Bodhi Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant

Kent Zhang became a vegetarian years ago to align with his Buddhist religion. But following a no-meat lifestyle in New York in the '90s certainly proved difficult if not flavorless. He opened his own vegetarian Cantonese restaurant in Flushing in 1999, before relocating to Chinatown in 2004, where it remains today. And even though the banner that hangs outside still touts vegetarianism, all of the offerings here are actually vegan. 

Inside, you'll find a no-frills but efficient operation, where you'll be seated in no time (busy nights will still get you a table in around 20 minutes). Once butts are in chairs, servers will quickly drop pots of tea that are just hot enough not to scald you and a handful of plastic-wrapped and paper menus that cycle through 200 different selections. Don't go dizzy just yet. Start by ticking off a few dim sum selections, such as the rice rolls with chopped bits of faux ham and the gluten-free fried taro dumplings with excellent lacy bits on the outside and a chewy, light bite on the inside. The soy nuggets swap in the sesame veg chicken and kung pao are a nice, hearty dupe, too, and the noodles are an easy fix. But a must-order goes to the sweet and sour sticky ribs, which Zhang lovingly recreated from his mother's kitchen.