....And A Side Of Vrapple

Vegan scrapple, Vrapple. Who asked for this? Better yet, why do I want some? I tried scrapple once as a kid at a friend's house. She was the first person I knew that had a Walkman. I never ate it again, but mostly because it was never around and my family didn't eat it.

I do love soy sausage or tempeh bacon, those rare brunch sides that you can find at Cantina, the Royal, and Mugshots. But the idea of vegan scrapple had never even crossed my mind, until I heard that Basic 4 Vegetarian offered it as a breakfast option. Still, I didn't brave it. Then I read in PW that the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal has been making it. It's being served at Milkboy Coffee for now, but the second it's sold at their stand, I will procure this creation. It's basically seitan with secret ingredients. Is it the same vrapple that is sold at Basic 4? All will be determined by a super-tasting.

Veg Out: Zinc Bistro

My love affair with French cuisine continues.

In an effort to revisit artisan baguette perfection, I looked to Miel Patisserie in Rittenhouse Square. The croissants passed muster, particularly the flaky almond pastry. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping with a sword of bread sticking out my bag, ripping off hunks whenever we got hungry and admiring window shoe displays as we chewed the close-to-Paris-quality baguette.

By dinnertime, we weren't hungry, but wanted the romance to continue. Steak frites, lobster bisque, meat special after meat special. As our server recited that evening's off-limits delights, it seemed like I had been relegated to bread and wine at Zinc Bistro. Further inspection of the menu was promising, however. Salads and cheese plates, potato galette, omelets, and a savory wild mushroom tart (Tart aux Champignons) with a touch of melted Morbier, that was rich and satisfying. The salade maison is the only vegan option. The frites were near-perfect.

How to finish it off? A cup of La Colombe and the tiny shortbread cookies that are delivered with the check.

Zinc, 246 S. 11th St., 215-351-9901, www.zincbarphilly.com

Now We Return To Your Regularly Scheduled Vegan Treats Programming

I've never showed up at Govinda's during a Vegan Treats delivery, but it's like when a celebutante goes on a spree and her packages are carried into the house. White box after white box was brought in, one of them contained Caramel Apple Pecan Cheesecake, of the few desserts that I had yet to try.

Paris Virgin: Paris Madeire

When in Paris, does one dare to dine at a place with Paris in the name?

One does. By this time, I was tired of crepes. I had crepe'd the fuck out. You need to understand that I was so disappointed by the quality of crepes that I found. Nutella crepes with chesnut cream? Intensely sweet enough to get you in a sugar crash. Not enough to sustain an afternoon of wandering. Buckwheat crepes with spinach and an egg yolk in the center? Not all that.

What did I start craving? I wanted a huge fucking salad. Paris Madeire it was, where I feasted on the Salade Madeire, a rather unique salad that had corn, cubes of cheese, and some creamy dressing that I'd never had before, adorned with the largest croutons I'd ever seen. I had a fruit salad for dessert, as it was only lunchtime, and there were plenty of carb-y treats to be had later.



Such as this pistachio mini-eclair, with a creamy green filling.

Galette, The Best A Gal Can Get

At Cafe Du Thé, a rosy-cheeked barista fixed me a café au lait and then convinced me to have a seat. She brought over a warm, almonde galette that practically melted on my tongue because it was so buttery. It was just the right amount of sweet. My drink was perfectly creamy and the cafe was crammed with dashing French boys.

But in Philly, I'll have to settle for these afternoon delights:

City Paper: Top 5 Swanky Coffee Splurges

And perhaps one of these to make the flaxheads jel?

Paris Virgin: Rendezvous Des Artistes

Montmartre/Pigalle is known as being the Fishtown/early Northern Liberties of Paris. That meant I had to stay there. It also meant that area cafes had capitalized on the artsy vibe already. Hence I found myself dining at Au Rendezvous des Artistes.

I ordered the wrong omelet because I forgot to say the word legumes. Fuck. It came with a pitiful salad and some pathetic frites, but an omelet is an omelet. At least the wine was excellent. I followed up with a Mirabelle Tarte, which was made from plums and was just as pretty as it sounds.

