Hey––just returned from a whirlwind trip to Brooklyn, New York where I was helping my recent college grad daughter get settled in her new apartment before she starts her new job. I titled this “Bitterweet” as it seemed nothing went as planned but if it had we would have never discovered a new place!
Of course, my mind was on the food. Before we left, I researched all the fabulous Vegan restaurants that we’d have to try. I was so excited that I’d get to see all the wonderful places the I had coveted on Instagram. We had a list of some favorites––Modern Love Brooklyn, The Butcher’s Daughter and Wild Ginger. I was only staying two nights, but we thought we had a plan?!!
Thursday night turned out to be a monsoon rainstorm. It was raining so hard that we couldn’t leave our hotel. Seamless food delivery came to the rescue to bring us some Thai food from a nearby place. It was just so-so. OK, moving forward, there was still Friday, right?
Friday brought a new set of problems involving plumbing and furniture delivery issues. Lunch had to be delivered. Luckily we found a great place to order falafel and hummus. After a whole day of problems, we were determined to make my last night a good one. One in which we could actually have a sit down dinner.
We didn’t want to venture too far from the area and we preferred a short subway ride, if possible. We found a place online that looked rather intriguing. It was called Greedi Vegan. I hadn’t heard of it before, but the website looked really nice and I liked the owner/chef’s story. So, on the subway we went.
Wow. That’s all I can really say. We walked up to a modest storefront located on a quiet residential street located inwhat I think bordered Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy. (Excuse me if you have to correct my geography). We walked into a cozy little place where three people busily workded behind the counter. We were greeted with a friendly hello as we seated ourselves at two of the four sets at the counter. Latisha, chef and owner of Greedi Vegan, was busy cooking and chatting with a few diners. As she wrapped up some dessert to go for a customer, she asked if we had been here before. I told her we were here to move my daugher and I mentioned that I was a plant based blogger. We explained that everything had gone wrong and this was our first sit down meal since we arrived the day before.
After taking a look at the menu, we had a tough time deciding because everything looked THAT good! Latisha told us there are a few things not on the menu that she could also make for us. We decided on the “beef” nachos to start, followed by the Portobello Sliders (me) and the Loaded Grilled Cheeze (not on the menu-Darcy).
As Latisha cooked, we chatted about her place and how she got there. She told us she was raised as a vegan (at a time when it wasn’t really a thing). She had gotten away from eating that way, but slowly came back to it and opened Greedi Vegan only a year ago, And from what I could see in my short time there, it is quite a success. Regulars were streaming in and out with take out orders and a few others joined us at the counter to order as well. Even in the tight space, no one felt rushed to give up their place. It was like eating at the kitchen counter in your own home. If your own home served the most delicious vegan food EVER!
Latisha’s attitude and delicious food really inspired me when I returned home to Florida. Last night for dinner I made some quinoa “taco meat” and some air fryer corn tortillas to try to replicate the nachos. I was short on time and wasn’t able to make a “cheesy” sauce, but next time I’m craving those scrumptious nachos, I will be ALL IN! Watch my blog for some new recipes inspired by Greedi Vegan. And please stop in and say hello and get yourself some fantastic vegan eats next time you’re in Brooklyn.
See you in the kitchen soon,
Heidi