Vegetarian

POSTED: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 5:40 PM
Filed Under: Openings | Photos | Vegan | Vegetarian
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
Loving Hut, an international vegan restaurant brand that has a presence in 11 U.S. states (and 18 other countries around the world), opened an outpost in Philly (742 South St., 215-454-2898) this past Tuesday. The awesomely named chain is relatively new to the tri-state (there are Jersey and NYC locations). Every Loving Hut serves a slightly different menu based around the goods of local purveyors/suppliers, but this one specializes in vegan sushi, spring and summer rolls, vegan burgers and wraps, and bubble teas, smoothies and shakes. Hours are still being worked out, but they typically open between 10 and 11 in the morning and serve till around 11 p.m.

Kathy L.
Posted 2010-08-09 10:12:04
You know the place is good when you're full and you can't stop eating. Especially loved the bubble tea!   Awesome food!

Tweets that mention NOW OPEN: Loving Hut :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com
Posted 2010-07-01 13:01:18
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Meal Ticket and Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: New all #vegan restaurant open on South Street: http://bit.ly/c1M4Sk [...] 

Felicia D'Ambrosio
Posted 2010-07-02 12:46:23
I want to try this out.  I always wonder why there aren't more chain vegan/vegetarian restaurants around.

Steve
Posted 2010-07-06 22:27:43
I tried this place last week and it was the strangest place I've ever been. Four people working, no one knew what they were doing. The people behind the counter spoke only broken English and were completely incapable of describing anything on the menu. The place looked much like the business that had been there previously and resembled a chain in no way whatsoever. I understand they've just been there for a few days, but they seem like they really need to get their act together if they hope to survive.

Jean
Posted 2010-07-11 02:33:53
Am I the only vegan out there that doesn't go gaga for this restaurant?  The food is always painfully boring and bland, and menu selections are limited.  The new age cult weirdness behind this restaurant (and playing on the TV's and forced down my throat by the employees, btw) doesn't help.  The stuff Loving Huts serve is the sort of thing vegans of the 1970's were *forced* to eat because they were without the wealth of recipes from inventive chefs and the readily available melange of grains, vegetables, fruits, and spices that we enjoy today.  Let's not go back to that era.  Sometimes simple food is good, but simple doesn't need to taste like grass and not much else.

michael c
Posted 2010-08-10 10:27:41
Hi Jean see my comment to steve on the review page. We need better food everywhere I agree. If I wasn;t into full time production with my seitan I would open a place and show off some real cooking skills. I do food demos at the whole foods stores and a place called greensgrow farms in kensington. Ive been inviting other vendors there and I have rachels pantry coming and a guy named sanee who does great vegan and raw foods. He is called herbs greenhouse he is a non profit trying to launch his foods as well. We all need a push for help in this field. Have a great summer peace and out Michael C templ foods     PS My product is michaels savory seitan    my seitan is very different tasting than the other competitors I hand rub my seasonings into each and every batch. I am availabe in the whole foods stores and other locations around the city.

michael c
Posted 2010-08-10 10:19:31
hi steve do you think this place could use seitan? i make and deliver the michaels savory seitan available in some locations around the city. Have you tried the p.o.p.e on passyunk ave or have you been to monks cafe on 16th? i do not know what they make at monks. The adobe cafe and a place called las cazuelas does a great job on the seitan. Las cazuelas is on girard near 4th and the adobe has 2 locations one on passyunk and the other on mitchell street in manyunk. I was just reading about this love hut place, sounds like they need help with cooking and alot of chains are what they are. chains. No real soul going into the food. thanks michael c

Dan
Posted 2010-12-11 09:20:50
Been to like three of these before.  Agree that the food was always boring and not worth the time, but since they sometimes have them in strange places like a Mall food court, I've been more often than it probably deserves, especially since I'm not even vegan.