As for the atmosphere, it wasn't Young Art School Dropout Night. A few dusty fellas held residence at the bar and some tired looking groups scattered about with greasy food. And do artists really pay 4 euros for Perrier?

Paris Virgin: Le Potager Du Marais

It cost me more in cab fare to go to and from Le Potager Du Marais than it did to eat there, but it was one of the few solid vegetarian restaurants that I had researched before going. Most restaurants had few veggie options-always some kind of salad, omelet, crepes, or quiche. It's almost as though tofu, seitan, TVP, and tempeh don't exist. You can forget about the vegan junk food that you'd find at Gianna's-they really don't care about us that much.

So it was nice to know about Le Potager. I even made a reservation, because it was supposed to be crowded. When I showed up on Saturday evening, there was one couple and a long, empty community-style table with rustic decor. To get to the bathroom, you had to walk outside into a cobblestone alley.

The menu was interesting enough, with a focus on healthy comfort food rather than the chic vegan art-on-a-plate that you get at Horizons. French onion soup, of course. I chose a gratin after seeing the plate another patron was digging into and stumbled with French to convey to my server that I wanted it. Smoooooth.

The gratin was a casserole, layered with TVP, spinach, and pureed pumpkin. It could have used more flavor and wasn't too exciting, but it was satisfying.



Soon enough, I had the resto all to myself. For dessert, I went with a chocolate mousse.

Paris Virgin: My Petit Dejeuner

I had been forewarned that coffee in Paris was no good. I guess if you're an American who ruins espresso with extras or an Italian who has coffee in your DNA, you're not about to be impressed. But I had nothing to worry about. Every café that I knocked back whilst there was strong and smooth, topped off with lovely crema. I would gladly trade in my giant cups of mud for it.

Coffee service there is generally fancy and it is taken after the meal. It is not brew you just sling back while you're rushing to work. In the morning, order it short or long, with real sugar cubes, and add a gleaming baguette or flaky croissant for a typical petit dejeuner. I managed to become a regular at the boulangerie by my hotel, where 1.40 euro would get me this:



And even though I appreciate the granola bullshit that I stick with in the mornings at home, it's amazing how a piece of bread will last with you in Paris. I hardly ever eat bread by itself in Philly because I can never find any that I'm crazy about. But there I was on the balcony in a winding alley in Montmartre with real bread. Buttery with a touch of sweetness, crusty on the outside and soft in the heart. If I could relive that moment each day? I'd stop my adventuring right there.

Veg Out: Chapterhouse Cafe

I'll be away in Paris for the next week, but I couldn't wait and had to grab a Euro Grilled Cheese to complement my schoolgirl excitement.

Chapterhouse is the cleanest coffeeshop that I know of. Yet it's completely laid-back and not at all stuffy like nicer cafes can be. I often end up at dingy places with puddles of newspapers, moldy sofas, and chipped mugs because I prefer the atmosphere, but it's cool to have a more sophisticated option. Chapterhouse is that spot for me. It has that Euro vibe, but the music is less grating and the art is actually decent. There's plenty of space, lots of light, and what I'm getting at...veg eats.

I've always been a fan of the Euro Grilled Cheese, but here's a reminder of why:



The garlic spread is what makes this sandwich, along with the fact that there is no cheddar to be found, for once. It comes with a tangy cucumber salad.



They also have a new vegan wrap on the menu with tofu, hummus, and other wrap-ish necessities, and Alternative Baking Co. vegan cookies (the Snickerdoodle is my favorite and as such, is pretty hard to track down).

Chapterhouse Cafe, 620 S. Ninth St., 215-238-2626

How To Order A Banh Mi At Green Line

"Would you like yesterday's or today's?"

"Uhhhhhh, today's."

"Okay! Personally, I think yesterday's are very dried out."



Green Line Cafe, 4239 Baltimore Ave.
Other Green Line 4305 Locust St.

Spotted: Vegan Truffles

Foodaphilia has a choco pecan truffle recipe for the heavy cream lovers out there, but who has vegan truffles? Just yesterday I spotted vegan cappuccino truffles at Canvas Coffeeshop, where giant vegan chocolate chip cookies are usually a possibility. Every time I go in there and don't buy one, I'm in serious denial of my needs.



Canvas Coffee, 400 E. Girard Ave., 215-425-0524