NYC 2: Eating Like Bonobos

August 5, 2010

in blog meet-up,eating out,My story,travel

Now, where were we?

Oh yes. New York City. Having a fabulous time. Eating great food. New Yorkers are so darn lucky. And I am so darn lucky, because I got to meet 5 more lovely New Yorkers all in one single day.

On Tuesday afternoon, I met up with two bloggers whom I’ve always been wanting to meet ever since I discovered their blogs. I doubt they need any introductions, but let me share with you my personal impressions of them.

This is Gena from Choosing Raw:

I once did a guest post for her. I even created a vegan fusion dish, just for her. Do you know how hard that was for this cheese-whoring, bacon-loving Korean girl? Well, Gena has that effect of you—her warmth and sincerity transcends even the cold walls of emotionless emails, and you just want to go out of your way to do anything for her.

Now, take your eyes off that brilliant smile of Gena’s, and look into the background. Do you see a lovely lady standing there balancing a tray in her hands, with a mop of dark curls? That’s Diana from Soap and Chocolate:
Diana once made a “You Are What You Cook” dish for me based on the definition of her name. Her name Diana means “Divine”, and her parents must have been enlightened when they chose that name for her, because she suits it perfectly. There is something so free-spirited yet elegant about Diana. She’s like a goddess—I mean, just look at that gorgeous smile!

When Gena found out I’ll be coming up to NYC, she contacted me about meeting up, and of course we had to invite Diana too. They are both incredibly lucky—they work within a stone’s throw from each other! Well, I left the choice of venue to Gena, and she chose one of her favorite lunch place, Bonobo’s:
Bonobo’s is named after the ape who is of closest relation to the human species, with about 99% identical DNA. They’re also one of the healthiest mammals,with a predominantly raw diet is based mostly on wild plants: fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. As you have guessed, this restaurant is a raw vegan place with a cuisine that is similar to a bonobo’s diet. Um, I swear this place is more appetizing than it sounds. Take a look:
Bonobo’s was actually kind of hard to find. It was tucked into a small corner of a building, hidden by on-going construction. Just like the food, their decorations were simple and minimalistic, yet not lacking warmth. They have a huge salad bar, in which you can choose your own ingredients to make your own salad, platters, or nori rolls.

They are apparently famous for their coconut “crack”, or their Coconut Chai Water, so I got one for another special blogger:
And I heard that their desserts are pretty good, too:
This is the owner:
He gave me a strange look when I started taking pictures, but Gena assured him that I was “cool”, and he even gave a little smile for the picture. See? I told you Gena had that effect on people.

No matter how fresh the ingredients are, I wasn’t about to get a salad in this “exotic” raw vegan restaurant, so I opted for the nori roll:
Sesame-Tahini pate, sprouts, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and red onions rolled in raw nori. Side of mesclun greens and homemade Sweet Basil dressing.
Raw food can be pretty darn pretty, I’ll give them that! I actually really liked my nori roll—it wasn’t exactly my style of hot grub and gooey cheese, but it was an exploration of the clean, whole, natural flavors that most people have forgotten to appreciate.
I loved the Sweet Basil dressing. I could stick a straw into it and drink it. It was so fragrant, and such a lovely color. I wish it had a lid so I could take the leftover home.

Diana also got the nori roll, but with different ingredients:
Hers was a Mediterranean nut pate, with sprouts, red cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and red bell pepper. She also got the Sweet Basil dressing (actually, she was the one who recommended it to me—thanks Diana!).
Gena got a salad and soup combo. Here’s her salad:
Greens, carrots, cucumbers. And her soup:
Spinach avocado soup, blended with Coconut soup. I think she was happy with her soup, don’t you?
Bloggers in action!
Love it. After the necessary procedures of photo-taking and modeling, we tucked into our nutritious, healthful meals, while indulging in some…not as nutritious gossip. Come on, who else are we gonna blog-gossip with?

I’ve always admired and adored Diana and Gena, but actually seeing them face to face, being able to watch their expressions, observe their mannerisms, and listen to their chatter made me fall in love with them even more. They’re both vivacious and rambunctious, people who fill you with the same enthusiasm for whatever they’re passionate about.

I felt like I could talk to them for hours, but they both had to return to work, and we all parted ways, marching off into the busy Manhattan crowd to our respective destinations. It’s a weird, beautiful thing about blogging, isn’t it? We’re all so different, with different lifestyles, backgrounds, and even eating habits—yet for the couple of hours we sat together, we connected in a way only bloggers can.

Thank you for the wonderful time, ladies! It was a glorious afternoon with both of you.

Man, I’ll never be able to finish this NYC recap in time, but I have to end here and continue next time. Gotta meet up with another friend of mine, this time an old buddy. Catch up with you all soon!