, the flavors of the dish come at you in different layers. It’s sweet at first, and only then spicy, with the tanginess coming from mustard seed and other spices. If you are a seafood lover, you can also taste Shrimp 65, another great variation of the dish.

For a vegetarian appetizer, you should definitely go for Lasani Gobhi, “cauliflower sauteed with garlic and tangy tomato sauce.” In a nutshell, the dish reminds us of spicy buffalo chicken wings, but with cauliflower instead of meat. Crispy and yummy, this starter will tease your taste buds and prepare your stomach for the main dish.

To continue the meal in vegetarian spirit, have a Dal Tadka, yellow lentils cooked until they are perfectly creamy and soft. It may be a good idea to have the lentils over plain white rice, as they are moist and milky, even though there is no trace of dairy there, and they will take away the dryness of the rice, which is, in its turn, a good base for the fluffiness of Dal Tadka.

Another good dish is Aloo Gobi, potato and cauliflower with onions and tomatoes. What sounds simple is again pretty flavorful and spicy, and it gives a great contrast to non-pungent lentils. With frequent water refills an attentive waiter will spoil you with, be sure that there won’t be much left on your plate once you taste it.

If you are a passionate carnivore, however, you shouldn’t miss Murg Methi, boneless chicken cooked with fenugreek leaves.  Dressed in appetizing sauce, the meat is moist and tender, and all you can say about the dish is, “It’s incredible.” This dish is so tangy that you should probably have it with a side order of vegetables in order not to rob it of its intense flavors.

neat and perfectly set up dining room

In addition to these amazing specialties, there are also traditional tandooris, Indian breads cooked in Tandoor, samosas, biryanis and seafood specialties, so you have a lot to choose from. And if you get a chance to have a conversation with chef Malik, she will make this variety of food sound so easy to make. Speaking of Aloo Gobi, for instance, she says, “Boil potato and cauliflower, then throw in some onions and tomatoes and saute them all together.”

Hearing the chef talking about cooking, anyone can quickly become inspired and willing to learn how to cook these “simple” Indian dishes. Answering a lot of requests from female customers, Mrs. Malik decided to teach two-hour culinary classes on Saturday and Sunday afternoons that will start soon. Passionate about preparing food, chef explains her inspiration in a humble and unboastful way, as she says, “Well, many girls told me they wanted to cook like me and asked me to teach them, so I thought, it wouldn’t be hard for me and it wouldn’t take away a lot of my time to take five of six girls and show them how to do what I do.”

Amazing as it is, this shows that the Maliks treat their customers not only as friends, but more like their family members. Even cooking for her clientele chef Malik perceives as feeding a large family choosing fresh ingredients and healthier, less fattening choices. Therefore, when they say “come again” at “Tamba,” be sure that they really mean it in the glory of love for their business compared to a feeling of affection for a child.

And as a saying by an unknown author states, “It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home.” Accordingly, when you eat at “Tamba,” you feel that it’s not only the food you will come back here for, but for the heart, for the warm and welcoming atmosphere of your new home away from home.

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at www.nycvalues.blogspot.com

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Spoiling us with sun rays and warm afternoons, the weather has been awesome for the past three days. However, along with the temperatures rising, the amount of people sneezing on the subway increased as well. Not concerned about joining the crowd, yesterday I put on my light spring-only leather jacket for the first time this year, and here’s the result: today I have a fever and a sore throat that hurts when I swallow and even when I don’t.

The moral is: don’t get over-excited. It’s just GETTING warm, it’s not actually warm YET.

Think about it: it will soon be beautiful like that outside every day (if the weather forecasts predicting rains continue being wrong), and you’ll have plenty of time to wear whatever you want, from a light jacket to a T-shirt, but for now the weather changes every minute. There is a blow of cold wind here and there that may easily put you down to bed for a couple of days. Therefore, here are some tips for you to stay healthy during this pleasant change of the seasons:

1. When you check weather forecasts, pay attention to the lowest temperature, not only the highest. This time of the year is deceiving, as when you go to school, it is usually cold and windy (if you are a morning student), and when you come back home, it is often warm and sunny, so it’s hard to decide what to wear. What I suggest you do is to be ready for the worst just in case it happens. It’s always better to carry an extra sweater than freeze thinking about the one you left at home.

2. If you are taking a subway, keep in mind that it’s always cold inside, so again, keep something in your bag for the occasion.

