grindcore house now has a selection of fancy homemade flavors of tofutti cream cheeses for you to enjoy on your bagel. choices include scallion, jalapeno, olive, and sundried tomato. YES. the scallion is perfect--fresh, oniony goodness. the jalapeno has a nice, mild and tangy heat. the olive is of the kalamata variety, and it is purple. and tastes purple. as in, good. the sundried tomato is a slightly sweet spread from heaven if there was such a thing.
this shit is ruining my life. i have a daily "bagel or no bagel" fight with myself before i even leave the house. i want it to ruin your life, too. now go.
-beka
Sunday, October 10, 2010
blackbird pizza
i've only eaten there the 2nd and 3rd day of their opening week. i need to change that asap and eat there more often.
i've had the yukon and peperoni slices. the cheesesteak and bbq mushroom sandwich. all are excellent. the bbq sandwich and yukon are my favorite things so far. the mushrooms are deep fried and breaded to perfection.
they keep unleashing all kinds of new slices and other eats. get there now!
i've had the yukon and peperoni slices. the cheesesteak and bbq mushroom sandwich. all are excellent. the bbq sandwich and yukon are my favorite things so far. the mushrooms are deep fried and breaded to perfection.
they keep unleashing all kinds of new slices and other eats. get there now!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
sprig&vine
A good vegan brunch is something that the Philadelphia area is lacking in. It is getting better 'round these parts, but nothing has yet to come even close to Sprig & Vine's killer brunch menu. The Tofu Benedict is my favorite; a well-composed plate of genius. A ball of tofu atop a homemade tempeh sausage patty and crisp english muffin, smothered in a perfectly tangy hollandaise. It is hard to resist an order of doughnuts, which involves two full-size freshly-fried rings covered in cinnamon sugar. The french toast is rich and sweet, made with a nice crusty baguette.
When I was a kid, my family would meet up with another family in the neighborhood after church to get brunch at a fire hall. I would always get scrambled eggs, sausage, and well-buttered toast. I appreciate that Sprig & Vine has included vegan versions of some of my faves. I do wish they combined some of them in a dish, just so I don't have to spend $20 on sides and come home with a bunch of leftovers. Biscuits&Gravy+Tofu Scramble+Sausage+Homefries=Dream Brunch.
I will end on the biscuits and gravy. Sprig & Vine's biscuits are perfect: soft and flaky inside, crisp and lightly browned outside. The gravy is a beautiful, salty, well-rounded sauce with what seems to be a mushroom base. Yes, I am a mushroom-hater for textural reasons, but damn. Mushrooms make a good stock. An order of biscuits and gravy consists of two beautiful biscuits with a seemingly perfect pour of light-brown gravy of magic. The only thing is: Not enough gravy. I know they're trying to put as much on there as they can without making it look gross, but can't you do something? Like inject some gravy in there?
Brunch is definitely a 9.5/10. Vegan Real Talk can't get enough Sprig & Vine!
Sprig & Vine is an all-vegan fine dining restaurant located in New Hope, PA.
Sprig & Vine
Check back soon for a Sprig & Vine dinner review!
-beka
When I was a kid, my family would meet up with another family in the neighborhood after church to get brunch at a fire hall. I would always get scrambled eggs, sausage, and well-buttered toast. I appreciate that Sprig & Vine has included vegan versions of some of my faves. I do wish they combined some of them in a dish, just so I don't have to spend $20 on sides and come home with a bunch of leftovers. Biscuits&Gravy+Tofu Scramble+Sausage+Homefries=Dream Brunch.
I will end on the biscuits and gravy. Sprig & Vine's biscuits are perfect: soft and flaky inside, crisp and lightly browned outside. The gravy is a beautiful, salty, well-rounded sauce with what seems to be a mushroom base. Yes, I am a mushroom-hater for textural reasons, but damn. Mushrooms make a good stock. An order of biscuits and gravy consists of two beautiful biscuits with a seemingly perfect pour of light-brown gravy of magic. The only thing is: Not enough gravy. I know they're trying to put as much on there as they can without making it look gross, but can't you do something? Like inject some gravy in there?
