XYST
I’m not a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or have any other dietary restrictions. However, I do like to try new foods and even the fad diets. I have done the whole pescatarian thing before, and feel that I could go back to it long-term if I wanted or even needed to, but right now I’m just enjoying all the amazing foods NYC has to offer, while exploring plant-based eats.
In general, I think veganism has earned its negative stigma because it's such a difficult diet to follow and it really limits your protein resources. And that may have been true at one point, but now science has given us the “Impossible” burgers and other creative meat options. But either way, I try to keep an open mind with all food options and diet trends.
So, first on the list for my “plant-based foodie journey" is Chef Matthew Kenney's XYST, located near Union Square. But honestly, it’s more on the East Side. This restaurant is super cozy and has an outdoor patio in the back, which is kinda romantic because of the dimmed lighting. Fun Fact: The word “xyst” means a covered portico, as a promenade from the ancient Greek and Roman origins or architecture. Safe to say that the name of the restaurant is fitting.
I’ve actually been twice, so I’m sort of covering both visits in this post, since the first visit was only a quick catch up with a friend over hummus and cocktails. I love a good hummus dip, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I loved dinner at XYST. Not only were the veggie options creatively endless, but shockingly filling. Check out the dinner menu here and don’t forget to book a reservation on OpenTable because it’s very popular on Friday nights from what I could tell. If I didn’t have a reservation, the bar didn’t even have an empty stool, so better safe than sorry.
My Dinner
Smoked Hummus
The hummus is mixed with sumac and harissa oil. The sumac is what gives the hummus a slightly spicy kick, but more of a tanginess. And the harissa oil itself is an oil blend of hot chile peppers.
For dipping, we had grilled pita and crudite, which is just a fancy word for carrots, celery, and other veggies. There were also a few pieces of raw cauliflower and broccoli. And I believe those red lettuce leaves are actually radicchio, but I’m not entirely sure.
Cauliflower
This has certainly been the year of cauliflower. I feel like the past several years have let a new exotic fruit or specific vegetable have it’s moment, so here it is.
The cauliflower entrée was a great shareable dish of green harissa, onion soubise, and pine nuts.
Za’atar Roasted Carrots
The carrots were served with a pistachio yogurt and sesame. This is another great shareable starter, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a main course for dinner. For some reason, carrots just aren’t as filling as a carb-loaded veggies like broccoli or cauliflower,
Lemon Meringue Pie
There’s nothing I love more on a dessert dish than that burnt coating on the outside, similar to that of a crème brûlée. It was sweet on the outside and then the zesty lemon cream in the middle was nice and tart, so it balanced out the sweetness. And just to perfect the dessert, there’s a crunchy layer of almond and date crust at the bottom
Cocktails
XYST has a great cocktail menu ranging from zero-proof cocktails to the hard stuff. The menu is actually organized into sections like Zero, Low, and Standard Proof cocktails. I drank my way through the cocktail menu from zero to one hundred. Well, maybe not a hundred, but it felt very close. So I started off with a zero-proof cocktail, called the Ruby Palmer, which is a refreshing hibiscus iced tea, citrus cordial, and verjus, which is just pressed juice of unripened grape that can be either red or white. Then I graduated into the low-proof Crimson Spritz and so on. The spritzer is blood orange based with Contratto bitters, and a splash of Prosecco and some club soda. I like the strong taste of botanicals in the XYST Tonic, which is a pretty standard tonic cocktail if you don’t know what to order. There are two alcohol options of either gin or vodka… Go with the gin! My boyfriend ordered the Tree Tap Old-Fashioned, which was a smooth cocktails with a hell of a kick. This bourbon-based cocktail had aged rum, spiced maple flavor, and Angostura bitters in it. I also tried the Nuevo Leon, which is a tequila-based cocktails with Ancho Reyes (a chile liqueur), cinnamon agave, pear and lemon flavors, and Angostura bitter. Check out the drinks menu here.
The Wine Selection
The wines are also vegan and all-natural, which seemed strange for me to hear because I previously assumed that all wines were “clean" or “all-natural” since they come from a field of “natural” fruits. In any case, What this means is that the grapes to make these wines are not sprayed with pesticides or any harsh chemicals. I can’t remember the exact wine I ordered, but I usually go with a Merlot or any other heavy red wine option, so chances are I ordered a glass of the "MERLOT. CHATEAU TOUR DE GOUPIN. BORDEAUX, FRANCE. 2016” from the wine list. There are so many options of organic wines, so I took home this bit of knowledge and look for these options when I buy wine at home.
Social Media Coverage
Feed your feed with some of XYST's elegant cocktails and colorful veggie-filled plates.
More From Chef Matthew Kenney
Check out my experience at a new plant-based restaurant and rooftop created by the creative Chef Matthew Kenney in partnership with Alo Yoga.