Factory Girl: Live at the North Port Fishington Cookie Factory

I'm sitting in Mike Landers' (North Port Fishington Cookie Factory) kitchen and we're chatting about, what else, vegan eats.

Faux Cheesesteak Junto:

Landers swears by the chicken cheesesteak at Govinda's and isn't impressed by the seitan steak at the Abbaye. That one happens to be my favorite but that's mostly because I order it with cheese. We concur that the GG Special from Gianna's is disgustingly fantastical. "Cheesesteaks should be gross, and I like that you can order a veggie sausage steak or some other weird topping," he says.

"It's not Cilentan mozzarella wrapped in myrtle leaves," adds Travel + Leisure magazine.

On His Blog:

Sugar Shack USA is where it all goes down, where flax makes cookies gooder and Falafel Tour '08 is an upcoming digestive assault on chickpeas. Life at the NPF Factory is a sport. Watch it happen.

Vegan Cookie Action:

Here is what they look like.



Here is how they taste.


After these grand makings, we take a guac break. The strapping vegan lads snap their fingers, wink at an heirloom tomato, and guacamole appears and is soon depleted.

Welcome to the bloghaus, bakers.

Yesterday's Tofu Scramble Is Today's Tofu Scramble Wrap

Tofu Scramble, by now, is a play it by ear type of meal. It works at any time of the day, with virtually any savory characters lurking in your fridge. Add crumbled tofu and turmeric or cumin and you're set, with leftovers.



LOTV: In Pursuit of Tofu Scramble

LOTV Lunch Hour

• Every Tuesday is Vegan Luncheonette day at West Philly's A-Space. From 12-3, $5 gets you 3-4 dishes. Check it out if you're in the area and feel like washing your own dishes afterwards. A-space, 4722 Baltimore Ave
  

• 215 Mag has an interview with top Gianna's delivery envoy, Shane Archer. He's been there as long as I can remember and is a total road warrior. If you can stomach your own weight in fake meat and grease and twisted vegan politics, give it a ring.

• This may sound strange, but I only eat pizza twice a year. I need to get better at it. The Pizza Book is going to do half of the work for me.
  

Veg Out: Jose's Tacos

Part of me was ready and willing for a Nacho Cheese Burrito at Jose’s to be filled with artificial orange mud from a can, the type of cheese sauce that typically accompanies nachos. The rest of me was relieved to discover that this arrangement came with regular cheddar on the inside, topped with a white “nacho” glaze that I watched them melt in a pot on the stove in front of me. There’s nothing like a homemade heart attack.

Considering my saintly breakfast of a Lara Bar (three ingredients: peanuts, dates, salt), I was ready to gnaw on a Septa token for some minerals. Token calories. I was ready to fuck with some shit. I wanted Mexican inside of me.

Jose’s is in Nowhere, Philadelphia, but every burrito aficionado knows about it. It may be the only place I can think of for veg tamales. It’s tiny, but it’s clean. Their vegetable burrito is pumped with guac and sour cream already, so you don’t have to super it. For $2 extra, I made it Nacho. $8.50 -white-magic.

The burrito is so rotund, like a snow-capped boulder in the middle of Lake Nacho. Made purely for cheese freaks, the thick, velvety sauce can be a little overwhelming. I’d call it a lot delicious. I’d call it a lot. But I probably won’t. Jose’s doesn’t deliver to my hood. The Nacho Burrito? Absolutely delivers.

Jose’s Tacos, 469 N 10th St

The Greensgrow Rustle

Business is brisk every weekend at Greensgrow Farm, and yet Mary Seton Corboy and her crew still find time to bake pecan pies and make their own herb-studded pesto and creamy eggplant dip. Also new on the Cumberland Street premises, you'll find Greensgrow tote bags for $5, all the more reason to pile up on peaches and heirloom tomatoes. It went from being an occasional resource for some fresh produce to a bustling neighborhood fixture that put Corboy in Philly Mag for Best Philadelphian of 2008.

