Quick Vegan. What with Rice. Kiss My Bacon. Ketosexxx (Keto Desserts). Vegan Plantasia. Mediterranean Vegan Bowls. F#ck Gluten. Hellaplant Zucchini Pasta. Zoodle Hot Bar.
These are the names of a bunch of ... "restaurants", operating out of the famed 60 Morris Street Ghost Kitchen that sprung up during the early covid days. There are, literally, at any given time, 80-100 different listings on Seamless.com (or other pickup/delivery services) for establishments located at 60 Morris Street.
Quick backstory, if you aren't familiar ... the location is a big warehouse, not a restaurant. Individuals can rent space there, using the certified commercial kitchens, to operate their own virtual kitchens. In addition to these cloud kitchens, some operators just sell items they source from other actual restaurants and then distribute from there (e.g. pizza they sell from Amicis) or other grocery items (e.g. vegan pints of ice cream produced elsewhere or bars of chocolate). But mostly, it is a ton, and I mean a ton, of totally random restaurant names and concepts, that change every few weeks, and the delivery companies just list them all, hoping to draw you in to one of them. Many sell the exact same products.
When the place first sprung up, the press slammed it. Unsanitary working conditions, food not properly kept at temperature, horror stores of the experiences of the delivery drivers, etc, etc etc. It didn't make me want to try the offerings. But eventually, my fascination drew me in.
Which leads me to this review, the offerings that are produced in house by what seems like some central 60 Morris team, distinct from the ones that come from actual restaurants that also distribute from here. You'll find many restaurants listed that fall into this category, they all have one signature thing that they offer up: vegan, gluten-free, low sugar, keto, yadda yadda. Something super specific and niche. They really are trying to reach *everyone*.
The menu item names are often as ridiculous as the storefront names. For example, the Kiss My Bacon store has a menu of ... "Kisses". Yes, everything is called a "Kiss". You can order a "Omelette Kiss", which is a choice of mushroom or bacon omelette. A "Pizza Kiss", which, yup, is ust a mushroom or bacon pita pizza. A "Sandwich Kiss"? You guessed it, choice of mushroom or bacon, scrambled eggs, on a bun. "Side Kisses" are bacon, salsa, guac, etc. And finally, the part of the menu I looked at, "Sweet Kisses", their listings for the communal ghost kitchen's healthy vegan, gluten-free, keto cookies (they offer all 3 kinds here: chocolate chip, sea salt chocolate, and peanut butter), one of the cupcakes (carrot), and one brownie.
What With Rice is a rice bowl concept, your choice of shrimp, meatball, chicken, ground beef, tofu, hummus, etc. They have keto versions as well, with cauliflower rice instead of regular. Their dessert menu includes one of the communal cookies (chocolate chip), and one pudding.
Zoodle Hot Bar and Hellaplant Zucchini Pasta serve zucchini noodle bowls. Etc, etc. So many concepts, so specific.
Ketosexxx (Keto Desserts) is just the cookies (all 3 kinds, only available as 3-pack), keto "fat bombs" (truffles), and cupcakes. These are the same items found on many of the other storefronts' dessert menus.
There are a ton more that I won't enumerate. I've also already reviewed some of the standalone businesses, some of which were pretty great (the awesome dumplings from Korean Burrito Joint, the healthy veggies and pudding from Ben's Fast Food, decent takoyaki from Ramen Kobo Waraku, the best falafel I've ever had from Petit Pita, and a ton of Thai food from Basil Cart). This review focuses on the items that are shared between a slew of ever changing virtual storefronts.
Pick Up Door. Not really branded ... |
Most customers get their items from these places via delivery, as the 60 Morris location is not really intended for walk ups, but I knew you could go yourself, and I was fascinated, interested to learn if it was as bad as the news reports. Orders came with *very* clear instructions not to enter until your order was marked ready. I was slightly apprehensive, but, hey, it was the covid times, and I was due for an adventure.
