Hey there everyone, happy Hump Day!! You thought I forgot about you didn’t you?….never fear! It’s just been a verrrry long day.
Last night I embarked on another restaurant adventure with a friend and I must say, this place is now my new favorite restaurant. Like EVER.
Yup, I said it. Pure genius.
Now celebrating it’s 3rd year of opening, Vedge is a 100% vegan restaurant run by Philadelphia Chefs Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby. Vedge offers a classically elegant dining experience with a progressive, bold approach to cooking. The menus are globally inspired, using locally sourced ingredients and absolutely no animal products.
Vedge defines upper class for sure. So if you go, use it as an excuse to get dressed up.
All of the servers had matching uniforms and the management staff were in suits and ties. When you first walk in you’ll notice the attention that was put into the décor. Beautiful lighting and wooden accents throughout, with a stunning, yet simple color scheme. The bar area is gorgeous as well, and there are multiple rooms which makes it feel warm and welcoming despite the fanciness. Love it!
As recommended by our extremely cheerful server, I started off the evening with a glass of Gruner Veltliner, a light and crisp white wine. The fruitiness and the subtle sweetness complimented all of my dishes beautifully. Now Vedge is a tapas (or small plate) restaurant, so the idea is to order a bunch of dishes and share them family style. (Or eat everything yourself because that’s okay too). Their menu is divided into 4 categories: For The Table (pick 3 for $9), The Vedge Bar, Hot Plates, and The Dirt List. My friend and I ordered something from all of these sections, because why not go all out right?!
For The Table is something to nibble on while you patiently wait for your other goodies to arrive. We ordered the spicy Black Olives, Zucchini “al pastor” Pickles, and Curry Pickled Cauliflower. I know, that sounds a lot of salt, but it really wasn’t!
The Vedge Bar plates are your “appetizers”, but very small ones! My friend ordered the Charcoal Grilled Beans, which were incredible, and I ordered this….
The Salt Roasted Gold Beets! It looks like a savory ice-cream sandwich, with the beets being the “bread”, but inside that sandwich is avocado, smoked tofu, rye, and capers, with a creamy cucumber dipping sauce. (Behind the long plate are my friend’s beans!)
As if this weren’t enough, our waitress soon brought out our Hot Plates, which are the “main courses” or “entrees”. With 6 items to choose from, my friend and I agreed that we would each order something new that we could take bites of and share. My friend decided on the Fresh Hearts of Palm “Tagine”, with braised tomatoes and green olives, and I decided on the Spicy Grilled Tofu, with gochujang, edamame, oked miso, and yuba cracklin (because I clearly know what all of that means)…
The spicy sauce on top of the tofu was so flavorful and delicious, kind of like an amazing incredible fantastic barbecue sauce! Doesn’t this look like meat to you?! I’m convinced that carnivores would also love this restaurant…the tofu was perfectly grilled and didn’t have that bland “tofu” taste that so many of us are afraid of. I would definitely recommend it!
Also brought out with our main dishes were the items from The Dirt List. These are the smallest plates on the menu, so my friend and I each ordered one to share and split.
These were the Seared Broccoli Rabe, with heirloom tomatoes, black garlic and Thai basil. The stalks were so tender yet had a delicate crunch to them. The garlic and tomatoes were fresh, flavorful, and gave the broccoli a winning finishing touch.
Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a picture of my friend’s Brussel Sprouts, but they were A-mazing!!!!! Seriously I’ve never had vegetables that good in my entire life!! Luckily, I found a picture of them from another food blogger who reviewed the restaurant, so this photo credit goes to her!
(Photo credit: Will Travel For Vegan Food)
The sprouts were grilled and shaved, and that white sauce you see is actually smoked mustard! These were tender and tangy, and the sauce perfectly complimented the consistency and flavor of the sprouts. INCREDIBLE!
As a little compliment from the kitchen, our waitress placed this special dish in front of us…
Spanakopita! This a traditional savory Greek pastry which literally means “spinach pie”. Its thin phyllo dough crust flaked away nicely at each bite of the spinach, scallions, and chopped tofu (as a replacement for the ricotta). Not one of my favorite parts of the meal, but we still managed to eat all of it!
Just a minute, you’d thought I’d walk away without dessert huh? Don’t be silly!😉 It was the BEST PART. I don’t know what happened to my mouth, but a flavor bomb exploded in it…
This is called the Chocolate Uber Chunk, (on the far left) with a pretzel-peanut crust (at the bottom of the glass jar), malt custard, (at the top of the glass jar) and stout ice cream (in the middle). Oh my goodness gracious people, this was TO DIE FOR. The combination of the chocolate, peanut butter, and creamy stout was so satisfying, sweet, and delectable, I couldn’t get enough of it!!
Best restaurant I’ve been to, hands down. The food was extraordinary and you wouldn’t even notice that it is vegetarian and vegan. Each plate is a wonderful surprise exploding with flavor, I recommend going there with a group of friends and and basically ordering everything on the menu. It’s a fantastic price for the quality!
Link Love:
Vedge Restaurant
Contact
Have a fantastic night everyone!!
Eat well! XOXO