Bryant Park Winter Village

Christmas markets are always so fun and so beautiful. Especially the Bryant Park Winter Village, which is set against the famed New York City Public Library and the New York City skyline. I checked out the Winter Village with my friend Lauren the other night and I was looking forward to seeing the giant christmas tree, the ice skating rink, the shops, and then, to my complete surprise and excitement I found TONS of vegan food. I’m talking TONS. More than I could even keep track of. The word *vegan* was everywhere I turned and my heart literally skipped a beat every time I saw it! And no this is not a vegan event by any means…plant-based foods are just making their way into the mainstream more and more everyday as awareness continues to grow about the benefits of plant-based eating. For me, this growing awareness is an early holiday present in and of itself! 🙂 I only wish I hadn’t eaten dinner before going (total rookie mistake). Here are some highlights from my visit.

First, how beautiful is the New York City Public Library, above? It’s truly majestic. And btw, if you’re a Sex and the City fan you might recognize this building because it was supposed to be the location for Carrie and Big’s wedding! Remember that intense scene where Carrie hits big over the head with her wedding bouquet? That happened right here. But okay I’ve digressed…back to the Winter Village. 😉

One stand out little pop-up restaurant was Two Tablespoons. Two Tablespoons specializes in loaded smashed potatoes and chili. I ordered the pumpkin, hummus + tahini loaded smashed potatoes and it was so fantastic. The mix of ingredients sounded strange to me but it all came together perfectly. I would eat it again in a heartbeat. Actually, I would really like to be eating this again right now.

Here’s Two Tablespoons‘ full menu at the Winter village. All plant-based! Doesn’t it all sound so scrumptious?

Then I happened upon New York Chimney Cake Rolling Pretzels, which are authentic Hungarian sweets. I was shocked again to see that everything was vegan! From the pretzels, to the chocolate sauce and the peanut butter…no dairy whatsoever. (Btw, did you know most chocolate products have dairy in them? Major bummer.)

The picture above is what the pretzels look like as they’re waiting to be filled with your choice of fillings. And the picture below is what they look like once they’re all ready to be eaten. Lauren and I got ours filled with chocolate sauce…it was decadent and delicious!

Then, directly next to Chimney Cakes I saw Soup for the Soul and once again…all vegan! At this point I was freaking out with excitement and probably hitting Lauren and pointing to everything going, “Do you see this?! DO YOU SEE THIS?? VEGAN. V-E-G-A-N. LAUREN DO YOU SEE THIS?!” (If you’re wondering, yes, she saw it all, even without my incessant narrating of what I was looking at, and luckily she’s used to my intense love for planty foods so she just nodded and said “Yep, Tedi. I see it. I definitely see it.”) 😉 Ok but I seem to have digressed again…back to the soups. Soup for the Soul’s soup inspiration comes from all around the world. Flavors include Mediterranean carrot, ginger + artichoke, Moroccan style vegetable, Mexican four bean & Middle Eastern mushrooms + barley with chickpeas. YUM! I didn’t get a chance to try any of them but they sound fantastic.

There was also The Lucky Sailor serving up an all vegan menu including Belgian frites and hot apple cider. How good do those fries look? And the cider was the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.

And keep in mind, all these goodies (and my excited freakouts) were enjoyed amongst this beautiful atmosphere, like the picture I snapped below while stuffing my face with the rolled pretzel thingy.

And the list goes on and on…there was Vegushi, which serves up completely plant-based sushi.

There’s This Pie is Nuts, which serves completely organic, vegan, gluten-free, paleo pies made with whole ingredients to create delicious, mouth-watering good, healthy desserts.

There’s my love Blossom Du Jour there too that was sadly closed when I was there, but that’s ok because you already know I love them from my posts here and here. They are definitely 100% worth checking out.

And in addition to the all-vegan food stands there were also regular food stands serving up vegan options like La Sonrisa Empanadas, Pickle Me Pete, Big Apple Cider and more than I can even keep track of, which is in my opinion…amazing!

Lauren, strolling through the Winter Village.

And, in addition, to all the eco-friendly, vegan food stands, there were lots of eco-friendly shops including:

• Ms. Ellie Pooh’s Fair Trade which sells stationary and gifts made of completely recycled products that support the environment, elephants and the local economy in Sri Lanka.
• Cliff Belts which uses corktree bark, organic canvases and denim to create cruelty-free belts, wallets and handbags.
• Merriweather’s Micro-Soapery & Skincare which uses only the finest pure, nutrient-rich ingredients to create soaps, oils, bath salts and creams.
• Lucy & Leo Organic Baby which sells baby clothes made from 100% organic cotton.

And that’s only part of the list! You can see all the eco-friendly shops here.

So my advice to you if you’re going to be in NYC this holiday season…check out the Bryant Park Winter Village, dress warm, try all the vegan food you can get your hands on…and enjoy!!!

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