weggebobbles and fruit

blackbird pizzeria

2011-01-22T06:51:00.004-05:00

blackbird pizzeria
507 south 6th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 625 6660
www.blackbirdpizzeria.com

type of cuisine: vegan pizza!
culinary excellence: 9
vegan friendliness: 10
the bottom line: holy crap, best pizza ever!
*recommended*

luca wanted to stop at maoz for felafel on our way home from the tile store in south philly, but i managed to convince him to give this new place "blackbird" a try. it didn't help that he had bad associations with gianna's grille, the former occupants of this space, nor that the recommendation came from someone who rescues bugs from her salads, but man oh man did this place surpass both of our expectations. i can't even remember ever eating pizza this good!

luca got a seitan cheesesteak with french fries:

sorry the pictures suck - i took them hastily in bad light because i was seriously hungry when we got home. you can see much more appetizing photos on blackbird's website. regardless, the cheesesteak was outstanding. everything just melted in your mouth - totally savory and delicious, complete with mushrooms, peppers and daiya cheese.

the fries were also incredible. awesome consistency with just the right amount of salt. and they give you a giant portion for only $4. that's another thing about this place - the prices are entirely reasonable!

i got 2 slices of their specialty pizzas from the display:

the one on the left is a south philly, topped with seitan sausage, broccoli rabe, fennel, eggplant, red sauce and daiya. on the right is a yukon, topped with potatoes, rosemary, olive oil and sea salt. both were perfect. the combined flavors of the south philly slice were blissful and the yukons are melt-in-your-mouth good. i would have loved to try a haymaker - garlic butter, seitan sausage, onions, red sauce and oregano - but sadly they had no slices available when i went in.

for dessert, we couldn't resist some vegan treats:

can't go wrong with peanut butter tandy cake or peanut butter chocolate brownies. hell yes. perfect with a cold glass of soy milk.

i am definitely planning to return to blackbird for more delicious food and hopefully soon!!

cafe blossom

2011-01-02T16:22:00.003-05:00

cafe blossom
466 columbus avenue
new york, ny
(212) 875 2600
www.blossomnyc.com/cafeblossom.php/

type of cuisine: organic vegan
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 10
the bottom line: overpriced and mediocre

luca and i were on the upper west side last night and in the mood for seitan, so we decided to check out cafe blossom on columbus avenue. i had eaten at their chelsea location back when they opened and remembered it being pretty decent. unfortunately, the quality of the food just doesn't measure up to the prices.

we started off with some of their $7 juices - a pink lady for me and an adam & eve for luca. you really can't go wrong with beet/pineapple/ginger/pear or carrot/apple/ginger juice, but i wish they would have strained it. the bottom inch and a half was just froth.

for our entrees, luca got the lemon peppercorn seitan ($21) and i went for the southern seitan sandwich ($14) with sauteed greens on the side. we were surprised when the food arrived just minutes after we ordered it, leaving us to wonder if everything was pre-prepared and reheated. luca's dish was exceedingly bland. the potatoes had very little flavor and the pile of thin slabs of seitan certainly was not on par with the candle cafe's. my sandwich was also mediocre - like something you might get in a pinch but certainly not seek out. the rosemary focaccia was cold, the fried seitan itself was underwhelming and the greens on the side were too oily and smoky-tasting.

i was also disappointed with the cookie dough shake that we shared for dessert. i liked the idea of little bits of cookie dough to scoop out with a spoon, but it was all thoroughly blended together and had a syrupy sweet taste that was rather cloying.

so despite the friendly service and pleasant decor, i would not recommend cafe blossom when there are so many great vegan options in the city.

food for all

2010-11-22T08:09:00.003-05:00

food for all
7127 germantown avenue
philadelphia, pa
(267) 297 7122
www.foodforallmarket.com/

type of cuisine: organic, allergen-free take-out
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 9
*recommended*

food for all is a lovely little market specializing in products and prepared food for people with celiacs or other food sensitivities. everything in the shop is free of peanuts, gluten, soy, dairy and eggs, making it also quite vegan-friendly. although they do offer some prepared foods with meat, there are always good vegan options on the menu and plenty of inventively prepared vegetables. the other night luca and i got take-out. it was hella expensive, but incredibly tasty and filling. we sampled their bean and millet chili, which was hearty and hit all the right notes, stuffed acorn squash filled with jasmine rice, which had a slightly sweet, slightly smoky taste to it, oven roasted brussels sprouts, which were possibly the best brussels i've ever had - perfectly cooked and generously seasoned with salt and pepper and roasted carrots, an inspiring array of different colored carrots roasted much like the brussels. i also couldn't resist one of those heavenly cookie sandwiches that they get from sweet freedom bakery. perfect with a glass of vanilla rice milk, i think that is my favorite food.

the market is stocked full of interesting types of crackers, spreads, drinks, grains, frozen dessert products (dairy-free coconut bars!) and spices. they even have daiya cheese, which is more than i can say for weaver's way co-op. it feels good to shop in an independently owned neighborhood shop. the owners clearly care about their business and have high standards for it. well done!

country life

2010-08-18T09:09:00.003-04:00

country life
melantrichova 15 (plus other locations around prague)
prague, czech republic
224 213 366
www.countrylife.cz/

type of cuisine: healthy vegetarian, cafeteria-style
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 9
*recommended*

country life is a chain of health food stores and cafeteria-style vegetarian restaurants in prague. we went to the one just outside of old town square and it made for an excellent lunch. could also be a fine light dinner, but they close fairly early. apparently everything they offer is vegan, but i didn't know that when i went, so i was a little nervous that my especially well-held-together veggie burger and buttery potatoes may have contained eggs or butter, even though the woman behind the counter affirmed that they were "vegansky." everything was tasty, but certainly the best items we sampled were the amazing hummus, loaded with tahini, my elderflower soda and luca's burrito. i wish i had gotten a non-blurry shot of the burrito, because it was really good. it had a soft flour tortilla, filled with hearty brown rice and some sweet tomatoey stuff around the edges. the veggie burger was cold, firm and a little disappointing.

all in all, though, a great place for a small or large meal full of whole grains, vegetables and non-animal protein. and elderflower soda!!

don pietro

2010-08-17T09:56:00.003-04:00

don pietro
panska 18
cesky krumlov, czech republic
775 336 282
www.donpietro.cz/en

type of cuisine: pizza
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 3

there was one restaurant listed on the cesky krumlov page at happy cow, but it was not in the town center and luca was concerned it would take too much time to walk there and back. so of course we spent twice the amount of time that would have taken to find a veg-friendly place nearby. ultimately we decided on this cute pizza place with outdoor seating, since the waitress told us they could do a cheeseless vegetable pizza. luca sipped his spectacular passion fruit mojito while we waited and i sipped my imaginary guava colada:

after a long while, the waitress brought out our pizza, but it was covered in cheese. she realized this as soon as she set it down and it was another 10 minutes before she brought it back, sans fromage. it seemed like they just took the cheese off, since there were still little traces of it, but for me that was preferable to wasting the whole thing. anyway, the corrected pizza was pretty good. it certainly could have had more seasonings and a few cloves of roasted garlic, but the assortment of vegetables - broccoli, corn, spinach, mushrooms, onions and peppers - worked nicely. the crust was soft and tasty.

just make sure you have some cash, as don pietro does not accept credit cards.

hotel cerna liska

2010-08-17T07:56:00.004-04:00

hotel cerna liska
mikulasska 2
prague, czech republic
224 232 250
www.cernaliska.cz/restaurant.html

type of cuisine: international
culinary excellence: 4
vegan friendliness: 4

i am pretty annoyed as i write this review, because apparently i did not go to the "vegetarian" restaurant at the hotel cerna liska. i saw this place listed at happy cow and it sounded really great, but when we got there, there didn't seem to be much in the way of vegetarian food. as it turns out, i don't think we were at the right place. there is apparently an underground restaurant in a "vaulted cellar" serving "renowned vegetarian food." that certainly would have been a lot better than the crappy meal we ate upstairs! i only wish that our waiter had noticed that we ordered only vegetarian food and guided us to the proper place. unfortunately, he did not seem to be much interested in our patronage at all, let alone attentive enough to spot our mistake.

this was one of the worst meals of our trip. i got a plate of warm vegetables with avocado - just the kind of dish that a restaurant that knows nothing about vegetarianism would serve. the peppers were undercooked, the zuccini and eggplant were ok but too oily and i really don't think avocado should be eaten warm.

luca had only a few bites of his non-vegan pasta pesto because it was swimming in so much oil. instead he munched on french fries that tasted like they were brought in from mcdonalds. just awful! so learn from my mistake and ask to be seated in the gothic cellar.

gopal

2010-08-17T07:29:00.004-04:00

gopal
nerudova 32
prague, czech republic
604 434 931
www.gopal.cz/indexuk.html

type of cuisine: indian
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 9
*recommended*

gopal is a lovely hare krishna restaurant in a beautiful section of prague, offering daily plates of wholesome, indian-style vegetarian food. if you are vegan, simply let them know that when you order at the counter and they will make sure your meal is dairy-free. the guy who took our order was super nice and it didn't take long before our food was brought to us in the outdoor seating area. on the day we went, the meal looked like this:

everything was delicious and fresh. delicate basmati rice with potatoes, chickpeas and zucchini in a mild tomatoey sauce, spicy apple cinnamon chutney, a salad of lettuce and tomato in a salt-water-like dressing and delicious "halva." i'm not really sure how that had anything to do with halva as i have known halva to be. it was more like a a course, mildly sweet mush with peanuts. whatever it was made of, i loved it. the meal was also accompanied by some cold minty spiced tea with lemon, a pleasant counterpoint to the flavors in the meal. i highly recommend paying gopal a visit if you're in prague. it's perfect for lunch on an active day.

maitrea

2010-08-16T14:57:00.006-04:00

maitrea
tynska 6
prague, czech republic
221 711 631
www.restaurace-maitrea.cz/en

type of cuisine: vegetarian
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 9
*recommended*

made 2 visits to maitrea during our trip to prague, as it was the favorite of all the places we visited. the sister restaurant to clear head, maitrea serves up wholesome, varied vegetarian cuisine in a beautiful, zen-like space. the servers are helpful and friendly and the food is top-notch. like clear head, everything on the menu is clearly marked if it is vegan or veganizable.

for our first meal there, we sat downstairs, adjacent to this calming fountain:

luca and i shared an appetizer of vegetarian sausage. it was served cold and had a nice flavor. the sausage itself was meaty and satisfying, served with crunchy smoky strips of onion and some bland brown bread.

luca got a vegetable stir-fry for his entree, which consisted of lots of julienned veggies over rice in a pureed red pepper sauce. it was smooth, but could have been more flavorful. too many string beans, in my opinion. it also would have been nice if the waitress had told him that when you order this dish vegan, it doesn't come with the mashed potatoes listed on the menu:

i was deciding between oven-roasted vegetables, seitan goulash and spinach and arugula salad with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and smoked tofu in a balsamic-honey reduction. our waitress heartily recommended the salad. it was fantastic. the greens were ever so slightly wilted in the warm vinaigrette and the flat strips of smoked tofu were delicious. the roasted garlic was great for smearing on the brown, grainy bread. this was a great combination of ingredients. the only thing i would have changed would have been to have a few less capers and some oil-cured black olives instead.

i was really hoping maitrea's hot chocolate could be made vegan, but apparently the milk was already mixed in, so i had to depart without a sweet fix.

on our second visit to maitrea, we sat upstairs, which felt a little more casual. if you can, i recommend trying to get a seat downstairs. the meal was excellent, once again. we started with tortilla chips and sun-dried tomato tapenade. the chips were crisp and nicely salted and the tapenade was extraordinary. i wish i could have taken home a huge jar of that stuff.

for my entree this time i order the goulash. i couldn't help it, i was too curious. it was actually really good, though it doesn't look that way from the picture. sadly, i couldn't get the bread dumplings made vegan, so rice accompanied the seitan, which was very soft. some pieces actually seemed so soft they were undercooked -mushy - but mostly it was good. the sauce had a nice rich flavor and there were some slippery mushrooms hidden in it. the waiter didn't know the english name for the little seeds in the sauce that gave it its distinctive flavor, but it tasted like caraway seeds to me - very eastern-european tasting.

luca got the best entree either of us had on the entire trip: thai eggplant with tofu. i guess it pays to get the dishes listed as favorites on the menu, because this was just outrageous. it didn't look nearly as incredible as it tasted. i'm not even an eggplant fan, but it kind of melted in your mouth, along with the little bits of tofu, wading in a pool of light but sumptuous coconut lime sauce. it was adorned with lemongrass stalks and black sesame seeds. don't miss this one!

i highly recommend maitrea. just remember to bring enough cash for your meal, as they don't accept credit cards.

clear head

2010-08-16T07:01:00.004-04:00

clear head
borsov 2
prague, czech republic
222 220 665
www.lehkahlava.cz/en_novinky.htm

type of cuisine: vegetarian
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 9
*recommended*

our 3rd dinner in prague was certainly our healthiest, as we got a reservation at the most well-known vegetarian restaurant in town. the space was really nice and clean, with several dining rooms. we ate in the pink/coral room. the menu includes a lot of explanations of ingredients that visitors may be unfamiliar with and everything is clearly marked with symbols for dishes that are vegan and dishes that can be made vegan upon request.

i had wanted hummus to start us off, but luca wanted grilled veggies, so we went with that. good thing too, because they were unbelievable! it was a pile of wonderful grilled vegetables, including tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, eggplant an onion in a ludicrously delicious balsamic and oil infusion with garlic, topped with fresh arugula and accompanied by sections of two types of whole grain breads, one darker and harder, one lighter and softer. yum!

the entrees were HUGE, so if you're not looking to take home half a week's worth of food, you may want to opt for a half portion. my bulgar risotto with veggies tempeh and sun-dried tomatoes was awesome. it tasted whole and real, with a giant dollop of sun-dried tomato tapenade on top. take a little with each bite of risotto and taste it harmonize with the little shreds of veggies, smoky tempeh pieces and whole grains. the salad on the side seemed unnecessary.

luca got the same dish he got at klub architektu - pasta with smoked tempeh, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. he preferred the other restaurant's version, as this one came in a rather tasteless vegan cream sauce with mushrooms:

since it had been days since either of us had indulged in any sweets, we decided to get their sole vegan dessert option: carrot cake. well, this was not my idea of dessert. it was cold, made of millet and smothered in a mild gooey sauce that didn't taste like much of anything. i prefer my desserts small, rich and chocolately. this was large, bland and healthy. i took the majority of it with us to go, thinking it might make a better breakfast, but it still tasted pretty unpleasant the next morning.

