Earth Month Eats: Stop by Luanne’s Wild Ginger for a Plant-Based & Kosher Meal
Most people know that April 22 is Earth Day but environmental activists have dedicated the entire month to raising awareness about climate change and crises, sharing exciting information about environmental programs, and educating the public on ways they can do their part to preserve our beautiful planet. It can often feel daunting to confront the vulnerability of our home. We often find ourselves asking what can we as individuals really do that will make a positive impact? While it’s true that large corporations and industrial enterprises expel the most greenhouse gas emissions each year, it’s not to say that we the people are powerless. For one, we can hold these companies accountable for their harmful contributions by pushing our lawmakers to police carbon emission and fund renewable energy projects. We also have the power to hit them where it hurts– their wallets. By deciding to support small businesses with sustainable practices, we take business (money, power, influence) away from environmentally-damaging corporations. An easy change that you can make is to eat less meat and animal products. According to Scientific American, “about 40 percent of greenhouse gasses come from agriculture, deforestation and other land-use changes” within the industry sector. This doesn’t mean you have to go vegan or even vegetarian, but making an active decision to eat a minimum 25% less meat, dairy, and eggs (and talking about that decision with others) can help to lower the US’s greenhouse gas emissions by 1–3% per year. This doesn’t sound like a lot but 1% of carbon emissions in the US is a little under 6.5 million metric tons, according to a 2022 survey done by EPA.
So this Earth Month, I thought I would seek out some local business in New York City with plant-based menus as a way to financially support sustainable practices and start a conversation about eating vegan and vegetarian in the city. Joining me on this adventure was my good friend Charlotte, a vegan of five years, whose expertise and love of food were exceptionally helpful in writing this article. And since this is the NYU Hillel blog after all, we wanted to find somewhere that would also satisfy our kosher readers:
Luanne’s Wild Ginger is a kosher and vegan restaurant offering dishes from Thai, Chinese, and Japanese cuisines. They have three locations throughout Brooklyn, but we went to their Lower Manhattan spot on Broome Street. Established in 2005, Luanne’s has been serving up plant-based meals to Chinatown, Nolita, and Little Italy for almost twenty years. It’s a small restaurant, perfect for quick lunches or casual dates with its perfect-for-two tables both indoors and outdoors. Charlotte and I sat inside and were immediately handed an extensive menu by our wonderful waitress. Although it was a Saturday evening, the restaurant was fairly empty when we arrived at 6:30, but it was drawing in more of a crowd by the time we left around 8:00.
We felt slightly overwhelmed by the number of options. Charlotte voiced her surprise to me at the vastness of the menu, saying that she is used to having just a few choices when she goes out to eat. Not only was the entire menu vegan, but there were also many gluten-free options as well, making this a great restaurant for anyone with dietary restrictions. We ultimately decided on the Pad Thai (me) and the House Bibimbap (Charlotte), and also shared a small pot of peach-ginger tea. The noodle dish was $15 and the bibimbap was $17, which actually felt like a steal given the enormous quantities of the dishes. We each left with enough for lunch or dinner the following day, so it really felt like we were paying for two meals instead of one. The tea however did feel overpriced–the small pot cost $7 and really only contained enough tea for us each to have one cup.
The food came out within minutes after ordering which did lead us to wonder if their meals were all pre-made, and therefore, how long they had been sitting for. But both meals were warm and overflowing with colorful vegetables. The pad-thai had noodles sauteed in a brown sauce–which the menu described as spicy, although I would disagree–with tofu, scallions, carrots, bean sprouts, and topped with crushed peanuts. I was hesitant because I am not the biggest tofu fan but it didn’t overwhelm the dish and texturally got lost amongst the other ingredients. I would not say that this was an exact replica of a traditional non-vegan pad-thai but it was still enjoyable for what it was. A few critiques would be that the sauce wasn’t particularly flavorful, and it did become slightly slimy on its second day. Charlotte’s bibimbap, a plant-based take on a classic Korean dish, was a veggie-lover’s dream. Mango salsa, seitan, avocado, spinach, seaweed, adzuki beans and kimchi sat atop a bed of coconut-rice, with a side of sesame-peanut dressing. The seitan and beans were used to add protein to the meal, replacing the beef and egg in a traditional bibimbap. Charlotte praised the abundance of vegetables which she said paired well with the tangy and savory dressing. She did wish that there were less beans in the dish or that they had been replaced with different legume like edamame or snap peas. Both of us enjoyed our meals but probably would not be rushing back anytime soon. That being said, it was fun to try a new restaurant near our dorm, and I loved seeing how affordable, accessible, and innovative plant-based eating can be. Overall, I would give Luanne’s Wild Ginger a 7/10 but the company was easily a 10/10.