The Greensgrow of today is a one-stop market for the cream of Philly's crop: Metropolitan Bakery granola, Pequea Valley yogurt, staples like eggs, cheese, raw milk, and baguettes. Neighborhood bakers North Port Fishington Cookie Factory and Baked supply the treats - cookies, lemon bars, scones. The eggplant spread was smoky and delicious. They also carried tzatziki and two types of pesto. The nectarines were plump and insanely cheap. I'm always reminding people that they don't have to shop at Thriftway a few blocks away.

I'm predicting that the Greensgrow sacks are gonna show up all over Philadelphia.

Along with the Arctic Splash logo shirts from Memphis Taproom.

Speaking of the Tap, I finally tried the BBQ seitan way earlier in the day than I should have. The seitan is rubbery and sliced into strips that I found awkward to work through. I've chowed on some emphatically ugly eats in the past, but this one didn't look appetizing at all. It should have been shredded to mimic BBQ pork. Even chunks would have been acceptable. Flavor-wise, I could have used a good shot of barbecue sauce or two.

We went ahead with dessert, a sliver of vegan chocolate cake floating on a river of thin creme anglaise. The cake is baked out of house. For me, chocolate cake needs a solid inch of fudgy frosting to make it. If not, it's the worst dessert standby ever conceived: the molten lava knock-off. And if it's not either of the two, it simply doesn't work. This was an example of vegan baking that is merely passable, nothing to rave about. There needed to be something besides the cake part (I vaguely detected some kind of nutty paste layer?) and the weird, milky goo it sat in.

That's in the past, though. I do dig what comes out of Memphis' kitchen on most days, enough to keep going back now that I've figured out what I like there. Greensgrow is just up the street, a perfect post-brunch-cap.

A Long Walk on Chestnut Street

Let's start at Blue in Green (buckwheat pancakes, Mediterranean salad, spiritual guidance)

Baer Market

When Mike kicks you out, mile on over to Distrito (jicama salad, los hongos huaraches)

Distrito: Classy Street Food

Veg Out: Ekta

Not every delivery house hooks you up with a free "chef's accompaniment of the day." That Ekta takes this extra step to please me? Swell, given the Indian take-out deficiency in our city. My saag paneer was bang on, and as tempted as I was to veer away from my standard fave, I did not have a menu in front of me. Nor did my dapper-suited delivery guy include one, although he was bearing a tie and a professional air. I'm still confused as to why this gent was not at a business meeting making profound decisions and instead, on a doorstep with a brown shopping bag packed with leaking chicken tikka for my broheem, my saag p, a near bucket of rice, and some aloo naan.

The next surprise was the chef's container of kheer (rice pudding). Very thoughtful.

It's nice to have accessible saag paneer. Even sweeter if the spice is right and the cheese cubes retain their firm texture and YES, the spinach has heft and is not a thinned-out mess. Ekta gets the classics even if they don't have to (their competition, Tiffin, is not a threat unless we all start to schedule our Indian fare like true fanatics). I keep going back to the naan, however, stuffed with potato and smeared with mango chutney, altogether righteous.

I almost forget about the pudding. Bro has been preparing his own ice creams and just today he let me sample his batch of cookie dough. He uses real cookie dough and I'm consistently impressed with his turn-outs. I did leave room for the rice pudding, which was a little on the soupy side, not as thick or heavy as the Western version, and much sweeter. It was a refreshing dessert.

An answer I'd like to secure for the vegans out there is whether Ekta uses ghee or not.

I can tell you that I'm up for round 2 with this place.

Ekta, 250 East Girard Ave, 215-426-2277

In The Kitchen W/ Kelly: Broken Oven Edition

The air machina has been good to me this morning. So much so that it felt appropriate to bake something. With the few berries remaining in my fridge, this strawberry muffin recipe came together in seconds. As I was inspecting the domes to see if they were ready, the handle on my stove broke off on one side. It wouldn't shut completely. Precious. Instead of screwing it back on, I hooked my leg behind the trash can and slid it over to prop up against the oven bar, allowing it to close. Handy. Leggy. Limbsical.