3. Avoid close contact with people who are already sick. If someone constantly sneezing next to you, there is a good chance that their infection is contagious, so it is for your best to move far away from them if possible.

On the contrary, if you are sick, prevent spreading your bacteria or viruses to others. Limit your kissing and always cover your mouth when you sneeze.

4. Increase your vitamin intake. Vitamins strengthen your immune system and help fight infections. The best sources of nutrients you need are fresh fruit and vegetables. Even though you are always concerned with the best deals and student savings and fruit and vegetables are usually extremely expensive, try to get as much as you can. There are plenty of Chinese markets where you can get cheap watermelons, oranges and even berries if you come in the right time. I usually compare prices and always get great deals, as I know I’d never pay $6.99 for a small box of raspberries.

5. Shower with cool or cold water. It will help strengthen your immune system. I started doing that during the summer because it’s hot and, to my mind, it is the easiest time to begin. I intended to continue doing so during the winter, but my apartment is usually very cold, and hot shower saves me from freezing. This is quite an extreme thing to do , so I recommend that you try it once and see how you feel. If it’s not your thing, don’t force it on yourself, but if it makes you feel more energized and awake in the mornings, like I used to feel before the winter came, then go ahead and do it every day.

By the way, don’t start with cold-cold water right away. It is a gradual process, so start slowly, with warm to cool water until you are comfortable enough to take cold showers.

All in all, hopefully, these simple tips will help you to stay healthy and meet the spring with a non-running nose, cool forehead and warm heart because remember: there maybe student discounts on certain medications, but there are never good deals on doctor visits unless you have a good insurance plan, not mentioning that between your classes, homework assignments, tests and social life, there is not much time left for being sick.

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com.

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Contrary to all weather forecasts that promised heavy rain today, the weather out there in New York is wonderful. It is supposed to go as high as 60 degrees, and those who brought along their umbrellas will have to carry them, useless, for the duration of the day, disappointed that the umbrella is good-for-nothing and happy because the weather is amazing.

Unlike weather forecasts, you should always be reliable and truthful. Even though you are still a student, you have to build up your resume and make first steps towards your career. To do well, you need to establish important connections that will get your foot in the door, and as you know, the more credible and responsible you are, the more likely people are to trust you, help you and even hire you.

If you object to this thinking that credibility is something that only established authors, journalists, businessmen etc. need, then you are mistaken. First of all, wouldn’t you like to be on of those people you are now looking up to? Secondly, these folks didn’t just become credible. Contrary to this, they went a long way to achieve their success. Working on making yourself reliable, a skill that you have to learn while you are still in college, is exactly what they had already gone through. And third, remember: when you present your resume to a potential employer, they always appreciate that you have work or internship experience in the industry. Accordingly, if you have references that portray you as a responsible person who can do any job quickly and painlessly, you will definitely be a better candidate for the position offered once the time comes.

As we now agree that credibility is a life-saving skill for you, here are some simple tips that will help you establish and maintain it on both professional and personal levels:

1. Make deadlines. If you don’t complete your work on time, it shows that you have poor time management skills, which presents you as an unreliable worker. Imagine that you sell calendars for the past year. The days of the week are not the same, and your product is of no use to people, so no one will buy it. As simple as that, if you are restricted by a deadline, your work is only good if it’s done on schedule.

Even if your job doesn’t depend on deadlines, it will always be appreciated if you complete your tasks in the order they come. Therefore, start with your school work. If the paper is due on Monday, hand it in on Monday or even earlier. Train yourself to respect deadlines, and be sure that you’ll be respected for that.

2. Keep your word. If you promised to do something, do it. If you failed your employer or friend once, he or she will neither believe you nor rely on you. One day I was walking down the street with a couple of friends, and we were drawn into a restaurant, where they promised a performance by comedians. While waiting, we ordered food and drinks from the menu. The performance was all right, but when we got the bill, we discovered that the price we were supposed to pay is twice as high as it was stated on the menu (a strong blow against my student savings). We complained, and they fixed the price for us, explaining that “it’s different upstairs and downstairs,” which we weren’t told when we ordered. No need to say that even though I paid the menu price, I am not coming back to that place ever again, even if they offer the best ever student discounts.

Hence, make it a habit to avoid empty promises. Don’t be afraid to say “no” if you feel like you won’t be able to do what you’re asked. It’s better if you let people know up front that you are not available for that than make them wait and lose their time hoping you’d do it. If they informed us that the price is actually higher for those who watch performance, we would have had a choice to pay it or leave, and we wouldn’t be so upset.

