Exhibit 5a | Creative Disobedience

When I think about vegetarian food, my mind conjours up pictures of limp soy dogs and gluten bacon, of wiggly tofurkey dinners, the smell of pachouli and dusty-soled hippies. And of course I think of crazy new-age animal friendly websites like Happy Cow. I know, I know before all you veggies out there get upset I realize I’m generalizing. Sit down and eat your edamame you damn hippies.

Regardless, my exposure to faux meat has been dubious for the most part. Because I live in New York, there are many vegetarian options out there for the non-meat eaters and I’ve come to actually enjoy “clean” food from a select number of restaurants. The thing is though, I’m enjoying vegetarian food for what it is: soy or gluten based food. I don’t try and pretend that it’s really a meat subsititute. Other times, like at the Vegetarian Dim Sum House, I don’t know what the hell I’m eating in the first place.

This, however, until I ate at the Red Bamboo Soul Cafe. I am quite sure that if no one told me that the delightfully breaded and fried Creole Soul Chicken with signature sweet corn mashed potatoes wasn’t meat, I would have been none the wiser. Red Bamboo seems to have mastered all three of the key elements to meat enjoyment: taste, presentation and above all, texture.

Each of the the different “meat” dishes I tried not only looked like meat, but it tasted like meat, and while I was chewing it, felt like meat. The buffalo wings looked liked real wings and to be honest were much easier to deal with. The wooden spike through the middle of them acting as the bone was much easer to remove and far less messy than real wings. The salmon could have easily passed for the real thing, although the taste was slightly foreign, and the chicken parmesan would have fooled even the most exacting Italian.

The portions are gigantic, each dish garnished with lightly steamed veggies, collard greens, mashed potatoes or garlic bread. The atmosphere is comfortable and cozy, as any soul food joint should be. Be advised though, that even though the menu is 100% vegetarian (and nearly 100% vegan), this isn’t a health food shop. You’ll get as many crispy deep fried dishes as you would at any meat-eaters paradise.

They don’t take reservations at Red Bamboo, but stop by early and give them your name and cell number. They’ll call you when your table is ready. While you’re waiting, stop in next door at Vol de Nuit, a Beligian beer bar for a full dose of heavily accented Scandinavian bartenders, Leffe, and Chimay. If you’re looking for a pre-dinner snack, order up some lovely frites with a variety of dipping sauces.

Red Bamboo
140 w4th Street
New York, NY 10014
212-260-1212
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