The Slammer

No I'm not talking about jail (even though this place is across from the Penitentiary)...I am talking about "the slammer" I ate at MUGSHOTS yesterday. Yummmm...my friends and I walked up to the door and right away I noticed the sweet smell of veggie bacon seeping through the vents. Once I went in, I felt like I stepped into California, West Coast land. Amazing. It is a pure taste of West Coast living in the coffee shop setting. The environment is really chill with a whole lot going on both sides of the counter.

Ordering was a little hectic because it was loud and people were crowding the counter, not to mention there were chalkboards all over the place for customers to order from, so I had a lot of trouble deciding what to order and figuring out what was vegan and what wasn't. I settled my mind and decided on "the slammer" that had veggie sausage, guacamole and salsa stuffed in a whole wheat wrap. I expected the wrap to be warm for some reason, so when I bit into a cold wrap my taste buds were a bit confused. I eventually adjusted and enjoyed the creamy avocado and chunky tomato salsa that melted in with the veggie sausage chunks. To wash down the wrap, I drank the Peanut Butter and Strawberry soy shake. It was so smooth and creamy and vegan! The strawberry flavoring was a bit strong, but the peanut butter goodness came through as an aftertaste. There were quite a few items on the menu that I wanted to order, but with only a certain amount of money in my pocket, I'll just have to wait till the next visit to try out another menu item like the BLT or REUBEN...

I had waited to visit Mugshots for a long time and I was satisfied because not only did it give me the West Coast vibe that I've been craving, but it also gave me the tasty, vegan food that I needed to get me through work Saturday night ;)

Falafel Fever @ Maoz

Do you want to "Veg Out?" (as the sign outside of Maoz says) Who wouldn't want to, especially if a "Veg Out" type of meal consists of falafel, salad bar specials and fries! Yum Yum. I was walking around the city today taking pictures of what I consider to be the "Top 10 Vegetarian/ Vegan Places in the City" and when I passed by Maoz to snap some photos for the Philly Mag article, I couldn't resist stopping in for lunch.

I ordered the uuuusual- Junior Maoz Meal Deal. It comes with falafel on a whole wheat pita. belgian fries, a drink and the option of putting whatever one wants from the salad bar. Well I did not let those veggies go to waste on the salad bar line. I loaded up on carrots, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, chile salsa, tahini sauce, hot peppers and of course KETCHUP. My tummy was overly satisfied by the time I took the last bite of the pita and stuffed the last fry into my mouth. Absolutely a lunch that Philadelphia foodies and curious wanderers have to try, especially because of how inexpensive a meal like this is!

Check out the other items on the menu- you can get anything from hummus to eggplant to avocado added to your falafel for a few cents more!

Maoz has two locations in the city:
11th and Walnut and 2nd and South

ME...WANT...PIZZZZZA!

I have had a craving for a nice, hot, steamy, cheesy, ooey, gooey (need I go on?)...slice of pizza for TOO long. I decided to satisfy this craving a few times in the past two weeks actually. (It was a recurrent craving, what can I say?)

The perfect place for me to satisfy this pizza craving was at Blackbird Pizzeria on 6th and South Streets. Not only was it a convenient location for me (because of how close it is to my work), but it also happens to be owned by a former Horizons employer!

Now coming from a family of pizzeria owners with sauce and cheese oozing from our blood, I'd say the alternative to regular pizza at Blackbird comes pretty darn close. Sure it's a whole different texture, but in a good way. You don't have the greasy cheese piled up on the crust that sometimes causes the slice to bend just as you lift it to take a bite, but rather this pizza stayed perfectly still so I could snag that first bite (which in my opinion is the best).

The dough was quite amazing and reminded me of my uncle's pizza- classic Italian pizza dough- fluffy with a bit of a crispy edge. The sauce was a simple tomato base and the cheese, though vegan, blended perfectly with the rest of the slice. Some people prefer slices without the vegan cheese because they don't think it comes close to the regular cheese taste, but I prefer to leave it on. The Daiya cheese that is used for the pizza is not soy-based which is great for people with certain allergies to soy products. I say it wouldn't be a classic slice of pizza without the whole sauce and cheese combo!

One thing that is very important to any pizzeria, but a vegan pizzeria in particular is the TOPPINGS! Blackbird has such a wide array of topping choices for their pizzas- veggie meat, veggie pepperoni, sauteed veggies, Philly cheesteak, avocado, potato, etc etc. The list goes on and the deliciousness lives on through every slice. My personal favorites are the plain, veggie meat and broccoli rabe and the potato (though it's not the same potato pizza that my parents make at home ;) ).

So if you have a craving for pizza and are in the mood to try something new and different head down to 6th and South and indulge in vegan pizza heaven. Who knows I may even run into you there!