My first visit was fascinating. Yes, the location was just a warehouse. Outside, there is just a non-branded "Pick Up" sign. No business names, as they change so frequently. There is a parking lot where you are instructed to wait until your order is ready, and an outside portable bathroom. Once you go in, the regular delivery drivers scan a QR code on a tablet, but I was given a verbal code to tell the person at the window inside. Orders are placed into a two-sided locker, and you pick it up from an assigned locker, without interacting with the staff directly. Again I say, fascinating.
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- Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
- Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
- Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]
- Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
- Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]
My orders were via Seamless, and all worked out in a timely manner ... no real qualms with the service I picked.
Baked Goods
Packaging. |
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie. $3.90. (From Quick Vegan). |
Ok. So this is vegan. AND low-carb (keto friendly). AND gluten-free. And low sugar? And, um, a cookie, which, as you know, I'm not the biggest fan of in terms of desserts.
But I actually liked this.
It was thin and crispy (not the style of cookie I tend to like), and it broke apart easily (as you can see, the edge was already broken off when I got it, but it *was* in the bag). And the chocolate chips were not well distributed, and there were a paltry amount.
But again, I actually liked it.
The crispy style worked for it, and although it was gluten-free/vegan/low sugar/keto/etc, it tasted buttery and decadent. And it did *not* have a strange, monkfruit sweetener taste to it. The chocolate that was there seemed good quality.
I devoured in in a few seconds flat. I was surprised. A room temperature, crispy style cookie, and yeah. Maybe I was in a mood?
I got it from Quick Vegan, where it was $3.90, but some of the others list it for $4.90. While I liked the cookie, I can't imagine paying nearly $5 for a single cookie. Also available by the half dozen for $19.90 at one place, 3 pack for $9.90 at another.
I'll have to try another. ***.
And if it matters to you ... Calories:165 | Fat:16g | Protein:4g | Net Carbs:2g -per cookie-. *Contains nuts!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie. $3.90. (From Ketosexxx). |
The style is always the same - thin, crispy, scant chocolate chips, looking slightly burnt at the edges, doesn't look great, sounds like, well, a gluten-free, vegan, keto cookie, but ... I love it!
Good to just devour immediately (so sweet! so buttery!), good to dunk in whipped cream (!), good to stuff with ice cream into an ice cream sandwich.
I'll continue to get these over and over again. Yay vegan butter?
****.
Update: I've gotten them many more times, and feel *exactly* the same about them every time. They never look great, they crumble apart instantly, the mouthfeel is odd, and yet ... I really like them.
Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie. $3.90. (From Kiss My Bacon). |
Next up, I tried the peanut butter version, dubbed the "Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie" from Kiss My Bacon. Not offered at most of the other "restaurants".
And again, if it matters ... Calories:117 | Fat:10g | Protein:4g | Net Carbs:2.5g -per cookie- *Contains nuts!
Gluten Free Brownie. $4.90. (Gluten Free Culture). |
Drinks
Homemade Kefir. $4.90. (From 'What's with Rice'). |
Sides
Pickled Peppers. $2.90. (From Ottoman Eats). |
Pickled Radish. $1. (The Chicken Lab). |
Extra Pita Bread. $1.90. (From Ottoman Eats). |
I also picked up the pita bread from Ottoman Eats, to go along with my krab salad (plan was to make little pita pockets).
Hard Boiled Egg. $1.90. (Keto Bake & Bowl). |
Crispy Bacon. $4.90. (Gluten Free Culture) |
Fries. $4.95. (Keto Grill). |
Sauces
Yogurt Sauce (x2) / Hot Sauce / Vegan Chipotle Aioli. (What with Rice). |
Yogurt Sauce. $0.90. (What with Rice). |
Cucumber Yogurt Sauce. Pesto. $0.90 each. (Gluten-Free Culture) |
Hot Sauce. $0.90. (What with Rice) |
The hot sauce was fine, pretty generic spicy taste, good to mix with soy sauce as a dipping sauce for dumplings.
Vegan Chipotle Aioli. $1.90. (What with Rice) |
Sriracha Mayo. Hot Sauce. $0.90 each. (The Chicken Lab). |
Salsa. $2.90. (Keto Bake & Bowl). |
Pesto. $0.90. (Zoodle Hot Bar). |
Tahini. $0.50. (Mediterranean Vegan Bowls). |
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