3. Allow extra time for things to happen. We all are human, and we can get sick, upset or incapable of doing our work due to stress. There are also natural disasters (God forbid), bad weather conditions and other events that are beyond our control. Therefore, don’t postpone your chores until the last moment. Finish your projects earlier, and there will be no additional worries if something unexpected will suddenly appear on your way.

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com.

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I remember the first time I decided to eat vegan for 49 days from the beginning of March until Easter in 2009, as my religion required to. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be, but whenever I went to eat at students cafeteria at my college, my friends would always feel bad because they thought they were tempting me with their food. However, I was not bothered by smells and looks of their meals. There were other, stronger temptations I had to worry about at that time. Here are four types of temptation that you may have trouble dealing with:

1. “Easy temptations.” These are the provocations that tell you to switch from an activity you are reluctant to busy yourself with to a more appealing one. For example, going out with your friends instead of studying, or miss a class to see a movie. I call them “easy” because people usually don’t take long to give in to these temptations, especially if they don’t realize in what consequences going for the desirable may result.

Strategy: learn how to plan your time properly. Know what homework you have to do and when your friends expect to see you. Try to fit both pleasure and necessity into your schedule. Leave enough time for your studies and chores to make sure you complete them and still be able to spend the rest of the day having fun with your peers.

2. Temptations that grow on temptations. To make this clear, think of the last time you stayed out late and had a hard time waking up next morning. First, you knew that you had an early class the following day, but couldn’t resist the attractiveness of continuing your evening past your usual bedtime. Secondly, you were aware of the time you should have woken up, but you still didn’t, and therefore, you were late for class, or even didn’t show up at all, in some cases. Temptations tend to pile up, and as they do, it’s harder to deal with them.

Strategy: avoid collecting problems. Deal with one at a time. Plan your late getaways for the weekends or for the days when you don’t have to be up early next morning. And if you couldn’t resist it, then make yourself face consequences and wake up earlier than you would like to. Be responsible for your mistakes and weaknesses. You’re losing your sleep, but you keep the work going, and maybe next time you’d think twice if the night out is worth feeling tired for the whole following day.

3. Silly temptations with long-term consequences. For instance, wearing light clothes on a cold day with catching a cold and staying in bed for several days with a high fever. Yeah, you wanted to look cool, but there will be a warmer day soon, so wait for it and put up with layers for the time. Wearing high-heeled shoes on a day when you know you will have to walk a lot (for ladies) is in the same category as well. It looks pretty, but is it worth hurting your feet and limping for the next couple of days?

Strategy: try to predict what consequences you can face and listen to the voice of your logical thinking. You know that the day is cold and you may get sick, therefore, you should dress appropriately. Anyway, the impression you’re trying to make will be spoiled by the fact that you’re being silly wearing a jacket and no hat when it’s below zero, and you’re walking or taking a train. Reflect what is more important: to look good that one day or being healthy for the week, and try to find ways to compromise (warmer jacket in combination with a fashionable hat someone will definitely compliment you on).

4. Temptations based on misjudgment. These are the hardest to deal with, as you sometimes don’t realize that they are provocations and not the things you can’t get without. For example, there is a difference between “I need a new purse because the old one is worn out and I feel ashamed to bring it to school,” and “I want a new purse that will match the color of my new shoes, even though I have about ten more purses that I rarely use kept in the closet.”

Strategy: distinguish “need” and “want.” As a college girl or guy, you spend all your time worrying about student savings on food and clothing, skip a meal to go to the movie and walk extra twenty or thirty blocks to avoid paying the bus fare, so why would you waste your limited funds on a caprice? The good thing is: you are still young, and you will eventually grow to see the difference. Just remember: you should start leaning right now.

Overall, managing your temptations and staying in control is a useful skill that will help you get through your college years and your whole life as well. Have fun, but don’t create problems by doing so and keep in mind that if you do have time to hang out with friends and see a movie without a burden of guilt over your unfinished homework or a missed class, it spares you extra stress and allows your grades to stay at desirable level.

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com. Check out www.campusclipper.com for amazing deals and coupons for students and follow us on Twitter @CampusClipper and Fan us on Facebook.

image credit: myapplenewton.blogspot.com

Emergency situations take place every day; however, we are often not ready for them. Knowing how to protect yourself or even save someone else’s life is essential. Based oh his experience as the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team (ARTI), Doug Copp wrote an article on “The Triangle of Life” advising people what not to do during an earthquake, and Campus Clipper team would like to share his simple but crucial for life-saving tips.