Strawberry Muffins W/ Broken Oven Topping

Look at my craggy little buddy up there. I made my batch vegan by using soy milk, Earth Balance, and a banana to sub for the egg, works every time. Mine turned out extra dome-y because I fill the tin all of the way instead of 2/3. They tasted like buttermilk and were not insanely sweet, with sufficient nook-and-cranniness. Next time I will layer berries on top, but I only had a few to work with so I ended up chopping them for the batter.

Veg Out: Sketch Burger

I wanted to doodle a drawing of my experience at Sketch for you. Something like this...



But even that would be arcing beyond my skill set.

The joint is open for dinner from 5-11pm, but how I wish it kept lunch hours as well. The brightly-hued walls are set with chalkboards and a long row of counter seating. Three wooden booths are equipped with giant rolls of paper and chalk. If you aren't prepared to lighten up and play along, just wait until your shake (milk or soy) shows up. After a few sips, you'll get it. Sketch is inviting. It's not some clinical, ultra-mod BYOB with one painting on the wall.

The raspberry soy shake set me up right (real raspberries instead of syrup, way to slip a fruit serving to Fishtowners) and even I felt compelled to scribble something. My vegan burger with homemade harissa aioli showed up ten minutes later - a jumbo patty piled with soy cheddar, fresh greens, and a thick cut of tomato on a hefty bun. It was generous enough to feed two, which is why they give you the option of ordering it bunless. I plowed through napkins eating this. It was a good thing that I hadn't eaten lunch. The veggie burger is hearty and flavorful, especially with the tangy aioli, but then Phyllis brought me a sample of her seitan.

I hadn't realized that there was a seitan burger on the menu, or I would have swung that way. While I found that my veggie burg was very life-affirming, each bite a further conviction, I favored the juicy hunk of seitan. It had such a meaty consistency and was done perfectly. I spent around $12 and change, but portions are huge enough that I won't be hungry for another three days. At which point I'll go back for more seitan.

Sketch, 413 E. Girard Ave.

The Javanese Breeze: If Only It Were A Poorly Named Cocktail

Or a term that I coined in the heat of the moment and lacked the good sense to re-think. The terang bulan eclipses all faculties of reason. I mean, look at it, it's like a really cheap pancake stuffed with chocolate and nuts. Easy.

The Spice Island: Indonesia Row

Burrito Diaries: The Southern Burrito

Maybe you're not a burrito purist.

Ain't no shame. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. Ain't no shame.

I think of Mexicali & Mexiphilly's sweet potato burrito as "The Southern Burrito". It starts out as the Burrito of the South with its nod to a southern crop staple, but I up its comfort food appeal by ordering mine with wilted spinach. The result is a nutritious orange and green powerhouse. A $4 one at that. Add sour cream and it slightly resembles an Irish flag. Perhaps the Irish Burrito is a more fitting name.

The 37th & Spruce Mexiphilly truck is a standout for burrito artistry in that they grill all of their wraps, which brings about an overstuffed yet slightly flat, quesadilla-like creation. Another sign that it's not your ordinary Mexican truck is its non-generic fare, ranging from the eggplant burrito with capers to the fried plantain burrito. No to forget the marinated tofu burrito. If you're in West Philly, do not mess around. This is burrito perspective.

Bastille Day Recipes

I've combed the archives for some french veg recipes. In case you're not going to Le Bec-Fin, Parc, or Zinc tomorrow.

Tarte Tatin Crepes
Home Creperie
French Scramble
Monte Cristo

Foodie Christmas In July

Name a cuisine and repeat after Michelle Tanner: you got it, dude.

New restaurants are dropping out of the sky in Philadelphia. How we will afford to feed at all of them is something the Great Restaurant Stork does not explain.

So why not Sketch, a Fishtown burger shack that encourages you to draw while you wait for your food? You order, they give you paper. And so it begins.

On a recent Girard Avenue stroll (my preferred route for visiting the Bloods) I noticed an eye-catching neon pink-and-yellow checkered storefront near DiPinto Guitars. I mean, how could I not? It's one of those cursed buildings that kills businesses. Someone should really sketch a map of Philly's unlucky spaces (2nd & South, 5th & Bainbridge, 1420 Locust, etc).

