Currently viewing the tag: "daiya"
Hadn’t been to Rockville Centre’s Three Brothers in awhile. It was time for a visit.
Their mozzarella sticks are the star of the show. I am happy they are a bit narrower in girth than the earlier recipe. I think most know how I feel about too much Daiya. A well-seasoned firm breading juxtaposed with oozy cheese: yum.
Cross-section. These would go on my Vegan Top 100.
Seitan cutlet hero. The seitan–housemade. The cheese–Teese.
My friend’s choice was a seitan bacon cheeseburger.
We got free cinnamon sugar knobs.
In other news, the winter clothes went away and the bathing suits came out! I don’t care if we’re barely over 50 degrees. I can’t take it anymore!
Orange chocolate Twinkies. Why orange? I ran out of vanilla.
What better excursion can one take on a day honoring our Founding Fathers than one to the city where our independence was organized and our government drafted? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was time to head south on this blustery winter day to take in the blue sky and check some vegan eats off my growing list.
A sucker for themed posts, the vegan Philly Cheesesteak tour was born! With Genny G. as captain, we explored the best vegan cheesesteak options in a wham-bam afternoon.
A few notes: it was my intention to report on cheesesteaks only. There are a slew of eateries in Philly that offer a vegetarian version of their famous sandwich that has no cheese. These places were not our focus. I also hoped to keep vegan cheeses house-made. With several eateries filling the bill, our itinerary was set! We began at an eatery who’s tenure on my “to visit” list overruled the house-made cheese option: Blackbird Pizzeria.
Blackbird Pizzeria was an amazing place to start.
With scrumptious thin slices of Upton Natural‘s good stuff; greasy grilled onion, green peppers and mushrooms; and Daiya globs, Blackbird’s Seitan Cheesesteak looks, tastes and feels like an authentic Philly Cheesesteak. It was a dream fulilled.
With a couple of hours of driving under our belt, our appetites were ravenous. We bit too soon and burnt the roofs of our mouths. A textural reminder of the sammy that stayed with the both of us for the entire day. No big deal, however. The piping hot cheesesteak was worth the drive… and the burn.
Blackbird is all-vegan. What more do you want? Another vegan Philadelphia cheesesteak? Okay.
Pub on Passyunk East is a friendly corner pub with a super-friendly staff. We stopped in for their Seitan Cheesesteak with house-made vegan cheese.
The beer-based yeasty cheese sauce was packed with flavor. And their seitan pieces tender. A great effort in veganization! P.O.P.E. gets bar food right and the v-bombs on their omni menu is so very appreciated. They also have seitan wings, too!
The cheese was more like a thick gravy. It’s a salty, heavy dish. Nothing a beer can’t fix!
Vegan Tree has a lot of different things on its menu. From dumplings / bubble tea / sushi to burgers / pasta / fried broccoli! Had I not known I was there only for a vegan cheesesteak, I would have been a lot more confused!
Clearly they are also all-vegan!
Vegan Tree makes their own cheese. Yay! But the cheesesteak is that frozen texturized science meat stuff. The bun was real soft, merging with the sandwich’s innards. It was a good, quick bite–and having split the small sandwich we had room for another.
This sandwich is a Philly staple. I was glad to try Vegan Tree’s version, even though I would prefer another half of that Blackbird one!
What a cute space.
We didn’t hit Govinda’s Vegetarian this time around since I had already reported on them some time ago. They also offer a vegan cheesesteak in their to-go counter spot on South street. The feel of the ordering process seems most like the authentic experiences (as in a bit chaotic, involving a line and clear view of the grill), but the chunks of seitan need a bit of fine-tuning.
I was very much looking forward to trying Home Slice‘s cheesesteak out, especially since they made their own almond-based cheese. But unfortunately I overlooked the big, capital-lettered “CLOSED” on their Yelp review. Wah! There may have been other cheesesteaks with house-made vegan cheeses to report on, but they were not easily found. Burning daylight, we decided we had enough cheesesteak for the day. Even though I had some area Philly no-cheese-steaks on my list for back up: The Abbaye, Fergie’s (which no longer makes its house made tahini vegan cheese for its sammies, despite the menu online), Isabella Pizza, MiLah Vegetarian and Hip City Veg. Am I missing any good ones? Please let me know!
