Circles. Take-out Thai. 1516 Tasker St.
My friends love Circles so much, they wrote a (really cute) song about it. And then they recorded it. I wonder if I could figure out how to post it on here.. Anyway, I finally tried Circles and I have to agree. They make a great tofu pad thai. Be sure to order with no fish sauce and no egg. They know the drill. At $10, it isn't as cheap as you'd expect from a takeout-only corner Thai place, but the portion is generous and filling. Worth it.
Loving Hut. 742 South St.
Loving Hut is the new all-vegan fast food restaurant located right on South St. The most exciting part about this place, for me, is the bubble tea. It can be hard to find vegan bubble tea, as many bubble tea mixes contain "non-dairy creamer" that is not at all dairy-free. I will never understand that. Loving Hut's version involves soy milk, tapioca pearls, and a strawberry syrup. It is sweet, creamy, and delicious.
I can also recommend the Golden Cheesy Bread as a decadent bad-day snack. You will get four small slices of baguette, slathered in a creamy and tangy mayo/cheese/bacon spread and then toasted. It is good, it is unhealthy, and I probably won't want one again once Blackbird Pizzeria opens around the corner.
I must warn you about Loving Hut's desserts. Blended tofu plus sugar does not equal dessert. Oh dear.
Royal Tavern. 937 E. Passyunk Ave.
Tempeh Club Tempeh Club Tempeh Club. Royal tavern is capable of making a very good tempeh club sandwich. The tempeh is marinated, layered with tomato, lettuce, tempeh bacon, and basil aioli. I've probably had this sandwich a dozen times. Unfortunately, the last time I had it, I was not at all impressed. The tempeh tasted like it wasn't marinated at all. The sandwich seemed uneven and hastily assembled. I hope it was an isolated incident, because this sandwich is one of the best deals in town. EIGHT DOLLARS for a huge sandwich and a side of fries with a killer vegan mayo dipping sauce.
Royal also serves a few other vegan sandwiches and salads that I have yet to try. Vegan items are clearly marked on the menu. They also have Vegan Treats desserts.
-beka
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
GRINDCORE HOUSE
I am so smitten with Grindcore House. I've been there a handful of times, holding off an official review until they're 100% open with a full menu and full hours. They're not quite there yet, but I'm impatient and I can't help but talk about how much I love this place. If you know me, you probably know that opening up a vegan coffee shop is a dream of mine. So, when I first heard about the rumor of a vegan coffee shop in South Philly, I was excited but skeptical. I'm thrilled to announce that I APPROVE.
The coffee is good and strong, with a dreamy selection of cow-free creamers. There is a nice little loose-leaf tea menu (I hope they offer a few seasonal flavored black teas!). You can choose from a variety of vegan baked goods, ranging from good ole' ridiculously-sweet Vegan Treats, to more locally-baked goodies such as mini-pies, mini-donuts and biscotti. Be sure to stop by on a Thursday to pick up a fresh Vegan Treats doughnut to go with your coffee. Grindcore House just started serving bagels topped with your choice of earth balance, natural peanut butter, or plain tofutti. Actually, that's my main complaint at this point: I want flavored tofutti! I'll take just about anything, but I'd be especially impressed with Chive, Vegetable, or Sun-dried Tomato and Olive. I understand they'll also be doing sandwiches at some point. I look forward to that. See ya tomorrow, Grindcore House!
xoxo,
-beka
The coffee is good and strong, with a dreamy selection of cow-free creamers. There is a nice little loose-leaf tea menu (I hope they offer a few seasonal flavored black teas!). You can choose from a variety of vegan baked goods, ranging from good ole' ridiculously-sweet Vegan Treats, to more locally-baked goodies such as mini-pies, mini-donuts and biscotti. Be sure to stop by on a Thursday to pick up a fresh Vegan Treats doughnut to go with your coffee. Grindcore House just started serving bagels topped with your choice of earth balance, natural peanut butter, or plain tofutti. Actually, that's my main complaint at this point: I want flavored tofutti! I'll take just about anything, but I'd be especially impressed with Chive, Vegetable, or Sun-dried Tomato and Olive. I understand they'll also be doing sandwiches at some point. I look forward to that. See ya tomorrow, Grindcore House!
xoxo,
-beka
Monday, September 13, 2010
renaissance sausage
This past weekend, I took my usual early Sunday afternoon trip to the Headhouse Square Farmers' Market. I purchased some beautiful rainbow chard, a couple honeycrisp apples, some striped eggplant, a few heirloom tomatoes, a couple tiny summer squash, and my most surprising find: A vegetarian sausage sandwich!
