[Tuesday May 22nd 2012 blog]
Vegan day 143: V-Note NYC to benefit Farm Sanctuary
The V-Note is an organic wine bar and vegan bistro, located on the upper East side of Manhattan. My expectations were off a bit- not for the better or worse, just different. I guess I was expecting something on the pretentious side.. not sure why. The V-Note is owned by the same owners as Blossom, both Cafe Blossoms, Blossom bakery and a take-out vegan place. They are the masters of vegan dining in New York City.
The V-Note was comfortable and simple in an elegant way. The walls and part of the ceiling were a deep rich black offset by the white leather couches. Wait.. they couldn’t be leather.. that wouldn’t be very vegan. I don’t dare ask the vegan masters if it’s leather? lol Had to be faux!
This place tempts my “no drinking” commitment. At this point I feel like having a glass of wine just because it has no sulfites. When I did drink wine especially red, I would generally get a headache. I used to look for wines that were sulfite free. Now there is a bar that not only offers choices with no sulfites but it’s also organic, sustainable and bio-dynamic– and of course with a vegan menu to go with it. The beer is vegan too.. therefore, there is no need to look up each choice on barnivore. I resisted the wine and went with a green juice cocktail- cucumber, celery, spinach and carrots. It was a little on the sweet side to me which means that I should probably incorporate celery and cucumber more into my morning juices. That might lighten up the dark greens that I generally juice with and let the sweetness of the carrots come through more. I’m betting they didn’t add any sugar but one time and the only time that I went to Jamba Juice- they used apple concentrate instead of real apples juiced. This is like juice suicide lol. It’s not likely that will be on my list of visits.
Back to the V-Note, the bar and restaurant was laid back, which a West Village girl who travels up to the Upper East side doesn’t normally expect. The staff was down to earth and friendly. The artwork on the wall was amazing. I was so intrigued that I asked for the artist’s information on the paintings.
This time I tried a few appetizers that I had never had at any of the sister restaurants (Blossom). We ordered the cape cod cakes and the mushroom phyllo cigars. Of course they were both delicious but I prefer to order somewhat healthier next time. I guess that’s my fault. Both were on the fried side. I bet anything that non-vegans would love this place. As much as we tried to order two different entrees than those eaten previously at other Blossom restaurants- I couldn’t resist the seitan piccata. I tried! Oh it’s heavenly! The other entree was pistachio and pepper dusted tofu. The tofu was prepared perfectly although I wasn’t really a fan of the peppercorn type sauce. I need to avoid sauces I think! Besides, they are fattening!
15% of the dining tonight went to benefit the
Farm Sanctuary. I follow the Farm Sanctuary and it’s president and co-founder, Gene Baur. If you visit their site you will see they are about rescue, education and advocacy. The stories of farm animals rescued from torture and living deaths- are really incredible. I’m not just saying animals who were lucky to avoid slaughter; I’m talking about those left unwanted for “meat” and left for dead. Those stories are the worst and not what you even expected to hear if you go to one of the lectures. Farm animals are except from animal welfare laws. If they weren’t, in my opinion, you wouldn’t have any chicken or meat because there is nothing fair or ethical about the way they are treated even routinely in the mass production.
Last week, a farm sanctuary quiz appeared in my mailbox. Let’s take it together.
Never mind! I just took it with the kids! It was a PETA quiz. I got them all right- one I couldn’t even finish reading- it had to do with male piglets after birth. I will just share a few with you.
(1) How many cows suffer and die for the meat and dairy industries each year? 42,000, 420,000 or 42,000,000?
(2) 45 million turkeys are killed each year for Thanksgiving.. T/F?
(3) What percentage of the 7 billion chickens killed in the US each year spend their lives in total confinement? 50%, 75% or 99%?
(4) Animal behaviorists consider pigs to be smarter than 3-year old children? T/F?
You get the picture… I’ll skip over the rest or you can go to PETA for more questions and information.
Answers: Just imagine the worst and you have the right answers!
These few questions should give you an idea of why I support the Farm Sanctuary and PETA. What began years ago as a quest for optimum health has uncovered the truth in farming practices and brought all of this information into my awareness. These are many of the reasons why I am vegan! If you read this far, thank you for supporting me and my blog; and learning a little about the Farm Sanctuary, PETA and being vegan!
Disclaimer: The information given here is for educational purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
Last week, a farm sanctuary quiz appeared in my mailbox. Let’s take it together.
Never mind! I just took it with the kids! It was a PETA quiz. I got them all right- one I couldn’t even finish reading- it had to do with male piglets after birth. I will just share a few with you.
(1) How many cows suffer and die for the meat and dairy industries each year? 42,000, 420,000 or 42,000,000?
(2) 45 million turkeys are killed each year for Thanksgiving.. T/F?
(3) What percentage of the 7 billion chickens killed in the US each year spend their lives in total confinement? 50%, 75% or 99%?
(4) Animal behaviorists consider pigs to be smarter than 3-year old children? T/F?
You get the picture… I’ll skip over the rest or you can go to PETA for more questions and information.
Answers: Just imagine the worst and you have the right answers!
These few questions should give you an idea of why I support the Farm Sanctuary and PETA. What began years ago as a quest for optimum health has uncovered the truth in farming practices and brought all of this information into my awareness. These are many of the reasons why I am vegan! If you read this far, thank you for supporting me and my blog; and learning a little about the Farm Sanctuary, PETA and being vegan!
Disclaimer: The information given here is for educational purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
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