Vegan dining in the Philly 'burbs
As the weather grows nicer, vegans have plenty of reason to venture out of the city and explore the suburbs vegan eateries.
BETTER LATE than never, spring has sprung. Let's turn off the furnace, open the door, put the top down and go explore the world around us. If we get hungry, no prob - there are plentiful plant-based offerings all around Philly.
In fact, as it warms up, we'll take a quick spin around Philly and through the suburbs, touching base with some of our less Center City-centric friends to see what's up in their neighborhoods.
Starting in Jersey (sun rises in the east, right?) we find Haddonfield's Bread Board Plus (605 N. Haddon Ave., 856-354-0333, breadboardplus.com), where tipster Dawn Carlock loves the "Veggie Boy" sandwich that's "full of great, fresh veggies" and vegan, unless you add cheese.
Moving over to Cherry Hill, she notes that K-town BBQ (404 Route 70, Sawmill Village, 856-216-0090, ktownbbq.com) is replete with Korean vegetarian and vegan options, clearly marked on the menu.
Also in Cherry Hill, Norma's Mediterranean (Barclay Farms Shopping Center, 995 Route 70 East, 856-795-1373) has a wonderful tofu shawarma platter, says Carrie Lynn Morse, who tips us that "I switch baba ghanoush for the tabbouleh."
And don't count out places like the Cherry Hill Wegmans or the Marlton Whole Foods for above-average vegan deli and hot-bar options.
Zipping just across the river, there's Horizons alum Ross Olchvary's Sprig & Vine (450 Union Square Drive, 215-693-1427, sprigandvine.com), which dominates the veg scene in New Hope and lower Bucks County.
Meanwhile, the county seat, Doylestown, is growing veg-friendlier than ever thanks to new venues like Doc Baker's Farmulations (18 W. State St., 267-454-7907). Lydia Grossov tells us that "everything is vegan, organic, soy-free and as local as possible." The owner, a former pharmacist, offers juice and smoothie "formulations" plus sandwiches, soups and raw desserts.
Also boosting D-town's veggie cred is Spice Thai (54 E. State St., 215-345-5351, spicethaicuisine1.com), which doesn't use fish sauce, so many of their dishes are easily made vegan.
Grossov also touts the Honey Underground (1153 Gravel Pike, Hereford, 484-330-6405), in Berks County, with all-vegan, buffet-style dining on Saturdays and sometimes brunch on Sundays, too. "We just went there for the special Easter brunch. Food has an Indian/Thai influence and is delicious," she said.
Moving into Montgomery County and nearby Lansdale, Arnold's Way (319 W. Main St., 215-361-0116, arnoldsway.com) is a hub for raw- and fresh-food groups. Everybody makes green smoothies now, but the irrepressible Arnold Kauffman was at it back in the '90s, a local legend on Main Street Manayunk before he hit the 'burbs. Even at such a remove, his signature banana whips remain unparalleled.
And let's not forget the animal-free spots on the Main Line. VGE (45 W. Lancaster Ave., 610-527-3091) has fast become a healthy-fast-food fixture in Bryn Mawr.
A little ways out Lancaster Avenue (next to the Devon Whole Foods) is another fresh fast-food biz, Raw Can Roll (767 W. Lancaster Ave., 484-580-8454, rawcanrollcafe.com). Not surprisingly, this friendly cafe specializes in raw foods, serving up smoothies, salads, burgers (and an avocado sandwich whose tastiness I can personally attest to) and desserts, all made springtime-fresh on the spot.
Farther out Lancaster Ave, you'll get to Su Tao, in Malvern (81 Lancaster Ave., Suite 19, 610-651-8886, sutaocafe.com), a longtime gourmet vegan destination that, as Lee Hall reminds us, has recently introduced special holiday buffets to its already full menu of delights.
One last stop, in downtown West Chester, caps off our sojourn with delicious vegan fudge from Rawsome Fudge, which launched earlier this year. Find them, as did my tipster Amy Guskin, at the Artisan Exchange Indoor Artisan Foods and Farmers Market (208 Carter Dr. West, 610-719-0232, artisanexchangewcpa.com) from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, or on the web at rawsomefudge.com.
V for Venture: This is just a sampling, of course. Get out there and let VforVeg@phillynews.com know what you find.
Come on, it's spring!