The Fat Radish
I love discovering new restaurants. In fact, I keep a running list of places I want to try. When the eternal question, "where should we go" comes up amongst friends I am always ready. I also have another quirky restaurant habit. If there is a popular new restaurant I want to try I will often make a reservation first, and invite people to join later. With hot spots in NYC filling up sometimes 2 months in advance I like to be prepared!
My extreme pre-planning came in handy this past long weekend. A few weeks ago I had made a reservation at The Fat Radish, and then proceeded to forget about it entirely amongst the craziness that has been our lives these days. Fast forward to a few days before the holiday weekend. I was with some girlfriends who mentioned they were dying to try The Fat Radish. The conversation went something (very roughly) like this:
SJM: Me too!
SJM's friends: How about next Sunday?
SJM: I think I actually have a reservation for 4 next Sunday!
SJM's friends: Huh?
SJM: I plan ahead. I have all sorts of random restaurant reservations.
SJM's friends: Let's do it!
So, last Sunday two Aussie's, one Brit, and two New Yorkers (I changed it to five and let Doug tag along) found ourselves at The Fat Radish for a great veggie filled meal.
Like most of my preferred restaurants in NYC, the Fat Radish is not a vegetarian, raw or vegan spot. Instead they have a varied menu filled with TONS of local organic vegetables. This kept both the meat eaters and the veggies obsessed amongst us very happy.
Before we ordered they brought a plate of salted radishes to the table for us to nibble on. I had to try very hard not to eat them all myself. I adore radishes!
For my appetizer I ordered the Whole Local Cauliflower with olives, almonds and raisins. This delicious and quite rich dish was half a head of cauliflower filled with a cauliflower puree and then roasted to perfection. I am pretty sure there was butter in the puree but I make exceptions when I am at restaurants. Especially for a dish like this. I have been working on my own version of a whole roasted cauliflower which a plan on sharing very soon.
For my entree I had the Fat Radish Plate- a bountiful assortment of fresh market veggies. Some were roasted, some were sautéed, all were delicous! This was really my ideal entree. A huge plate of veggies. Very simple but very satisfying.
I should also mention that over the course of the evening I had two of the Tequilla Rose cocktails featuring tequila, jalapeño, aperol, grapefruit and beets. Tequilla is usually my hard alcohol of choice and I love it spicy! Add beets into that mix and I am a goner. I do not drink that often, but when I do I make sure it is a cocktail that really impresses and excites me. This one certainly did!
I will certainly be adding The Fat Radish to my list of plant lover friendly restaurants. Maybe I'll go ahead an book another reservation now just in case! You never know!