Also, Michael C, thanks for the recommendation of Adobe.  Definitely going to check that out.
Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:40 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
POSTED: Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 5:24 PM
Filed Under: Chef Salad | Food News | Vegan | Vegetarian
Chrstopher Gabello/Meritage
Tonight, in a sort of gleaming godsend to your vegan friend who's always asking whether or not his vegetables have been sautéed in butter, chef Anne Coll launches a completely vegan tasting menu at Meritage (500 S. 20th St.). The four-course tasting, which runs $35 a head, features plenty of the Asian-inspired components — think Thai basil emulsions, grilled Japanese eggplant or kaffir lime curry sauce — that are truly Coll's wheelhouse. It'll be available on Tuesdays throughout the summer. Full menu after the jump; call 215-985-1922 for rezzies. Amuse Bouche: Vegetable tartlette with star anise tomato chutney 1st course: Heirloom tomato salad cucumber granita, pickled red onion, Thai basil emulsion, crispy rice cracker 2nd course: Grilled Japanese eggplant, salt baked fingerling potatoes, gingered carrot puree, Indonesian kaffir lime curry sauce, crispy chick peas 3rd course: Mushroom lentil sticky rice in banana leaf, shallot confit, fricasse of asparagus and royal trumpet mushrooms, lemongrass espuma 4th course: Rhubarb soup, coconut panna cotta, strawberry salad , sesame tuile

poncho
Posted 2010-06-08 12:31:34
I am so excited to go tonight, this menu looks great!

Tweets that mention Tonight: Chef Anne Coll unveils vegan tasting menu at Meritage :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com
Posted 2010-06-08 14:25:36
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vegan News, angela bragg, Millionaire Healers, Millionaire Healers, Vegan Dream and others. Vegan Dream said: Tonight: Chef Anne Coll unveils vegan tasting menu at Meritage: Philadelphia Citypaper (blog) This entry was poste... http://bit.ly/bmxSKy [...] 

Tweets that mention Tonight: Chef Anne Coll unveils vegan tasting menu at Meritage :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com
Posted 2010-06-08 15:25:18
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bhavani, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Who's checking out the vegan tasting menu at @meritagephl tonight? http://bit.ly/9jJmjy [...] 

Kelly
Posted 2010-06-08 23:01:38
Went tonight for dinner - loved it and would go back. A total steal for a tasting menu and please save your appetite for the sticky rice in course 3...it's like that vacation you've been meaning to go on.

Jerry
Posted 2010-06-09 11:46:05
Wow! Beautifully presented and wonderful depth of flavors. They even have a $29 bottle of Vegan Rose..who knew!
Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:24 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
POSTED: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 4:06 PM
vegantreats.com
Those vegans are at it again! This time they're after America's favorite pick-me-up spot, Dunkin' DonutsCompassion Over Killing, a D.C.-based animal advocacy organization, has launched a website exposing the horrendous conditions of DD's egg suppliers' facilities. The latest installment of this mini-sagadrama is COK's attempt to get vegan doughnuts on the "Dunkin's Next Donut" ballot. None of the veggie submissions made DD's final cut, so COK gathered the non-dairy entries and started its own contest, which they hope will garner a DD response to their demands for healthier, cruelty-free options. Twelve flavors are in the running, and the winning treat gets its 15-ish minutes of fame on the menu at award-winning Vegan Treats Bakery in Bethlehem (Felicia D chatted with the bakery's Danielle Konya back in March '09). If Bethlehem seems like a hefty distance to travel for snacks, remember that you can look for Vegan Treats at a few closer-to-home locations. The vegan doughnut hole poll closes Friday, May 21 so get your votes in now. The victor will be announced in June.

Megan
Posted 2010-05-19 12:15:09
It would be amazing if Dunkin' Donuts offered vegan options!  Even just offering soy milk would be a huge first step. Seriously -- Why are they so behind the times? Aren't they based on Boston which has a very active vegan community? 

Oh, and I voted. Vegan Velvet Elvis, baby!  Thanks for the tip City Paper

Felicia D'Ambrosio
Posted 2010-05-19 12:38:34
I'd like soy milk at DD, too.  Where's the love for us lactards?  We need coffee, too!

Lucy
Posted 2010-05-19 13:30:27
This is great! I've missed my Dunkin' Donuts since I went vegan. It would be so amazing if they offered stuff for us vegans! I voted for the Strawberry Lemonade Love!

