Blackbird Pizzeria, Philadelphia

On our second day in Philadelphia, which I already deemed the city of veganly love, we headed to Blackbird Pizzeria. As our friends were telling us about this place, I wasn't really that interested. I mean, I can get great vegan pizza in DC. But, when they made it clear that this was not a pizzeria that served vegan pizza, but, rather, a 100% vegan pizzeria, I was sold.

What I find most interesting is that this pizzeria was founded by a former chef of the now defunct Horizons, Mark Mebus, along with his partner, Ryan Moylan.  HipCityVeg was also founded by a former employee of Horizons. It seems like Rich Landau, owner of Vedge and former owner of Horizons, is mentoring all of these individuals and encouraging them to spread the wealth of vegan restaurants and if that is what is happening, it makes me very happy.

We mosied on into the pizzeria around noon on a Sunday. It was fairly busy.  The menu consisted of specialty pizzas, sandwiches and wraps, salads, and sides. Since it is a pizzeria, I felt obligated to try the pizza. Plus, I'd been thinking about pizza all morning so by noon, I was ready for it. The question was whether we should order an entire pizza or just order by the slice. If ordering by the slice, I only had three options, but if ordering a whole pizza, we could order anything. Ultimately, I decided to order a slice of the Haymaker.

I grabbed a Juniper Berry natural soda and took a seat at a table by the door. They heated up my pizza slice in the oven and brought it out fairly quickly. Oh, this pizza was so good. The crust was quite thin and it was crispy in just the right places while maintaining softness in just the right places. It was topped with Upton's Naturals seitan sausage, thinly sliced red onions, garlic butter, red sauce, fresh oregano, and Daiya cheese. Mmmm.

Zach ordered a seitan cheesesteak that came out about 15 minutes later. It was loaded with grilled onions and peppers along with crimini and white mushrooms and Daiya cheese. The bread and filling were good, but not great and, in fact, we had trouble tasting the housemade seitan. I wasn't 100% convinced any seitan was in the sub. If it was, it was sliced so thin that it resembled the mushrooms, but either way, I really didn't taste it. Had this been the only cheesesteak we'd had in Philly, we might have been okay with it, but after indulging in the cheesesteak at HipCityVeg the day before, this one did not compare.

No matter what though, the fact that there is an all-vegan pizzeria in Philly absolutely rocks. We may not have loved the cheesesteak, but we did love the pizza and we'd gladly go back for more. The slice was only $3.75 and was easily the size of two slices while the sub was only $8. I think this is great place to go for a good, reasonably priced lunch. Oh, and they serve Vegan Treats delicious desserts as well!

Note: my camera broke and I had to use my iPhone to take these pictures, which is why they don't look very good. :(

Blackbird Pizzeria
507 S. 6th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 625-6660

Vedge, Philadelphia

When I first heard that Horizons was closing, I immediately felt a sense of loss. Where would I dine during my travels to Philadelphia?  Soon enough, that question would be answered as the owners (and chefs), Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby, had closed Horizons purposefully with the plan to open a high-end vegan restaurant in a different part of town. But, would the food be as good as Horizons? I must say I lost sleep over this question for quite a long time. So nearly a year after its opening, Zach and I, along with a few local Philly friends, headed up for what would soon be one of the best vegan meals I'd ever had.

Vedge is located downtown near several theaters so it seems they are attracting a bit of a varied clientele -- vegans searching them out as well as people attending the theater who are seeking a different pre-theater experience with upscale, healthy options. As reservations are hard to come by, by the time I called, I could only get reservations for a 5 p.m. slot so we essentially opened the restaurant. From the outside, Vedge looks like a converted townhouse with its red brick facade and a staircase with a black wrought iron railing. Inside, however, it was clear, that it had been completely remodeled.

Upon entering, we were greeted by the host who stands next to a beautiful white granite bar. They led us to our table through one room and into another where I immediately remarked about how nice it was that they had an open prep station. The hardwood floors and elegant tables and chairs along with the impeccably dressed servers created an upscale ambiance that didn't exist in the former Horizons.