we also had big clear mugs of fresh mint and ginger tea with lemon and honey:

it was so nice to get some nutrients overseas. i could feel my mood elevating as we ate. even the waiting area and bathroom smelled great and were a pleasure to visit and the servers were kind.

indian jewel

2010-08-16T06:32:00.003-04:00

indian jewel
tyn 6
prague, czech republic
222 310 156
www.indianjewel.cz

type of cuisine: indian
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 6

we had been planning to check out the eats at the hotel cerna liska, but found ourselves lured by the smells and lovely outdoor seating area of indian jewel, in a quieter part of old town. the service was very nice and the waiter told us with certainty which items contained dairy and which did not.

all the food was brought out together - tasty samosas:

a really nice potato/cauliflower dish:

a weird-tasting pureed mustard greens dish, with coriander seeds and some odd flavor that i couldn't discern:

good, lightly-oiled naan, which i forgot to take a picture of before guzzling half of it:

eating outside in prague seems very romantic at first, and you surely get better food porn pics, but then you have to contend with smokers and close proximity to the conversations of grumpy people, so it's a gamble.

klub architektu

2010-08-14T05:46:00.004-04:00

klub architektu
betlemske namesti 5a
prague, czech republic
224 401 214

type of cuisine: eclectic, with some vegetarian
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 6

had our first dinner in prague at this vaulted underground tavern near the hotel:

they had several vegetarian options, but only a couple vegan possibilities. luca and i both ordered pasta with smoked tempeh and sun-dried tomatoes. it was quite a wait for the food to be served, but it totally hit the spot. the pasta was wide noodles (hopefully egg-free!) with good, though somewhat canned tasting olives, small pieces of tempeh whose consistency were more like a cross between tofu and tempeh - wonderful smoky flavor - very nice sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. wonderful combination of textures and flavors and salted to perfection:

it was just the right amount of food, too, and we ate every last bite. it would have been nice, however, if they had offered us some nice crusty bread to go with it. they had organic teas, which we sipped before heading back out into the chilly evening air:

mugshots

2010-07-17T20:13:00.007-04:00

2100 fairmount avenue
philadelphia, pa
(215) 514 7145

110 cotton street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 482 3964

www.mugshotscoffeehouse.com

this adorable coffee house and juice bar, located across from the eastern state penitentiary, not only has the most brilliant name and laid back college campus feel, but also serves a variety of vegan sweets and treats. my first visit followed an intake of some janet cardiff and linda brenner (ghost cats!) installations in the cell blocks over yonder. i chowed down on a faux chicken salad wrap, a chewy molasses sugar cookie and an iced oregan chai with vanilla soy milk. the wrap was very pleasing, with finely shredded soy mixed up with what tasted like a vegan mayo with dill, lots of lettuce, tomato and red onion. tasty, but it'll leave you with a killer onion aftertaste. the cookie was pretty good too. luca ordered the hummus with raw veggies plate, a generous serving of well-tahinied garbanzo pate, served with thick warm pita and some carrot, celery and bell pepper sticks. samara's three grilled cheese looked fabulous.

subsequent visits to mugshots confirmed for me how lovely this place is. one time i sipped an acai recovery shake and munched on a vegan blt while watching wal-mart: the high cost of low price on their big white sheet. great vibe, great food. for dessert it was a sinfully delicious brownie from vegan treats, fudgy and moist, with white drizzle on top of slivered almonds. the chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips are fairly good, but nuthin' compared to those brownies. enormous whoopie pies taste exactly the way they look - light, fluffy and without any nutritional value whatsoever. recently, mugshots has started making their desserts in-house, instead of ordering them from the vegan treats bakery. here is a look at their dessert case:

and here is a picture of a slice of their strawberry shortcake, once i got it home:

i was actually quite pleased with the new cake. it definitely tasted more home-baked than their vegan treats counterparts, and less commercially slick. they probably use more wholesome ingredients, too. the cake itself is moist and the icing is super sweet. unfortunately, the artistry is not as developed, so the visual appeal of the cakes is minimal. the brownies also look positively grody in comparison with danielle's (vegan treats owner).

non-dessert meals i've also tried at mugshots include "the slammer", a vegan sausage wrap with salsa, guacamole and lettuce that was mediocre, the vegan chain gang, a lovely, smoky wrap with a mixture of hummus and baba ganoush, cucumber, red onion, lettuce and tomato, their tempeh reuben - dry, overpriced and blah - and the jailhouse rock, sweet and melty peanut butter, honey and banana on multi-grain toast.

the smoothies at the manayunk site seem to be better than their fairmount sister. they used to be awful - i remember ordering a grasshopper soy smoothie that was so abysmal i actually gave it back in exchange for a mango recovery shake. that, as well as the pina colada recovery shake, was very delicious, but made from a smoothie mix that contains those insidious "natural flavors". why not just use real fruit?) the pb&j shake was also inexcusable. i think they actually put jelly in the shake, rather than fresh strawberries. i could be wrong, but it tasted thin, mild and artificial. yick! however, on a recent visit i got a mango momma smoothie that was delightful. it tasted fresh, the consistency was spot-on and the blend of flavors worked really well.

their manayunk location, on the other hand, serves up consistently killer smoothies! i really like the champ, a combo of chocolate syrup, soy milk, bananas and organic peanut butter. it is perfect for when you're thirsty but also craving something sweet. the consistency was more like a creamy milkshake than a smoothie. venice island is a nice choice too if you're in the mood for something fruity. it's made with strawberries, bananas, orange juice and soy milk. here are some bonus photos of me and luca drinking mushots smoothies in the car before going to see inception at the main street theater:

both mugshots locations are great coffee shops for relaxing with a book or writing. and according to their website, the manayunk branch has extended their hours! i was always frustrated that they closed at 4, so that makes me very happy.

dos segundos

2010-07-17T09:58:00.006-04:00

931 north 2nd street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 629 0500
www.cantinadossegundos.com

type of cuisine: mexican
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 7

thanks again to the punk kitchen posters for turning me on to yet another vegan-friendly philly joint. dos segundos is apparently one of two sister restaurants serving up tasty mexican food in northern liberties and south philly. danielle and i decided to hit up the northern liberties sister for dinner last night.

the space has a kind of festive rustic chic atmosphere, with exposed brick, deep orange walls and blocky wooden tables and chairs. when we got there a bit after 6pm, it wasn't too busy, but by the end of dinner, our voices hurt from having to scream through all the noise just to to hear our own conversation.

in my effort to avoid hard alcohol, i ordered a red sangria. danielle selected a watermelon frozen margarita from their enticing menu of fruity drinks:

they look good, right? sadly, they were underwhelming. my sangria tasted kind of syrupy and watery at the same time and danielle's choice was unevenly mixed, so there was frothy fruitiness at the top and what seemed like pure alcohol on the bottom. the thin salty tortilla chips served with both green and red salsa were a nice consolation.

there weren't as many vegan entrees as i had expected, but our attentive waiter checked ingredients for me in his little menu rolodex. since i didn't want a salad, he said i could choose between tofu and seitan fajitas and their mole tofu burrito special. there was one other option which he didn't recommend, because it would have meant omitting cheese, and they did not have any vegan cheeses to sub in, as i had thought they did. he said they have vegan cheese on occasion, just not on a regular basis. so i went for the fajitas:

the waiter warned me that this was a large dish, and that it was. a hefty hefty plate of well-made guacamole, pico de gallo, moist and smoky black beans, perfectly cooked rice and a delightful mix of deeply flavorful onions, peppers, wild mushrooms, delicious strips of firm tofu and chunks of meaty seitan served with four soft flour tortillas. i was very impressed with the dish, particularly since it didn't rely on soy cheese or sour cream - just really nice seasonings and combinations. the tofu was good enough to have eaten alone. the seitan was not on par with the adobe cafe's, but the texture added to the mix anyway.

we got the check before i realized that all of dos segundos' cakes were actually from the vegan treats bakery, but that's ok because i was pretty stuffed by that point. if they had had chocolate covered strawberry shortcake or peanut butter bomb instead of carrot cake and tiramisu cake, i might have broken down and gotten a piece to go. alas, vegan treats seem to be everywhere these days.

one final note about dos segundos - it was a pleasure making a trip to the bathroom there! you go downstairs where the walls are done in a calming blue faux finish and on the way back up you see this!:

if their sister restaurant, los caballitos, also has the vt cakes, that might justify a trip over there...

sprig and vine

2010-07-15T22:54:00.013-04:00

sprig and vine
450 union square drive
new hope, pa
(215) 693 1427
www.sprigandvine.com

type of cuisine: vegan
culinary excellence: 9
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

having heard about the opening of spring and vine, an all new vegan restaurant about an hour outside of philly, i was delighted that the opportunity to meet ms. lenya gurevich near doylestown presented itself last weekend. the restaurant was created by a former horizons chef and the buzz was alright! so i headed out into the night until i found myself in the lovely waterside town of new hope. lenya arrived in a flowing white dress and showered me with gifties. i got a handmade mug and soap bar and gave her a little purple maniac in return. we got french wine in the neighboring town of lambertville (it's byo) and began our culinary journey.

for appetizers we got edamame falafel and watermelon gazpacho, pictured below:

both were outstanding! the falafels packed a punch of flavor and the consistency was divine. totally crunchy on the outside and sumptuously soft and inviting in the middle. the zen presentation turn this middle eastern junk food into mindful haute cuisine. the gazpacho was even better. in fact, i think that was the best gazpacho i've ever had. the thing that made it really extra special was the dollop of basil sorbet in the center. this cool sweet creamy addition made each bit of tangy summer soup sing in ecstasy.

for entrees we shared coconut risotto cakes and cornmeal crusted tempeh:

lenya preferred the risotto cakes and i the tempeh, so it worked out perfectly. actually, i really liked the risotto cakes themselves, but i wasn't crazy about their plating on a base of lentil dal and those twiggy things on top were a little off-putting. the bok choy and mushroom stir fry on the side was insanely savory and delicious. the tempeh was generously portioned and doused in this exquisite smoked maple-mustard sauce. it also had a nicely crisped outer layer. here again, the sides were inconsistent. the smashed potatoes were decent enough, but they were kind of heavy for a summer meal and i didn't care for the cabbage at all.

dessert was olive oil cake and chocolate mousse pie:

these hit their mark! the olive oil cake tasted like a really gourmet muffin shaped like a slice of cake and topped with with creme fraiche. my mousse did not disappoint either. totally luscious and smooth - maybe the tiniest bit too heavy - served with a refreshing and complementary portion of peanut butter ice cream.

i hope to return to new hope with lenya again soon and for the rest of our lives.

bonus pics of new hope:

meritage

2010-07-15T12:29:00.005-04:00

meritage
500 S. 20th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 985 1922
www.meritagephiladelphia.com

type of cuisine: vegan tasting menu
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 8

i have given this restaurant an 8 in vegan friendliness because in in june they began offering vegan tasting menus every tuesday night. it is a set menu of 4 courses that they have changed once since that time. their regular menu includes a couple of veganizable appetizers, but no cruelty-free entrees or desserts to speak of.

when luca and i went last month, their menu began with an amuse bouche involving a vegetable tartlette with tomato chutney. the crust was a thin wrapper that tasted a little stale and there was a mystery flavor in the vegetables that i couldn't decipher. after that we got some delicious, salted flatbread with an incredible red pepper sauce that wasn't even listed on the tasting menu. next came heirloom tomato salads with cucumber granita. this was served with a lovely, fine thai basil pesto and oddly enough, some bland little rice cakes. the official 2nd course, which was more like the 4th course, was really yummy - grilled japanese eggplant, salt baked fingerling potatoes, gingered carrot puree, indonesian kaffir lime curry sauce and crispy chick peas. really nice medley of flavors - the eggplant was delicate and the carrot puree was wonderful. followed by mushroom lentil sticky rice in a banana leaf, shallot confit, fricasse of asparagus and royal trumpet mushrooms with lemongrass espuma. i remember enjoying eating the strange rice out of the banana leaf but by that point in the meal luca and i had nearly polished off an entire bottle of the nine vines angoves rose wine that our server recommended. just when we couldn't imagine yet another course, we were brought our dessert - rhubarb soup and coconut panna cotta with a sheet of chocolate. i am a chocolate lover myself, but i don't think it added anything to this fruity dish. i think the "sesame tuile" in the description would have been a better touch. i also didn't love the texture of the coconut panna cotta - very gelantinous - and the flavor was mild yet pleasing.

all in all, i liked the concept of a tasting menu, but i doubt i would have ordered any of those items had i any choice in the matter. maybe the eggplant or the sticky rice, but certainly not the salad or the dessert. everything was prepared well and nicely presented, just not particularly inspiring. meritage's current tasting menu is more my speed. maybe it's time for another visit.

i found this review of this same tasting menu at a fellow blogger's site, which includes photos of all the dishes described. i think i will start bringing my camera to restaurants from now on.

mi lah vegetarian

2010-07-11T19:41:00.001-04:00

mi lah vegetarian
218 south 16th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 732 8888
www.milahvegetarian.com

type of cuisine: international vegetarian
culinary excellence: 3
vegan friendliness: 10

i had been meaning to go to mi lah since it opened in october. when i saw their online dinner menu i couldn't believe my good fortune! such scrumptious sounding food - could horizons have a competitor? as it turns out, they do not. mi lah is just terrible. it's the kind of place that makes me feel embarrassed to be vegan because it reinforces that oft-held omnivorous belief that if it's vegan, it must taste like crap.

