My New Favorite Restaurant

I've been hearing about Vedge, a gourmet vegan restaurant on Locust Street in Philadelphia, for several years now. Everyone raves about it, but I didn't get my act together and make a reservation until recently. When I was home last month, I took the high speed line into the city with my friends Shveta, Helen, and Beth, and we savored a meal that totally lived up to the hype.

This is definitely a special occasion kind of place—I spent $70 altogether—but with mashed potatoes with a gorgeously cloud-like consistency, seitan that tasted exactly like grilled chicken (which I haven't eaten in more than half my lifetime, but still—so much like "the real thing" it was disconcerting!), melt-in-your-mouth mushrooms, and saffron cheesecake with rhubarb ice cream that set every tastebud alight, oh yes, the deliciousness and the specialness of it was worth every cent.

As I told a new friend over lunch at Veggie Galaxy yesterday, there's a place for every kind of veg restaurant, be it a food truck, a diner with comfort-food classics, a hippie-crunchy place like Life Alive, or a fancypants eatery like Vedge. Whatever the style, menu, or price range, I just want to see more of them!