NYC! By CHLOE opens today! »

First things first: by CHLOE, the new fast casual restaurant by cookbook author/ Cupcake Wars winner/ all around adorable and talented chef Chloe Coscarelli, OPENS TODAY! So, if you’re in or near the West Village (corner of Bleecker and MacDougal), know that the first 50 people in line get a free burger, but EVERYONE gets a free cookie. My top pick is the chocolate chip pecan, but feel free to make your own decision; I’m not the boss of you.

We’re barely an hour in and I’ve already managed to eat my way through half the menu. For starters, I take back what I said about being over veggie burgers; the by Chloe classic burger is a tempeh-lentil-chia-walnut patty with pickles, onion, beet ketchup, and special sauce on a potato bun and it is phenomenal: all of the good things you might associate with fast food and none of the bad. I’d also highly recommend the mac n’ cheese with a sweet potato-cheese sauce and shiitake bacon, the kale artichoke dip, and the air baked french fries with chipotle aioli: all huge winners! Wash everything down with a cold-pressed juice such as the merry prankster: watermelon, prickly pear, apple, lemon, and sea salt, or choose from their extensive assortment of chilled, hot, or adult beverages. Salads, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, brunch, sweets, juices, smoothies, cocktails, and ice cream…everything is 100% vegan, kosher, and house-made daily; you can eat in (on awesome trays) or take out from their huge grab & go fridge. I’m especially looking forward to taking advantage of their take-out window for the times when a certain vegan pooch is in tow and I can’t barge right into the resto.

Presumably because she has a soft spot for pooches, by Chloe also offers menu items for the canine set: choose from peanut butter dog treats or pupcakes: organic, whole-oat K9 cupcakes dipped in carob in order to be an uber-popular human like me.

Can’t say enough good things about this beautiful new space: the staff is welcoming and enthusiastic and you’ll appreciate all of the attention to detail- big and small. A great big Vegansaurus congratulations to Chef Chloe and her team for making this happen; wishing you eons of success! I’ll let by Chloe have the last word with their tag line: “Eat well. Dream Big. Keep it vegan.”