Don’t worry–despite this testimonial that runs across the front of their menu, Counter is not a crunchy, natty white boy dreads establishment specializing in organic grilled cheeses or granola soup. In fact, there’s nothing hippy-dippy about it. Instead, this sleek vegetarian restaurant-cum-wine bar stands as one of the most upscale dining spots of its kind in Manhattan. And as you snack on dishes such as cashew-kalamata pate and wasabi crepes, you’ll feel that much healthier as you laugh at all the suckers pouring into McDonald’s across the street for an injection of Big Macs and fish sticks.

Dark green table tops, pure white walls, and downtempo beats come together like Voltron to form the body of Counter’s soothing decor, while the Guggenheim-esque bar design acts as the head, completing the vision. Still, you won’t find an ounce of pretentiousness on these grounds. Our smiling, helpful waitress guided us through the menu and made some wine recommendations. We decided to each go with wine samplers–I went for organic, biodynamic, and sustainable Sauvignon Blanc wines from France, New Zealand, and California ($9), while my friend ordered Syrah, Shiraz, and Syrah from Sonoma, Australia, and Italy ($10). We both enjoyed the biodynamic wines the best.

For starters we shared Mushrooms New Orleans, served with an excellent cocktail sauce. Our waitress recommended Counter’s more popular dishes, Blue Plate Special, Asian Salad, and Wild Rice Risotto Cakes. Cat took her word for it and went with the Asian Salad ($11.95), while I settled onThai Curried Chick Peas Stew ($10.95), served with Chinese long beans and clove scented jasmine rice.

Both dishes were whisked to our table relatively fast. The food was thoughtfully arranged on each plate–each element of Cat’s salad (tempeh, broccoli, carrots, etc) was kept in its own section, which she thought made it easier to eat. My chick peas platter was succulent like honey fresh out of the hive.

For dessert we splurged on the Jasmine Green Tea Ice Cream ($6.95), a soy-based ice cream that hides within a phyllo shell with green tea mango sauce. Um, do I even need to get into how good this was?

Counter also serves a weekend brunch from 11am to 4pm in the $10 range, and offers a kids menu as well (though I don’t know how excited they’ll be about Soba noodles or a French lentil loaf).

Our bill came out to $60 between us, and it was well worth every penny. Sure, the value meals across the street are only going to run you about $5, but think of this meal as an investment in health–after all, the medical bills are gonna pile up some day if you choose to super-size instead of go organic.