luca and i started our meal off with some complimentary pumpkin hummus. this spicy pate, which would more accurately have been referred to as pumpkin seed hummus, wasn't bad, but it was served on this strange hard-as-a-rock flatbread that tasted like foot calluses. yes, it's gross because it's true. then came our appetizer: pumpkin dumplings in a ginger sage gravy with some little browned summer squash dice. this just didn't work for me. the dumplings were more like large pieces of pumpkin gnocchi and the sauce was pretty unappealing. my entree - the roasted root vegetable tart - was definitely the best thing about our meal. though i found the butternut puree around the tart a bit dirty-tasting, i loved the salty-sweet bright orange squash chunks held in by a pleasant pot-pie crust. the top layer of spaghetti squash seemed bland and unnecessary. poor luca couldn't even eat his seitan skewers due to some bizarre astringent flavor in the "mango jalapeno" glaze. i couldn't blame him - that was some of the worst seitan i've ever tasted. fortunately, the waitress was kind enough to provide him with an alternative dish. she recommended the roasted fingerling potatoes with spinach, tempeh, black beans and avocado corn salsa, which was better, but still totally weak. it's a huge pile of hot salad sitting atop a few dry earthy-tasting blue potatoes and smothered in a coconutty mayo-type dressing. capping off our illustrious meal was fresh-baked mini chocolate cake, served with a scoop of vanilla temptation ice cream. other than the fact that the cake was mush inside and this brand of soy ice cream is cloyingly sweet, i wouldn't classify it as a "bad" dessert. lisa's friend joe, who's a bit of a maverick himself, was dining at the table next door. he seemed excited about their new brunch menu, despite his luke-warm reaction to mi lah's food. me, i'm done with them.

kingdom of vegetarians

2010-07-11T19:33:00.001-04:00

kingdom of vegetarians
129 north 11st street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 413 2290

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 10

i never actually reviewed kingdom of vegetarians on my old website, but being the strange bird that i am, i made some notes on my computer about a couple of my visits there. these are the dishes that i sampled:

dim sum:

scallion pancakes are thick with a crispy outside; not too greasy, a little doughy, very good

spring roll is typically tasty; great texture, fairly large

sesame chicken is odd – seitan totally covered in sesame seeds, you dip them yourself into the duck sauce; not the best I’ve had

fried stuffed taro very greasy and mushy, not really stuffed with much

sticky rice in lotus leaf is a bit aromatic, but good variation of flavor and texture; has veggies, some small cubes of solid fake meat; not as good as mekong’s banana leaf rice

fried bananas would be better with a sweet dipping sauce; very hot; outside is thick layer of puffy dough, inside are soft melty bananas; 2 come for free with fortune cookies

lunch:

wonton soup broth is delish, but wanton purses are filled with flavorful in not such a good way minced veggies

sweet and sour chicken this just didn’t taste like food; processed fake meat battered and fried, sauce is good; peppers, pineapple chunks and tomato (wrong choice!) make for an alright dish that is slightly disappointing

smoothies:

strawberry tastes a little overripe, can’t tell what’s in it; good but not so fabulous

trolley car diner

2010-06-28T19:03:00.001-04:00

trolley car diner
7619 germantown avenue
phildelphia, pa
(215) 753 1500
www.trolleycardiner.com

type of cuisine: diner
culinary excellence: 4
vegan friendliness: 3

in my search for vegan-friendly restaurants in mt. airy, i came across this listing at urban spoon, naming the trolley car diner as 1 of 4 good bets. sadly, i did not find this place to be especially generous towards us vegan folk. they have 2 vegan items on the menu, but 1 is a bean chili that is only available in winter, leaving only the szechwan tofu stir fry. the thing is, you go to an adorable old-fashioned diner with neon lights, cushy booths, breakfast all day and an adjacent ice cream parlour and it doesn't put you in the mood for szechwan tofu stir fry. you want a burger piled high with add-ons, batter-dipped fries and a ginormous milkshake. or maybe you want griddle cakes or grilled cinnamon buns or stuffed french toast, again with a ginormous milkshake, but you surely don't want a tofu stir-fry! however, given that that was our only option, luca and i saddled up and ordered two stir-fries and some beer. it was not a particularly inspired stir-fry. way too many onions, green peppers and celery, plus cubes of soft tofu swimming in an overabundance of salty, soupy, sauce. it wasn't terrible, but i would have so preferred a veganized version of pretty much anything else on their menu! surely i am not the only vegan in mt. airy who would frequent the trolley car diner weekly if they would only recognize that's it's not hard at all to whip up some cruelty-free griddle cakes or assemble a fantastic veggie burger. sigh. at least their selection of beers is unbeatable. lately i have been enjoying leinenliugel's berry weiss brew, which i'm sure is a sissy beer, but i don't care because it's yummy.

pukk

2010-06-12T20:28:00.003-04:00

pukk
71 1st avenue
new york, ny
(212) 253 2741/2
www.pukknyc.com

type of cuisine: thai
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 10

i was trying to think what would be the best vegan place in the east village to take my mom to for our last vacation day together. i figured she would be very confused at caravan of dreams, counter was too expensive after splurging at pure food and wine on monday, she hates indian food and she wasn't in the mood to have an ice cream sundae for dinner, so i decided on pukk, a little all-veg thai place on 1st avenue. i had been there once before with my nyu friends and remembered it to be pretty decent. the space is totally garish looking (all lime green and tiles) and i kept feeling like i was going to break off the table from the wall if i leaned on it, but the food wasn't bad. m started with an all green salad, a generous plate of greens with an assortment of fresh veggies, mandarin oranges, beans and little pieces of fried tofu in a zesty lime peanut dressing. i got an order of spinach toast, which was surprisingly good. i'm not sure what the spinach was wrapped in, but it was delicious. like crispy little savory wantons in a sweet chili broth. for her main course, m ordered the fried rice. i never would have thought to order something so basic in a restaurant that features creative vegetarian fare, but she chose wisely. it was a fantastic mound of multi-grain rice with broccoli, mushrooms, pineapple, cashews and multiple other vegetables. the smoky soy flavor was so amazing that i wondered if there was some form of msg in it that was kicking up the taste. my entree, the black bean ginger chicken, was less impressive. i liked the flavor of the ginger sauce, but the stuff soaking in it was mediocre. the chicken was little soy protein patties in a cupped shape that added nothing to the dish besides a meaty texture. it was also full of these slippery black ear wood mushrooms that kind of creeped me out, plus lots of onions and scallions. i was just happy that m enjoyed her meal, despite initial anxieties about ingredients that our waitress could not allay due to a language barrier. that didn't pose a problem for me since i already knew that none of the dishes were made with fish sauce or other animal products. so much easier to eat at all-veg restaurants!

pure food and wine

2010-06-09T20:31:00.002-04:00

pure food and wine
54 irving place
new york, ny
(212) 477 1010
www.purefoodandwine.com

type of cuisine: raw vegan
culinary excellence: 9
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

pure food and wine is not the kind of restaurant that i imagine many people frequent on a regular basis, but whether you're gay or straight or black or white or asian, it is an experience that should be had at least once. i had the good fortune to visit there for the third time on monday night. the space is absolutely beautiful and the garden is a real sanctuary, so i do recommend going in the warmer months. the menu is entirely raw, which might ordinarily be off-putting, but the good people at pure food have elevated raw food to astronomical heights. wines are clearly marked organic, biodynamic, sustainable and/or vegan and they have an assortment of sake cocktails and sangria. i suggest starting with a mojito. they are pitch-perfect and in my opinion, preferable to some of the fancier cocktails, like the white light tini, made with green tea and lemongrass, which was light, refreshing and pretty, but underwhelming. felice got some sort of fruity cocktail that tasted like a fine, slightly alcoholic pink lemonade. the thought of a master cleanse tini was distressing after having attempted an actual master cleanse... yugghh...

my family and i ordered a number of appetizers or "first courses" to share. felice special ordered a giant green salad with tons of veggies in a vinaigrette. i got a plate of assorted dr. cow tree nut cheeses. i have been wanting to try dr. cow cheeses for a long time now and they did not disappoint! there were only three small wedges but they packed a punch, served with rosemary flax crackers, honeycomb, a super-sweet strawberry and mache. i can't remember what each of the cheeses were, but one was really smoky and another tasted kind of like halvah. a really nice starter. we also got king oyster mushroom scallops in a coconut lemongrass broth, which was interesting, but not one of my favorites. craig's hazelnut crostinis were delicious - little crackers with dollops of a pureed variety of dr. cow's. we also noshed on olives and pickled fennel with rosemary.

for our entrees, felice and i both ordered pure food's signature dish, the zucchini and heirloom tomato with basil-pistachio pesgo, sun-dried tomato sauce and macadamia pumpkin ricotta. this was bliss. $24 bliss. the tomatoes were plump and fresh, the ricotta unbelievable and the pesto rich and flavorful. highly recommended. craig got the sweet corn and cashew tamales, which we both agreed was wonderful, though we couldn't really make out any of the different flavors. the cacao mole sauce on the side was very spicy. mom got the three pizzettes, one with spinach pesto and arugula, one margherita pizza and one with crimini and kalamata olives. this was the perfect dish for her. it had very nice recognizable flavors with interesting italian seasonings. the "crusts" were almond and rosemary crisps. dad ordered some sort of seaweed croquettes, which he enjoyed, but i found to be a little dry. unfortunately, no one ordered the squash blossoms, but they sounded totally kick-ass.

even though we were all full from so many beautiful tastes, we order three desserts to share. dad and i got the trio of dark chocolate coated indian spiced ice cream treats. just one of these rich delicacies would have been more than enough to finish off our meal. they were super-rich, particularly the pistachio gelato ice cream sandwich. the mini cone with cardamom coconut ice cream was very special and the chai creamsicle was exquisite. i don't really understand how they got the chocolate to taste like that given the limitations of raw food prep, but it was sumptuous. the kind of chocolate where you only need a bite or two. mom got the chocolate passion fruit tart, which she seemed to enjoy, and craig and felice shared up some sort of coconut and pineapple sorbet in a little tart. very pure and refreshing.

the bill came to about $450. much gratitude was offered and we all left with a good feeling of having enjoyed really interesting, healthy, skillfully prepared and artfully presented food in a lovely oasis in manhattan on a clear early summer night.

slice

2010-06-08T22:23:00.003-04:00

slice
1740 sansom street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 557 9299
www.slicepa.com

type of cuisine: pizza
culinary excellence: 4
vegan friendliness: 4

i was all excited to get a slice of vegan pizza before my last ulysses class, but slice was totally disappointing! the only vegan pizza they had by the actual slice was a cheeseless affair with eggplant, sliced portabellas, red onion and roasted peppers. the crust was very thin, which was nice, though it was also a little burnt, which was not nice. the rest of it tasted like pizza that had been sitting out for a few days and all the flavors just kind of melded together into nothingness. i'll bet their vegan pies with cheese are not great either, since they use follow your heart mozzarella. i so wish they would make vegan versions of all their pies. i would love a vegan barbeque chicken pizza or a hawaiian one with mock ham and daiya mozzarella. i bet the truffle one would be fantastic with daiya too. maybe i need to just start bringing daiya cheese with me wherever i go. if vegan pizza happens to come up in conversation, i'll be prepared.

bacio

2010-06-08T21:26:00.006-04:00

bacio
311 west mt. pleasant avenue
philadelphia, pa
(215) 248 2740

type of cuisine: italian
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 8
*recommended*

the first time i went to bacio, i still lived on the main line. johanna took me there for my 30th birthday and it was a frustrating experience. although the restaurant was charming and served home made eggless pastas with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, i was bummed that we didn't think to bring any wine, bummed that they didn't have vegan gnocchi on that particular night, and bummed that i was totally full from bread dipped in olive oil after a 70 minute wait for our food:

i realize now that the wait was due to them making me vegan ravioli from scratch. and it wasn't even good! sadly, the chefs are unschooled in the fine art of tofu ricotta (you need nutritional yeast, people!) and cheese-free pesto (again, it's all about the nooch). here's the thing though - don't order some special vegan dish just because they say they can do it. order the following: pasta e broccoli.

this is possibly the most delicious pasta dish i've ever had. the pasta itself is fantastic and the combination of broccoli, olives and capers in white wine sauce is a dream come true. their salty pasta puttanesca is also delectable, but of the two i prefer the broccoli. plus sometimes they add eggplant to the puttanesca and that's just not ok to add eggplant to a dish that doesn't list eggplant as an ingredient.

now luca and i live 5 minutes from bacio and we go there so much that they know who we are. or at least they know who luca is. apparently he has a more memorable face than i do. other items we have tried include the vegan rollatini (not nearly as good as the recipe from veganomicon), bruschetta (excellent - just ask them to hold the cheese), tomato, basil and tofu mozzarella (this is not on the menu, but we were offered it as a compliment one night and it was quite good - i think the "mozzarella" was just nicely prepared soft tofu with salt and other spices - very satisfying), sweet potato gnocchi (so disappointing! the gnocchi's themselves were bland and tasted of nutmeg and the maranara sauce did nothing to enhance it), beet salad (wonderful, an excellent starter), egg-free ceasar (fantastic!) and vegan cannoli's (hella awesome and served with the most delicious chocolate i've ever had). here is an example of a complimentary dish offered to compensate for a long wait time:

so go to bacio. bring wine. bring wine in a cute little wine cozy. it will make you feel better.

sun in bloom

2010-06-08T11:14:00.001-04:00

sun in bloom
460 bergen street
brooklyn, ny
(718) 622 4303
www.suninbloom.com

type of cuisine: light vegan, organic, raw
culinary excellence: 4
vegan friendliness: 10

i spent a few hours over at sun in bloom last weekend reading stieg larsson on my (eh-hem, luca's) kindle. the space was pleasant, but seemed a bit too spacious for the amount of goods they had to offer. the fridges were half-filled with various nut milks, green juices, pastel pink raw pies and prepared salads. there were lots of empty shelves by the register and around the seating area that could have used some plants, at least. it made it feel like the cafe was not entirely ready for customers. amy, the woman behind the counter was very friendly, introducing herself to all new customers and greeting regulars warmly. the menu consisted of some smoothies, breakfast options, sandwiches, fresh baked vegan muffins and assorted sides including some fine-looking kale chips. everything was vegan with a raw/macro bent. amy told me it would take a little while to make my morning energizer burrito, which was fine by me, so i hung out with lisbeth salander at one of the wooden tables and sipped from my half-bottle of fresh brazil nut milk. i'm sorry to say it was not the revelation of brazil nut milk served up at jubb's longevity. the taste was fine - they spiced it up with a bit of cinnamon - but the consistency was a bit goopey. i prefer my nut milk strained and light. the burrito was not much better. it tasted like the dreaded "health food" that omnis tend to associate with vegan cuisine. a tasteless whole wheat tortilla filled with tasteless brown rice, somewhat undercooked black beans and bland tofu with the slightest smattering of avocado puree throughout. on the side was dulce-sprinkled green lettuce and some tasty salsa. i felt bad that the burrito was so boring because it did seem to be made with love. it just needed more flavor. i bet their macro bowls are good, since they are supposed to be simple and plain. final verdict: if you're a yoga-doing, meditating, whole food sort of vegan and you live near flatbush, you'll probably like sun in bloom. if you're a red bamboo and soy ice cream sundae sort of vegan visiting from philly, you might be better off having breakfast at s'nice.

