Quantum Leap

We checked out Quantum Leap at 226 Thompson Street. Quantum leap is a mostly vegan, almost vegetarian (they serve fish) restaurant in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.

Sweet Yam Tempura

I’m finding it difficult reviewing an appetizer whose name spells in out for you: Sweet? Yes. Yams? Uh-huh. Tempura? Mmm-hmm, crunchy. I guess the only important bit is whether or not they were good so I won’t hesitate to tell you that yes, these were very scrumptious. So scrumptious that we wolfed down every last one even though we had 2 huge meals on the way and the appetizer could’ve easily fed three if not four people. -Ev
Yeah, this appetizer is too much food for two people, but I digged it. The sweetness of the yam did indeed shine through, even after dipped in soy sauce, so there was a sweet/salty combination that was very tasty. -Jim

Seitan Satay

This dish was great! There were seitan skewers covered in spicy chili-peanut sauce with oriental veggies and rice on the side. The seitan was thick and chewy, airy almost, and reeeeaally filling. The sauce was a nice combination of sweet and salty and creamy and spicy. The oriental vegetables were sliced really thin and had really good crunch to them without being raw. My favorite part was definitely the basmati-lentil rice. Oooh boy was it good. It was so simple but really comforting and full of flavor. It was also cool that the dish came with a choice of soup or salad. I got the pumpkin soup and it was YUM! There was a subtle creamy-curry flavor to it. The best part was there was so much food I had a nice lunch the next day. -Ev

Chick’n Fajita

Rice, beans, protein, veggies, guacamole, vegan sour cream. You really can’t go wrong with that combination. It’s one of the easier things to cook for yourself at home. I know because I’m a bad cook and I can do it. So why would I still order it at a restaurant? Two reasons. The first reason is that having the opportunity to do so is a rarity. Yes, you can go down to your local Mexican restaurant and special-order a vegan dish, but I doubt they have tofu or seitan or vegan sour cream. And are you sure there’s no pork fat in the beans? Or chicken broth in the rice? I think it’s a special treat to be able to order a big, vegan Mexican dish at a restaurant, so I enjoy doing it on occasion. The second reason is that maybe it will be better than the stuff I cook at home, and I think this was. While the guac, sour cream, salsa and beans were pretty standard (good, but standard), I was happy to find that the rice was nicely flavored with some veggies mixed in, and the mock-chicken, peppers, onions and mushrooms were delicious and sautéed to perfection. Quantum leap has a whole section of their menu dedicated to Mexican items. So if you’re in the mood for vegan Mexican in NYC, it’s is a good destination. -Jim

The Bottom Line

I know Ev has been dying to make some Scott Bakula jokes, so I’ll leave that up to her. I will just say that I really enjoyed eating here and I look forward to coming back and trying some other items from their sizeable menu. I wouldn’t say the food was “awesome” or “amazing”, but it doesn’t have to be because the majority of the items on the menu were reasonably priced. I would say the food was "pretty darn good". Also, the atmosphere is cozy and the staff was extremely friendly.-Jim
I’m so happy Sam and Al were able to open a restaurant to commemorate their wacky adventures through time. The décor was Bakulactacular and the food was so good I wanted to say “Hey! Give me Sam-more!” God that was awful. I apologize. Joking aside, this was an excellent meal at a really cute place (that has nothing to do with the TV show). I can wait to leap back there time and time again. OK I’ll stop now. Really. Go eat some food. -Ev