SCRANTON

last week, shawn, beka, and i ventured up to scranton to visit the train museum AND eat at a vegan restaurant AND there was snow!!!!
the train museum was neat. i got to see lots of old trains, watched a movie, and learned how a steam engine works (it's amazing!!!). and make shawn and beka put on gross probably lice infested hats.

we ate eden, the all vegan cafe. it has an extensive menu of sandwiches and wraps. i was overwhelmed by the choices by then one of their specials was a reuben! reuben's are one of my favorite sandwiches, partially because i cannot get one in philadelphia. it is $9 and with your sandwich you get a side and a pickle. i choose the vegetables.

i appreciated that the sandwich was grilled (i have had a couple of sandwiches recently that have not been grilled). it had daiya inside mixed with some thousand island and some thinly sliced deli slices. i would have appreciated some pickles inside, but i never think there are enough pickles. overall, i thought it was a pretty good sandwich. the vegetable side left something to be desired - obviously a bag a frozen mixed veggies heated up. at $9 i def think the sandwich was overpriced, but i was happy to have vegan options in a small city (big town really).

when i go back to scranton to visit the trolley museum, i will happily be visiting eden again.

amy

soy&sake, dun-well, champs

Visiting NYC is one of my favorite things to do, and I now realize I need to to this way more often while I still live so close. There is so much to do. So many people to see, so many museums to peruse, and, most importantly, so much food to eat!

Amy, Sarah, Ryan and I started off our Saturday at Champ's for brunch. We got there just after opening (10am), and it was empty. Things open late in NYC. It is weird for us baby-city residents. We sat in a beautiful glitter booth and were immediately served coffee. They had everything I could have possibly wanted, which made my decision extra-hard. I decided on the All-Vegan Slam: Scramble, Toast, Soy sausage, Tempeh bacon, Homefries, and Salad. I also ordered a single pancake. Thank goodness for this option! I love sweet breakfast foods, but I only ever want one quarter of what an actual serving typically is. The food was good. Not great, but good. The scramble could have used more seasoning, the pancake could have been fluffier, the tempeh bacon was ridiculously good, pretty sure the sausage was gimmelean (no problem with that!), and the salad was enormous and perfectly-dressed with a bit of balsamic vinaigrette. Next time, I look forward to trying the tofu benedict and the french toast. Champs wins in my book because the food was reasonably priced, they're into veggies with breakfast, the menu is everything my hopes and dreams are made of, and they are experts at coffee refills.

Next, we went to Dun-Well Doughnuts, a brand-new all-vegan doughnut and coffee shop. What. The. Hell. NYC, I hate you. This place knows how to make a doughnut. Their doughnuts are big, soft, fluffy, and available in some interesting flavors. I chose The Elvis, which is peanut butter and banana-flavored. The peanut flavor was subtle and the banana almost non-existent, but I'm not complaining. I would have been happy with any glaze these people threw on such a fine specimen of a doughnut. I also got a Chocolate&Pretzel topped one for later, and that was lovely as well but I do wish I had thought about how the pretzels would get soggy... Oh, and I can't fail to mention the interior. It feels both old-timey and simple. Perfection, really. Dun-Well!

And finally, I got to check out Soy & Sake. I'm not sure what the deal is, but I think they might be owned by the same people who own Red Bamboo? They have a lot of identical menu items, as well as a full vegan sushi menu. I love sushi and I love Red Bamboo, so this was hard. Very hard. Would I get my usual very-adult meal of crispy chicken, ham&collard rolls, and a milkshake? Or the bento box like I probably should have? Friends had warned me of some potentially-weird sushi, so I found myself paralyzed with fear at the sight of such an extensive menu of faux fish rolls. Thankfully, Amy has been there a bunch and she recommended  the best sushi ever: VEGETABLE TEMPURA ROLL. This was sushi perfection, and my life will never be the same. I also enjoyed my peanut-avocado roll, but the amount of peanuts in there was a bit much. Honestly, I would have been just as happy with a good 'ol avocado roll. I also got wonton soup, which was alright. Oh, and crispy chicken nuggets of course!