red bamboo

2010-06-08T10:58:00.001-04:00

red bamboo
140 west 4th street
(212) 260 7049
red bamboo

type of cuisine: vegan soul food
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

when i lived in new york, red bamboo was my go-to restaurant for delicious vegan grub in walking distance of film forum, ifc and nyu. there was nothing like a soul chicken sandwich and a glass of wine before class or a night out with luca involving collard rolls and chocolate covered strawberry shortcake. they have expanded their menu considerably since that time, but you can still expect fantastic vegan soul food in relaxing setting, a diversity of patrons, attractive tattooed servers and mock meat galore. ordinarily, i'm not a big advocate of fake meat, but red bamboo does it so well that it overrides my usual preference for non-fake food.

some of red bamboo's appetizers that i enjoy are the aforementioned collard greens rolls (crispy and perfect), salmon rolls (you will not believe how good these are), roti canai (unbelievably delicious soft roti with a savory dipping sauce) and sweet potato and broccoli tempura (outstanding). i was not impressed with the chewy cornmeal crusted calamari.

collard rolls

roti canai

excellent entrees include the creole soul chicken (scrumptious soy chicken served with cooked carrots and zucchini and sweet corn mashed potatoes with a fantastic mushroom gravy), the crispy sole filet (in my opinion the best "fish" entree, also served with corn mashed potatoes and sylvia's honey lemon catfish (delicious and flavorful). reasonably good entrees include the salmon teriyaki (served with steamed vegetables and hijiki and not as good as mobay's veggie salmon), the voodoo sticks (savory shish kebabed seitan), coconut chicken (tasty but not super exciting) and fish and chips (pretty good if you are vegan and crave this dish, but probably not impressive to carnivores). mediocre dishes include the butterfly soy chops (same faux meat as the soul chicken only the patties are larger and topped with a sweet apple-raisin sauce; the side collards are swimming in bbq sauce), the tandoori chicken (stewed in sauce with potatoes) and the grilled bourbon chicken (good, but served atop a palate-clashing salad). the codfish cakes with mango salsa are pretty mushy and terrible.

creole soul chicken entree

coconut chicken

as far as the sandwiches go, i recommend the soul chicken sandwich hands down. it's a little overstuffed, but it is addictively good. the sole on a roll is just like the entree but in sandwich form. the classic blt made me feel like i was 8 years old again. the philly cheesesteak was not particularly good when they first premiered it, but it's entirely possible they have made improvements since that time. same goes for the chicken parmesan hero. the mottalini is similar to the soul chicken sandwich but with mustard and onion instead of vidalia dressing.

soul chicken sandwich

the roasted garlic angel hair pasta and the sweet basil linguine are both very good, but why order pasta when this is a vegan soul food restaurant? boring!

desserts are delivered from vegan treats, so you can expect hella delicious cakes made with totally awful ingredients (i.e. hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, etc.) but hey, i think a big slice of chocolate covered strawberry shortcake or peanut butter bomb every now and then surely does more good than harm. the cakes are definitely better than the milkshakes and soy ice cream options. however, they are often out of the best choices on weekends, so you may have to settle for one of the fancied up cheesecakes.

oreo cake

jaleo

2010-05-16T21:17:00.000-04:00

jaleo
7271 woodmont avenue
bethesda, md (see website for locations in dc and arlington, va)
(301) 913 0003
www.jaleo.com

type of cuisine: tapas/bar
culinary excellence: 9
vegan friendliness: 7
*recommended*

i was a bit concerned about dinner plans in bethesda since the 'frew crew i was traveling with were not keen on driving over to rockville to dine at the vegetable garden or yuan fu. i also wasn't sure how i felt about risking taking coworkers to a mediocre vegetarian restaurant, since i have never been to either of those places. so julie made a reservation at raku, a well-reputed japanese restaurant right near our hotel. unfortunately, the restaurant had no record of her reservation, so rather than wait 45 minutes for a table, we ventured over to jaleo, a tapas bar across the street. to our good fortune, it turned out to be a fantastic meal.

at first their menu doesn't seem to have a whole lot of vegan options, but they are extremely accommodating. absolutely anything on the "verduras" menu could be made to order, with any non-vegan sauces or cheeses either left out or on the side. this made for happy dining in a crowd of one vegan (moi), one vegetarian, one kosher person and two open-minded omnis.

julie took the liberty of ordering for everyone, making sure to check that all of the dishes were suitable for a vegan. she wound up ordering about 12 out of the 16 or so verduras tapas and a paella arroz mediterraneo - made with porcini mushrooms, mixed vegetables, green and black olives and thyme.

we sipped sangria as our waiter brought out 1 or 2 tapas at a time. the only ones that weren't outrageously amazing were the red beet salad (the beets were good, it's just that the coldness of the salad didn't complement the warmth of all the other tapas), the tuscarora farm mushrooms (these were ok, but didn't pack as much flavor as most of the other veggies we got) and there was one green dish with snow and snap peas that i can't find the name of on their online menu that i did not care for. standouts included the sauteed spinach with pine nuts, raisins and apples (perfection), the roasted red peppers, eggplant and sweet onions (sumptuously savory), the fried baby artichokes (does food get any better than this?), the mushroom risotto (rich and luscious) and the sauteed cauliflower with dates (an unexpected but delicious combination). the endives with oranges and almonds (goat cheese on the side) were creative and refreshing, the grilled asparagus was tasty, but i didn't think the romesco sauce added anything to them, the chickpea stew was reasonably good, with a somewhat indian flavor, the wrinkled baby potatoes were totally yummy, but i would have preferred a pesto to the "mojo verde" dipping sauce.

after all of this plentiful deliciousness, our ginormous paella arrived. without much room left in any of our tummies, we pushed forward and ate of this culinary masterpiece. it was extraordinary. immensely flavorful rice, cooked in a porcini mushroom broth with a glorious array of vegetables, olives and spices. i had to take the leftovers with me because it would have been a sin to let food that delectable go to waste.

i highly recommend jaleo to bethesda vegans. next time i'm in town i'll venture over to rockville to try the veg establishments, but honestly i can't imagine they are anywhere near this good.

fino's pizza

2010-05-12T10:17:00.001-04:00

fino's pizza
6784 germantown avenue
philadelphia (mt. airy), pa
(215) 844 1188

type of cuisine: italian/pizza
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 6

must thank the good vegans at the post punk kitchen forums for hipping me to this local pizza joint, run by robert moezi, a vegan of over 20 years. moezi is slowly trying to veganize the menu, adding a cruelty-free item every now and then and taking off a meat item. i asked him why, if he is a committed vegan, that he didn't open an entirely vegan restaurant, and he said "i thought i was the only one!" now he is slowly building up a vegan base in the area. here's looking forward to teese pizza, seitan stromboli and soy cannolis!

unfortunately, moezi seems a bit behind the times when it comes to vegan cuisine. from what he describes, he eats an entirely whole foods, mostly raw diet which excludes sugar and salt. so it's not terribly surprising that he's not up on new vegan cheese products (hello DAIYA!), but i was surprised he had never tried raw pizza, like the slices i still dream of from life thyme in new york. god i miss new york sometimes. anyway, what fino's does offer is pretty decent, and it seems counterproductive to complain, given that it is the only place actually serving vegan pizza in the area. (unless i'm wrong about that?) right now there are four vegan pizzas on the menu and i think two veggie steak options that use follow your heart cheese.

i ordered a healthy balance pizza, made with vegan chicken, caramelized onion with flax seed oil, cherry tomatoes, grilled broccoli, roasted garlic and roasted peppers. i chose pesto sauce from the three sauce options - pesto, pomegranate and chipotle:

so excited when i got home after a long drive from bethesda to have a hot vegan pizza in my car and a fudgy vegan treats brownie from infusion! though it was not in the least disappointing, this is certainly not the zenith of vegan pizza. however, in the event that i don't feel like spending four hours preparing "isa pizza" from vegan with a vengeance, one of fino's rounds is not such a bad substitute. overall the flavor was savory and full. i loved the broccoli, tomato, peppers and garlic. the caramelized onions could have been way more caramelized though, and i might have appreciated bigger chunks of seitanic chicken instead of the sprinkling of tiny pieces. i also was a little frustrated with the pesto. it was more like a smattering of finely chopped, flavorless basil than a sauce. i like my pesto salty and grainy with pine nuts, bursting with flavor. don't get me wrong - i'm definitely going to try every variation of fino's vegan offerings and i totally appreciate their efforts, but moezi may need some encouragement from other local vegans to invest in daiya and learn to make lovely nutritional yeasty tofu ricotta. maybe some talented ppker can school him in the art of vegan funnel cakes, too. that would be divine on a friday night.

in the meantime, their fries are pretty satisfying:

jasmine asian bistro

2010-04-20T01:27:00.001-04:00

jasmine asian bistro
138 south easton road
glenside, pa
(215) 885 4333

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 8

truth be told, i love chinese food, but i'm always a little nervous about it. in all of my adventures in cooking, i have never been able to replicate the addictive gooey sauces that abound in chinese dishes. this has led me to the conclusion that they are made of ingredients that no cookbook author would endorse. that said, i still enjoy me some chinese take-out every now and then. when luca and i lived in wynnewood, chung sing was our drug of default, now it's jasmine over in glenside. i still haven't found my dish at jasmine, but i have sampled a number of their vegetarian menu items. the problem is that when you order a mock meat dish, you don't know if you're gonna get seitan or that weird rubbery stuff. you also can't be sure that what you're ordering is totally vegan, since they don't seem to know what that means. one time i ordered the pineapple fried rice, and even after the woman taking my order confirmed that it had no animal products in it, it was sure enough full of eggs. assuming that their vegetarian wonton soup and veg egg rolls are vegan, i can definitely recommend them.

love me some wonton soup and eggrolls. i do, however, find myself frustrated that the crispy noodles that come with the soup are so thoroughly greasy that it's impossible to add more than 1 or 2 without feeling like you're just eating oil. scallion pancakes are average, and therefore pretty good:

the general tso's chicken is ridiculously deep-fried seitan with a nice just-spicy-enough sauce and some broccoli. i have not enjoyed the sesame chicken, which is that strange untextured fake meat swimming in an odd and slightly unpleasant sauce. one nice thing i can say about jasmine is that their restaurant is not bad for eating-in. the servers are nice and the space is large and clean. any regulars have recommendations from the vegetarian menu?

balewa's vegan gourmet

2010-04-11T22:25:00.000-04:00

balewa's vegan gourmet
1651 union avenue
memphis, tn
(910) 274 3917

type of cuisine: vegan/raw
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

when traveling, i have found happy cow to be an indispensable resource. memphis is not the most vegan friendly city, but thanks to their database, i discovered balewa's, a little plant-based take-out restaurant just 20 minutes from the brasi's house. balewa's shares its outlet with a middle eastern diner called "sean's cafe," a convenient store, a coffee bar and a smoothie counter, cleverly named "smooth moves." while luca and samara ordered off the diner menu, i got balewa's signature live burger, a veggie patty on an eziekiel bun with fixings, served with a side salad and blue corn chips. it was inexpensive for a raw entree and it was excellent. the burger itself was earthy and filling, the salad was fresh, the dressing tasty and the chips wholesome. we all ordered smoothies as well, which were decent and humungous. i think mine was peach, made without dairy, as most of their menu items can be. as we dined in the seating area, the owner of balewa's (pictured) came over and introduced himself. he thought he recognized luca from the days of yore, but alas he was mistaken. he said he's been vegan for over 20 years, which is impressive considering that his restaurant is the only strictly vegan place in town! it's just too bad he doesn't have a nicer set-up, because i could see his food served in style.

thoreau vegetarian grille (CLOSED)

2010-04-06T02:32:00.000-04:00

thoreau
1033 spring garden street
philadelphia, pa 19123
(215) 232 9001
thoreaurestaurant.com

type of cuisine: vegetarian
culinary excellence: 9
vegan friendliness: 9
*recommended*

dear readers, horizons has a competitor. in philadelphia. this is not a joke. from the creators of blue sage in southampton comes a damn fine new vegetarian restaurant called thoreau. luca and i headed downtown on friday night with a bottle of natura to check out the goods. our server started us off with some rosemary focaccia and herbed butter, which i hope was vegan but forgot to ask. in the bread department, horizons takes the lead, as their focaccia is served warm and in breadstick form, as opposed to the giant room-temperature slices offered by thoreau. we skipped appetizers since i wanted to save some room for dessert and i had heard that the entrees are generously portioned. this was most definitely true. my dagwood cubano sandwich was actually two hefty sandwiches piled one on top of the other. god damn was that a good sandwich. warm avocado, cucumber, roasted red pepper and "catalina" style mayo (vegan upon request) on pressed focaccia with a side salad. seriously one of the best sandwiches i've had. such a delectable mix of creamy, savory and salty with even a little sweetness. ate one of the sammies at the restaurant, took the other home for saturday lunch. luca's blue plate was also surprisingly good. it was a piping of purple okinawa sweet potatoes and grilled avocado halves filled with edamame succotash and glazed shiitakes in a lovely carrot syrup. extremely flavorful in similar ways as horizons' dishes. only one of thoreau's desserts are vegan, but it is the only dessert you could ever want: hazelnut toffee basket, or more accurately, a heavenly scoop of chocolate buttercream mousse with a hazelnut oatmeal tuille cookie and some incidental bruleed bananas and a blackberry. every spoonful of this luscious mousse was completely over the top. it was hard to focus on anything else. in the sweets department, thoreau takes down horizons. i thought thoreau would be another mi lah or govindas - obligatory to try as a vegan, but nothing to sustain interest. i am so pleased to say i was wrong. thoreau is a place i will go back to until i've tried all of their vegan menu items.