I never would have guessed that a sausage truck offered a vegan sausage if my friend Chelsey hadn't alerted me. Thanks, Chelsey! Renaissance's vegetarian sausage is a tender, home-made sausage that appears to be made with beans, vegetables, and a bit of wheat gluten. The texture is similar to the "beanballs" from everyone's favorite cookbook, Veganomicon. It is pan-fried so the outside is pleasantly crisp, with a delicate, almost-mushy inner. The sausage would have been nothing without the killer toppings, though. It was served with a generous helping of caramelized onions, a chipotle vegan mayo, and a sprig of cilantro..all inside a delightfully crusty roll. Fucking beautiful. At eight dollars, it is surely overpriced..but I'm not going to lie: I'll probably be back for more. You can get your very own vegetarian sausage sandwich from the Renaissance Sausage truck several days a week at various farmers' markets.
-beka
I never would have guessed that a sausage truck offered a vegan sausage if my friend Chelsey hadn't alerted me. Thanks, Chelsey! Renaissance's vegetarian sausage is a tender, home-made sausage that appears to be made with beans, vegetables, and a bit of wheat gluten. The texture is similar to the "beanballs" from everyone's favorite cookbook, Veganomicon. It is pan-fried so the outside is pleasantly crisp, with a delicate, almost-mushy inner. The sausage would have been nothing without the killer toppings, though. It was served with a generous helping of caramelized onions, a chipotle vegan mayo, and a sprig of cilantro..all inside a delightfully crusty roll. Fucking beautiful. At eight dollars, it is surely overpriced..but I'm not going to lie: I'll probably be back for more. You can get your very own vegetarian sausage sandwich from the Renaissance Sausage truck several days a week at various farmers' markets.
-beka
Thursday, September 9, 2010
local 44 reuben
last night beka and i travelled west and meet up with sarah to eat some reubens at local 44. we were all so excited! finally a place to get reubens in philly! and we had heard only good things about this place! we all love reubens!! how could it not be the best thing ever!!?
needless to say, it did not live up to expectations.
local 44's reuben is seitan based and i was excited to try it, as i have only had tempeh reubens (mmm i love a sandwich where almost every ingredient in it is fermented...). the sandwich also came with sauerkraut and "secret sauce". the seitan was thinly sliced deli meat style but real dry. unfortunately, there was no where near enough "secret sauce" or sauerkraut to moisten the dry seitan. the waiter attempted to alleviate the dryness of the sandwich by spilling water all over our table (and beka), but we were done eating by that point, so it was not terribly helpful.
overall, it was rated between in the 5-7 range. it definitely wasn't a bad sandwich, but i'd rather just fry up a moist sauerkraut/thousand island-y sandwich at home. or go to sprig and vine....
amy
needless to say, it did not live up to expectations.
local 44's reuben is seitan based and i was excited to try it, as i have only had tempeh reubens (mmm i love a sandwich where almost every ingredient in it is fermented...). the sandwich also came with sauerkraut and "secret sauce". the seitan was thinly sliced deli meat style but real dry. unfortunately, there was no where near enough "secret sauce" or sauerkraut to moisten the dry seitan. the waiter attempted to alleviate the dryness of the sandwich by spilling water all over our table (and beka), but we were done eating by that point, so it was not terribly helpful.
overall, it was rated between in the 5-7 range. it definitely wasn't a bad sandwich, but i'd rather just fry up a moist sauerkraut/thousand island-y sandwich at home. or go to sprig and vine....
amy
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