After all, everyone and their mom makes a cheesesteak in Philly!
Max made me a vegan pizza, start to finish, with his bare hands. (And I know he washed them often as he is allergic to gluten!) Sure, sure. This is what he gets paid to do, yes. He’s a Naked pizza man! Naked is a pizza place amongst Manhattan’s hundreds of pizza places, however Naked sells healthier pies: Pizza 2.0. Nutritious power words on their website are as follows: prebiotic, multi-grain, fiber, probiotics, glycemic response, protein, and looking better naked (I added that one.)
But equally important, everything tastes darn delicious. A full, capable crust–soft inside, crisp outside–no “vegan pizza sogginess”! A slew of fresh and gorgeous toppings! And… that Daiya stuff if you want it. Go get Naked!
After another day of moving stuff at my apartment, a well-earned lunch at Bliss Grand. I wanted to come back for their Seitan Taquito. I ordered the large plate which included sauteed greens. The dish as a whole was super-salty. The greens and the Daiya-filled taquito needed something to balance out the salt… and needed a texture to combat the wet, wet, wet. I was looking jealously at my friend’s crispy french fries.
I forget Daiya makes me sick to my stomach. Glad I’m not the only one. Vegan cheese… house-made or bust!
It had been a while since my first and only visit to Brooklyn’s Dun -Well Doughnuts. Even though I lived very close, I only managed to make it there when I was with vehicle. They’ve got the best vegan doughnuts in New York City. With 200+ flavors, I am way behind in tasting all they have to offer.
What to eat, what to eat…
We chose the vanilla iced and toasted coconut. Yummy.
Little Anthony’s is a pretty standard-seeming pizza parlor. Wood decor, a map of Italy on the wall, green/white/red, and an inviting counter with pizzeria-type guys (My definition of pizzeria guys: aimable, hard-working, Italian)… but they have a menu filled with vegan options! Vegan pizza… vegan heros (called submarines up here)… vegan stromboli… calzone… They’re also known to have a vegan lasagna on special. Staying about 10 minutes away, I knew I had to stop in for dinner.
My first bite was this fabulous chocolate chip blondie made by Angelina’s Vegan Baked Goods. The baker is the blogmaster of Living the Vegan Way. Boy, I gotta say that this blondie was absolutely special. As a seasoned vegan baked goods taster, this reigns high up there.
I decided on the calzone with their housemade meatball. It was huge! I could barely eat half of it. I found it satisfying but a bit too Daiya-filled. I wished there was some tofu ricotta to break up the glumps of Daiya. The meatball was tasty. A nice salty bite inside the tame dough and cheese. How amazing to be eating a vegan calzone in a traditional pizzeria!
Here is another shot of the awesome blondie I enjoyed. Wow again.
Life is like a…
(box of vegan chocolates) You never know what you’re gonna get.
Back at the amazing Divine Treasures in Manchester, Connecticut, CandyPenny and I had a breakfast of chocolate. This vegan gem of a chocolate shop sandwiched between the Chinese take-out and the tobacco shop in an unsuspecting strip mall in Manchester Township would likely make my top 10 vegan spots in the country. The chocolate, the caramel, the selection, the exquisite soft-serve… they’re all very much worth the trip on their own. But they’re all there. And they’re all unbelievably delicious.
For a ton of other pictures of Divine Treasure goodies, check this post from last summer.
One of their best sellers, the caramel cashew is the best of everything: texture, taste and the lingering exit of sea salt. The salt taps each taste bud on the shoulder, asking each “Are ya getting all this flavor?”
Of course, the cross-section shot. Spectacular.
The soft serve is the best vegan ice cream I’ve ever eaten. Yes, thinking back I can to say that with confidence. And it’s covered in real, warm hot fudge. Both things are difficult vegan feats. 1, vegan soft serve is often not creamy nor rich with flavor. It often turns to half milky soup in barely a few minutes. This is not true of Divine Treasures soft serve. And the hot fudge is fudgey and hot, not simply dark brown and sweet. Its texture responds to the cold soft serve like I remember as a kid.
