the abbaye

the abbaye
637 3rd street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 627 6711

type of cuisine: gastropub
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 4

decided to get back on the beer and seitan scene friday night, in honor of an unexpected new year's vacay. here's to the low census at work! luca and i headed out to northern liberties this time to see what the abbaye had to offer. i was pleased that the restaurant wasn't as unbearably loud as some of the other brew houses we've frequented, but a bit disappointed that they only had one vegan dish on the menu. there were a few vegetarian options, like burgers and seitan cheesesteaks, but neither were veganizable. so bbq seitan with frites it was, plus a round of long trail hibernator and damnation. the seitan was ok, but the consistency was too compact - like it was made and sliced by a machine. i prefer a more nuanced wheat meat that is both tender and crisp. the bbq sauce was fine, though a bit thin. on the side were some fantastic spiced french fries, a few spears of asparagus and some dry, superspicy slaw. i bet this place is great for local omnivores, but for us suburban vegans, it's a bit limited.