#48 Vegan Tree - Sandy's synopsis

I had expected Vegan Tree to be a small place where you bought ready-made snacks, drinks and smoothies from behind the counter. I definitely did not expect an Asian fusion restaurant, with a kitchen, serving delicious and reasonably priced vegan fare. There is something about their decor that didn't allow me to think of it as a sit-down restaurant - it is very casual inside with a few tables surrounded by brightly coloured walls. 

They have a wide variety of food from smoothies to noodle soup, from bubble tea to pasta. As appetizers we got the golden cheesy bread, the summer rolls and the avocado sushi (there is obviously no actual fish in this). 

They were all very delicious! To be honest, I was a little wary about vegan cheese - but I had no reason to be. I don't remember the bread tasting like cheese, but I do remember it tasting very good.

We came to Vegan Tree with our friends Charles and Eileen and between the four of us we had a chance to try a lot of things on their menu. 

Charles ordered the healthy fried rice which had sweet and sour soy patties with steamed broccoli and tofu and a  red pepper and onion sauce on black rice. From what I could tell, Charles was very satisfied with his dish.

Eileen ordered a vegetable hot pot which she enjoyed but discovered that Vegan Tree is serious about their spice levels. She ordered the medium spicy which was still very spicy. So, to all those who don't like too much spice in their dish, be sure to pick low or no spice.

I ordered the vegan chow mein as I realized I  was craving spinach, cauliflower and broccoli. Convenient. The tofu was spiced with curry powder which went very well with the dish. I was very satisfied and it hit the spot. 

I will obviously let Samantha tell you about her dish by herself. And bees apparently. She will also tell you things about bees. 

In conclusion I will turn it over to Charles who sent in his summary of Vegan Tree: - 

"Vegan Tree is a great example of how diverse a vegan meal can be. Though they rely on on meat substitutes more than I would like, they offer a great selection and a great deal of food for the price. Well worth visiting"

Vegan Tree

742 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-454-2898

#48 Vegan Tree - Sam's synopsis

this was the view while
I waited outside. It was
too pretty not to post

I have to say right off the bat that I was pleasantly surprised by Vegan Tree in many ways. First off, I fully admit that I have some negative feelings towards the idea of veganism. Granted, the few people I know who are/were vegan are pretty relaxed in their stance on it - they never tried to shove it down anyone's throat. But too often I feel like I see veganism being touted as a health fad and not about a personal belief or way of life. Or people trying to tell me that they won't eat honey, which seems ludicrous (side note: I did just spend the last 5 minutes perusing the internet trying to educate myself on whether or not harvesting honey is really harmful to bees. It was hard to find an unbiased account so for the time being I will say my research is inconclusive. second side note: my family tried to raise two colonies of bees. one didn't last the winter, and the other one flew away and built a nest in the neighbor's yard, but we did get some honey beforehand. third side note: bees and other insects with caste systems are really, really interesting genetically. fourth side note: colony collapse disorder is a real thing that we should be concerned about. one of my college professors was a big proponent of spreading the word. Andrew Bird even has a song about it. fifth side note: they don't allow you to have bees in here).

mmm... cheesy?!

Okay, I really hope you guys learned a lot about bees in this blog entry. But I suppose I should actually review the restaurant, which as I mentioned turned out to be a pleasant surprise. From the outside, Vegan Tree is deceiving in that it doesn't look like it has much room to sit or a kitchen. But upon entering, you are greeted by simple wooden tables, delicious savory smells wafting in your direction, and post-it notes and animal-friendly posters all over the walls. I think we established that the post-it notes had messages about how much they enjoyed the restaurant and/or loved animals. I thought it was a nice touch. I got excited to see a PAWS bandana on the wall and then I realized I was eating in a vegan restaurant and had a total DUH moment. 

The staff was very friendly, making sure that we all enjoyed our meals. They asked our dining friend Eileen several times if her meal was okay (it was a bit too spicy), but it seemed very much like they were concerned that their food wasn't living up to some predetermined standard and wanted to make sure we weren't unhappy. That can be a bit overbearing at times, but it's nice to know that the staff truly cares about the quality of their food. Speaking of food quality, everything here was excellent, and the portion size to cost ratio is fantastic. We ordered three appetizers: summer rolls (tofu, rice, vegan ham, lettuce, noodles, carrots, cucumber, wrapped in rice paper) with peanut sauce, "cheesy" bread, and sushi with avocado, cucumbers, and carrots. I enjoyed all three and was especially impressed by the flavor profile of the cheesy bread - while it didn't quite pull off being a substitute for cheese, it was just the right amount of salty and umami and the bread was toasted to perfection.