I’ve got my box of chocolates and my vanilla soft serve with hot fudge. They ought to set up some tables outside so the tobacco shop employees don’t need to worry about loitering vegans.
Another familiar spot in Connecticut, Shoreline Diner in Guilford, Connecticut. With easy-on, easy-off via I-95, I have visited this “vegetarian enclave” several times in the past couple of years. It’s hard not to. They have a billboard off the interstate that drops the v-bomb. Even if I’m not hungry, it seems worth the stop. 
Since my first stop with The Electrician in 2010, the area surrounding the diner seems to be catching on with the veg craze. A Mexican joint up the street totes a banner announcing its vegetarian friendliness, while Food-Works‘ parking lot is bustling. The Shoreline offerings are a cut above vegan comfort food classics that often rely too much on packaged and/or frozen foods. They make their own patties and meatballs. 
I had the Southwestern Frittata. A tofu frittata with veggies and fresh avocado. It hit the spot though binding and moisture created a bit of a texture issue. The avocado was so perfect that I would have eaten a shoe sole with it. And a homefries or other potato side would have been a million times better than the chips. But isn’t that always true.
And now, the reason for our excursion: G-Zen in Bradford, Connecticut. G-zen is a vegan eatery with a scrumptious variety of vegan and raw options. The restaurant is a peaceful and gorgeous space, more akin to dining at a fancy-pants friend’s house. The decor and ambiance beams positivity. The communal feel of the space is welcoming, however being amidst the staff’s personal conversations was a bit unnerving (the counter and register are very close to tables.) The service was a bit abrupt, though knowledgable, and tad lacking grace… with every visit she bumped into adjacent tables and shuffled our placemats with everything she set down. We enjoyed the food a great deal, so let’s talk about that.
For an appetizer, we got the Sufi Kiss: marinated artichoke and Kalamata olives wrapped in filo and served with a smoked paprika aioli over organic greens. With a squeeze of lemon, this appetizer hit all the right notes. The delicate layered filo added a perfect texture to the warm salty artichoke and olive blend.
After taking a bite of CandyPenny‘s reuben at the Shoreline Diner, I decided that I wanted a reuben! G-Zen‘s reuben is sublime. Made with my favorite bread (a bread that’s pan-fried,) the house-made kraut was in balance perfectly with the marinated tempeh. Too add another layer of kick, the mustard and Russian dressing wake up all taste buds for the party. Add some sweet potato fries to the side and, bingo bango, there’s a perfect lunch. 
For dessert I got the Coconut Creme Custard. The bowl of custard was a bit overwhelming in size. I can’t see how anyone could finish such a huge bowl of tapioca after a meal. The custard was subtle; it tasted a bit more like a breakfast oatmeal than a dessert. CP got the Lemon Tart, which was delicate and divine on its ground almond crust.
After my visit, I had a few issues with some of the claims on the website. One being “everything is thoughtfully prepared from scratch.” This is a bold claim. And my only complaints just happen to align with how this claim is not true. Dishes at higher-end eateries like G-Zen are knocked down several notches when they rely on things like Daiya cheese and Soyatoo as ingredients. Although vegan, these are processed foods. Processed foods are neither sustainable in their production nor made from scratch. The restaurant also describes itself as organic, which neither of these products are. Please, G-Zen, ditch these products! Your chef/s are clearly capable and needn’t take these shortcuts. And a restaurant with a very vegan menu ought not to have peacock feathers in their bathroom.
Pala on the Lower East Side has a great vegan menu. It also has gluten-free options. Given its proximity to the Sunshine Theater, it makes for an easy option for a vegan and a one with gluten intolerance. So we, vegan and one with gluten intolerance, dined prior to Damsels in Distress. Dried herbs graced the table, along with a bottle of San Pellegrino. Lovely.