Until next time, you big crazy city..
beka

NYC!!!!

damn. new york. you rule my mouth.

i finally got to go to champs for brunch. i guess there is some weird shit with their owner fucking some people over, so i avoided going the last couple times i have been to NYC. so i don't know, maybe champs shouldn't be patronized, but their food was good and i was happy to have a chance to try it.

the inside is super cute and very traditionally diner-y, with glitter booths and a counter to sit at. and awesome death before decaf signs. ordering was difficult as there were a ton of delicious vegan breakfast foods, but i decided on the monte cristo. while any monte cristo will never beat the sandwiches i made with sarah, beka, and jess - http://www.namelymarly.com/2011/03/americas-top-10-new-sandwiches-veganized-the-maple/ - this one was pretty goood. it came with a side of potatoes and salad. i appreciated the portions too - enough to fill you up, but not to make you fall into a food coma.

the inside of the sandwich was filled with a ton of cheddar daiya and some vegan ham log. the thing i like the most about the monte cristo is the mixture of savory and sweet, but this sandwich was mostly savory.  i ordered a side of maple syrup and poured it all over my sandwich and that made it awesome.


after this, we went over to dun-well doughnuts, which is my dream food spot. the inside is super cute and old-timey looking with 40's music playing. they had a ton of doughnut options (glazed! cinnamon sugar! blueberry! peanut butter jelly! and so many more!!) and i got a little wild. i ordered a bunch to go and ate an almond-coco-joy doughnut to eat there.

the doughnuts are amazing. everything a real doughnut should be, soft, flaky, doughy, light, airy. holy crap. i would eat here every day if i could. and they currently french press all their coffee and they are also all vegan (no dumb dairy milk for peoples coffee!)
amy

VEDGE

this blog was partially started due to my hatred of horizons. so when i found out that horizons was closing and they were opening up a new spot i was hesitant but intrigued. would it be even more expensive? would they start calling menu items by the right name? would it be good?
....meh.

a few days ago, a whole crew of us went to vedge for happy hour. vedge's fancy non-alcoholic drink selection was non-existent, but the waiter suggested i order a virgin mojito and it was quite delicious. they had some nice looking alcoholic drinks, i wish they would have some nice non-alcoholic ones. the happy hour menu consists of some of their smaller plates (at $5 each) and some special happy hour dishes (at $4 each). shawn and i split 5 of the happy hour dishes, which did leave us feeling slightly full. the highlight was the seitan wrap (i refuse to call it a seitan taco, because it is def not a taco). the seitan was delicious and full of flavor and totally worth the price. it was so good we ordered it twice. they also had a mushroom crostini (mushrooms? meh..), a banh mi crostini (i'd rather pay $4 and buy a real banh mi), and potato wedges (delicious, but $4 for potatoes? no thanks). all this food left me feeling a little full, but super excited about dessert. i wound up getting sticky toffee pudding, which RULED. it was a little expensive ($8), but delicious! i have never had non-vegan sticky toffee pudding, but it was a lovely piece of cakey bread smothered in a delicious sugary sticky yummy sauce.

the best thing for me about vedge was the interior. i hate to say anything too great, because i still kinda hate vedge for the same reasons i hated horizons, but god damn. sitting in the lounge, where we had happy hour, was beautiful. dark wood paneled walls, a fireplace filled with candles, great windows. someone mentioned that it reminded them of a harry potter room and they were totally right. it feels so much better to pay a lot of money for food when you are sitting in a beautiful fancy room (esp compared to the horizon's yuppie hippie design).

overall, i would totally go back for happy hour after eating a big lunch to sip coffee and eat sticky toffee pudding in the lounge. maybe i would get some seitan wraps too. but thats it. i don't think i will be going for dinner anytime soon - even more expensive then horizons and you get less food? no thanks.
amy

philly update

vedge-
i wasnt really planning on eating here because of my dislikes with horizons. $14 for a block of tofu...what year is this? however, i was willing to give the happy hour specials a chance. i though the seitan wraps(they are not tacos like they're called on the menu) were excellent and worth getting. everything else on that $4 menu was good, but the seitan was the standout. i also got the choco-taco for desert and it was good, but could be knocked down a few dollars...