sweet freedom bakery

2010-03-30T01:49:00.000-04:00

sweet freedom bakery
1424 south street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 545 1899
www.sweetfreedombakery.com

type of cuisine: bakery
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

i feel so embarrassed that a vegan bakery opened up in philly in january and it is march and i'm just now finding out about it. i didn't waste any time getting to it though. sweet freedom bakery is an adorable little pastry shop that specializes in egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, corn-free refined sugar-free and soy-free delights. one of the owners helped me at the counter, recommending their most popular items. i settled on the following: a slice of cinnamon sugar loaf, some oatmeal raisin cookies, a chocolate chip cookie sandwich with vanilla icing, a carrot cupcake, a banana chocolate chip cupcake with chocolate icing and a magic bar. lovely readers, these baked goods taste like they are made with faerie sugar. everything is so lovely and gentle, you actually feel innocent eating them. and i don't mean innocent as opposed to guilty for eating sweets, i mean innocent as in purity of soul. like you've never done anything wrong in your life, never felt pangs of longing or regret, never known black depression... just clean, sun-kissed happiness. my favorite bites of the bunch were the cinnamon sugar loaf and the banana chocolate chip cupcake. the loaf was sweet and light with echos of coconut and the cupcake was perfectly flavored - just rich enough but without any heaviness whatsoever. the oatmeal cookies tasted the most like their traditional counterparts. the cookie sandwich had a fruit-sweetened taste, kind of like i remember frookies to be, but less cloying. the magic bar was delicious, though i wound up brushing off some of the pretty coconut flakes on top. the carrot cupcake was my least favorite because it was a bit bland. the icing didn't have much of a taste at all. next time i'm in the city i plan to sample plenty more of sweet freedom's goods. they are not vegan treats by a long shot, but where they lack in peanut butter bombs, they make up for in wholesomeness and adorableness. plus, i love the idea that kids who have food allergies, who are excluded from having birthday cake at parties and unable to eat at nearly every restaurant, can come in and get anything in the entire bakery.

tiffin

2010-03-20T06:11:00.000-04:00

tiffin
7105 emlen street (see website for additional locations around philadelphia)
philadelphia, pa
(215) 925 0770
www.tiffin.com

type of cuisine: indian
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 6

i was hoping to check out the new downtown veg restaurant thoreau last evening, but they were all booked up until 9:15, so luca and i headed over to our local indian restaurant. it seems like tiffin primarily does web-order delivery all over this fine city, but they also have dine-in establishments in northern liberties, elkins park, mt. airy and girard avenue. according to their website, they're also planning to open two branches on the main line. the mt. airy location is small and intimate, with deep orange walls and around 6 or 7 tables. i was a bit concerned that none of the servers knew what "vegan" meant, but they do specialize in vegetarian fare and i tried to explain to our waiter that i don't eat dairy. at first when i asked about yogurt or ghee in the samosas, he seemed to suggest that they did not meet my specifications. but then he spoke to someone in the back and told me it was ok, so who knows? i went ahead and ordered them, along with baingan bharta, or smoked eggplant sauteed with tomatoes, onions, herbs and spices. luca and i shared an order of naan. when the food came, the first thing we noticed was that it actually tasted healthy - not the usual salty, greasy grub served up at most indian joints. the samosas seemed more baked than deep fried and you could actually taste the different elements of the potato filling. i enjoyed dousing mine in the three chutneys - one sweet, one spicy and one fruity. my eggplant dish was not the consistency i was expecting. instead of chunks of eggplant mixed together with the other ingredients, it was blended into a thick but light, textured puree. still, the flavors were subtle and enjoyable alongside the delicate basmati rice. i added just a bit of salt, which brought out the smokiness. the naan was a bit dry and tasteless, but again, probably because it wasn't covered in grease. i will definitely return to tiffin to check out more of their offerings and i'll do my best to find out if the food is completely vegan.

the dancing vegan (CLOSED)

2009-08-08T10:37:00.000-04:00

the dancing vegan
239 onota street
pittsfield, ma 01201
(413) 443 2625
www.thedancingvegan.com

type of cuisine: vegan/macro/raw take-out
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

what a great surprise to find out that an entirely vegan restaurant has opened up since luca and i last visited the berkshires! "the dancing vegan" is a little take-out shack on a residential street in pittsfield that offers organic prepared dishes, salads, sandwiches, smoothies and baked goods made without any animal products or refined sugars. we stopped by on thursday after our visit to the mass moca and picked up a few things for dinner. luca got a combo of sesame noodles and waldorf salad with a generous slab of rosemary flatbread. the flatbread was unbelievable and both salads were tasty. i myself got a tempeh-"tuna" sandwich on sourdough bread with lettuce and tomato. i was extremely impressed with their "tuna." i have all but stopped eating processed soy meat substitutes, so it was really refreshing to find that this sort of mock dish can be made impressively well using tempeh. ("dancing vegan" uses homemade tempeh from vermont.) i think the excess of vegenaise that the server slathered on the bread was entirely too much, given that the "tuna" salad was already chock full of it, but that caveat aside, it was an excellent sandwich and enough for two meals. sticking salt and vinegar chips in it when i got home made it even better. we also got banana strawberry smoothies made with soy milk, coconut milk and agave - simple but delicious. i am very grateful to have an all vegan place to get food from when we come up here. maybe next time i'll try their tiramisu cake, when we don't have the world's best vegan cake already in our fridge.

elevation burger

2009-07-11T22:06:00.001-04:00

elevation burger
50 east wynnewood road
wynnewood, pa
(610) 645 7704
www.elevationburger.com

type of cuisine: burgers
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 7

luca heard about this new place in wynnewood from his dental hygienist that serves organic burgers and fries with options for vegans and plenty of vegetable oil at the end of the day for bio-diesel-fueled cars. i thought it sounded pretty nifty, given the paucity of good vegan eats on the main line and general lack of progressive offerings. on my first visit, i was given some misinformation about elevation's buns not being vegan and wound up with a disappointing lettuce wrap, which i promptly blogged about. then, amazingly, i received word from someone in their corporate offices letting me know that the buns are in fact dairy-free and vegan! so back i went to elevation burger. this time the server dutifully informed me that their buns are vegan when i ordered a vegan burger, having no idea of course that i was the reason he was telling me this... much better! i still wish their carmelized onions weren't prepared on the meat grill and i think they should add avocado to their list of toppings, but i was very pleased with my burger. i wouldn't want to eat them all the time, since they do contain some processed ingredients (soy protein and "natural flavors") and i generally prefer fresh whole foods, but a vegan burger and fries in a pinch is a really nice option. their fries, by the way, are fabulous. they taste just like fast food fries, but are made in 100% olive oil. here is a pic of their goodies once i got them home:

does anyone else miss macro plates from all natural market? i still kind of believe that i put them out of business because of that review i wrote on my old website. i was just mad that they didn't get me that juicer part in a more timely manner. i didn't want them to close... you know, the space where wynnewood pharmacy used to be, right next to elevation burger, is still available for rent. i think i should open my bohemian grove restaurant there. i would have fresh muffins and scones and smoothies in the morning, delicious sandwiches and soups for lunch and easy-going gourmet dinners with cupcakes and cookies du jour. and then i would go out of business after a few months.

the grey dog's coffee

2009-04-20T21:03:00.000-04:00

grey dog
90 university place (also, 33 carmine street)
new york, ny
(212) 414 4739
thegreydog.com

type of cuisine: coffee, sandwiches, beer, wine
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 5

when molly lived on downing street, going to the grey dog on carmine street was part of the daily routine. it was a great place for coffee and a bagel, served up by grungy-chic models in the heart of the west village. back then molly was working at a different light bookstore and smoking lots of cigarettes. i was in my first year at oberlin and went to visit her whenever she would have me.

so discovering that the grey dog opened a practically identical branch over on university place was a happy reminder of days gone by. the exposed brick, the dog paintings, the witty graffiti in the bathroom, the intimidating counter service, the overpriced sandwiches, the cramped but adorable tables... it was all there. but this time instead of molly with a broody possessed expression on her face, i found a freshly groomed luca waiting for me with a glass of wine. i hadn't been to the grey dog since going vegan, so i was pleased to see they had added a few veg-friendly items to their extensive chalkboard menu. i got some sort of vietnamese tempeh sandwich on sourdough bread that i can't remember the exact name of. it was really saucy and spicy and came with ruffled chips and some little pickles. not at all the flavors i was in the mood for, but i think i've developed this vegan reflex where if i see tempeh or seitan on an otherwise omni menu i order it without even considering my options. also took an iced vanilla latte to go and came back after a bizarre double feature for a cold ale. i love grey dog, but for a less expensive, less intimidating and more vegan coffee shop in the same vein, do check out s'nice.

candle 79

2009-04-19T19:14:00.000-04:00

candle 79
154 east 79th street
new york, ny
(212) 537 7179
www.thecandlecafe.com

type of cuisine: haute vegan cuisine
culinary excellence: 9
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

our brief trip to new york began with "extreme delays" that, sadly, prevented us from checking into bebelush gurevich's time share before heading up to the horizons of upper manhattan. i was resigned to changing my clothes in the holland tunnel, emerging on 79th street feeling grimy and unkempt. it took me a bit of time to relax after such a stressful voyage, but the classy atmosphere in the restaurant, along with luca's stylish ensemble and loving face, eased me in to an evening of tremendous culinary delights. after placing our orders, we were given amuse-bouches of delectable crispy crostini with smoked hummus and olives. then came our appetizers and drinks. for me it was a glass of sweet sangria full of blood orange segments and strawberries, while luca had a mango mojito. together we shared onion rings with a creamy dipping sauce and a small ravioli plate with some sauteed spinach. i can't remember everything that was in the ravioli - i thought i would be able to find the exact listing online - but i know it had cashew cream in the filling and possibly mushrooms, all sitting in a gentle tomatoey puree. it was a soft and deliciously comforting dish with all the flavors that i like. the onion rings were finely done as well. for his entree, luca got their signature seitan piccata, an insanely good rustic italian dish of home made seitan cutlets atop sauteed spinach and potatoes. i was a little disappointed with my spring vegetable paella, and wish i had ordered the home made gnocchi with pine nut pesto and shallots instead. the paella was a finely minced al dente mixture of rice, tomato, cucumber, little tiny bits of ground seitan and saffron. to be fair, my left overs tasted pretty incredible the next morning, but i was hankering for that gnocchi with every mouthful. i think it was the tininess of all the elements that left me wanting something a bit more succulent. we were fairly full by the time dessert came around, so we decided to go with the ice cream sampler. this consisted of three modest scoops of homemade vegan ice cream - cinnamon, chocolate chip and black current sorbet. i focused primarily on the first two, while luca polished off the sorbet. the cinnamon scoop tasted just like a cinnamon bun in ice cream form! very impressive! i also enjoyed the chocolate chip very much. the bill was as high as we expected, but our moods were equally elevated as we left the restaurant and headed over to the manhattan club.

high point cafe

2009-03-22T22:54:00.001-04:00

high point cafe
602 west carpenter lane (also at the allens lane train station)
mt. airy, pa
(215) 849 5153

type of cuisine: cafe
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 3

luca and i stopped in at both branches of the high point cafe while house hunting in mt. airy this weekend. the carpenter street location is at the heart of the mt. airy community, just across from weaver's way co-op and a pleasant bookstore. it was so busy on saturday afternoon that we couldn't really take in the gorgeously evocative photography exhibit by laurie beck, but we did manage to snag a table for a little while. the friendly barista informed me that none of their pastries or cakes were vegan and that it is "impossible to make vegan crepes", but that i could get a salad or head over to their twin cafe for a delicious vegan sandwich. it is so not impossible to make vegan crepes, but rather than challenge her, i got a house chai with soy milk, then headed over to the co-op for a spicy thai hoagie. this afternoon we popped into high point at allens lane and whispered our requests for grilled veggie sandwiches and iced coffees to go while a bevy of celtic sounding musicians performed for a rapt audience of around 8. this was really an excellent sandwich. amazing combination of veggies, including red peppers, zucchini, artichoke and the unusual addition of thinly sliced and grilled fennel. the bottom piece of herbed and salted focaccia was a little soggy, but i actually liked the varied textures and flavors. one of the best sandwiches i've had in a long time. high point needs to bring in some vegan bakers though!

pattaya

2009-02-28T19:54:00.001-05:00

pattaya
4006 chestnut street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 387 8533
www.pattayarestaurant.com

type of cuisine: thai
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 5

after checking out lauren b.'s hybernation exhibit at the "homeskooled gallery" (aka her home) in west philly last evening, luca and i drove over to pattaya, a very reasonable thai restaurant next door to new delhi. the interior is nice, if a bit non-descript. they don't have a whole lot in the way of vegan options, but the options they do have are quite good. i started with vegetable coconut soup, a sweet and savory coconut based broth full of broccoli, pea pods, cabbage and some other pleasant veggies. if you've had this kind of soup before, you'll know exactly what to expect. luca got an order of excellent vegetable spring rolls, with crispy thin wrappers and a delicious sweet and sour chili sauce. i picked the tofu garlic entree from the two vegetarian dishes that do not contain fish sauce. this was really good. immensely flavorful bite-sized chunks of slightly sweet tofu with lots of fresh vegetables in a relaxed soy-based sauce. i love when they serve the scoop of sticky rice right by the stir-fry so it soaks up some of the juices. i was sad that luca's drunken noodles weren't vegan, because they looked pretty damn good too. overall, a consistently good meal and they have cocktails too! (are mai tai's supposed to taste like alcoholic hawaiian punch?) i don't think i will be frequenting pattaya too often, though, due to the insane range of meats they offer - alligator? seriously? but for mixed crowds, it's a fine bet.

bonus picture of one of lauren b.'s sculptures:

sketch

2009-02-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

sketch
413 east girard avenue
philadelphia, pa
(215) 634 3466

type of cuisine: burgers and shakes
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 8

i was super excited to learn about sketch, a colorful little burger joint in fishtown that caters to vegans as well as omni's. so last night luca, johanna and i ventured out to sample the goods. the space is small, with 3 wooden booths and a counter. everything is painted in vivid hues and there are chalkboards beside each booth for sketching. ordinarily, i would have done portraits of my dining companions, but it was so cold inside the restaurant that i couldn't bring myself to remove my coat and draw. a very nice woman with a nose ring and a kick-ass vintage floral dress explained the menu to us. you choose from 6 types of burgers, all homemade and fresh to order, then select from 3 sauces, all of which are vegan, and add an optional topping or two. i went for the vegan burger with harissa aioli, avocado and soy cheese. sketch also offers many types of vegan milkshakes using klein's ice cream. i got a cookie's and cream shake, luca went for pistachio. we also shared an order of fries with chipotle sauce. i was so pumped for our meal, thinking this was like an anarchist ruby's and that my memories of getting teriyaki burgers and oreo shakes from suburban square as an adolescent could be effectively upgraded and integrated into my adult lifestyle. sadly, the grub just didn't measure up. the vegan burger itself was interesting. i couldn't discern all the different flavors, but there was definitely some quinoa and lentils action going on. the problem is that it was so soft that it practically all crumbled and fell out of the bun (which was cold by the way) when i took my first bite. further disappointment ensued when i discovered that the thick tomato slice inside was unripe and the cheese was barely melted slabs of follow your heart cheddar. i hate follow your heart cheddar. so i removed the cheese, the tomato and much of the iceberg lettuce and for the most part enjoyed the combination of burger and avocado on the lightly aiolied underbun. the fries were great - no complaints there. i really liked the shape, texture and spiciness of them and the chipotle sauce was a nice alternative to ketchup. both of the milkshakes were a little sub-par. it pains me to say that since they are the only place in philly that i'm aware of to actually serve vegan milkshakes. the sweetness tasted artificial and the consistency was, well, inconsistent. some sips were melty, others frosty. i know it is possible to make a cruelty-free shake as good as hymie's black and white shakes or the tea house's white russian shakes or ruby's butterfinger shakes. i'm at the point where some of the ice cream i've made at home far surpasses anything i've ever bought at a store, but i just don't know how to do a killer shake. can anyone help out with this?

