Monk’s Meats, a stalwart stall of Smorgasburg and now the rulers of the kitchen roost at Starr Bar in Bushwick, has long been in the business of making veganism easy and delicious with their seitan-based barbecue. And now that Thanksgiving, as difficult a holiday for vegans as any, is coming in quick, they’re making sure to have options available for anyone who doesn’t want to cook but still wants to provide some show-stopping dishes.
“It’s our favorite holiday and we always try to make veganizing easy on people,” owner Chris Kim tells me. “Our original box for two was planned for people going ‘home for the holidays’ to discreetly bring a vegan protein, stuffing, and gravy to a dinner where their parents or family might not fully ‘get’ how to accommodate vegan guests. From there, we’ve expanded to a full range of sides and desserts. We offer everything à la carte but we still do the box for two and now also offer a family feast box for up to six.”
This year, there’s a truffled seitan box with stuffing and sides for two for $50, the $200 family feast, and a maple brown butter seitan brisket available on its own for $40—it serves 6 to 8 people—plus sides like chanterelle mushroom gravy, chipotle butternut squash soup, cauliflower gratin, cranberry sauce, and desserts. All the details and ordering information is on their website.
Pickup at Starr Bar and in Tompkins Square Park is available for next week, on both Wednesday the 27th and Thursday the 28th. For an additional $20 (plus tolls), delivery to the five boroughs is available.
