Restaurant Review: Ayurveda Cafe

Ayurveda Cafe (706 Amsterdam Avenue at 94th Street, New York, NY 10025)

What is it about health food restaurants that always seems to draw angry, unhappy people, generally with a misanthropic scowl and perturbed aura (to use - sarcastically - the parlance of the New Agers)? Not a restful soul to be found recently at the Upper West Side's Indian vegetarian hyped spot of the moment, the Ayurveda Cafe, but rather a bitchy waitstaff that tallied our bill incorrectly and fellow diners squeezed around us either annoyingly loud or simply too freakish for even our ultra-tolerant natures.

It doesn't help that no liquor is served on the premises and discouraged from being brought by the dietary philosophy of the establishment, as a drink might have calmed everyone down a bit. While the anxiety of menu choice is removed, Ayurveda Cafe goes so far as to offer absolutely none: that's right, you simply get served whatever the kitchen fills like dishing out that evening ($12 for a plate of 6-7 small dishes, advertised as All-You-Can-Eat but apparently no one told the dazed and confused waitresses).

High Points included the reading by Joyce Carol Oates that Thordis and I attended before dinner (hence our trek to the culinary hinterlands; Oates read from her new collection of stories at the 82nd St Barnes & Noble) and a spicy mash of peppers and soft potatoes. Also decent was a simple raita, good naan bread and a vegetable pakora surprisingly light in texture and virtually greaseless.

P.S. The photo above was taken from the website as we had no need to capture this meal for posterity. Actual portions may be smaller than they appear above.