Marie DiFeliciantonio
Posted 2010-05-19 13:38:59
Ladies, thanks for reading the post and voting. The vegan doughnuts are not in the running for DD's menu but for a limited-time production by Vegan Treats Bakery based out of Bethlehem. Your participation in the contest shows support for Compassion Over Killing's quest to get DD to offer healthier, cruelty-free items. Check out their website (dunkincruelty.com) and write DD a letter about more vegan options!
Posted by Marie DiFeliciantonio @ 4:06 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
POSTED: Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 4:00 PM
thethirteenthdiet.com
Daniel McLaughlin culminates each month's diet with a multi-course feast open to the public.
Daniel McLaughlin wants to free you from your food phobias, and that's why he's eating a different diet each month of 2010. "I was curious," he writes on his blog The Thirteenth Diet, "How can there be so many mainstream diets in our country where people can scientifically prove opposing theories and still be right?" From macrobiotics in January to Ayurvedic in August, Philadelphia resident McLaughlin takes to one prescribed way of eating (see all twelve diets here) each month, experimenting with recipes and techniques to make delicious meals meant to persuade doubters they, too, can live happy and healthy on diets perceived as restrictive. "I'm just a normal person, not some astrophysicist of food," says McLaughlin, who designs and builds furniture, as well as serving tables at Old City's Amada at night. "I give myself 30 days to really explore each diet and learn its inner workings. The end result is taking shape --I'm trying to form "the thirteenth diet"... that takes parts from all of these mainstream diets to create a 'super diet'." Self-educated in nutrition, McLaughlin was accepted to the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in NYC last year, but ultimately decided it was not the right place for him. "I wanted to be a food therapist," he said, "but it seemed limited in scope. This project will allow me to reach a much broader range of people," he said, adding that he has plans for a book based on the yearlong project. To demonstrate the pleasure, rather than privation of eating according to a diet, McLaughlin cooks and hosts a feast in the last days of the month in his South Philadelphia home, dubbed Wharton Heights. April's Gluten-Free Feast, a single seating of 24 people, will happen this Fri., April 30 at 7 p.m. Interested parties may reserve a space for the five-course meal by filling out the contact form on The Thirteenth Diet's website, or by visiting their Facebook page. You can see the menu, which includes bread, gnocchi and other typically glutinous treats, here. Word-of-mouth buzz may make future feasts a harder ticket to come by; producers from WHYY's radio show "A Chef's Table" will be recording Friday's celiac-friendly event. When I suggest people may react negatively to his project based on the unfun connotations of the little word diet, McLaughlin responds with self-deprecating mirth. "You know, I saw that KFC Double Down commercial and I thought, 'the world needs me more than ever!' "We've been trained and marketed to to want extreme sweets and salts, but when you start eating right your palate adjusts and you don't want that anymore... in the traditional sense of the word, diet means the food you eat every day, as your way of life. Everyone should be on a diet."

uberVU - social comments
Posted 2010-04-28 12:40:14
Social comments and analytics for this post...

This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Daniel McLaughlin wants to free you from your food phobias. That's why he's eating a different diet each month of 2010: http://bit.ly/cFxfPA...

Tweets that mention In search of the “super diet”, feasting all the while :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com
Posted 2010-04-28 13:09:55
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Allie Harcharek, Peter Passoli, Travis Marcal, tammy oslo, danica boxer and others. danica boxer said: In search of the “super diet”, feasting all the while: Daniel McLaughlin wants to free you from your food phobias,... http://bit.ly/c5Cees [...] 

Aug. 27: The Thirteenth Diet gets Ayurvedic with it :: Meal Ticket :: Philadelphia City Paper
Posted 2010-08-25 13:36:53
[...] a different diet during each month of 2010 to produce his fascinating blog The Thirteenth Diet (check out our April post), is drawing summer to close with an Ayurvedic feast scheduled for Friday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. [...] 
Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 4:00 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
POSTED: Friday, April 16, 2010, 6:00 PM
Spring morels
In terms of environmental burden, non-vegetarian meals have 1.5-2 times the impact of vegetarian meals where meat has been replaced with a vegetable protein. Square 1682 in the LEED-certified Hotel Palomar (121 S. 17th St.) is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the conscious power of a vegetarian diet with an-all veggie tasting menu available Thu., April 22 through Sat., April 24. The $40, six-course feast by Square chef Guillermo Tellez highlights the diversity of flavors pristine produce brings to classical preparations - bright and clean (spring pea soup with bleeding heart radishes, cashew butter and lime-mint granita) or earthy and indulgent (roasted local mushroom tart with Brie and herb oil). To keep things from getting entirely too virtuous, Tellez is finishing off the tasting with two courses of dessert (lemon curd napoleon with almond cream and a Valhrona dark chocolate pateì with eggless coconut custard); six optional paired organic and biodynamic wines are available for an additional $20. See the full menu with wine pairings after the jump.

