Buddha Bodai

Buddha Bodai is one of those great, only-in-New-York mongrels, a kosher vegetarian Chinese restaurant run by a Buddhist. The menu is a mix of Chinese vegetarian stand-bys, like spring rolls and fried rice, and faux meat dishes like jellyfish, crab, chicken pie, and barbecued pork.


We decided on spring rolls, dumplings, and fried green peppers stuffed with rice and "veg. meat." We have no idea what "veg. meat" is, but the end result is a crunchy, greasy, salty mess that is utterly delicious. Plus, we can delude ourselves that we're eating healthily (six peppers is a big dent in the day's food pyramid), even though Colonel Sanders is surely looking down in appreciation.







On our most recent visit, we discovered a delightful new dessert, sweet sticky rice balls with coconut. They look and feel a little like Hostess Sno Balls, but inside --- much to our surprise --- is a mix of ground peanuts, sugar, and sesame seeds that practically begs you to keep eating it.