margaret kuo's

2009-01-31T21:10:00.001-05:00

margaret kuo's
4-6 west state street
media, pa 19063
(610) 892 0115
www.margaretkuos.com

type of cuisine: chinese and japanese
vegan friendliness: 5
culinary excellence: 8
*recommended*

after a gorgeous outing to longwood gardens a couple weeks ago, lenya and i decided to take ourselves out to dinner at margaret kuo's in media. let me just say straight away - this was some of the best chinese food i've had. i usually don't write reviews if more than a week has passed since i visited the restaurant, but my memory of kuo's delectable offerings is quite clear. to whet our appetites, lenny and i nibbled on salty cooked peanuts and lightly pickled cucumbers. both packed a wallop of concentrated flavor. next we got some drinks - a divine lychee martini for me and plum wine for len, along with a vegetable spring roll and scrumptious scallion pancakes:

the spring roll was simple and well-balanced, the pancakes were light, crispy and melt-in-your-mouth good. for our main course, we shared ma po tofu and a vegetable dish with lotus root, asparagus and a few other fresh veggies in a wonderful clear garlic sauce. the ma po was comprised of soft tofu cubes in an extremely salty and peppery sauce. we were pleased with the dish, though it's not something i would necessarily order again. we were surprised at the end of our meal that our total indulgences did not add up to more than $50, given the quality of the food, the cordial service and the classy decor. a great dining experience! here are some bonus pictures from longwood gardens:

new delhi indian

2009-01-25T14:55:00.000-05:00

new delhi
4004 chestnut street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 386 1941
www.newdelhiweb.com

type of cuisine: indian
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 7
*recommended*

i was rather surprised to discover that this indian place called new delhi that was listed at vegguide.org was the same place luca used to take me to when i would visit from brooklyn - way back when i rarely paid attention to where i was eating. they revamped the interior since then, but it was the same old buffet and good university city vibe that i remember. we decided to forgo the menu and dive into the vegan options laid out for us. this included samosas, channa masala, lentils and basmati rice. the waiter brought us whole wheat naan, since the naan at the buffet contained dairy. i find that when eating from a buffet i tend to eat more and faster, leaving me with an uncomfortable fullness rather than a clean, satisfied feeling. i think this may be true for a lot of people. the food itself was great. the samosas were thick, crisp and hearty with a nicely gingered filling and the well-prepared chick peas were delicious. the lentils were a bit soupy, but still tasty and the naan, despite my preference for flour of a less nutritional variety, was pleasant. i'm glad to have a reliable indian restaurant that knows from veganism to go to again when the mood strikes.

dahlak

2009-01-15T19:21:00.000-05:00

dahlak
4708 baltimore avenue and 5547 germantown avenue
philadelphia, pa
(215) 726 6464
www.dahlakrestaurant.com

type of cuisine: eritrean
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 8

i visited dahlak in the summer of 2006 and wrote this about my experience:

Dahlak is located in in West Philadelphia on a charming commercial strip comprised of several African restaurants, bakeries, boutiques, convenient stores and a little bookstore that shows B-grade sci-fi movies in the summertime. A trolley train passes through on a regular basis. The food here is Eritrean, from a region of Africa that is tucked between Sudan and Ethiopia. If you've had Ethiopian food before, you'll know what to expect - delicious stews served atop Injera, a spongy flat bread that you tear apart with your fingers and use in lieu of utensils. Lauren and I shared the vegetarian sampler, with six items in total. There were yellow split peas, collard greens, lentils, chickpeas, okra and beets. Some of them, such as the collard greens and okra, were soaking in a tomatoey sauce that did not complement the flavors of the veggies. The lentils and split peas were fine, though a bit undercooked, the beets were tasty and came with big chunks of potato and the chickpea mash was outstanding. All in all, I did not find this restaurant to be as excellent as nearby Abyssinia, but it's worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood.

since that time, dahlak has opened another branch over in germantown. i got some take-out on friday, following an endless day at work. i was a bit surprised that there were so few people dining there. don't people in germantown like to eat out? i saw the same thing at black olive. anywho, this dahlak offers up both eritrean and indian food. i asked for 3 different vegan dishes and some lentil soup. granted, food is never as good coming out of a styrofoam container, but i was a tad disappointed by their goods. the spinach was reasonable - kind of well-rounded and not too salty. the lentils were of a pate-like consistency and pleasantly peppery. the okra just tasted bitter. each main dish also came with a side of delicious potatoes and carrots. the lentil soup was not at all what i was expecting. rather than a thick, savory, creamy soup, it was light on the lentils and heavy on spinach. not altogether bad, but a somewhat strange combination. they also packed us a year's worth of injera, most of which we discarded after a couple days.

the abbaye

2009-01-05T13:54:00.001-05:00

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.

delancey street bagels

2009-01-05T13:54:00.000-05:00

delancy street bagels
50 east wynnewood road
wynnewood, pa
(610) 896 8837
www.delanceystreetbagels.com

type of cuisine: bagel place
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 2

having just polished off one of delancey street's soy chicken salad sandwiches on a toasted everything bagel with tomato, i was poised to write a brief review of what i erroneously believed to be one of the only places on the main line to get a tasty vegan lunch. i thought i might warn my readers to double check that delancey doesn't use egg glaze in their everything bagels and then decided to be responsible and perform this service myself. so i called them. one of their usual teenage servers, trained in enthusiasm, picked up the phone. she, of course, had no idea what was in the food she had been selling all day, but graciously offered to check. when she returned to the phone, she reported that no, the everything bagels are not vegan. i was fairly sure that many of their other bagels were egg-free, but bothered her to confirm that as well. after asking another server quite audibly if she should tell me that the other ones are vegan without knowing for sure, she opted to actually find out by checking the box. i'm not sure why i assumed that delancey street makes their own bagels, but clearly this is not the case. to my displeasure, she reported that even the plain bagels contain eggs. so there it is. one less place to go for a cruelty-free meal. they get a 2 in vegan friendliness for their juices and occasional prepared vegan item in the case.

black olive

2008-12-15T22:06:00.001-05:00

black olive
24 east mount airy avenue
germantown, pa
(215) 247 8400
blackoliverestaurant.com

type of cuisine: vegan soul food
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 10

another new vegan place has opened up without much of a fanfare - it's not even listed yet on any of the philly veg restaurant pages! going to black olive in germantown made me wonder if i actually have what it takes, emotionally speaking, to open a restaurant. this place has a great concept, appealing decor, good location (just off of germantown avenue) and clearly competent chefs, yet the 5 of us were its only patrons on saturday night. i don't get it. let's hope they're drawing more crowds for their "monday night live" specials or sunday brunches.

anyhow, i arrived with luca, little bear and the hens around 6 on saturday. a young and energetic waitress seated us and set us up with a grooving playlist of miles davis and john coltrane. the dining room had a spare but soulful atmosphere with photographs of african scenes on the walls. our crew ordered a few appetizers to begin: the tomato soup was light and savory with a generous amount of rice soaking up flavor at the bottom of the bowl. the steamed squash plate consisted of yellow and green squash as well as cooked tomato and plump asparagus on a bed of mesclun greens - a simple and fresh starter. the tofu crabcakes had a rather bland taste, but the texture was appealing, as was the spicy cocktail sauce that came on the side. mama hen and i both ordered the seitan steak for our entrees. olive's seitan tastes just like the seitan i make all the time from vegenomicon - nice spongy chunks full of garlicky, brothy flavor and grilled simply. on the side were very straight forward mashed yukon potatoes and more asparagus. luca was going to get the seitan steak too, but then decided on the bbq seitan sandwich after our waitress told him it was their best dish. it was indeed a good sandwich, if a bit lacking in nutrients - nothin' but seitan smothered in a tasty bbq sauce on a whole wheat bun. on the side were potato wedges and some peculiar cole slaw that seemed to have an almost soapy taste. papa hen got the veggie loaf, which he liked, though he found the consistency a bit unusual. i agreed that it was kind of mushy. little bear ordered the pasta salad, a cold ramen-like dish with an assortment of veggies and tofu, and a very berry natural soda. for dessert we shared a piece of german chocolate cake made by the same baker who provides govinda's with goodies. the cake itself was dense and tasty and the inner layer of coconut icing was delish, but i thought the chocolate frosting around the outside was off and there was really no need for that sprinkling of mint on top.

overall, i think black olive is a worthy neighborhood restaurant. the food actually reminded me a lot of my old haunt expressly vegetarian before they closed their doors. i hope this place will not meet the same end.

nodding head

2008-09-24T08:30:00.000-04:00

nodding head brewery and restaurant
1516 sanson street, 2nd floor
philadelphia, pa
(215) 569 9525
www.ripsneakers.com/nodding

culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 5

continued my exploration of vegan-friendly breweries on friday night, before taking in the song stylings of keith jarrett (!!!) at the kimmel center. this place felt much more old school than the others, in that the space is dim, dusty and with distinct traces of cigarette smoke and hordes of co-eds crowded around the bar. luca and i got a table for two toward the back and ordered a round of 60 shilling and 700 level ale. i think i'm beginning to taste the differences between the different beers - i can't yet identify which ones are more "malty" and which have a "soft hop finish", but i feel confident that i'm on my way to beer literacy. for dinner there were minimal cruelty-free choices. i ordered a vegan burger with sauteed mushrooms and onions on a le bus bakery roll and french fries on the side (yes, you do have to order these separately if you want them... boo). the thing that doesn't make sense to me is that this vegan burger comes with a mayo dressing! make sure to request that that be left off, as well as the mayo-based dipping sauce for the fries. despite these structural gripes, this was a hell of a burger! it brought back long-lost memories of walking the cold streets of new york with my family around christmas time, bundled up en route to some broadway show. it tasted just like the smells of the restaurants we would pass by and warm up in! the burger was soft and thick, with pieces of vegetables baked into a base that did not seem to be soy-derived. not sure what it was made of, but it was incredible! the fries were top-notch too. luca ordered the decidedly not vegan polenta puttanesca, a layered dish of mushrooms and basil tofu with a parmasan, tomato and caper sauce. he thought it was alright. alas, no vegan desserts, but we were pretty stuffed anyway. i would consider going back to check out their vegetarian roulade and stew (with mushrooms and seitan). until then, the survey continues.

adobe cafe

2008-09-22T22:38:00.002-04:00

4550 mitchell street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 483 3947
www.adobecafephilly.com

type of cuisine: mexican
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 8

lisa and i were on the verge of foregoing dinner together on account of there being no vegetarian restaurants in chestnut hill, but then we remembered the adobe cafe! located just outside of manayunk (conveniently en route to both west philly and the main line), this tex-mex tavern in the bright orange stucco building was just the thing. after a handful of dry and bland tritone chips with spicy salsa (don't get guacamole cause it's too creamy and smoky), i dug into my old standbies - seitan tips and a margharita. these are always a safe bet. the tips consist of a crunchy tortilla bowl full of wonderfully flavorful grilled seitan, with soft flour tortillas, an unnecessarily large heap of shredded lettuce and some kickin' soy aioli for wrapping:

you can also get this in the form of a sandwich on a generous bun with fries on the side, or kabob-style on smoky skewers with onions and peppers. the one time i ordered seitan enchiladas, i was very displeased. first of all, the soy cheese they used at the time was not vegan so i had to go cheeseless and the non-dairy sour cream was pretty gross. on another visit, i left the vast majority of my marinated portabello salad behind, finding the heavily balsamic shrooms atop a bed of iceberg lettuce and raw carrots, celery and onions rather inedible. drinks at adobe are also a bit inconsistent. the margharitas are good in a cheap-tasting way and i have liked the pina and peach coladas but their mojito's are not happening at all. avoid the stoli punch. the sangria is fine, but nothing better than what you would get in a box at your local wine store:

so i have somewhat mixed feelings about the adobe cafe. all in all, the seitan tips more than make up for the other clunkers. and their vegan dishes do appear to be getting better with time. recently, i enjoyed an order of vegetable quesadillas, this time made with totally vegan cheese:

i enjoyed the thin crisp tortillas and the combination of roasted peppers, mushrooms and spinach. i'm not sure what brand of soy cheese they use, but it was good and melty. the tofu sour cream on the top didn't add to or detract from the taste, it just made for a pretty decorative touch. in the center of the plate was a salad of shredded lettuce (they seem to love that stuff), pico de gallo and guacamole.

another nice appetizer or side are the french fried yams, topped with a smattering of tangy tomatillo salsa and melted soy cheese:

adobe cafe is a very easy place to go for dinner. the servers are really nice, you know that the seitan tips are gonna be amazing and in the warmer months, you can eat in their lovely garden:

crossroads coffee house

2008-09-20T09:11:00.001-04:00

crossroads coffee house
6156 ridge avenue
roxborough, pa
(215) 487 1923
www.crossroadsrox.com

type of cuisine: coffee shop fare
culinary excellence: ?
vegan friendliness: 6

crossroads seems like an unlikely nook in an otherwise rundown commercial area on ridge avenue. the space is fantastic. it feels kind of like a hip library with a spacious downstairs and wraparound second story balcony lined with books. the walls are bright yellow, as are seemingly all coffee house walls, decorated with an array of illustrative posters and photographs. there is plenty of seating, including two comfy chairs and good lighting. crossroads' menu extends well beyond coffee drinks, serving smoothies, full-on breakfast options, paninis and wraps, named after local streets. while there is nothing vegan on the menu itself, their two specials on the day i was there were - a three bean chili actually advertised as "vegan" and a hummus wrap. the ambiance lends itself well to studying, but reading is a bit of a challenge with r&b playing just a tad too loud. i liked this place though.