SQUARE 1682 – CHEF TELLEZ'S EARTH DAY VEGETABLE TASTING AND OPTIONAL WINE PAIRINGS

Terrine of asparagus and petite carrots

Preserved mushrooms, carrot cardamom vinaigrette

Optional wine pairing: Adelsheim Pinot Noir Rosé, Willamette Valley, Oregon (Sustainable)

Spring pea soup and bleeding heart radishes

Cashew butter, lime-mint graniteì

Optional wine pairing: 2008 King Estate Signature, Pinot Gris, Oregon (Organic)

Petite vegetable medley

Celery root, red wine reduction, mustard vinaigrette

Optional wine pairing: 2007 Paraducci Pinot Noir, Mendocino, California (Organic)

Roasted local mushroom tart

Brie cheese, pickled turnips, herb oil

Optional wine pairing: 2007 Descendientes de Jose Palacios Petalos, Bierzo, Spain (Biodynamic)

Lemon curd napoleon

Almond cream

Optional wine pairing: NV J "Cuvee 20" Brut, Sonoma, California (Sustainable)

Valhrona dark chocolate pateì

Coconut eggless custard

Optional wine pairing: 2006 Chapoutier Banyuls, France (Biodynamic)

SQUARE 1682 EARTH DAY COCKTAIL

“Green Squared”

Organic Square One Cucumber Vodka, fresh lime juice, natural agave nectar and muddled cucumbers


Word to your Mother: Earth Day events :: Critical Mass :: A&E Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper
Posted 2010-04-16 18:45:45
[...] 2-3: Colin Shearn and Al Sotack of The Franklin• April 22: The Whole 9 Yards at London Grill• All-veggie Earth Day tasting at Square 1682• New bar menu and cocktail list at Union Trust's "Mezz Bar"• Wynnewood's Tiffin opens [...] 

Carlos@Garden books
Posted 2010-05-05 02:44:53
Excellent work on this particular  post. It makes for an interesting and thoughtful read. Myself, I prefer to go the organic route. But then again I'm rather particular.
Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 6:00 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
POSTED: Friday, April 9, 2010, 7:03 PM
Photo | Drew Lazor
Bakery-style tomato pie, the regional pizza style we discussed at length in our recent Meal Ticket supplement, is typically a vegan affair on its own, providing whoever's making it doesn't scatter a handful of grated parm over top. But now those who can't consume wheat gluten can enjoy the regional specialty, with the alterna-tomato pie at Sweet Freedom Bakery (1424 South St.). Co-owner Allison Lubert says that she wanted to come up with a savory offering for Sweet Freedom, which specializes in allergen-free desserts (no dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts, refined sugars, etc). After plenty of experimentation, she landed on a blend of brown rice, tapioca and arrowroot flours to serve as the base of SF's tomato pie, topped with a homemade organic tomato sauce that's chunkier than your average. Gluten-free crusts have a tendency to turn gummy, but they've succeeded in getting it to crisp up pretty nicely here. Would someone who's been grubbing on Iannelli's be duped by Sweet Freedom's rendition in a blindfolded taste test? Probably not, but it's certainly a solid option for those who avoid traditional pizza or tomato pie for whatever preferential or dietary reason. The slices, served at room temp just like they're supposed to be, come plain or topped with vegan Daiya cheese (don't have much experience with that stuff, but to us it just tastes like butter). Two bucks a pop.
Posted by Drew Lazor @ 7:03 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
POSTED: Monday, March 29, 2010, 4:20 PM
Photo l Michael Persico

Just hitting markets now are the very first signs of spring -- favas, fiddlehead ferns, rhubarb and lovely English peas. Encased in a fibrous inedible pod, the legume must be shucked by hand before preparation. Once you strip out the tough thread that edges the pod, six to ten perfect peas are revealed.

On sale this minute at Whole Foods Market (929 South St.) for $2.99/lb., English peas can be enjoyed a myriad of ways. Boil them for three minutes in salted water and lash with butter for the most traditional prep; or toss lightly cooked peas with parmigiano, prosciutto and a raw egg over fettuccine for a luscious carbonara variation. Though the pods are too stringy to eat, they make a nice addition to vegetable stock. Do buy in quantity -- a pound of peas in the shell yields only about a cup of the little green guys. Viva Spring!

Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 4:20 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
POSTED: Monday, March 22, 2010, 4:30 PM
Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio
Breakfast sparkle

Our usual Eat This Immediately picks veer unhealthily towards the rich and fatty (like foie gras scrapple, 12-year cheddar, this insane burger), so we were shocked-- shocked-- to fall in love with this entirely vegan jicama salad on Distrito's (The Hub, 3945 Chestnut St.) brunch menu.

Served parfait-style in a flaring glass, chef de cuisine Tim Spinner layers brunoise jicama and Galina melon with orange supremes, pomegranate seeds and pepitas in a lemon vinaigrette, topping it with a perfectly tart quenelle of lime sorbet.