First of all, you should know that “The Triangle of Life” is a space near a large object that you can use to hide. The object itself will be crashed, but there will be a void next to it, and that’s where you should be during an earthquake (God forbid).

Here is where you shouldn’t be if you want to survive:

1. Under objects. When buildings collapse, you will be crashed together with an object you’re hiding under. Next to large objects, like cars, sofas and desks, there is always a space that will keep you untouched. Therefore, curl into a position of a fetus next to such objects, not under them.

2. Under a doorway. If you do, you will be either crushed by the ceiling above, or cut in half by the doorway, in most cases.

3. Near the stairs. People who get on stairs are usually “chopped up by the stair treads. The stairs are the most likely part of the building to be destroyed, even if the building doesn’t collapse, so avoid them, if possible.

4. Far inside the building. Try to stay closer to the outer walls of the space, as your escape will be easier in this case. While you way from further rooms may be blocked by collapsed objects, you may quickly leave the building if you are near the exit.

5. Inside a vehicle. Same logic as with being under objects. Stay outside next to the car, in fetal position, and you’ll have more chances to survive.

This is just a brief summary, simple things that everyone has to know in case of emergency. If you’d like to get more information, or listen to 1 hour interview with Doug Copp about “the triangle of life,” go to

http://insearchofsimplicity.com/2011/01/13/doug-copp-on-voices-from-the-north-being-safe-in-and-after-an-earthquake/

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com. And check out www.campusclipper.com for amazing deals and coupons for students.

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Last week there was a question on “Family Feud,” “What increases in the US every year?” As a college girl concerned with student savings, I immediately thought, “food prices.” They do go up every year, month by month, and not only in the United States, but all over the world. To fight the battle “empty stomach” vs “your skinny wallet,” you should learn simple home-cooking recipe in order to save some money on groceries.

And I am not going to give you any recipes, as everyone is different and our food preferences may have nothing in common. I love to have farina for breakfast, and I know many people hate it, especially if it’s made with water instead of milk. As for me, I can make it with water, and I enjoy it. It’s filling, it’s healthy and it tastes even better if you drop some fresh fruit into the bowl once the cereal is ready to be served.

What I am going to do, though, is to give you five reasons why cooking at home is a useful skill for anybody, no matter if you are a woman or a man, if you are rich and can afford eating at new restaurants every day or poor feeding at McDonalds seven days a week.

Reason 1. When you cook, you know what you are eating. With homemade food, you don’t have to worry about food allergies. You know exactly what you drop in that pot, and the most pleasant thing is: you can make things that you like. If you are a fan of beets, put them into everything you eat, and you will enjoy everything you eat. Yes, it’s as simple as that.

For that reason, I believe that one day when I become rich and famous (hopefully, for my writing), I will get a cook to make great food for me at home. I don’t care if the cook will spoil me with fancy dishes or simply serve me spaghetti and meatballs or grilled cheese sandwiches, food that I can get in any diner, as long as there will always be fresh ingredients and the dishes of my choice.

Reason 2. It does save money. If restaurants would not use same ingredients for many dishes, they would have long gone out of business. It’s cheaper to buy one lobster and make a dinner for two than to order your meal from a nearby diner, even if they offer a student discount for their lunch or dinner. A five-pound bag of potatoes costs you $3-4 on average, same as a side of French fries made from frozen. However, you can cook at least two meals from the five-pound bag (if you eat a lot), and French fries are only good for the minute they are served until they cool off.

Reason 3. Cooking encourages you to socialize. I hate to cook for myself. I seldom make meals for one person. I prefer to get some friends over or to share my food with my roommate. Therefore, when there is nobody to split my dinner with, I order take out and eat fattening and unhealthy pizza, paninis and what not. Therefore, organize other people to eat with you. If you have roommates, cook together. It helps to generate original ideas and to become closer with them. If you live alone, talk to other students from your college about taking turns and getting together to cook and eat. You can even use these evenings to study for the common classes you have and to gather useful information from your peers.