We first took a look at the wine menu, which boasted fine wines of all categories -- white, red, rose, and sparkling. Unfortunately, not many are served by the glass so our options were limited. We inquired as to whether the wines were vegan or not and I was surprised to hear the server state that they do not make any claims about the wines. He said it is too difficult to determine which wines are vegan and that that can change over time so they will not say that their wines are vegan. This was surprising to hear at a vegan restaurant, I must say. Regardless, I started with the Bordeaux, Domaine Guitto Fellonneau from Bordeaux, France (2005), which was a nice light red that went well with all dishes. We kind of chuckled when our waiter described the notes as "leather" as I wouldn't expect to hear that in a vegan restaurant. I asked if perhaps he meant "pleather," and he laughed as well.

We all found the menu layout to be very confusing. At first glance, it appears that the appetizers are $5, and the entrees range from $8 to $15 when in fact, the canapes are $5, and the appetizers and smaller plates are half the menu and range from $8 to $10 while the entrees are the second half of the menu ranging from $13 to $15. The dirt list, which is separate shows the vegetable specials for the month and ranges from $6 to $9 a plate. After explaining all of that, the server recommended that we each order 3 to 5 plates -- at least one from the dirt list, one from the small plates, and one from the large plates. Woah. That just sounded like a lot of food.  We decided to be conservative and start with three plates of food each.

Once we placed our orders, they brought out some incredibly fresh soft bread served with olive oil that had a mixture of parsley and garlic in the middle.

My first plate was off the Dirt List and consisted of delicately sliced nebrodini mushrooms cut to resemble thin strips of fazzoletti pasta served in a light wine wine sauce with oven roasted tomatoes and basil. It was like love at first bite.

Zach had the crispy cauliflower, which gets a 10 for presentation. The cauliflower was cooked in a creamy sriracha sauce with lemongrass and peanuts. It had a very nice kick to it. Zach remarked that the cauliflower dish we love so much at Zaytinya was better than this one. I can't disagree with that, but they are completely different dishes.

My friends ordered the yellow zucchini gratin with smoked paprika glaze and pistachios along with the fingerling potatoes. So far, everything was great.

For the second course, I had one of the small plates. I was incredibly impressed by the presentation and even more so by the complexity of the flavors. This dish was molded and served as many layers stacked high consisting of salt roasted golden beets, avocado, smoked tofu, and capers. It was topped with toasted rye, which I used as a base for all of the flavors. There was also a frothy light cucumber sauce that paired well with the dish. If I had to use two words to describe this dish they would be complex and beautiful.

Zach had the wood roasted purple carrots served with a white bean sauerkraut puree. I thought the carrots were roasted perfectly and the puree was a great complement. Zach did not like that the carrots were roasted, then chilled so when they were served they were cold. Other than that, it was delightful.

For our main courses, all four of us ordered the exact same thing! So much for trying everything. We all wanted the seitan dish as meat analogues are scarce on this menu and we were curious to see how this one would taste. Plus, seitan dishes at Horizons were always amazing so we were sure this would be a good choice. And it was! The seitan was grilled to a perfect crisp and placed atop black lentils and topped with grilled leeks and smoked romesco.  This was a perfect marrying of flavors as the warm crispy seitan soaked up the chilled black lentil flavor while the leeks and romesco served to complement the dish. We all loved it.

For dessert, I chose the blueberry fritters because at this point it was clear that the calories no longer mattered. These little fried balls of dough were served with blueberry lemon sorbet atop a mango crudo. It was delightful.

My friend got the cheesecake with Black Mission figs, white port reduction, and pistachios. It was very good. When we inquired as to how it was made, we were told the recipes are kept quite close to the chef. All the server knew was that it was soy-based. Hmmm.  I must mention though that our server, Matt, was incredibly professional and sophisticated. He took great care of our table.

Having to order so many plates made for slightly pricey dinner. There were four of us in our party and we each ordered about two drinks and four plates including dessert. The final bill with tax and gratuity was about $300.  All things considered, that really wasn't that bad. It would cost us that much to have three courses in DC without drinks!  So, all in all, I was extremely impressed with this restaurant -- from the romantic ambiance to the exquisite food and everything in between, I'd rank this restaurant up there with the likes of Millennium and Candle 79. What a great addition to Philly--the city of veganly love.

