Candle Cafe   

Very vegetarian, very vital. One of the premiere restaurants of its kind in New York, Candle Cafe -- run by Bart Potenza and Joe Pierson, who also opened the bi-level Candle Cafe 79 nearby -- has a simple mission statement: All items are grown without chemicals, to support the environment as well as customers' spiritual and physical well-being. In fact, the wood-planked and apple-flanked Upper East Side eatery is fully vegan, which means absolutely nothing of animal origin is used. You don't have to subscribe to a macrobiotic or wheat-free diet to enjoy the airy eatery; just be prepared for creative uses of tofu and tempeh. All the portions are huge, including the Aztec and Soba Noodle salads, along with the organically overstuffed sandwiches. The char-grilled seitan steak has converted lifelong carnivores into weeping wannabes, and the other massive dishes, with names like Paradise Casserole and Macrobiotic Life Platter, will make you wince at minced meat ever after. Healthy, filling and spiritual, this is honestly "food from farm to table." -- Yon Motskin