Sketch is supposedly under the thumb of Phyllis from Canvas Coffee across the street and will open on Monday, July 14 at 5pm. Canvas is excellent for vegans and coffee-sippers, as there is not much competition in the area. I've taken many a cup there. So I'm excited to see what this place will be like. Why should you go? Burgers are all hand-made, never frozen, and served on toasted rolls with your choice of sauce. That includes a veggie burger with soy cheese. Will it be Harissa aoili, chipotle wasabi, or thai chili peanut? Maybe this will be the one thing that you and the person who ordered the Kobe Burger can agree on.


An artful burger needs a shake. I can't draw, especially when I'm hungry, but give me paper and I'll go buck wild on it with beat poetry. The raspberry vegan shake sounds absolutely necessary for this kind of self-actualization.

I've been yammering on about opening a business on Girard for some time (filling whatever gaping holes in service that Fishtown suffers) but one thing has been taken care of. Casual Indian delivery (Tiffin requires too much planning ahead). This is Tiffin's former chef's new go. It also opens on the 14th, and will be veg-friendly. Lazor's got it covered with a dinner plate dome to keep it hot for you.

Sketch, 413 E Girard Ave.
Ekta, 250 E Girard Ave.

So this all leads me to question, what don't we have, food-wise? Here's a brainstorming list that I swiped from the desk of a restaurateur that I briefly entertained romantic notions with. Speak up in the comments if your gastro-needs are wanting.

pie shop (please do this so I don't have to)
tamales
a meadery
dinner train
Kenyan BYOB
cupcake shop (strictly cupcakes)
Polish dairy bar
a bouchon (specializing in Lyonnaise cuisine)
waffle house (Bonte doesn't count, I'm talking Americanized waffles served diner-style)

Living For The Weekend: Wings & Flings

• The Fairmount French Fling Bar Crawl - should I dress like a peasant or an aristocrat? Fairmount's Bastille Day celebration starts tonight at the Belgian Cafe. Their vegan wings are strict business.

• According to Daily Candy's Weekend Guide, I'm supposed to "try not to be a snarky little bitch." Wise words.

• Cantina Dos Segundos opens tomorrow, teasing with this:
  

  ★Torta Alambre Vegetariano - grilled seitan, vegetarian bacon, red and poblano peppers, lettuce, tomato, onion, queso fresco

• Yard Sale at Memphis Taproom on Saturday (do some homework on their bbq seitan) and Independent Craft Fair at 941 Theatre with Miss Rachel's Traveling Fare.
  

In The Kitchen W/ Kelly: Oatmeal Pancakes

Back in SF, I had a truly lascivious breakfast of oatmeal pancakes cooked up by a sweet Mexican lady at the Red Cafe. When I stepped outside after the fibrous meal, she was crossing the street to deliver some food to an office and asked me what I thought. Chatting with her on the corner right there, I would have given up my soul for her recipe and about 1/8 of her strength.

I turned instead, as I do, to the internet. Over the weekend, I tried out this recipe for vegan oatmeal pancakes. It was a cross between a bowl of oatmeal and soft oatmeal cookies, not quite up to par with my adopted mother's in SF. The texture was different, her's were fluffier and mine were chewier because I used rolled oats and whole wheat flour. They were still hearty and tasty, enough to put me in a fine fettle. Climb those Google mountains.

Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes

Veg Out & Pick Up Earth-Friendly Toilet Paper At The Same Time: Essene

Now that I've got you devouring seitan cheesesteaks regularly, you may consider upgrading to the cheesesteak wrap at Essene. This one backs those other fakes in the corner. Would you check that soy-cheese-smothered seitan oozing from the onion and pepper stuffed tortilla? The barbarous, glorious concoction looks a mess, but is effortless to handle without drippage or wolfish bites. I haven't met a sandwich I haven't liked at Essene, but this one remains unmatched. Just imagine if they sold beer.