at least the interior looks worthy of the high prices this time around. EXCEPT for the bathroom. it looks like a restroom you'd find at the ymca pool and the soap was some boring method brand bottle that still had a security censor on it. i expect nice soap when dining at fancy vegan eateries. much like grindcore house. they know whats up when it comes to restroom soaps.


el camino real-
i was exciting about the cactus and sweet potato tacos and the wings. both are not vegan. the only vegan option really was a boring burrito that they charge $4 extra for seitan. it came with 3 pieces of seitan. lame. dont bother going.


south philly taproom-
went here for brunch one day and order the tofu scramble. a classic stand-by. sptr's scramble is basically soft cold tofu with some other stuff thrown in.


blackbird-
i tried the new chickpea parm sandwich and it was good. i still think the cubano and bbq are the best though. i've tried some different than my usual slices too. all are great, but could use a little less dayia or another cheese alternative.


-shawn

road dawgz

i had the chance to travel a bit and eat at lots of places last year. i'll try to remember all them and write little reviews. here goes.

the owlery(bloomington, in)
i had the fried chicken dinner and it was amazing. 10 bucks for a solid meal. the tofu was super breaded and the mashed potatoes and gravy was right on. punx know how to make good food. fancy restaurants, take notes.

pepples donut farm(oakland, ca)
i got 12 and ate them all in one day. really good flavors and so much better than anything on the east coast(although i havent been to the newly opened dun well donuts).

chicago diner
the first time i went here i had monte cristo and was disappointed, but the pb cookie dough milkshake was the best thing i've ever had. the second time around i got the country fried steak breakfast and sampled many shakes. all were top notch. i cant wait to eat here again this summer.
*i was there last for a moz show and the diner was playing nothing but the smiths.

quesadilla la reyna del sur(chicago, il)
all vegan real mexican food. something i've been dreaming about for years now. i got two tacos, but plan on returning to get other dishes. there is so much to choose from, multiple visits is a must. very cheaply priced too.

pick me up cafe(chicago, il)
i got the french toast here and it was the best french toast i've ever had. very airy and great tasting. 5 thick slices for 7 bucks.

the double r diner(twin peaks)
the coffee was damn fine and i dont even drink the stuff. other than that... just stop in the look around.

-shawn

VEDGE: VEGAN FINE DINING

I did not have high hopes for this place. The name bothers me, the menu isn't what my dreams are made of, and the prices are a bit much for a regular visit. But, I have been pleasantly surprised each and every time I've been. It isn't cheap, but it is damn good and totally worth it.

Listen to me. Get these things:

Golden Beets. Perfection, just like at Horizons. Avocado, tofu, and beets. All the best things.
Braciole. A beautiful, delicate eggplant dish.
Seitan. The little black lentils it is served atop are surprisingly good.
Steak Spice Tofu. Savory flavor perfection.
Sticky Toffee Pudding. Warm, buttery, gooey, with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream.

I like that Vedge has a bunch of different dining areas. I feel like I'm at a new restaurant every time I visit! My first dining experience was in the rear dining room. My charming dining partner and I were seated within rather close proximity to several other tables. It was at times hard to tune out nearby conversations, and for that reason the rear dining room is so far my least favorite.

The long, beautiful marble bar is a surprisingly great place to dine. The bartenders are pleasant and just attentive enough. It also happens to be a great place to meet married men. If I ever get married, there is no way in hell my husband is going to Vedge without me. Just thought I'd put that on the record.

There's also the Harry Potter (ok not really, but you'll see) lounge where you can enjoy a special menu of small bites, along with the happy hour menu of cheap small dishes. I love the lounge because there are comfy couches and you can easily fill up on four or five small bites at an average of $4 each. Not bad.

One of my few problems is that Vedge somehow failed take into consideration those who chose to abstain from alcohol. Thankfully our waiter made some decent off-menu virgin mojitos happen, but seriously dudes? I was hoping for more. Horizons used to have that killer virgin mojito on the menu, and similar restaurants (Candle 79!) often have fun drinks for the (adults and) kids.

I am looking forward to seeing how this place evolves. I'm really excited about the daily dirt list concept and how the dinner menu and dessert menu have been changing as well. Introducing new, irresistible delights is definitely the best way to entice me to come back!

xox,
beka