Vegan Mofo Post #7: Birthday Dinner At Modern Love Brooklyn

The birthday girl heads off to Modern Love Brooklyn after an uplifting time in Harlem.

Yesterday was a good day.
Sunny, amiable New York City weather charmed and seduced from borough to borough. I dallied in Greenwich Village for breakfast and thrift shopping. I visited my favorite art haven, Studio Museum Harlem in Harlem, finding solitude in the paintings of Amy Sherald from the dynamic Fictions exhibition and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's pastel sketches of Harlem, an unexpected treat in a curated body of works about Harlem and Jacob Lawrence.

Posing with Amy Sherald's work at Studio Museum Harlem. New dress and usual Jean-Michel Basquiat artwork tote (Adam, my attentive waiter at MLB knew it was his work).

Prior to attending The New Yorker Festival (where Ava DuVernay waved at me from the crowd, yes I'd like to think she did), I made reservations for one at Modern Love Brooklyn, a chic all-vegan eatery, specializing in ritzy fine dining with an emphasis on plant-based comfort food. In between drinking water (my usual drink of choice) and watching people enjoy iced cocktails, giant mock pork chops with pink applesauce and giant sandwiches, I delighted in my special "treat yo' self" meal at this popular hot spot owned/created by vegan cookbook author Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Sleek and elegant menu.

Classy interior.

Seared Brussels Sprouts with garlic aioli, sorrel, and pine nuts-- off the charts incredible. I love that the lemony smell of sorrel affectionately enters the nostrils before the silver fork digs in for the first wondrous bite.

This is a whimsical plate. The bottom layers have layers of wickedly smooth red pepper cashew mac n cheese, blackened cauliflower, sauteed kale, tomato vinaigrette, and spicy pecans with triangular pecan-cornmeal encrusted tofu gracefully topping. Hands down one of the most eloquent, creative vegan mac n cheese dishes ever eaten in a restaurant thus far.

Simply exquisite.

Thank you Adam for taking my photo with this marvelous pumpkin praline cheesecake topped with coconut whipped cream and complemented spice blend.

This is an amazing dessert to end the meal--sweet and creamy, chilled to perfection, lots of complex textures and warm notes, very generous slice.