Three summer highlights

Here are three quick highlight shots of late July summer excursions. I had a fine slice of tomato pie in Ocean City, New Jersey. Tomato pie is getting harder to find on the boardwalk because most places drown their pizza with cheese. However Primavera Restaurant's takeout window, located at 1102 Boardwalk, sells a nice, thin crust version with fresh basil.

Next is the vegan pistachio ice cream at New Harmony Vegetarian Restaurant, 135 North 9th Street, in Philadelphia's Chinatown.  I loved the presentation of this dessert with the fortune cookie on top.

Finally, a shot of filmmaker John Waters' head and me at Baltimore's Artscape, a cool annual arts fest. This mural was located in front of The Charles Theater, our excellent, local indie movie theater. (I've spotted actual John Waters there too.)

Philly bites - fast food and happy apps

Here are some photos from a recent day-trip to Philly, one of my ex-cities. Philadelphia is a vegan mecca these days, boasting both a new vegan fast food restaurant and a new vegan slow food destination restaurant.  

First up was the fast food spot, HipCityVeg, located at 127 S 18th Street. The cute, brightly-hued restaurant is mainly take-out with limited seats. It is steps away from Rittenhouse Square, a great park for sandwich-eating and people-watching. The "Crispy HipCity Ranch" sandwich (pictured above) was crispy as advertised with a crunchy and tasty faux chicken filling. I also tried their sweet potato fries, the Buffalo-sauced portabella sandwich, and a chocolate brownie. All of HipCityVeg's offerings were fresh and appealing. Their packaging appears to be environmentally-friendly. And the service was quick and friendly.     

Next was the posh, slow food Vedge, at 1221 Locust Street.  Vedge was totally booked for dinner. Luckily, they have an affordable happy hour, from 5-7 weekdays, at their well-appointed bar and side lounge. (It does get crowded, so arrive early.) We tried three diverse appetizers: Korean seitan tacos, Togarashi wedge fries, and smoked mushroom tartare. The presentation of the dishes was impressive. They were artfully-constructed, ambitious small bites.  We also sampled the cocktails which were expertly-made and seriously delicious. Some day, I'd like to return for the Chef's Tasting menu, which looks like an elaborate experience.