fridays are for brunches

Didn't you know? In reality, it's not actually that easy finding a weekday brunch in the brunch-loving city that is New York. Thankfully, there's Caravan of Dreams.

Tucked into the gorgeous grit that is the East Village, this organic and vegan restaurant has been on my "Must Try" list for quite some time. And when I heard Miss Mackenzie was rolling into town (quite literally, she rode a bus), I knew it'd be the perfect occasion. The lovely girl is vegan, and even though I trust her road trip experience will be as thrilling as my own, she will be in dire need of a good breakfast by its end. I thought I'd help the cause.

We began with coffee--hot with almond milk for me, iced decaf with almond milk for her. Can one borrow a caffeine infatuation? It was delicious; I was strung out for the rest of the day. With our $16 prix-fixe brunch meal, we also enjoyed a glass of sangria each, made more enjoyable by the fact that it was 11:30am on a Friday.

Then, we were served an impressive house salad complete with sprouts and dressed in a glorious tamari-lemon-ginger dressing. Mmm mm, good.

It's worth noting that we had the entire restaurant to ourselves as well, at least for the first hour. Time flew as we updated each other on our lives, in addition to some hopes and dreams. We swapped travel stories and dating anecdotes. We even partook in a little blogging gossip. I tell ya, great times are had with this gal.

For my entrée, I'd ordered the Mediterranean Brunch and was delighted to find it was even more amazing than it sounded: Spanish rice, seitan, sautéed greens, tomato, ali oli. She seemed thoroughly satisfied with her Breakfast Burrito, too.

Strong coffee, non-virgin sangria, tasty vegan fare, fantastic conversation, and a cozy atmosphere... on a Friday morn? I'd like to think it was one helluva second date. One of my best. I also love knowing I still have a brunch to look forward to this weekend. Hasta mañana, Patrick Swayze, ice cream, and mimosas.