I ordered the Asparagi. It had veggie sausage (packaged. I know that fennel seed bite well, Field Roast.) asparagus, cherry tomato sauce, daiya cheese. With packaged ingredients in an entree, I always resent an inflated price. This was no different. $18 is a little steep for a pizza. But it’s an upper scale place, I suppose. (Note: I think I am done with Daiya for good this time. At least done with dishes that load a pile of the stuff on, thinking it’s vegan nirvana.
Of course, vegan and those with gluten intolerances also take short walks to Babycakes bakery when in the area. Especially when killing time before a movies. I got the my favorite combo–blonde on blonde. It has been a while since I had a fresh Babycakes! So delicious.
I also bought one of the coconut mounds confections. I love this combination. As a child I would push my little finger into each chocolate looking for the coconut-covered piece in a gifted box of chocolate. This bite was supreme. And I must make specific mention of the chocolate. It was perfect: rich, deep, sweet and with a clean creaminess.
We also picked up a container of strawberry frosted donuts. We were, after all, meeting CandyPenny who would appreciate the gesture. Ok, it was time for the movies. After such a pretty sweets fest at Babycakes, it was only fitting to see such a cute and pretty movie.
I’ve been going to Kate’s Joint since the 90′s… when vegan wasn’t as easy… when the stop for the Unturkey Club energized me fully in between record store shopping… When there were no blogs because there was no internet… When you had to find things on your own and, so, many people didn’t, making your discovery mean so much more. It was an early gem in my late teens when I was still enamored with a still-slightly gritty New York City… and I passed it on to all my friends. Now Kate’s Joint is in the red, on the brink of dying out to give way, I’m sure, to another characterless chain further nipping the peanuts of the side of city that holds my memories, the gravel-scraped underbelly of my youth. A wise man named Diamond sings, “New York’s home but it ain’t mine no more.”
What to do; what to do? If I had more discretionary income, I suppose I could have contributed to Kate’s indiegogo campaign. But it’s too late. I might as well eat. I’ll begin my meal like I did so many times before: with Mock Popcorn Shrimp with abijah’s secret sauce.
The first Buffalo Wings I ever did try. They’re still much better than that gross texturized soybean frozen stuff. Ew. This is tofu, skinned and coated in hot sauce.
Disco fries. Gravy and cheddar Daiya. My belly sang such gorgeous gurgles the day after.
Southern Fried Un-Chicken Cutlets
CandyPenny and I split the Southern Tofu Dinner: southern fried tofu, bbq tofu, black eyed peas, yams, mash potatoes with gravy, collards and mac & cheese
It was a grand meal with old friends. Sad to think it might be my last at Kate’s. New York City will have to fill the vegan void with a quality comfort food greasy spoon. Here’s to new memories.
Though Long Island has a couple of all-vegetarian Indian restaurants, it has slim pickings in every other cuisine. I know this all too well as I have to settle for basic vegetarian options in many omni eateries often in my quest for satiety. It’s a big adjustment given my home in Brooklyn offers proximity to many, many awesome options. So it was nice to hear that Long Island Vegetarian Eatery (L.I.V.E.), a veg fast food spot in Seaford, opened its doors a few months back.
L.I.V.E. offers a slew of vegetarian-friendly versions of comforting familiar foods: jalapeno poppers, drumsticks, subs, melts, burgers and dogs, as well as an Italian-geared entree selection. It’s straight-up bar food–which works–as the owners manage the hotspot for drinks next door, the Leaky Lifeboat. On my vist, I tried the Killer Tofu Sticks, which hit the spot with its crunchy breading and sweet dipping sauce. I could have eaten 100 more of these.
I had some trouble choosing a main. Should I order what I was in the mood for: hot, familiar and comforting?… should I order a cold sub just to see counter-guy construct a faux-meat delight down a conveyor belt of cold cut and vegetable options?… should I go all proper-dinner-like and order a pasta dish? There is something a bit, pleasantly overwhelming about having more than 2 vegan options. In the end I opted for hot, familiar and comforting: Chick’n Parmesan Hero.
So what I barely ate it after binging on Killer Tofu Sticks? It’s a chicken parmesan hero! Look how sexy messy it looks all spread out on my plate. It was almost obscene. Next time I need to really bring my appetite. On the plus side, I have at least 3 Karen-sized portions left to devour at home.