Essene, 719 S. 4th St

Summer Love: Carnivore Ken, Sam's Doughboys, Herbmaster Pitsillides

• I don't seek solace in kitten pics on uninspired days. Instead, I web-stumble across pleasures such as this: Veggie Barbie & Carnivore Ken
• I've yet to sample Miss Rachel's Traveling Fare, but her Shore Packs for beach jaunts (vegan BLTs on wheat bagels, spicy Vietnamese hoagies) sound better than what my grandma used to horde (soggy lunchmeat sandwiches, peanut butter crackers). Then the g-pops would slip us some cash so that we could sneak off for Sam's Pizza on the boardwalk. Sam's doughboys were every 14-year-old's dream.
  
• Stone cold iced coffee and vegan chicken salad dreams. Grindstone now has veggie brats and "no ham and cheese" sandwiches, in case you are incapable of making meat-free delights for yourself. Because your knife isn't sharp enough?
  
• Adam Erace inspects Kanella and the wonders of yogurt that Chef Pitsillides cultures in-house.
  

Who Taught You To Live Like That?

This was our first adults-only 4th of July. The teenaged brothers were off in Virginia visiting my older sister, so it hit us: family BBQs sans tiny savages are devoid of pure joy. We could have seized the opportunity and had a liquored-out bash with fancy food that children hate and rum-soaked grilled poundcake. Instead we sat around unamused. I absorbed the usual accusations that I hate babies and puppies. My mom put Lipton Onion Soup Mix in everything. The lone exception was my grilled portabella on focaccia with soy mozzarella (BYOBBQ).

I handed my grandpa a plate of cherry pie and couldn't let go until his hands stopped shaking. The mood was solemn.

Then I discovered something uplifting in the holiday marathon wasteland of cable television. MVP, a Canadian soap opera about hockey players, the women in their bone zone, and virgin preschool teachers that they fall in love with. I was immediately hooked. Factor in the Canadian quirk component, unknown actors with chiseled torsos brawling in the locker room, hockey politics, and women that fight more than the players. I ask for nothing further in a guilty pleasure. The first season is here, and there are rumors that SOAPnet has picked it up for Season 2. The New Yorker even gave it their blessing in review.



After that, some substance. Making beer bread (3 ingredients, vegan) is even simpler than fetching bread at the market. Beer is liquid bread. Consult the vegan booze list and get to it.

LOTV: BFBL, BYOB, & PPLL

• It happened. Buy Fresh Buy Local Week just got its savvy abbreviation. Canvas bags at the ready for the July 12th kick-off. The schedule is on the site, but I'm most intrigued by the Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk, Philadelphia Brewing Company's veggie chili & beer party, and Fermentation on the Farm.
• I check out the Veg Plate at Nicholas BYOB, which is edible and medicinal.
  
• Then feast on the pan dulce at Panaderia Y Pasteleria Las Lomas, extremely local, it's like 60 steps away from my laptop and treats are baked in-house.
  

Veg Out: Zahav & Kanella

One of my most memorable dining experiences in the past month has been at Zahav, it's one I keep going back to. Society Hill's latest small plates baby has certainly made enough noise. Even blogging about it sets off the radar of local food sluts. All of this would mean nothing if they had screwed up the hummus. Zahav has made quite an impression on my palate.

Burrito Diaries

It's no mission to find burritos in South Philly, with the number of cheap, filling taqueria offerings that will always trump the trussed-up $12 burritos at higher-end Mexican kitchens. Placing a burrito on a fine plate belabors the point. However, putting American cheese slices on burritos is downright tragic. Whatever accolades Taqueria Veracruzana receives for outstanding burrito-craftsmanship are stripped away with every flaccid, unmelted Kraft single.

No mas, Veracruzana, no mas.

The vegetariano burrito is a carrier for rice and confettied iceberg lettuce, with a lone tomato and a ration of refried beans. It's filling, due to the hefty white tortilla, but ultimately, it has no flava, no soul.

Although, considering all of the other parts they specialize in, they might have soul.

Plaza Garibaldi is not much better, as they traffic in the KFC Bowl of Veggie Burritos, with a mash of vegetables that have no place inside of a tortilla, and their guacamole is a fright. I hear the rest of their food is excellent, and I absolutely love the diners that frequent it, men with real working hands who don't type all day. And at least they have real cheese.