From A to Vegan

Review: Vgë Café – Bryn Mawr, PA

It’s been a year since Vgë Café opened and we finally got out there to try their delicious sandwiches. Mauro and I decided to check it out on one of our drive-abouts a couple of weeks back. And let me tell you, we really missed out on some good stuff this past year. We took a nice scenic and hilly route out there. It was a gorgeous day and perfect weather for driving around, it made me appreciate the lush, green scenery and how much I love living in this part of the country. We... Read More

The Dreaded Office Holiday Party

Every year I dread our holiday office parties, since I am the only vegan. Our CEO loves to eat steak, so we are forced to always pick a restaurant that serves it. Last year we went to a local hotel and my vegan entrée was pasta with tomatoes on top. There were no appetizers for me to eat because they all had meat or dairy in them. My dessert was excellent—it was five different sorbets. This year’s office holiday party was way better. It was held at the same hotel and I got... Read More

Dinner at Vedge

On December 1, 2012, Chris, Mauro, Lydia, and I went to see War Horse at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music. Nick Stafford adapted the play from Michael Morpurgo’s novel of the same name. War Horse is the story of Joey a horse that is bought at auction and survives the battlefields of World War I to go back to his owner. All of the animals in the play are puppets. Since our favorite restaurant, Vedge is down the street, we went to dinner after the play. Chef/Owners, Rich... Read More

HipCityVeg Autumn/Fall Menu

It is getting cold here in Philadelphia and HipCityVeg has added some specials to their standard menu. They just added quinoa chili, cream of zucchini soup, hot chocolate, ginger carrot lemonade, and cream cheese pumpkin cup cake. The quinoa chili has organic quinoa, pinto and black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and corn tortilla strips. This was my favorite of the new items. I also like the hot chocolate with Dutch processed cocoa, organic soymilk topped with coconut whipped... Read More

Vegan Gatronomy Trip: London, UK

The day I received an email from my husband telling me we were going to London, I immediately got excited for another gastronomy trip. I’m so fortunate to have so many food options where I live (and some great restaurants, too) that I wondered if the United Kingdom would offer those same alternatives. I found a great web site, Vegan London, and started looking for ideas. My goal was to try to find some great restaurants but to also try to stay close to our hotels (we stayed... Read More

Restaurant Review: The Honey Underground – Hereford, PA

In early Celtic literature, the carrot is referred to as “The Honey Underground”. Mauro and I finally had the opportunity to go to one of The Honey Underground’s brunches on Easter Sunday. I had heard so many good things about it but just never got around to going there. It’s about a one-hour drive for us, so we had to make it a date to actually go. We had, however, already tried Wendy Landiak’s (proprietor and chef) Balasia Café dishes at a catered... Read More

Restaurant Review: HipCityVeg

Philadelphia has a chance to become the next great vegan city. We already have Vedge, my favorite restaurant in the country. There is also Black Bird Pizza, Sweet Freedom Bakery, several Asian restaurants, and now HipCityVeg.  Nicole Marquis, the former general manager of Horizons, has opened a fast food joint. Nicole and her head chef, Lauren Hooks, have designed a menu that will satisfy vegans as well as carnivores. The restaurant opened on April 16 and was really busy with... Read More

Southern Vegan Gastronomy Tour—Wilmington, NC

We last visited Jim’s parents in North Carolina about a year and a half ago. It was during the summer and the perfect time to be at the beach. When we decided to go for the holidays this year, the first thing I thought of was to search for great vegan food, since we weren’t vegan last time we visted. Vegan isn’t the first word I would associate with North Carolina, home to the country’s largest pork producer. In fact, there just aren’t a lot of choices upon first glance... Read More

Restaurant Review: Phoenix Garden, Richmond, VA

On our holiday trip to Wilmington, NC from Doylestown, PA we wanted to stop in Richmond, VA since it is the half way point between our start and destination. We found Phoenix Garden that is a totally vegan Vietnamese restaurant owned by Phoenix, the chef, and Vi, a retired mechanic in Richmond, VA. It is easy to reach, right off of Route 95. They have only been open three months and serve delicious homemade Vietnamese food. They offer nine appetizers including spring rolls, corn... Read More

Reastaurant Review: Caravan of Dreams, NY

A dreamy eating experience that takes you on a vegan journey you will savor! When my old friend from high school and I decided to meet for dinner in NYC, she suggested we try Quintessence in Manhattan’s East Village. After checking out the menu online, I realized I wasn’t ready to experience a higher-priced all raw dinner on a chilly night in the city. I browsed the web for new ideas, and was intrigued by Caravan of Dreams (“organic, vegan cuisine”), in the same neighborhood... Read More