soy cafe

2008-09-17T09:18:00.000-04:00

soy cafe
630 n. 2nd st.
(215) 922 1003

type of cuisine: coffee shop fare
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 8
*recommended*

the soy cafe is a gem of a coffeeshop in northern liberties, or what i like to think of as the cobble hill of philadelphia. they offer a lengthy list of soy-based smoothies, interesting coffee drinks, salads, wraps, sandwiches and snacks. i thought there would be more vegan offerings and felt disappointed to learn that their soy cheese is not casein-free, but my t'n'a (tomato and avacado) sandwich on toasted wheat bread with soy mayo was fantastic - so much better than i ever would have imagined. it came with a side salad and a dollop of that carrot-ginger dressing that you find in all the new york macro restaurants like souen. my smoothie of choice was a "milli vanilli," a combination of peaches, bananas, vanilla, soy milk and honey. they served this delightful blend up in a ginormous martini-style ice cream glass. after working for a couple hours (not a place that's conducive to intense concentration with the blender whirring every 15 minutes or so...), i got a vegan chocolate chocolate chip cookie and headed on my way. i would love to come back to this place for lunch some time and explore the neighborhood. oh yes, there's also a clothing boutique in the back.

update: i've since tried a few more of soy's smoothies. the "betty boop", made with strawberries, bananas and honey, is pleasing and straight to the point. the "mango mama" is a little sugary sweet, probably cause it's made with mango juice. the "funky monkey", with peanut butter and oatmeal, is really great. apparently they use home made soy milk in all their smoothies!

gryphon cafe

2008-09-17T09:14:00.000-04:00

gryphon cafe
105 west lancaster avenue
wayne, pa
(610) 688 1988
www.gryphoncafe.com

type of cuisine: coffee shop fare
culinary excellence: ?
vegan friendliness: 3

i'm back on the coffee house scene now that i'm studying for my bc exam. this evening i spent a couple hours at the gryphon cafe in wayne, following an appointment with janet at the wedding shoppe, who hemmed my bridesmaid dress for k.'s wedding before heading out to alter an honorary ribbon for gorbachev. so anyway, gryphon is located next to the wayne movie theatre, where lenya and i saw the 10th anniversary screening of dirty dancing in 1997. it's definitely more classy than slouchy, but maintains a relaxed neighborhood vibe. yellow walls, colorful paintings, wood tables and chairs, barely noticeable background music, middle-aged locals quietly discussing politics, complimentary filtered water and a wicked expensive menu of your usual coffee drinks and tea, some sandwiches (a couple sounded potentially vegan), salads and scrumptious-looking pastries (not vegan). there seemed to be an upstairs area too with some couches and a giant tele, but i didn't have a good look around. overall, gryphon provided a pleasant space for a very productive study session, but next time i want an oregon soy chai, i think i'll save myself $4.50 and make it at home.

silk cuisine

2008-09-10T21:28:00.002-04:00

656 lancaster avenue
bryn mawr, pa
(610) 520 2470

type of cuisine: thai
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 5

had a pleasant dinner out with my parents on saturday night at our old haunt in bryn mawr. silk cuisine served up the first pad thai i ever had, and in my mind it's still the best. however, as a fairly strict vegan of almost five years, i can no longer partake of this fabulous staple, as it contains fish sauce. fortunately, silk does seem to offer some veg-friendly fare, including lemongrass soup - a deeply flavorful broth full of fresh vegetables, pad see-ew - scruptious broad rice noodles and broccoli (hold the eggs), and occasional specials like steamed vegetable with peanut sauce and mock duck (this is just seitan stir-fry in a nice asian sauce). their two vegetarian curries are both good - the lovely red one in a coconut sauce with white rice; the yellow one mild, with soft tofu and a few too many snap peas and pea pods. the baked tofu i ordered the other night was a miss - it was just an unbearably hot bowl of cellophane noodles in broth with some veggies and plain tofu cubes - but their sauteed tofu appetizer, which consists of green salad and deep-fried tofu smothered in a delightful peanut dressing, is always a hit. silk cuisine is certainly not a vegan mecca, and i'd be shocked if they didn't use some variant of msg in every dish on their menu, but it's a good bet for those rainy days when your mom's in town and she seems nervous about the idea of you cooking for her.

dock street brewery

2008-08-31T20:45:00.000-04:00

dock street brewery
701 south 50th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 726 2337
www.dockstreetbeer.com

type of cuisine: brew house
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 6

i don't know what's gotten into me lately, but friday night comes around and i'm all about the beer. or the places that offer beer and vegan food, at any rate. this week luca and i checked out the dock street brewery in west philly. quite a different scene than the belgian cafe and memphis taproom. dock street is housed in a giant warehouse of sorts and draws a diverse crowd of locals. they have an extensive menu of grilled items, fried items and gourmet pizzas, with many options for vegetarians and a couple for us hezbollah-like vegans. luca and i decided to share a large pizza with pesto, artichokes, mushrooms, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, peppers, herbs and tofu. aside from a slightly charred, slightly dry crust, the mixture of flavors and textures was delicious. we ate half and took the rest home for a mighty tasty mid-morning saturday snack. i am proud to say that i finished my entire glass of their famous bohemian pilsner. still, despite its ranking as one of the "top 50 beers in the world", i'm afraid i wouldn't know it from pbr. maybe i will develop a taste for beer and wine some day, but at present it's like trying to distinguish between sarah palin seven months pregnant and someone who's not pregnant at all! for dessert we shared a lovely piece of vegan brownie cheesecake, imported from danielle in bethlehem. even now that i know she uses hydrogenated ingredients in her baked goods, i still have a hard time turning those bad boys down. i would definitely make a return trip to dock street for a pesto wrap out on the sidewalk.

the belgian cafe and memphis taproom

2008-08-24T22:50:00.001-04:00

the belgian cafe
21st and green
philadelphia, pa
(215) 235 3500
www.thebelgiancafe.com

type of cuisine: brew house
culinary excellence: 2
vegan friendliness: 8

memphis taproom
2331 east cumberland street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 425 4460
www.memphistaproom.com

type of cuisine: brew house
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 8

if you're a philly vegan lookin' for some fried food and brew, you're in luck. just this year two such places have sprung up - the belgian cafe, near the art museum, and memphis taproom in kensington. and this philly vegan has visited both of them to tell you which beast is best.

let's start with the belgian cafe. first of all - TONS of beer, so if that's your thing, you should be duly impressed. me, i ordered any old ale and drank a few sips before handing over the rest to luca. they have a good handful of vegan options, including spring rolls, wings, burgers and a few other inventive menu items. unfortunately, none of it is particularly good. the pommes frites are alright, served with an unpleasant smoked ketchup and a crumbly tofu aioli. the breaded seitan wings taste ok at first, but then they start to be really gross. way too much bbq sauce on them. the vegan meatloaf is like a browned veggie nut loaf with broccoli on the side. it's the kind of dish that makes me wonder if the chefs are aware that it's possible to have really good vegan food. on the plus side, the space is really cute and not unbearably loud, which brings me to...

memphis taproom. so the food here is a lot tastier, but luca and i had to scream our conversation and left in a dizzying stupor of ringing eardrums. at one point i actually yelled "HELP!" just to see if anyone would notice. nope. but back to the point of our visit - greasy grub. i ordered the tempura summer veggies with coconut curry dipping sauce for my meal. i might have liked a different assortment of veggies (included were red peppers, cauliflower, mushrooms and carrots), but it was so nice to have tempura again. everything was crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. i think a soy ginger sauce would have been a better compliment than the curry, but points for originality. luca ordered the vegan fish and chips, a plate of super-battered soft tofu sticks that tasted so much better than they sound, some average french fries, a smoky slaw and a side of vegan aioli. i am interested in going back during non-peak hours to try their eggless french toast and smoked avocado blt. also, while you're in fishtown, stop by the philadelphia book company. this place was bizarre - a huge warehouse full of the most random assortment of books that you rummage through in near total darkness.

there you have it!

gourmet to go

2008-07-16T07:43:00.000-04:00

gourmet to go
1505 south street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 545 5452

type of cuisine: vegan fast food
culinary excellence: 3
vegan friendliness: 10

as i recall, i wrote a pretty positive review of gourmet-to-go on my old website. i can't imagine what i was thinking, except maybe, "wow! it's vegan! and it's in philadelphia!" because after a good handful of visits, i don't have any intention of going back. the whole kitchen area is disgusting and the food is just not remotely appetizing. everything is made with highly processed mock meats and the presentation is so poor that even the display of cakes from vegan treats looks nasty. items like the ham and cheese sandwich are just broad chunks of soy protein on a roll with some vegan condiments like nayo, pickles and lettuce. the kofta sub is just like a meatball sandwich with some liquid soy cheese smothered on top - yick. their chicken burgers are pretty good, but mostly they just make me miss red bamboo's soul chicken sandwiches and new york life and whoever i was before i moved here. but as per gourmet-to-go, they do boast the only vegan ice cream bar in town, and amongst the pickings are some serious contenders for best vegan ice cream ever. so enjoy, if you can get past the griminess of it all.

aldar bistro

2008-07-06T09:38:00.000-04:00

aldar bistro
281 montgomery avenue
bala cynwyd, pa
(610) 667 1245
www.aldarbistro.com

type of cuisine: middle eastern
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 5

well, i knew i would miss the olive vine when i moved far away from brooklyn... and after 3 years, i still do. here in the suburbs of philly, there is nothing even comparable to their fine fine felafel sandwiches, unless you want to ride down to south street, and even then it's not the same. but when felafel is needed in a fast way, aldar's is a reasonable substitute. their pita is not fluffy homemade perfection, but the balls themselves are nicely spiced and dolloped with the right amount of tahini. if you're looking for a side order, both the regular fries and the sweet fries are excellent. other vegan options include the simple but pleasing grilled veggie appetizer, stuffed grape leaves and mousaka, a satisfying combo of eggplant, chickpeas, onions and tomatoes. i used to wish there weren't always televisions on in the restaurant, but not anymore, my friends, not anymore.

horizons

2008-07-05T08:15:00.002-04:00

horizons
611 south 7th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 923 6117
www.horizonsphiladelphia.com

type of cuisine: haute vegan island
culinary excellence: 10
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

this restaurant is in a class by itself. if you want mock chinese, you can go to singapore or su xing, if you want to order the one scrumptious vegan entree from a menu of flesh, there's the white dog or farmicia, and if you want cruelty-free but just as unhealthy fast food it's gourmet-to-go or basic 4. but if you want a classy, sit-down, all-vegetarian, sensory delighting dining experience, there's only one place to go and that's horizons. here's the low down:

munch on their incredible warm bread sticks slathered with herbed garlic compote while waiting for your pitch-perfect margatini or mojito to arrive. next, enjoy a cup of creamy cucumber avacado soup topped with toasted cumin oil and smoked pumpkin seeds or warm red cabbage soup in between bites of piquillo peppers stuffed with hearts of palm salad. for your entree, i can't imagine doing better than the pacific rim grilled tofu - soft tender tofu in a firey glaze, accompanied by edamame mashed potatoes and beautiful broccolini on the side - or the grilled seitan - tender wheat meat, yukon mash and flavorful greens in a pool of horseradish butter cream. for dessert, try the chocolate beignets, a mojito perfecto - phenomenal lime sorbet with firm chunks of rum cake with coconut whipped cream and mint - or one of their divine cheesecakes. i don't generally go in for cheesecake, but theirs are first-rate. some of their other cakes have been a little disappointing.

basically, the menu changes all the time, so just get what you're in the mood for. even the stuff that doesn't sound especially appetizing will probably be one of the best things you've ever eaten. here's my take on some other cocktails and menu items i've sampled:

key lime martini - too carbonated and dry  

pomegranate sangria - fine, not terribly sweet, reserved flavor  

la playa cocktail - a savory and refreshing tamarind-based drink, topped with shaved nutmeg

wild mushroom cazuela - a rich tartlet of mushrooms with roasted garlic in a portini truffle cream, served with little squares of toast

yucatan chopped spinach salad - seasoned with bites of avocado and roasted peppers in a mildly tangy dressing

jamaican bbq seitan - tender skewered wheat meat smothered in sauce with a generous side of ranch dressing

empanadas - i don't know why they took this off the menu because it was outrageous, buttery and flaky with a quirky but balanced blend of flavors that changed my life, served with hearts of palm and avacado salad, luscious truffle cream and sprouts

grilled portobella - strikingly similar to the sopa de tortilla, same smoky southwestern flavor with thick luscious mushrooms

sopa de tortilla - roasted seitan tacos in a stew of smoked pinto beans, tomatoes and corn

caribbean tempeh - delicious thinly sliced glazed tempeh stuffed with "calabaza jambalaya" and "asparagus raita"

pan seared tofu - excellent, perched atop a lemon-infused "trofie" pasta that was covered in a creamed basil pesto

hearts of palm cakes with seitan enchiladas - fried cakes atop tomato and avacado, two slender enchiladas surrounded by black beans, smoky taste all around

hearts of palm paella - really extraordinary, varied taste, the cakes have a slight saffron/paprika seafood flavor, nice texture and consistency, sauces are tomatoey and delicately concentrated, grilled asparagus on top  

toffee pudding - excellent dessert, not a pudding at all, a piece of wonderful toffee-tasting cake with amazine praline ice cream and drizzled in caramel sauce

su healthy cuisine

2008-06-18T09:38:00.001-04:00

su healthy cuisine
725 river road (unit 21)
edgewater, nj
(201) 840 7988
surestaurant.com

type of cuisine: noveau vegetarian/pan-asian
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

i was headed up to visit my parents in fort lee on saturday and they asked me to find a restaurant where we could have dinner. not terribly hopeful about the prospect of fine vegan dining in new jersey, i checked happy cow's trusty guide. as it turns out, there is a new vegetarian place just 5 minutes from where they live in edgewater! the space is clean and minimalist, if a little drab, with low hanging red lanterns over each table. servers are friendly and the menu reminded me instantly of gobo in new york. in fact, i just looked up gobo's menu online and i think the people at su just copied it straight up. no worries though, because they charge a lot less and the quality of the food is comparable, if not better. between the four of us, we shared up a number of dishes, all of which were labeled V for vegan, D for dairy and/or N for nuts. the appetizers we shared included spinach wheat dumplings, handmade scallion pancakes and spinach, shiitake and baby bok choy wonton soup. the dumplings were pretty and gently flavorful. the scallion pancakes were outstanding, topped with a piquant sauce and mango salsa (again i think they pilfered gobo's recipe and presentation). the soup was delicate and delicious. for my entree, i selected the steamed vegetables with tahini sauce. this was a really nice basket of carrots, squash, cauliflower, parsnips and best of all, lotus root chips. the tahini sauce was perfecto. my mom ordered the nori wrapped bean curd, an interesting and tasty dish comprised of little seaweed wrapped disks that were reminiscent of fish, served with baby bok choy and broccoli in a sweet tamarind sauce. luca got the winner of the evening - roasted whole wheat seitan with chinese greens and sumptuous mushrooms. such intense flavors and really satisfying textures. i wasn't able to taste my dad's entree, the artisan flat bread, since it was loaded with cheese, but he seemed pleased with his choice. we also shared the yam and yucca fries, which were crispy, sweet and amazing. everyone agreed that su will be the go-to restaurant whenever we're in town.

