Veggie Heaven

473 Cedar Lane

Teaneck, NJ

201-836-0887

I haven't owned a car since December 1997, when my '92 Sentra was stolen one night outside my front door in Williamsburg. I figured, why replace it? Between subway, bus, bike and foot, I, like most New Yorkers, get around just fine. It took seven years for me to deduce a single good reason for maintaining a car here. And it's not weekend trips home to Baltimore, day hikes to Bear Mountain, or paranoia over suitcase nukes. It's Veggie Heaven.

About a 10-minute drive from the George Washington Bridge, or about half an hour from the Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel, Veggie Heaven serves the best vegan Chinese food in the metropolitan area. I love Red Bamboo and VP2, but they can't hold a candle to Howah Chen's place, which has been serving quality vegetarian eats in this location for nine years.

Chen, a longtime restaurateur, is also a Buddhist. Some years back, the monk at her temple urged her to consider opening a vegetarian restaurant, both to benefit area vegetarians and her own health. In addition to a second Veggie Heaven in Parsippany, Chen opened a third in Montclair a couple of months ago.

Without fail, my sidekick and I begin meals at Veggie Heaven with the Mix Chinese Hors D'Oeuvres ($9.95), a platter of sweet, crispy-chewy sesame seaweed; savory boneless BBQ ribs; slices of a cross between an egg roll and a maki roll; and delicate slabs of mock duck. It's perfection-every taste and texture gloriously represented.

Though the Vege Triple Crown ($12.95) and Tofu with Ginger & Scallion Sauce ($7.50) are both tried-and-true favorites, tonight I crave my standby, Fresh Lotus with Beef and Shrimp ($11.95), while Jon elects a special: coconut shrimp. A popular choice, as it looks like every table in the semipacked house sports at least one plate of it. At which point I notice the range of tonight's guests: multigenerational African Americans, Latinos, heavily tattooed whiteys, and an Asian/Latino gay-boy couple. Jon says it's a natural convergence for Teaneck, and Jersey rises yet again in my esteem.

My dish is an ambrosial heap of vegan beef simmered in Chinese five-spice (VH's chefs create most of the meats; I suspect this is one of them), shrimp, broccoli, elegant slices of lotus and rich chunks of ginger and garlic. The portions are, at least for me, stupendous; I'm still enjoying leftovers two days later. Jon's coconut shrimp are coconut-y, but not overwhelmingly so. They're piled high on a platter-size plate alongside florets of bright steamed broccoli that offset the deep-fried shrimp. Cheerful and impressed, Jon polishes off all but one shrimp, which comes home with me.

I've yet to try the array of vegan cakes that twirl in the window carousel; there's also a tempting sushi menu (entirely veggie). All the more reason to come back. Fortunately, you don't have to purchase a vehicle to experience the wonders of Veggie Heaven. Zipcar makes quick jaunts convenient and affordable. Or, you could just get involved with someone from Jersey. They all own cars.