Reason 4. There are no germs but your own ones when you cook at home. We had a class discussion on food once, and someone mentioned seeing a cook checking the temperature of the soup by means of dipping his finger into it. Most of my classmates were disgusted by it, but the teacher objected that everyone uses hands when cooking (meaning at home). As far as I’m concerned, I would like to know where he put his finger before he dipped it into the soup, and in home cooking you know exactly how clean your hands were and how long that chicken stayed out of the refrigerator. I don’t remember any time when I got food poisoning eating at home. Do you?

image credit: myrecipes.com

Reason 5. Learning how to cook prepares you for having your own family. And this is not only for women. I remember oily and juicy “potato chips” my grandfather used to make for me and my little cousin when we were kids. My grandfather died in 2004, and in addition to my childhood memories and all the warm feelings I have for him, there is also the mouth-watering taste of “potato chips” that reminds me how well he could cook. One day you would be that mom or dad, grandpa or grandma, who cooks the most authentic… you name it!

So when the question comes up again on “Family Feud,” I’d like someone to answer, “What increases every year in the United States is the amount of people cooking at home,” and hopefully, the obesity amongst adults and children in this country will, on the contrary, decrease.

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com. And check out www.campusclipper.com for amazing deals and coupons for students.

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College years are the most exciting, as this is the time you usually socialize with a lot of different people, make new friends and establish important connections. Sometimes social part of the experience even prevails over the academic one. With the variety of student discounts in New York City, there are plenty of places to go and spend an evening. However, remember, if you stay out late, you miss an important part of your day: your morning.

“What’s so special about a morning?” you may wonder. Well, here are several things that you miss if you don’t get enough sleep and crawl out of the bed with your eyes half closed:

1. Breakfast. I have blogged about how important it is to have a breakfast every morning, and if you’d like to see that post, you can go to http://campusclipper.com/blog/?p=1278. The point is: your first meal of the day should charge you with the energy you need for your classes and extracurricular activities. If you wake up late, you are rushing to school or job (whatever comes first), and you often swallow a coffee with a donut (so fattening and tasty). As a result, your stomach is empty, your energy is low, you are still sleepy and uneager to leave the house.

2. Exercise. Here you will probably say that no one does exercise in the morning anymore. Sure, for the same reason people don’t eat breakfast every day. Exercising in the morning is a good start. Just as having breakfast, it boosts your energy and prepares your body for the day. You don’t have to run or go to the gym in the morning unless you want to. What’s good to do is to find a routine that you enjoy and don’t mind repeating every morning. The exercise you choose doesn’t have to take a lot of your time; you can spend just 10-15 minutes on it, and you will see the difference yourself. I love doing some stretches. It helps me to wake up and keep my body fit.

3. Stress-free ride to school or job. When you wake up late, you have to hurry up to get to your destination on time. As it usually happens, there are service changes or train traffic on your way. Worried that you won’t make it to your first class, you are biting your lips regretting that you didn’t wake up just 10 minutes earlier. If you did, you would have had extra time for your commute, and it could have been less stressful. If you are late for your job, it’s even worse. If you are often untimely, you may be eventually fired, so it is crucial that you learn to organize yourself. College prepares you for a career, so treat your classes just as seriously as you would your work.

4. Material you could review for your class. As far as I’m concerned, I remember things I reviewed in the morning longer than extracts I read in the evening. Therefore, I love to review for my exams before I go to school. It stays fresh in my memory for the whole day, and I usually get excellent grades. Try doing that, maybe it works for you,  too.

5. Professional appearance. Walking to college from the bus stop, I often see students who are dressed in sweat pants or pajamas, and it looks like they just got out of the bed. Even though your college mates don’t always care what your appearance is like, you never know whom you will meet during the day. Maybe, there will be an unexpected meeting with prospectivee employers or an interview for an internship. If you don’t look presentable, you will not be chosen. Being professional is not necessarily wearing a suit; you can wear a nice shirt in neutral colors with suitable pants or a skirt. When you meet new people, they don’t know who you are. All they see is your pajamas at the moment. In many cases, first impression is also the last one, so spend some time in the morning thinking about what you are going to wear.

6. Make-up. This is not as important as the clothes you wear, but if you have dark circles under your eyes, you can try masking them a little bit. It will give you a fresher look. Moreover, when I look beautiful, I tend to accomlish more throughout the day, so I prefer to put light make-up every morning, even if I have to do it standing up in a bus (it takes practice, but it’s doable).

7. Planning of the day. I like to lay in bed for about 5-10 minutes before getting up and think what I am going to do. This includes what I will wear, what I should bring with me, what I will do after school etc. Taking the time to do that helps me avoid forgetting things I need and missing appointments. In addition, my mind clears from the dreams I had and prepares for the new day.

image credit: winsomeaunt.blogspot.com

8.  Energy that you would have had if you slept enough. This doesn’t need any comment. If you sleep 4-5 hours a night (as a rule, not as an exception), you will drag your feet through the day, and all you can think about is your soft and comfortable bed. Do you think, you can learn a lot being in a mood like that?

