First
off I would like to mention that the Carnivore in me is very proud to
say I am glad I went into our recent visit to the Philadelphia Center
City vegan restaurant Vedge with an open mind.
A
few years ago, I would have blown off the opportunity as not part of my
personality. We have advanced a bit since then and newer restaurants
have progressed significantly to meet diners like
myself half way.
At
new venues the atmosphere is more casual while remaining smart. The
service is increasingly knowledgeable and most importantly one time
"exotic" foods have become more approachable. This
is happening across the dining scene, and has allowed places like Vedge
to flourish.
Vedge
has a small plates concept and serves vegan only fare. The menu and
atmosphere is similar to the Turney restaurants that we have enjoyed so
much on 13th street (Barbuzzo, Jamonera). Like
the others, Vedge has a comfortable bar area and chef's table. One
immediately noticeable difference is the physical space, which is much
larger as Vedge fills many rooms in a historic building on Locust
street.
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| Grilled Carrots |
Our
meal consisted of 3 plates and 2 items off of the Vedge "Dirt Menu"
which is largely composed of fresh vegetables sourced locally. Our two
dirt menu options were a Grilled Carrots and the Fancy
Radishes. Both options were good, but the Radish dish at $9 was a bit
small. As for the Carrots, it lacked enough of the sauce that would
have made it exceptional.
For
me the star of the dinner was the impressive Sweet Potato Pate (Top). Many
of the dishes at Vedge take full advantage of grilling or smoking
techniques. The results are a quite stunning. Presented
as a round and accompanied by bread triangles, the sweet potato
pate had a hearty bacon-like flavor while remaining delicate in
texture. For this dish in particular, Vedge keeps its eye on the
details by pairing the pate with an excellent grain mustard.
 |
| Stuffed White Bell Pepper |
Our
2 other main plates were also very good. I really enjoyed the Stuffed
White Bell Pepper which was a very nice rendition of the traditional
variety. Smoked seitan and tomato served as the
meat-like stuffing portion of the dish.
Currently,
when visiting a new restaurant, we try whatever beet dish they have on
the menu. The Vedge rendition, which included Avocado, Capers
and Tofu, is a fine dish. It was solid--although I would not rank it
on top of the many excellent renditions we have had recently.
 |
| Peaches and Cream |
In
addition to our 5 plates, we had not 1 but 2 desserts. The
Vanilla-Bourbon Peaches with Ice Cream was tasty - the Peaches were a
bit tart, but the accompanying ice cream was sweet and
decadent. Our second dessert was the Blueberry Fritters (below). The Fritters
were a bit heavy for a set ender during the week and probably would have
been more enjoyable on a much cooler evening. The accompaniments for
the Fritters were very refreshing Blueberry
Lemon Sorbet and Mango Crudo.
 |
| Blueberry Fritters |
Vedge Scorecard - Visit Date 2012 08 14
Food: Home run - loved most of our dishes and Vedge introduced us to several new
culinary ideas.
Drinks:
Double - We went with a single glass of red wine each. Vedge has an
extensive bottle list for wines, with an adequate list of by the
glass selections. The craft
beer selection is presentable. Vedge also offers a specialty cocktail
menu.
Atmosphere:
Double - Comfortable Warm. minor quibble we were seated near the
washrooms and you can here the damn exelerator hand dryers. A place of
Vedge's
stature probably would be better off going the paper towel dispenser
route.
Service:
Double - a few oddities the plate clearing was just a touch slow for
tapas-style, and for whatever reason Vedge cancelled our Open Table rez
30 minutes after
we were seated. This wasn't a problem, but seemed a bit odd. An
excellent bread and oil course was served pre-meal and replenished
promptly - nice touch by Vedge.
Value: Double - 5 tapas, 2 desserts and 2 drinks for $86+Tip provided an enjoyable event dinner for two.
Overall: Home Run - Highly recommended for anyone that wants to check out original vegan dishes.
Second Helping
February 2012 Craig LaBan review of Vedge here .
