Counter
Restaurant, Bar
Profile
$$$ - expensive
American, Eclectic (Fusion), Soul Food
Organic Wine, Martinis, and Beer - Vegetarian Bistro
Vegetarian food using only the finest organic ingredients, including vegetables, fruit, herbs and edible flowers from Counter’s own roof top garden. Counter also has a selection of organic and bio-dynamic wines from around the world, a unique selection of organic Martinis made with house made infused vodka’s, and organic beers.
Almost all of the food is vegan, including the desserts, though they do serve a few dishes with cheese, and the brunch menu includes a number of items with eggs.
Between 6th St. & 7th St.
Subway:
6 Train to Astor Place
F,V to lower east side/2nd avenue
- (Mostly) Organic
- Brunch
- Delivery
- Happy Hour
- Macrobiotic
- Outdoor Seating
- Romantic
- Wireless (free)
Added by Jeff Kim on Mar 29 03 (updated Dec 23 06)
Reviews
Delicious food and beautiful atmosphere.
I tried a number of dishes but the vegetable mosaic platter was definitely my favorite. It had orange scented fennel, spicy quinoa, whipped sweet potatoes, garlic green beans, and a few other veggies. All were cooked and seasoned perfectly, were very distinct, yet none clashed with each other.
Their veggie burger has a magnificent flavor, but the texture is unexpectedly soft. The nicoise-style white bean and pesto soup has an amazing flavor, but could use a bit more pesto. The seitan tenderloin is also good, but I don't think it's one of their best dishes. It's not particularly creative or exceptionally flavorful.
An excellent vegan restaurant and funky wine bar. The dishes are inspired and there is much attention to detail. It feels upscale but also casual. I had a phenomenal cauliflower dish and was also blown away by how delicious even the simple side dishes were, like sauteed vegetables or spiced quinoa. A great place for a nice evening with a close friend or a lover.
First off, the wine selection is overpriced and not that good -- they could do a far better job on it. They also do short-pours on the wine. Most wine bars in the area will pull 6-8 glasses off a bottle, they seem to go for 8-12.
I found the entrees to be overpriced and a bit bland. The lentil walnut spread on foccaccia (i think) was a standout though.
The food I had here was uniformly fantastic, particularly the spinach and shallot strudel appetizer, which was a roll of flaky phyllo-like dough around a center of sauteed spinach and shallots, served with a sweet chutney.
However, the most amazing part of the meal was the chocolate torte I had for dessert, which may be the single best vegan dessert I've ever had, even better than the chocolate almond midnight cake at Millenium.
Update: I went back just recently in May of 2005, and it was still fantastic. I had the paella as my entree, and it was great. I saw they had ramps on the menu in another dish, and asked if I could have some on the side, and they included them at no extra charge. They were also happy to let me sit and read for fifteen minutes before I ordered dessert, even though they were quite busy that night. I appreciated the lack of pressure to free up the table.
Counter is a really great restaurant, both in food and service, and I'm looking forward to returning.
Swanky vegan restaurant and wine bar. They have a wide selection of organic wines and beers, and do indicate which contain honey. They also have wine tasting menus, serving organic/biodynamic wines. On Tuesday nights, they have a three course raw food tasting menu for $35, with optional win pairing for $18.
The place is wheel chair accessible, very clean, and pretty laid back for it's price range. Dinners range from $7-$10 for appetizers, $11-$16 for entrees. Desserts were about $7. They have a Weekend Brunch from 11-4 that we still have not tried yet. Must try to get there.
They also have a selection of vegan wines (processed without animal products). We just tried their raw prix fixe, and it was really good. I was skeptical, but I've been converted. Their raw nut creams are simply incredible. And their dessert items of coconut custard (raw) and their chocolate tart are fabulous.
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS ON WEEKENDS. Otherwise, you will be made to feel like a second class citizen. Also, it is not quiet, and it is NOT recommended as a romantic setting. I just sat next to a screaming baby for an hour during dinner. Not particularly enjoyable.
This place has _very_ good food. And it is surprisingly cheap for how good the food is and how knowledgeable the staff is.
This is definitely a place I will be frequenting.
Basically almost everything is vegan (including the deserts), definitely worth checking out if you are in the NYC area.
Counter is decent at best, but this rating rests heavily on its location, atmosphere and generous portions. The service was friendly. But for the most part, I found the food to be bland and uninspiring, especially considering the hefty price tag. My paella was large, but had no zing to it; it seemed more like a mishmash of fresh vegetables, with little thought to seasoning or taste. Similarly the "tornadoes of seitan" was something more akin to a cloudy day; there was no "pop" to the dish. In the end, I found Counter to be an imitation of other upscale NYC joints like Blossom or Candle 79; though it charges in the same price range as those two, Counter fails to bring the accompanying expectation of taste and novelty.