sometimes all you need is a
clichéd saying

For my meal, I got the Joy Fried Rice, which consisted of black rice (I've never seen this grain before, so it was exciting), tofu and vegetables. It was only $6-7, which is quite the bargain for the amount of food you get. I was pretty hungry so I ate everything, but you could definitely get a sizable amount of leftovers from it. Again, the salty/umami flavors were spot on, and the veggies were the right consistency (not too firm, not too soft). I would have preferred the rice to have been made a little crispier, but that's a personal preference - it was still fantastic. I tried a bite of Sandya's dish, which had a great vegan BBQ sauce on it. I also ordered a cup of Jasmine tea, which was a nice complement to the food.

I would definitely recommend Vegan Tree to vegans and non-vegans alike - the food is great, the service is friendly, and the portion size/cost is beyond reasonable. I also didn't feel like veganism was being shoved down my throat, which is always a plus for any type of restaurant that is touting itself as something trendy and/or "counter-culture."

Vegan Tree

742 South Street

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 454-2898

#46 Starbucks and #47 Berry Sweet - Sandy's synopsis

Not this Starbuck? You sure? StarbuckS? Sigh. I'd much rather... okay, StarbuckS it is.

So I never really eat at Starbucks. Wait a minute, I never really drink at Starbucks. Okay, I never go to Starbucks. So this was actually something "different" for me.

Yes, the inside of Starbucks. How thrilling.

I ordered the, very cliched, caramel frappuchino. It was fine - nice cold sweet drink on a summer day.

It was the food that was the real new thing and I will say, not bad Starbucks. We had a chocolate croissant, a cheese pretzel and a spinach, mozzarella and pesto sandwich.

They were all tasty and hit the spot. If Starbucks is ever my only option for food, I will not fear the outcome anymore, they sell respectable snack items and sandwiches.

As for Berry Sweet...

This was also a new experience for me. I'd never been to one of these frozen yoghurt places before. SO MANY OPTIONS! It was stressful.

I stressed so much that I didn't even think to add more than one flavour of yoghurt to my cup. After much deliberation I picked the sea salt caramel flavour. I also wasn't sure whether the lever dispensed a fixed amount of yoghurt when I pulled it so I waited for awhile until I realized I had the power to stop it. By then I already had so much yoghurt in my cup I panicked and carried on to the next phase - the toppings.

There are toppings for days it seems. I stuck with some fruits, hazelnuts and a pretzel.

It was good - the fruits were fresh, nuts were tasty, the pretzel went well with the yoghurt. My wish for the next frozen yoghurt place we stop by on our blog is to not get overwhelmed by the choices and enjoy the experience.

#46 Starbucks and #47 Berry Sweet - Sam's synopsis

What can I say about Starbucks? It's a little bit more than a Subway, because the food is slightly higher quality (but incredibly overpriced). I walked by the original Starbucks in Seattle. The line was out the door, and it didn't seem worth it to wait around - especially since I don't drink coffee. I don't really even like Starbucks all that much - there are better places to get non-coffee beverages. I guess the only thing I do like about Starbucks is that it makes me think of Battlestar Galactica. That's your semi-non sequitur for the day.

This Starbucks is like any other Starbucks. The decor is that faux-wood and pine green you always see. It is pretty spacious, and there are some tables outside to enjoy the weather. There seemed to be only one person working, and he was very friendly and efficient for having to manage making drinks, preparing food and ringing customers up. I ordered a caprese panini and an Arnold Palmer (which probably has some stupid Starbucks jazzed up name that I can't remember, but for those not in the know, it's half iced tea and half lemonade). The caprese panini was fine, nothing special - it was nice that they warmed it up for me instead of having to eat it cold. The iced tea was also nothing special, and had way too much ice in it. But then again, I feel like most coffee shops put in way too much ice into their iced products. Sandya ordered a chocolate croissant, which I'm 95% certain are the ones you can order from Williams and Sonoma because they look and taste identical. Not that that's a bad thing, and I expect nothing more or less from Starbucks. She also ordered a pretzel with cheese on top, although the cheese was sort of baked in. I think I liked this the best, but I was in a sort of savory mood knowing that we were going to get frozen yogurt next. So overall, it was a Starbucks. I got exactly what I expected - overpriced food and beverage items of mediocre quality.

doesn't it sort of remind
you of a factory?

