|
|
|
NOW OPEN: Mi Lah Vegetarian
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
NOW OPEN: Mi Lah Vegetarian
 |  |
Mi Lah's servers were making last-second preparations when I popped by Jason Lay's brand-new bilevel vegetarian restaurant, in the former Pita Pocket at 16th and Chancellor, earlier today. They're easing into their very first weekend of business. (I can't get Pictobrowser to catch for some reason — growing pains — but check out more interior shots here.)
Head chef Tyler Black, a Florida native, started his Philly cooking career at the Four Seasons before becoming head chef at Govinda's at Broad and South. He was last in the kitchen at Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby's Horizons. Black, who's been vegetarian for about three years, says he wants Mi Lah to fill what he feels is a void in the city's mid-range vegetarian dining options. (Prices are appropriate for such a task, with entrées topping out at just $17.)
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Approach-wise, Mi Lah's menu touches on numerous disciplines. There's Mediterranean (grilled halloumi with tomato confit panzanella); African (sweet potato patties with harissa; a Tunisian chickpea stew called labi labi); Southeast Asian (braised lemongrass, ginger and coconut milk with brown basmati rice and banana leaf; tofu pad Thai); Caribbean (grilled seitan skewers in a housemade jerk made with Barbados molasses), etc.
Black wants to get away from the practice of simply swapping out fake meat for the real stuff and deeming the plate acceptable for herbivores. "Here, we want vegetables to be the focus," he says. "Not a single thing on this menu could exist as a vegetarian option at a [non-veg] restaurant." Almost all items are vegan and gluten-free, as well; those that aren't can be tweaked to accommodate.
Mi Lah's a BYOB, but they're tinkering with the idea of offering premade rum and vodka mixers (see the second-floor juice bar).
Mi Lah Vegetarian, 218 S. 16th St., 215-732-8888, milahvegetarian.com
Open for lunch* Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner, 5-10 p.m.; closed Sun.
* Lunch kicks off next Tuesday, Oct. 14. They'll begin serving lunch on Tuesday., Oct. 21.
- barstool scientist
- Booze
- Brew Revue
- Chef Salad
- Closings
- Coffee
- Contests
- Dealage
- Dirty Dishes
- Don't Front
- Eat This Immediately
- Field Trip
- Food and Art
- Food and Holidays
- Food and Movies
- Food and Music
- Food and Politics
- Food and Sports
- Food and Web
- Food Blogs
- Food Books
- Food Events
- Food News
- Food TV
- Gifted
- Happy Hour Hopper
- How-To
- In Print
- Interview
- Meal Ticket
- Menu Time
- Not So Quickfire
- Notes from the Weekend
- On Wheels
- Openings
- Patio Drinking
- Philly Beer Week 2010
- Photos
- Private Chef POV
- Product Placement
- Recipes
- Snack Time
- Stiff Drank
- SUPPER
- Tea
- Testing
- Ticket Stubs
- Top Chef
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Video
- Weekly Candy
- Weird Regional Foods
- We're Here to Help
- Where'd We Eat?
- Drew Lazor's Ill-Advised Rant Factory
- Pregame
- Ill-Advised Ranting
- The Week Without Meat
- Philly Beer Week 2009
- Real Big
- Where'd I Eat Last Night?
- Top Chef Masters
- The Good Word
- Next Iron Chef
- Arterial Terrorism
- Food and Radio
