Medicine Eat Station


In a rare blend of austerity and ambition, Medicine attempts to bring the spirit of Buddhist temple dining to a downtown shopping Galleria. The result is a rare marriage of novelty and antiquity where ancient traditions are resuscitated in modern style, ascetic monastery-fare is presented at a decidedly upscale price, and social-magnanimity is evoked with the automatic addition of an optional gratuity of 17 percent.

If concepts were comestibles, Medicine would be an unbridled bacchanalia of earthly delights. But if indulgence is your objective, you certainly should look elsewhere. The cuisine here is not just vegetarian, not just vegan. It is a self-styled adaptation of Shojin cuisine that finds its roots in the ancient ethos of Buddhist monastery-life.

Avoiding all animal products, (including the bonito flakes that often provide the underlying flavor of most Japanese broths), the kitchen also eschews all members of the lily family, including garlic and onions. Despite these restrictions, the food is surprisingly flavorful and extremely nuanced. Shojin-ryori, which may be simply translated as vegetable cooking, also carries with it the idea of cooking for spiritual growth- a sentiment worthy of encouragement wherever it may flower, especially among members of the lily family.

The term Shojin itself is composed of the Japanese characters that mean progress of the spirit and the owners have commemorated this principle by commissioning a calligraphy of Maitri, the Sanskrit pictogram for loving kindness on their menu and logo.

The decor is opulently modest. Twenty-foot long refectory tables made of thick sustainably-harvested Honduran mahogany, and benches made of plantation-grown ash, manage to sustain a consistent level of discomfort throughout one's entire meal. Other surprising design elements include a ten foot wide flat-screen TV showing a seasonal seascape which lends, I suppose, a sort of monastic-multi-media feel.

The diminutive Daitokuji-Fu,($8) an exclusively imported delicacy named after Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto, is a savory little trio of seitan slices simmered in vegetable broth served cold with a sauce so nuanced that I simply did not notice it.

The salubriously named Medicine Roll, ($9.95), is a pleasing eight-piece portion of vegetable sushi comprised of 9-grain rice, avocado, ume-boshi, carrot, shiso leaf, daikon, and flax seeds. Combine this with a Mountain Monk Set ($9.95) which involves a salad of seasonal greens, fruits and nuts, a small bowl of white miso soup, and a tiny portion of housemade pickled vegetables and you have a delicious light lunch that no monk in his right mind would ever order when he could feed a deserving family of four for the same price.

On the other hand, the daily special of 0ven Roasted Pumpkin Squash ($15) stuffed with a sauteed blend of avocado, miso, shimeji mushroom and Japanese eggplant was beautifully presented and superbly nuanced evoking all sorts of unexpected flavors from the squash such as chestnut and papaya.

My date suggested, smiling, a spoonful of sugar with the medicine but her smile turned southward when our server suggested the Flavored Green Tea Shaved Ice ($3.75) because, and not in spite of its lack of calories.

So, throwing caution to the winds, we opted for the Green-Tea Tofu, ($3.75) and were richly rewarded with a miniscule square of matcha-soy tofu topped with a single sweet black bean. I must say, the dessert was impeccably described. I have never been so grateful for the sweetness of a single black bean in all my life - which I hope was the point of this deeply disturbing dessert.

Despite the real culinary artistry evident in many of the dishes, as well as the authenticity of spirit apparent in the staff, Medicine seems to suffer from the same elevated sense of self-importance and price-point that characterize most trendy eateries from here to Tokyo. And it's a shame really, because in a modest setting with a modest price this cuisine would be spectacular. Well, modestly spectacular.

But for now, if you are feeling pale of cheek and flush of purse, shallow of appetite and deep of pocket, try Medicine for a highly complex sense of simplicity in the Financial District. Visiting monks may enjoy the easy access to both Ralph Lauren and Versace.

I offer this small haiku in honor of my experience:

Zen in the Galleria
Frost on my ankle
Did I eat my lunch?