Brunch is definitely a 9.5/10. Vegan Real Talk can't get enough Sprig & Vine!
Sprig & Vine is an all-vegan fine dining restaurant located in New Hope, PA.
Sprig & Vine
Check back soon for a Sprig & Vine dinner review!
-beka
Friday, October 1, 2010
horizons
Horizon's is Philadelphia's best vegan fine dining restaurant. It is a frequently debated topic among the Vegan Real Talk bloggers. And here begins my first official VRT review of Ho-Rizons:
I started off with an amazing corn chowder, which included bits of fresh corn and perfectly diced potatoes, crunchy curried tofu croutons, sambal crema, a pinch of microgreens, and the wonderful scent of lemongrass...I knew it was going to be good. And it was.
That night, none of the entrees appealed to me. Horizons always has several appetizers that sound amazing, but the entrees rarely excite me. The Grilled Seitan is good, but it is also very rich and without much textural contrast. I usually get bored halfway through my meal. There are sure to be a couple tofu dishes on the menu, but they are typically seasonal updates of the same thing. Been there.
So, I went with two appetizers for my main: Jamaican BBQ Seitan and Salt Roasted Golden Beets. The BBQ Seitan was better than ever, served atop a perfect creamy potato salad. The Salt Roasted Golden Beets were a lovely presentation of one of my favorite vegetables, but the ridiculous amount of capers nearly ruined it. I'm guessing there were at least 30 of those pungent little balls in my dish. Too much. I did get to try a bite of the Hearts of Palm "melt" and and it was great. It was reminiscent of a crab cake; definitely something I'd order in the future.
For dessert, I had to try the new chocolate beignets. They did not disappoint. The three beignets were of a generous size, cooked perfectly, filled with good chocolate, and dusted with powdered sugar. I wish there had not been so much chocolate inside, as I was unable to enjoy a bite of beignet sans chocolate. The iced coffee float wasn't so great. Like bland, watered down coffee. Do one thing, and do it right.
Overall, I'd give my meal there an 8 out of 10.
I'll be back soon, as I'm super-excited about the fall dessert menu, especially this:
:o
-beka
I started off with an amazing corn chowder, which included bits of fresh corn and perfectly diced potatoes, crunchy curried tofu croutons, sambal crema, a pinch of microgreens, and the wonderful scent of lemongrass...I knew it was going to be good. And it was.
That night, none of the entrees appealed to me. Horizons always has several appetizers that sound amazing, but the entrees rarely excite me. The Grilled Seitan is good, but it is also very rich and without much textural contrast. I usually get bored halfway through my meal. There are sure to be a couple tofu dishes on the menu, but they are typically seasonal updates of the same thing. Been there.
So, I went with two appetizers for my main: Jamaican BBQ Seitan and Salt Roasted Golden Beets. The BBQ Seitan was better than ever, served atop a perfect creamy potato salad. The Salt Roasted Golden Beets were a lovely presentation of one of my favorite vegetables, but the ridiculous amount of capers nearly ruined it. I'm guessing there were at least 30 of those pungent little balls in my dish. Too much. I did get to try a bite of the Hearts of Palm "melt" and and it was great. It was reminiscent of a crab cake; definitely something I'd order in the future.
For dessert, I had to try the new chocolate beignets. They did not disappoint. The three beignets were of a generous size, cooked perfectly, filled with good chocolate, and dusted with powdered sugar. I wish there had not been so much chocolate inside, as I was unable to enjoy a bite of beignet sans chocolate. The iced coffee float wasn't so great. Like bland, watered down coffee. Do one thing, and do it right.
Overall, I'd give my meal there an 8 out of 10.
I'll be back soon, as I'm super-excited about the fall dessert menu, especially this:
:o
-beka
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