"Apteka’s owners Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski have changed the game with an entirely vegan menu. They stuff thick, rough-hewn pierogies with smoky greens; ferment nuts to make creamy yogurts and sauces for tartines; and forage with Skowronski’s Polish parents for chanterelle mushrooms, which they pickle and serve as zakaski, a delicious spread of naturally leavened dark rye bread, fermented beet tops, and mushroom paté. The result is a menu of complex, earthy, meat- and dairy-free takes on everything spanning East of Berlin to Siberia, from traditional Eastern European stews enriched with beer broth to the ingenious gołabki, mushroom-stuffed cabbage. It’s one of the best dishes at Apteka: bundles of cabbage leaves filled with porcini and cremini mushrooms, smoked peppers, and herbs and swimming in a tomato broth. The whole thing is topped with an unbelievably dairy-like “double fat cream,” a rich yogurt made of cashews and almonds cultured with bacteria. It was both intriguing and nostalgic, with the type of comforting richness and complexity that you expect from a hearty stew." - ByAllie Wist