Sweet, tart, bright and crunchy, this salad was a tour de force of flavors, and certainly the maximum fruit alchemy $7 can buy.

Eat this immediately.


Neal
Posted 2010-03-22 11:43:41
Sounds incredible, perfect for a warm sunny spring weekend. Doesn't sound too hard to make at home either. Bing!

erik
Posted 2010-03-22 11:50:07
oh man. i had that the first time i went there...memories. it was so amazingly fresh and delicious.

i must have again. now.

JC
Posted 2010-03-23 07:20:06
Check out this informative and inspiring video on why people choose vegan: http://veganvideo.org/

Also see Gary Yourofsky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bagt5L9wXGo
Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 4:30 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
POSTED: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 3:00 PM
Filed Under: Recipes | SUPPER | Vegan | Vegetarian
Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio
Medi-Veggie Snack Wrap

In 2006 McDonald's introduced the American eating public to the $1 Snack Wrap. Fried or grilled chicken, or even a shuddersome wedge of what passes for a burger, are dressed with shredded lettuce and cheese and wrapped in a flour tortilla. We don't know why the Snack Wrap exists, what deep ravenous need it fulfills, but we knew we could make a better, healthier and worlds more satisfying 3 p.m. bite.

Bitar's Market (947 Federal St.) in South Philly is a Lebanese sandwich shop/market with two equally appetizing faces. The tiny sandwich shop-side vends combinations like the grilled chicken Angelo Cataldi sandwich with roasted red pepper spread, lettuce and string cheese ($5.50) as well as more traditional lamb gyros, chicken kebabs and falafel-stuffed pitas. On the market side lives any Middle Eastern ingredient your cookbook can send you out for -- beautiful handmade pita in a multitude of sizes, the essential herb blend za'atar and creamy, salty Bulgarian, French or Greek feta by the pound.

Our Bitar's-sourced snack wrap is a vegetarian assortment of hummus (or baba ganouj, or both) spread on pita toasted on one side in olive oil, a few slices of that sharp feta and crisp cucumbers topped with a heaping handful of mixed winter greens. Crushed into a portable cylinder, the contrasting textures and bright flavors snap against the warm delicate pita, crispy on the inside and soft outside.

Learn how to assemble our Medi-Veggie Snack Wrap after the jump.

Medi-Veggie Snack Wrap

Yields one wrap

Go Get This:

One 8-inch Bitar's hand-stretched pita

Few tablespoons of hummus or baba ganouj, or both

Few slices of Bulgarian feta to taste

Half a cucumber, peeled and sliced

Big handful of raw greens (spring mix, arugula, weeds, whatever you like)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Now Do This:

Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil into a 10-inch or larger skillet. Heat until shimmering over medium heat. Tilt pan so olive oil covers the surface in a thin layer.

Place the pita in the warm oil and allow to toast, about 1-2 minutes. Do not flip; you want the outside of the wrap to stay nice and clean and soft.

Remove warmed pita and place toasted side up on a plate. Spread with hummus or baba ganouj or both, just 3/4 of the way across the round. See photo.

Layer sliced feta over spread(s). Add sliced cukes. Place big handful of greens on top.

Roll wrap, starting with side that has lots of ingredients on it.

Eat. Feel smugly healthy.

Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 3:00 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
POSTED: Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 9:25 PM
Filed Under: Contests | Food News | Vegan | Vegetarian
What's better than a box of cupcakes? A box of cupcakes delivered to your doorstep. Sweet Freedom (1424 South St.), Philly's first vegan, gluten-free bakery (they also have your back when it comes to allergens — they avoid using corn, wheat, peanuts and soy), now delivers orders of $20 and up for a $12 service fee. These treats are not only for those with dietary restrictions, but for anyone who is looking for a healthy alternative to traditional baking ingredients, like refined and bleached flours and sugars. For now, the goods will only be carted to certain ZIP codes, but the plan is expand the range, with a long-term goal of instituting national shipping. Call 215-545-1899 or e-mail sweetfreedombakery@gmail.com if you want to rev the engines of your cubiclemates or salvage a forgotten-dessert slip-up at your next dinner party. Wait! Before you dig in, whip out your camera to document the act of indulgence that could be worth a $50 gift certificate and wall-mount at the bakery. More details on the photo contest here. You may now dig in.
Posted by Marie DiFeliciantonio @ 9:25 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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About this blog
Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews herethose are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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