luca and i decided to go back for more on the return trip, sampling additional menu items. the vietnamese summer rolls were ok - cold julienned vegetables with an eerily crab-tasting product wrapped in rice paper and served with a clear tangy dipping sauce. su's pad thai is excellent and extremely filling. the stir friend whole wheat seitan is a little over-the-top - it's so crispy and battered that you hardly taste any wheat gluten at all, but the citrusy sesame flavor is still tempting. this was served with blase wilted greens and little dried shreds of beets.

all in all, i think su is a most welcome addition to the food scene on the other side of the gw bridge. i wish there was a place like this near philly!

satellite cafe

2007-09-17T09:21:00.000-04:00

satellite cafe
701 s. 50th street
(215) 729 1211

type of cuisine: tea and grub
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 9
*recommended*

is conducting a survey of philadelphia coffee shops when i have to prepare for a lecture...

a) a really good idea
b) a gift to bloggers everywhere
c) a smart and satisfying way to ensure maximum work production in a comfortable setting
d) a pitiful method of procrastination disguised as a smart and satisfying way to ensure maximum work production in a comfortable setting

this little anarchist cafe in west philly offers an extensive selection of organic loose teas and a vegan-friendly menu of wraps and snacks. the vibe is make-shift warehouse punk with coffee can light fixtures, mosaic table tops, organic produce satchels hanging from the rafters and plenty of tattooed locals wearing mismatched clothes. in fact, i think i was the only one in the whole place without an extreme piercing, dreads or a bandaid on my face. this is not the place to go if you are looking to get some work done. the garden area is pleasant but the seats are a little uncomfortable and the few comfy chairs in the back are not well lit. plus, it's hard to read dense psychoanalytic theory with aggressive rock music in the background. as for the food, i took a vegan bike shop roll-up and a tofu-tahini wrap for luca to go. the former was quite nice, though the spinach tortilla was a little burnt. the insides were melted cream cheese (probably tofutti), roasted red peppers and sundried tomato pesto. yummy and filling. i didn't think the tofu wrap was that great, mainly cause the the tofu was so soft and the sunflour seeds gave it a weird crunch. loved the greek mountain tea though.

su xing house

2007-04-08T05:45:00.001-04:00

su xing house
1508 sansom street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 564 1419
suxinghouse.com

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

another entry in the Philadelphia Chinese vegetarian scene, perfect for a late dinner after taking in a show at the prince theater. the ambiance is quiet and pleasant, with friendly servers. luca and i started our meal with an order of scallion pancakes. nothing noteworthy here, just your typical crispy greasy cakes with a light dipping sauce. for our entrees, we shared general tso tofu and stir-fried string beans. the former was very nice, with chunks of crispy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside bean curd, along with some broccoli, in a sweet brown sauce. the string beans were very salty and garlicky and made for a nice side dish, but i can't imagine just eating string beans for dinner. some question remains about su xing using msg in their food. i'm not terribly sensitive to the stuff so i couldn't tell, but i did feel a bit hungry even after i was full. might as well ask. not sure if their various fruit and tapioca shakes are vegan, but that would be a good thing to find out too, since it seems to be their specialty. finally, it's usually nice when a restaurant provides pictures of the menu items, but in this case, they would probably be better off without them, given the poor image quality. i was settled on the taro croquettes with cashews until I saw how unappealing they looked from the photo!

guo's garden

2006-11-13T19:30:00.000-05:00

guo's garden
569 west uwchlan
exton, pa
(610) 524 7178

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 9

just off of route 100 in exton lies a little chinese restaurant called guo's garden with a separate vegetarian menu. this menu is full of mock meats of every variety. a few weeks ago i travelled out to see lisa for another painting session. after missing my exit off the turnpike and nearly running out of gas, i finally made it to our dinner date. i was in miserable shape, but the crisp and doughy scallion pancakes helped a little. the sesame 'chicken' was pretty good too - just your typical processed gluten all battered up and smothered in sweet tangy sauce. not bad to find veganosity out in the boondocks of philadelphia. if i lived in exton, you better know i'd be calling guo once or twice a week for delivery.

abyssinia

2006-11-12T22:47:00.001-05:00

abyssinia
229 south 45th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 387 2424

type of cuisine: ethiopian
culinary excellence: 8
vegan friendliness: 9
*recommended*

ah, the first restaurant luca ever took me to. i still remember the exhilaration of such new exotic tastes, and even now it is no less thrilling. if you have never tried ethiopian cuisine, i highly recommend making your way over to abysinnia. you can expect all sorts of delights from their menu of both carnivorous and vegan dishes, served atop traditional injera, an ingeniously conceived spongy flatbread, used for scooping up mouthfuls of culinary bliss. on my last visit I ordered the vegetarian combo plate, full of goodies such as collards, lentils of various colors and other delectable plant-based offerings. one selection tasted a bit mustardy, but everything else was exquisite and well-spiced. johanna ordered the potato option from the veg menu - totally amazing. It's unfortunate we had to take our food to go and eat it in the waiting room at bryn mawr hospital, but comfort eating never tasted so good... and besides, I'll be back.

pagoda noodle cafe

2006-11-01T05:51:00.002-05:00

pagoda noodle cafe
125 sansom walkway
philadelphia, pa
(215) 627 4520
pagodanoodlecafe.com

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 7
*recommended*

i have passed this little restaurant so many times after taking in films at the ritz. finally, after thoroughly enjoying todd field's latest movie picture, the sumptuous smells lured me in for a late dinner. the interior is suprisingly spacious! and amazing, despite the multitude of dazzling christmas lights, it has a very calm, zen ambiance:

their menu is definitely vegetarian-friendly, with about 7 or 8 vegan options. pagoda's general tso's vegetarian chicken was excellent:

i have no idea why they list it as "deep fried tofu" though, as the chicken was clearly tender seitan in a sweet, smoky and pungent sauce. this is probably the first elegant version of this dish i've had - no excess of goopy sauce or overcooked broccoli, just perfectly prepared wheat meat with crispy edges and enough drizzling of general tso's sauce to flavor the rice. just a little too salty.

the szechuan tofu is comprised of a whole lot of soft cubes of bean curd in a spicy sauce with some peas, tiny blocks of carrot and thinly sliced jalapenos. i actually enjoyed it a lot more the next day, eaten cold, but overall i felt like the dish was too soft all around.

i also enjoyed pagoda's vegetarian spring rolls - slender, crispy and flavorful without an excess of grease - but my photos of them came out all blurry. :(

since they don't have any appealing vegan desserts, get a coconut water for a refreshing touch of something sweet!

new harmony

2006-05-17T05:54:00.000-04:00

new harmony
135 north 9th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 627 4520

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

ah, finally dined at philly's best known and most often recommended vegan restaurant. harmony, or "new harmony" as it is now called (ownership changed recently), did not disappoint. my party of 4 began with wanton soup, scallion pancakes and stuffed taro. the soup was alright - nice broth and fresh greens, but the wantons lacked umph. the scallion pancakes were delicious, with a wonderful balance of crispy and soft. not too greasy either. the taro was pretty tasty, though i'm really not clear on what it was stuffed with - maybe a pea or two? mostly it was just deep fried taro. for the entrees, we split chicken with baby ginger, sesame chicken, orange beef and steak cube-hunan style. the first chicken dish was full of cauliflower, zucchini, pineapple and what i believe were small chunks of diced chicken-style soy protein in a thin, sweet and sour sauce. this was not as good as the sesame chicken, made from heavily battered and fried wheat gluten and served with broccoli. although a bit oily, the overall flavor was great. both "beef" dishes were delicious and varied. the orange beef was kind of crispy, with a tangy sweet flavor. the hunan steak was comprised of firm wheat gluten medallions in a medley of veggies. fortune cookies and fried bananas were complementary after the meal, but there was little room left after digging into three appetizers and four family sized entrees. sharing is recommended, unless you are looking for a week's worth of leftovers. also, harmony is apparently a good place for blind dates, as evidenced from the two cute boys getting to know each other at the table to our left.

another dinner at harmony yielded the following conclusions: hot & sour soup is thick and grody whether its vegan or not. spring rolls are lovely. walnut imitation jumbo shrimp is something i hope to never experience again - think chewy fake seafood slathered in a thick white sauce, oh the humanity. chicken with broccoli is very plain and chicken-like. harmony is rather hit or miss.

mustard greens

2006-03-18T05:57:00.001-05:00

mustard greens
622 south 2nd street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 627 0833

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 5

a recommendation from lisa, colleague and founder of public eye: artists for animals. though greens offers much meat, this is a fine restaurant for mixed groups. the space is modern, with light lime walls and geometric table arrangements. my entree of the eponymous sauteed mustard greens was really delicious. the vegetables were fresh and the sauce was a delicate ginger/garlic broth. some variation would have been nice, but if you're not feeling terribly hungry for a range of textures and tastes, the quality is high. the sauteed sweet red pepper with black bean sauce was not as tasty. my parents also enjoyed their meals, though my dad was later heard describing the food as "bland". fair enough.

su tao cafe

2006-03-18T05:48:00.001-05:00

sutao cafe
81 lancaster avenue
malvern, pa
(610) 651 8883
www.sutaocafe.com

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 10

su tao, which means "way of vegetarian cooking", boasts a huge assortment of 100% vegan dishes, featuring mostly mock meat renditions of staple chinese fare. however, despite serving up food that is cruelty-free, i'm not sure about their claim to health. most of the edibles here are deep fried and rather on the greasy side at that. granted, i did fix my own plate from the buffet and chose predominantly fried selections, but after dinner i could feel my stomach distending out in protest. luca was nauseous. as for the taste factor, everything was pretty good except for those little mushy triangular concoctions that may have been mimicking shrimp toast. stand outs included general tsao's chicken (good texture, batter fried), spring rolls, lemon chicken (crusted mock meat w/ a drippy lemon sauce) and tasty little fried banana balls. other choices such as vegetable tempura were good at first but then entirely too greasy. if i do go back, and i kinda doubt that I will, i think i'll order something a bit more balanced from the menu. this place is a good example of how vegan does not necessarily equal healthy. go if you live within 15 minutes, otherwise it's not really worth the trip.

charles plaza

2005-11-27T19:22:00.000-05:00

charles plaza
234 north 10th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 829 4383

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 5
vegan friendliness: 10

my first official foray into the chinatown veg scene followed a viewing of antonioni's the passenger at the ritz bourse. while i do highly recommend the film, i'm on the fence about charles plaza. of the three chinese restaurants i've visited since relocating to the main line, this one easily ranks highest for decor (tablecloths, dimmed lighting) and service (charles is as genteel and accommodating as can be), but the food was strictly average. we started with a "for 2" order of wanton soup from the vegetarian menu. the broth was pleasant and hot, swimming with delicate cabbage bursts, little pieces of chewy mock pork, vegetables and minced wanton bundles. overall, a fine soup, though there was an aromatic flavor to some bites that i could not place and did not particularly care for. next up was a crispy sesame fried chicken appetizer. i have never seen sesame chicken actually coated with sesame seeds! the result was intriguing at first - almost like halvah chicken - but ultimately not so appealing. finally, we shared an order of general tso's chicken made from seitan and served in a thick gloopy sauce. this was pleasant enough, with nicely textured wheat meat in a crispy batter. still, i preferred the same dish at golden empress garden. our "side" of vegetable fried rice was enormous, more than enough for a meal in and of itself. made with brown rice and chock full of actual fresh vegetables including cauliflower and snow peas, it had a smoky, slightly oily flavor. for dessert it was a few wedges of orange and uneaten fortune cookies offering wisdom of the ages.

update: tried some more of charles' menu items: spring rolls are too greasy to actually taste any flavor; orange beef is soft battered chunks of seitan in a gloopy, slightly citrus sauce - not orangy at all - served with some carrots and asparagus; beef with asparagus is soft little pieces of seitan in a smoky soy sauce with really good asparagus and other veggies.

golden empress garden

2005-07-06T19:27:00.000-04:00

golden empress garden
610 south 5th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 627 7666

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 10

if i were to grade on decor in addition to culinary excellence and vegan friendliness, golden empress garden would receive a 2. scummy floors and tables, hideous surroundings, tacky chairs in desperate need of upholstery, and to whet every animal advocate's appetite, impaled butterflies in frames on the walls. the food also, was lacking in presentation, but to my genuine surprise, everything tasted pretty darn good! patrons are offered two menus, one with meat and one without. the vegetarian menu consists largely of gluten-based mock meats as well as more than a dozen vegetable and noodle dishes. nearly everything is vegan. after munching on those addictive crunchy noodles served before every meal, luca and i shared an order of chinese pizza, or scallion pancakes. though they were a tad on the greasy side, i found them tasty enough. when our entrees arrived - general tao's chicken and sesame chicken - i felt nervous because they did not look remotely appetizing. however, my fears were assuaged after taking a few bites. the mock meat is really quite nice, served in chunky strips and battered to a crisp. the sauces for the two were indistinguishable: a red-brown sweet sauce that was of a satisfying flavor and consistency. only difference was that the general tao's was served with cabbage, geometrically cut carrots and green peppers, while the sesame version was surrounded by broccoli and sprinkled with seeds. i would not rule out a return to golden empress, but next time I think I'll take my order to go.