Greedi Vegan
Greedi Vegan, a striking plant-based restaurant in Crown Heights, is actually the second business for Latisha Daring. For 10 years she operated Pieces (the legendary Prospect Heights boutique known for one-of-kind statement dresses and accessories) before soaring rent priced her out in 2010. But with a strong vision and belief in endless possibilities, the BK-born-and-raised Daring opened her new venture eight weeks ago.
“After Pieces I wanted to do something in food, but I’m not formally trained,” says Daring, 43, who initially figured she’d invest in a restaurant with partners. “No one can really execute my vision if my hands aren’t in it, so I just told my husband, ‘I want to do this.’” And, y’all? She did that. Greedi Vegan is a fun, inventive eatery with amazingly full-flavored food.
“I wanted a comfortable, intimate space where it felt like you were in someone’s kitchen,” Daring says of the Greedi Vegan design concept. It’s a spot-on description of the experience, with Daring and her welcoming staff overlooking the 10-seater from an open kitchen. The space is small, but its modern decor — stark white subway tile, pops of red neon, a sunny windowsill herb garden — beckons you to dine in and linger.
Inspired by flavor profiles from Daring’s global travels and her family’s Southern roots, the menu offers brunch and comfort food classics, vegan style: gluten-free pancakes with fresh berries and coconut cream; deeply savory soy sausage with tofu scramble; meatball sliders; chicken tacos; creamy “mac & goodness;” various veggie bowls and much more. Doesn’t take long to see what prompted the “greedi” moniker.
“I wanted a comfortable, intimate space where it felt like you were in someone’s kitchen.”
Raised vegan by a Rastafarian mother, Daring says her food options as a kid were far more limited than today’s plant-based bounty. With Greedi Vegan, her mission is to excite fellow vegans through variety and creativity, while enticing carnivores. “I want carnivores to come into my space, not feel intimidated, be curious about the food, love the food, and come back to explore the rest of the menu,” she says.
On our last visit we had the delicious Soul Bowl of brown rice, quinoa-breaded “fried” soy chicken, kale and sweet potatoes; crispy sweet plantain seasoned with ginger and turmeric; and sliders made with Impossible Foods protein. Topped with melty vegan gouda, the sliders nail the texture of a real meat patty, with a charred, almost caramelized crust. All things considered, it’s like...why eat a cow? “Once you start to explore what you can do with texture and seasonings, it starts a conversation,” says Daring. “But at the end of the day, I think we all just want to eat good food.”
1031 Bergen Street, 347-627-7900, greedivegan.com
