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At the beginning of The Seven-Year Itch, Richard Sherman – attempting to live the life of an ascetic before he’s visited by the girl next door, played by Marilyn Monroe – tries out a vegetarian restaurant. It’s a drab and dusty place inhabited by matching elderly patrons, with a menu that features spinach loaf, yogurt and dandelion salad.

For anyone who still expects these things when visiting a vegetarian – let alone vegan – restaurant, Candle 79 will come as a shock. Visual appeal is the first thing on the menu for both atmosphere and food. Jewel tones predominate in the decor, from the super-saturated colors of the photographs on the wall to the small but seductive curved bar. Whether you’re seated in one of the clubby settings downstairs or upstairs where the floor is bare and the ceiling is covered in swirling carpet, you’re going to get at least a peek through a window into the well-organized kitchen.

Candle 79 is completely vegan, with some gluten-free and “live” selections. Vegetarians and vegans get used to some standard starters, salads and entrees that can be found at non-veg restaurants. Candle 79 has these – steamed dumplings, hummus, Caesar salad, burritos – but goes beyond.

Multi-ingredient sandwich extravaganzas are one of those things that can fall by the wayside if you give up meat. But the chili-seared seitan sandwich is simultaneously crisp and moist and layered with avocado, caramelized onions and mixed lettuce and dressed with chipotle aioli. The accompanying polenta fries sound like they have the potential to be cement-like sticks that might not survive intact the trip from plate to mouth. But they turn out to be even lighter than their potato cousins, with a satisfying ultrathin and crisp exterior.

If the menu seems too free-ranging to narrow down to one choice, at lunch the market plate lets you choose from a variety of entrees and sides and accompany it with two of the seven excellent sauces available. And at dinner, side choices include grilled oyseter mushrooms and maple-roasted squash.

For dessert there are seasonal house-made ice creams and sorbets, cannoli, a tropical-tinged banana- and coconut-topped brownie that luxuriates in a chocolate-ancho sauce and a chocolate and peanut butter mousse that resides in a chocolate shell.

The bar at Candle 79 pours organic wines and turns out juice and tonic blends, smoothies and cocktails. The Green Goddess is a frothy concoction of greens, apple and lemon with a hit of ginger. For something stronger, the French 79 arrives as gorgeous striations of sake, champagne, apricot nectar, lemon and black currant sweetened by a touch of agave.

Espresso-based drinks generally rely on the fattiness of dairy to fill out their flavor profile. But soy half-and-half lends itself well to both foam and taste in cappuccinos, macchiatos and lattes. They’re a warm reminder at the end of the meal that even among vegans, some like it hot.

Candle 79
154 E 79th St,
New York, NY
(212) 537-7179‎