Red Bamboo - New York

My first impression of Red Bamboo was poor. It seemed like a hole in the wall vegan cafe and I wasn't sure how it had survived the high rent in NYC. It's dimly lit, the women at the register was rude and I was forced to stand to wait for a table while my ankles throbbed from a long day of walking around the city.

Then, I saw them. Vegan chicken wings. They looked enough like real wings to be appealing but not enough like them to be disgusting. They even came with dressing and celery. Then the previous frustrated cashier brought us drinks while we waited and we were seated shortly. When I saw the wings, they shifted my paradigm of the entire place.

While the lighting is dim, its a perfect balance for the zen/asian theme of the restaurant. Instead of feeling like a dive, it seemed cozy, serene, comfortable.

At our table, we were greeted by a sweet tattooed women with short black hair. She patiently waited while we figured out what we wanted to eat and helped our selection by telling us about her favorites.

We started our meal with the delicious BBQ Buffalo Wings with their Sesame Garlic Bleu Cheese dressing. They didn't last long at our table, and we considered ordering more to take home with us. Fortunately for my waist line, our main entree came shortly after we finished.

My boyfriend ordered Creole Soul Chicken, which included breaded soy chicken, delicious mashed potatoes and mixed veggies with homemade mushroom gravy. He finished the potatoes first, claiming they were the best ever made. Savoring the soy chicken, he munched on it slowly while I finished my meal.

I also had ordered another chicken dish. While I still ate animal products, I was never really a fan of chicken. However, out of most faux meat products they are my favorite. I had never eaten Bourbon chicken but I remember it being a favorite of my mom. I ordered the Grilled Bourbon Chicken dish, with jerk marinated soy chicken, a side of Basmati rice (my favorite) and mixed veggies. It was a delicious dish, but did not quite compare to the knock out flavor of the wings.

We finished off the night with a death by chocolate slice of cake from Vegan Treats Bakery. For only $50 (including tip) it was a wonderful treat for us.