I wish L.I.V.E. all the success in the world! It is about time Long Island had a veg-only spot that satisfies.
Vegan Croissant. Yes, a vegan croissant! A greasy, oily croissant. Holy Moly.
Champs in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has transformed into a diner. Vinyl booths and all! And on top of that shimmery vinyl seat I sat, wrapping my greasy fingers around a vegan croissant S.A.G., their Boneshakers signature scramble sandwich. Tofu scramble, Daiya mozzarella (since I was going all out glutton) and sausage.
The vegan croissant (I like saying those words together) was just a s buttery and flakey as the non-vegan kind. This is an outstanding vegan version I know I will come back for. Champs is a good greasy spoon eatery. I want to throw an axe in their microwave, however. My food was cold in a couple of minutes.
For dessert I had their rainbow cookie because, besides my own, I have never seen vegan rainbow cookies. It wasn’t really a cookie though. It wasn’t even a cake even. Though it had an accurate almond-y taste, the texture was not there.
I do love the colors. Champs is a nice addition to the neighborhood and they do a lot well. For their other little snags, I wish to offer them my consulting services. I work for French toast slices.
Sometimes you want a slice of pizza that is isn’t covered in vegan cheese. Don’t get me wrong. Vegan cheese has it’s place. But I am irked by eateries that rely on it too heavily. That think it’s the end-all be-all of vegan entree enhancement. So you have Daiya on the menu? (Say like gosh-awful song by Shania Twain.) That don’t impress me much.
Sometimes I want the pizza: simple, soft hearth-baked crust, blackened on it’s high hills. Good tomato sauce made from scratch and with care. Big basil leaves, glistening. And, sure, if you want to add your house-made fennel sausage, go ahead. That’s exactly what I got off Paulie Gee’s vegan menu in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Paulie Gee’s is a proper-restaurant. It’s big, long and covered in wood. There’s seating by the door for waiting customers, a hostess with a podium and plenty of seating as you walk back towards the restaurant’s centerpiece, its oven. All of this not easy to find in a restaurant space in New York City. Paulie Gee’s is really dark and really loud. But it’s appropriate. It’s the kind of place you can slam down your beer against the sturdy table and no one would bat an eyelash. I could imagine sailors in the space. Burly, loud sailors. Unfortunately the clientele is Franklin Avenue Brooklyn hipster.
Paulie made a vegan menu in addition to his other beloved pizzas, so I had to go. I ordered the Simply Red with that delicious fennel sausage, and I ate it all. I ordered a fancy sparkling water too. CandyPenny and Roth ordered the In Ricotta Da Vegan: The Simply Red with the sausage covered in house-made cashew ricotta dollops, Baby Arugula and Olive Oil. They also have Daiya.
The pizza was delicious. Paulie himself made the rounds asking us how everything was. I’d come back with a large group of loud sailors.
Sure, it isn’t really weather-appropriate to be craving Mac & Cheese, but sometimes the body’s pulls and pushes don’t make any sense. I’m okay with that. But to eat it twice? In one day? In one hot, muggy day in New York City? Sometimes I think in themes and it makes my stomach hurt.
The East Village’s S’mac Vegan Nosh with garlic, green onion and tomato. Savor it very slowly. S’mac has their own vegan cheese blend made up of coconut milk, rice Flour, potato flour, palm oil, organic palm shortening, Marmite, salt and pepper.
Here’s your close-up. File under “strange coincidence” that it is almost exactly one year ago that I visited this place for the first time, August 3, 2010.
Then for dinner I order up more mac & cheese! This time from Brooklyn Mac in Greenpoint, who delivers to my apartment. Brooklyn Mac uses the D-bomb, Daiya. I order the mozzarella-style with spinach and roasted corn in an attempt tap on some different taste buds.
The Brooklyn Mac folks are very pleasant and they deliver fast. I should really order a small but I have a minimum to make. No worries–I eat it all without restraint. So body, no more mac & cheese for awhile, k?
Vegan Reporting By Location