After finishing our "coffee" run, Erin joined us and we crossed the street to partake in some frozen yogurt (or fro yo. I still feel weird saying and/or typing fro yo). Fro yo (I'm going to attempt to get used to this) is not really my favorite thing - I mean, I like it and all, but I'm an ice cream girl. Growing up where there are at least 3 businesses based solely on homemade ice cream within a 10 mile radius makes it hard not to want real ice cream. I was actually surprised and a little confused as to why so many frozen yogurt places existed in Philly. Where are all the ice cream stores?! Why is Franklin Fountain so expensive (although tasty)?! Do I really have to go to Ben and Jerry's to buy ice cream cake? Granted, Ben and Jerry's is pretty good, but it's no Ice Cream Smuggler. Also, I'm really bad at making decisions, so I put way too many toppings on my frozen yogurt and then I have to pay for a pound of sugar. Which is more expensive than an actual pound of sugar. But I digress.

so much sugar

Sweet Berry has some of the better tasting frozen yogurt I've had - I sampled cookies and cream (okay, but the cookie flavor was a bit on the artificial side), salted pretzel caramel (this was delicious! nice sweet and salty balance and not artificial at all) and dark chocolate (pretty standard chocolate flavor). I piled on the toppings - I think I had brownie bits, peanut butter cup pieces, toffee pieces, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sauce and maybe some caramel sauce for good measure. You can't really go wrong with candy, brownies and liquid sugar. I liked Berry Sweet, the yogurt itself wasn't overly saccharine and the topping variety was good. Although they did not label their topping choices, which means you had to play the guessing game for some of them - not good for anyone with allergies, etc. And the inside of the store sort of reminded me of a candy factory, or maybe the candy department at the Toys 'R Us in Times Square. Lots of bright colors, with that well-oiled machine feel to it.

In the end, I think my strategy needs to be pick one flavor of frozen yogurt and a few toppings to complement it. But then again, if I had the choice I'd always shell out the extra few bucks and get some real ice cream instead.

Starbucks
600 S. 9th Street (eep!)
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 923-2389

Berry Sweet
901 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 922-2334

#45 Percy Street BBQ - Vera's synopsis

Hello South Street fans! As a dedicated lurker of this site, I was very excited when I got the chance to accompany the saunterers on their South Street adventure. Finally, one item checked off of my Grad School Bucket List! I’d been to Percy Street before, but for an event with a thanksgiving themed limited menu, and this time it was way more fun.

Without further ado then, let’s start with the décor. The outside is decorated with dark red hanging lights in an understated manner – you could miss the place if you weren’t paying attention. Inside the restaurant feels spacious, and it maintains a mix of a picnic and vintage vibe. I can’t describe it better. One of the walls displayed a fun, infographic-like painting of all the ingredients found in each of the alcoholic drinks on the menu. I thought that was super fun. I wish I’d taken a picture, but some other patrons were sitting right in front of the wall. Sadness.

Speaking of drinks, I actually thought Percy Street made an effort to have creative mixed drinks on the menu. Sam and I ordered “The Gentleman Gambler” which was a mix of Art in the Age Sage, gin, cucumber syrup, and lemon, garnished with a cute tiny cucumber slice. Both Sam and I commented on the fact that the gin taste was masked pretty well, which I appreciate, as I think gin in and of itself does not taste all that good. My most favorite drink on the menu however turned out to be Sandya’s “Hillbilly Gatorade” – a concoction of Miller Hi-Life, pickle juice, and BBQ sauce. Disgusting, you say? I say delicious and delightful!

Finally, the food! We ordered a bit of everything, and my two favorite dishes were the biscuits (they had fun spreads accompanying them, rather than the usual butter) and the mac n’ cheese side. The mac n’cheese was crunchy on the outside but yet also very creamy. My least favorite dish sadly was the teeny tiny quail, but oh, it was the cutest little quail dish ever. So, I give it the “cutest tiny quail dish” award. The dishes also came with their three levels of BBQ sauce. From least to most spicy they were called “sweet thang,” “old faithful,” and “hot mess”. They were displayed in cute tiny color-coded bottles (I apparently have a thing for “cute tiny”). I am a huge fan of everything spicy so I had high hopes for the hot mess one. It was spicy, but alas, not enough. I got the ribs for my entrée but by that point we were all so full that I actually barely had any and I just took it home for dinner. They were alright, but would have been better with the BBQ ssauce. For dessert, the Strawberry Rhubarb milkshake with homemade oreo was quite good, but by that point I was barely enjoying it because I was very, very full.

