YOU’LL HAVE “NO BEEF”

WITH BLOSSOM’S FLAVORS

BY IRENE SAX

2006 Review

I went to Blossom for lunch with one vegetarian and one omnivore who was, by the end of the meal, decidedly grouchy. “It’s not that I want a steak,” she grumbled as we stepped out onto Ninth Ave. “I want a sundae. With whipped cream.”

They don’t have sundaes at Blossom, a calm, draperied and even romantic new storefront cafe in Chelsea. What they do have, according to the menu, is food that is “Organic-Dairy Free-Vegan-Vegetarian” and “First and Foremost Animal Caring.”

Somehow, all that manages to translate into well-seasoned and surprisingly lusty food. Suspicious at first, I was won over by spicy vegetarian chili made with black beans, corn and vegetables and accompanied by crunchy herb-sprinkled corn chips ($7). The “Living Asian Salad” tossed slender strips of carrots, peppers, cabbage, scallions and sprouts in a creamy cashew dressing with citrus undertones. And both the seitan skewers and the cold sesame noodles that came with them were bathed in a sweet thick Thai peanut sauce ($9). No apologies, I realized, were needed.

Grilled pizza with strips of caramelized onions and red peppers laid over what seemed to be real, not faux, mozzarella cheese ($12), Linguine tossed with tofu, broccoli rabe, tomatoes and olives tasted reasonably Italian ($14), and the pressed sandwich packed with marinated and grilled mushrooms and roasted red and yellow peppers ($12) were all great.

We shared two desserts, a creamy chocolate torte ($8) and a “napoleon” made of three super-thin wafers filled with dabs of apple and cranberry. With it, vegan vanilla ice cream. Did we fight over that lone scoop of ice cream? Of course. It’s easy to make fun of the menu’s high-mindedness, but if you’re a vegetarian – or even better, a vegan – one meal at Blossom will make you want to eat there every day. And if you’re not, you can still have a good meal.