Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
It might feel a little intimidating entering the Hare Krishna temple in downtown Brooklyn. But trust me, look for the stairs immediately on your right and walk down into the dining room with confidence. You’ll be treated to one of the most calming and inexpensive home cooked meals in the entire city.
You won’t be the only non-member of the temple sitting in the dated banquet hall. Lots of locals who have discovered this secret are taking advantage of the healthy-ish vegetarian food.
They’ve been serving the community since the 80’s but perhaps due to the rise of vegetarian and vegan diets, have once again garnered some buzz.
This place has been on my list for quite a while (not since the 80’s) and I managed to finally get there during their limited hours. They only serve a buffet style lunch on weekdays and are closed on weekends.
I was also lucky enough to be here on a Thursday when the special is an eggplant parmesan. That’s a very strange thing to see on the menu at an Indian-inspired healthy restaurant.
The deal here is you can get an entire portion of one dish for $15 or pick and choose a combination of smaller portions of the day’s specialities from $5 for one dish to $10 for four dishes. I can’t stress at what an amazing deal this is, especially considering the portions of each were more than generous. And that this is in the middle of gentrifying downtown Brooklyn.
I chose a warming and flavorful yellow bean soup, some curried sweet potatoes, a very unique and rich potato, curry and sour cream casserole, and finally that eggplant parmesan.
I never would have expected to like this dish as much as I did here. It’s a bit different than what you might get at an Italian restaurant, but it still tastes like someone’s grandmother made it. It’s a bit lighter on the herbs and allows the eggplant to shine with all its meaty flavor and textures.
Turns out it’s the most popular dish here and I understand why. It might not be the healthiest vegetarian dish, but it might be the one that makes you the happiest. And that translates to healthy in all religions and cultures, doesn’t it? Price: $5-$12
| GOVINDA’S VEGETARIAN LUNCH |
| 305 Schermerhon Street (between Bond and Nevins Street), Inside the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn (718) 855-6714 |