So, overall, I think Percy Street BBQ had good food (and even better company!). I think I would go back to it for an order of biscuits and a glass of Hillbilly Gatorade – the breakfast of champions ;)

P.S. As a joke, and because I’m really procrastinating doing my actual work-writing, here’s a tiny poem (rhyme scheme shamelessly plagiarized from that one Christmas poem):

T’was a typical Sunday when we decided to meet

For good food and company, at 9th on South street

The drinks were creative and prepped with much care

Between biscuits and cornbread, there was plenty to share!

With drinks in one hand, and barbecue handy

It’s always much fun, hanging with Sam and Sandy!

Percy Street BBQ

900 South Street

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 625-8510

#45 Percy Street BBQ - Sandy's synopsis

That's pretty good advice - Love is complicated, brisket is simple. Are you convinced that you should go to Percy Street BBQ yet? No? The cow holding hands/hoofs with the woman does not sway you to eat more beef?

Well, looks like this review will attempt to convince you to do just that. Without the use of weird cow, human romance chalk drawings.

If my memory serves me correctly, this is the second BBQ place we have encountered on South Street since Phoebe's BBQ on 24th-ish and South. The two immediate differences are - price ( Phoebe's is much cheaper) and seating options (take-out versus sit in).

Before I compare the two however let me go over our experience at Percy Street BBQ. 

The interior is very spacious and open and they also have outdoor seating if so desired. The benches are wooden and impart a rustic feel to the establishment.

They have a very interesting cocktail menu, so interesting that I thought it was worth taking a photo of it to have you judge for yourself.

Yes, that is the shadow of my little finger in the photo. You are welcome. 

It was a very hard decision to make, but I was feeling very adventurous. You can probably guess what the most "adventurous" drink on this list is. If you guessed the Hillbilly gatorade, then you are correct - BBQ sauce, Pickle Juice and Miller high life.

It might not look very appetizing but let me tell you how pleasantly surprised I was after taking that first sip. To me, it was delicious! I enjoyed every bit of it. Now 3 of the remaining 5 people at the table tried it. Only 1 of those 3 people liked it. So, clearly not a win for everyone - hit or miss kind of drink. I still urge everyone to get this once. You might be one of those people who loves it and you will be a happier person knowing this is now an option in your life.

I tried the other cocktails at the table. I can tell you that the Gentleman Gambler, Red Rio Antebellum and FM 423 are all delicious. 

Enough about the booze, lets get down to the meat of this review, namely, the meat. The table ordered a variety of dishes and a few appetizers. 

I ordered the pulled pork for my entree and it did not disappoint.

 I will say that the pork without their BBQ sauces on them tends to be a bit too salty so don't forget to lather it with your sauce of choice. You can choose between Hot mess, Ole Faithful and Sweet thing sauces and I don't think I can pick one over the other. They are all delicious. The portions are big and this meal lasted a couple of days of leftovers.

I know the brisket ( which comes with a choice of moist or dry), ribs and chicken were all ordered and thoroughly enjoyed by our table. Also, Percy street can accommodate a gluten-free diet for most of their meat dishes. 

As for the appetizers - the mac and cheese was phenomenal. Comforting and cheesy, with an amazing breadcrumb crust .

The biscuits were also amazing and came with a sweet spread (with carrots, which was weird but delicious) and butter.

The deviled eggs were pretty to look at and nice to the taste but nothing out of the ordinary.

The fried quail with grits was the least favourite appetizer for me. Just seemed to fall flat on taste on both fronts.

Even though we had alot of food, that did not keep us from dessert. Percy street has a couple of interesting milkshakes and a couple of interesting pies. We ordered a rhubarb strawberry milkshake, a pecan pie and a grasshopper pie. 

I ordered the grasshopper pie because of its name. Besides, you can't go too wrong with chocolate and mint. However it was nothing compared to the pecan pie and the rhubarb milkshake. Definitely would pick either of those next time.

Well,  if you consider all the food we ordered, you'll probably guess that it did end up being expensive. I do believe even if we weren't collectively try to order the entire menu, I would consider it a little expensive. The entree's do not come with any sides which adds to the price. So expect to put a little dent in your wallet when you come here, but you will be well rewarded. If you're looking for BBQ on a more regular or cheaper basis, I would pick Phoebe's but for a more creative (but pricier) menu, Percy Street is a fantastic place for lunch or dinner. 

Also, Hillybilly gatorade....

Percy Street BBQ

900 South Street 

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-652-8510