Therefore, when you are planning to spend an evening with your friends, consider what time you have to get up next morning and how late you can stay out. There are always weekends when you don’t have to be at school, so spend your weekday evenings studying and leave the fun time for Fridays and Saturdays, which will be completely free considering all th homework that was done during the week.

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com. And check out www.campusclipper.com for amazing deals and coupons for students.

view from the street

Proudly calling itself  “All American Vegetarian,” “Kate’s Joint” located at 58 Avenue B (on the corner with East 4 street) is truly a place where a vegetarian and even a vegan can enjoy the food he or she is eating. Skillfully created dishes imitate favorite American food and are called accordingly, “Philly Not-Steak,” “Meatless Loaf Hero” and TLT (Tofu, Lettuce and Tomato). And the good thing is that these vegetarian variants taste just as good as the regular food we are all used to.

Walking into the restaurant, a diner enters a spacious room that resembles a veranda of a large summer house. There are huge open windows that bring sunlight to the rows of tables and green plants, some of which are as tall as a human of a medium height. Only the brick walls remind the clients that they are actually in a closed space. The welcoming atmosphere encourages the diner to sit down by one of these enourmous windows to the world, relax and enjoy the food or a drink, depending on what one is looking for there.

The idea for “Kate’s Joint,” which opened in 1996, was to cater delicious and affordable ($8-13 for a dish, on average)comfort food to vegetarian customers. It is amusing that the owner of the place, Kate, who created the menu, is not vegetarian herself, even though she admits that she tried several times and never succeded in giving up meat, while her restaurant serves meatless food to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian clientele.  As far as I, not normally a vegan eater, am concerned, when I tried several plates at the joint, which were appetizing, filling and didn’t make my stomach feel at risk of explosion, I seriously thought that I could go vegan for more than just until Easter.

Indeed, with Kate’s homebaked bread, choice of dairy or non-dairy cheeses, mashed potatoes made with soy milk, non-steak, un-sausage and fakin’bacon, one doesn’t lose much giving up meat.

Have Huevos Rancheros for breakfast, a delicious plate of Mexican-style crispy flour tortilla filled with fried organic eggs, beans, cheese, a side of salsa and hash browns. If you are a vegan, you can have tofu scrambled as a substitute for eggs (a good option for those who are not vegan but want to try soemthing different as well).

While the breakfast menu is only available until 4pm, lunch can be served at any time. The most brilliant appetizer is a plate of Buffalo Un-Chicken Wings. As tofu is a product that takes in any flavor, like a sponge, it is absolutely savory with spicy buffalo sauce. The snack tastes exactly like those boneless chicken wings with some sauce served in many restaurants around the city, only the sauce here is jucier and the “meat” is tenderer and not over-filling. Along with traditional carrots and celery sticks and a side of a non-dairy ranch dressing, they are a great way to start a meal.

As for the main course, the all-time favorite is an Un-Turkey Club with un-turkey (made of deli-sliced texturized soy protein), “fakin” (crispy and salty non-bacon, the restaurant’s secret homemade recipe), lettuce, tomato and dairy or non-dairy mayo served with either potatoes or a salad.  Bread lovers will definitely appreciate the fresh baked base for the sandwich spiced up by the unusual taste of the mayonnaise which is spread generously over the bread. If you try the un-turkey by itself, it doesn’t taste great, but in the combination with lettuce, tomato and mayo, the sandwich is the dish that will quickly disappear in your mouth with not even crumbs left on the plate.

one of the joint's specials

Adding up to the regular menu, there are day-to-day specials you should always ask about. A nurtitious meal with luscious portobello mushrooms, spinach, artichokes and mashed potatoes is a great dinner plate, but it’s not on the menu and is not available every day, so don’t you miss it.

With the culinary inventions that satisfy not only vegetarians, “Kate’s Joint” proves two myths wrong. First, yes, vegetarian food can be flavorful. And secondly, no matter how delicious it is, it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Moreover, if you go to college, here is a student discount for you: come any time before 8pm on Mon-Fri, bring the coupon attached in the end of the post and receive a 20% discount with your ID, so if there had ever been a myth that there are no student savings on vegetarian food, it is now proved wrong as well.

Ekaterina Lalo

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