Vedge
1221 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 320-7500

HipCityVeg, Philadelphia

When I think of Philly, I think of cool, funky shops on South Street and hip, yet down-to-earth people in an industrial city. Thoughts of great vegan food aren't one of the first things to come to mind. But, when I heard about a new vegan cafe that had opened up just a few months ago, I knew it was time to schedule a day trip. Plus, I hadn't visited my friends there in over two years! So, to Philly we go!

My friends who lived in the area had heard of the new HipCityVeg, but had not yet been there so Zach and I met up with them and we headed downtown to Rittenhouse Square. From all that I had read, I expected two things -- limited seating and awesome food. HipCityVeg did not disappoint.

HipCityVeg was opened by Nicole Marquis who was formerly the Manager at the now-closed Horizons, an excellent vegan restaurant. Horizons was closed to make way for the new Vedge venture and from what I hear, the owner is very supportive of Nicole and HipCityVeg. In fact, it has been noted that the owners continue to serve as a mentor to Marquis even though they have no stake in her cafe.

Nicole wanted to offer the city fresh and fast high-quality vegan food. They offer delivery via bicycle, source locally, and serve the meals in compostable packaging. The interior is even made of recycled and energy-efficient materials. How's that for being eco-friendly?! 

When my friends and I arrived, it was only 10:45 a.m., but we were already ready for lunch. I guess you could call that brunch! The menu listed so many appetizing items such as a Jerk Caesar Salad, Ziggy Burger with smoked tempeh, and Bistro Bella with herb glazed portobella.

When I inquired as to which items were good, the woman at the counter remarked that everything was good. Hmmm. Well, that didn't make the choice any easier. After debating between a crispy chick'n, portobella sandwich, and Philly steak, I ultimately felt that I was somewhat obligated to try the steak sub since I was in Philly.

I started off with a green lemonade, which was made of freshly squeezed lemons and organic kale juice, lightly sweetened with raw organic agave nectar. It was like a boosted lemonade.

Zach started with The Groothie, which I realized must be their most popular drink because everyone was buying it. This was a delicious green smoothie made of organic apples, leafy greens, bananas, and seasonal fruit. I'd liken it to a lighter version of a Naked Green Machine.

The food was served in this funky compostable packaging that fit the burgers like a glove and when unwrapped sort of looked like a burger diaper. My sub, however, was just wrapped normally as it was too large to have that sort of wrapping. I must admit I was pretty nervous about this one. The Philly Steak, as they called it, was not a cheesesteak and I was wondering if it would be flavorful enough without the cheese. One bite and my worries immediately dissipated. The steak sub was made of thinly sliced seitan with grilled onions and mushrooms, lettuce and tomato on a fresh, toasted roll topped with ketchup and vegan mayonnaise. Was I in vegan heaven? Words can't describe just how good this steak sub was. After having been disappointed with a vegan cheesesteak here in this same city several years ago, nothing could have prepared me for the richness of seitan coupled with the perfect accompaniments on fresh bread that was to die for. Oh my goodness.

Zach's sandwich was incredibly good as well. He ordered the Crispy HipCity Ranch, which was battered chick'n (I think it was gardein), lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and peppercorn ranch. So fresh and so flavorful.

He also ordered the sweet potato fries that came with a cilantro-black bean dip. Yum! They were crispy, but not overly so with a mayonnaise-based dip with cilantro and black beans -- a great pairing.

Believe it or not, I ate that entire sub. I really just couldn't stop -- it was that good. And afterwards, we had to wonder if the cupcakes, and other sweets were made in-house or imported from one of the local vegan bakeries. When they told us they were made in-house, we had to try one. So, we all, very responsibly, shared a single vanilla cupcake. And it was damn good.

The owner, Nicole, and head chef, Lauren Hooks should be commended for their venture into the wonderful world of casual vegan food.  With sandwiches priced around $8.50 each, the prices are right, the cafe is hip, and the food is outstanding. Although there is limited seating, if you can't score a seat, you can always take your food out and enjoy it in Rittenhouse Square. But, no matter where you eat it, I am fairly certain you will enjoy your meal. I know we did.

There is a statement on the website that really rings true: "Yes, HipcityVeg is about health and compassion for living things and the earth, but the food is about tasting good. It’s as simple as that." They hit the nail on the head with this one.

HipCityVeg
127 S. 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 278-7605