When we sat down with chef Rich Landau of Horizons, we knew what to expect: incredibly current, creative, fresh, full and layered flavors in food that just so happens to be vegan. The only thing we didn’t know is how exactly we’d be tickled.  If you don’t know Rich and Horizons, you need to get yourself an education.  Rich is a pioneer in the vegan scene, but is also breaking ground among the top chefs ever in America, earning the historic distinction of being the first chef honored to cook a full vegan menu for the James Beard House. That’s why we were so excited when Rich accepted our invitation to create a burger for National Hamburger Month.

Full Disclosure:  I am a recovering (relapsed?) vegetarian that is currently considering the transition back to plates of beans and grains, greens and roasted tomatoes.  See, the problem that I have is the same one that inspired Rich’s culinary journey into ethical food.  Vegetarian food at restaurants is usually so very bland, utilitarian and lacking in character.  Rich didn’t choose not to eat meat because of his disgust for flavor, in fact he still is inspired by meat dishes that he encounters during weekly discovery at local restaurants.  He and his wife pastry chef Kate Jacoby are always devouring new food knowledge and encouraging one another to push flavor and creativity further.  He certainly flexed his culinary muscles for us with his Seitan Banh Mi Sliders.

The sandwich starts with seitan made especially for the restaurant by Ray’s Seitan, which the chef infuses with lemongrass and kafir lime stock and red chili.  The seitan is browned on a flat-top grill before being ground and formed into burger patties.  After griddling the burger, it’s topped with a pickled diakon slaw made with carrot, green chili, cilantro and scallions with a bit of rice-wine vinegar.  The burger is served on baguette rounds spread with vegan sriracha-infused mayonnaise and a bit of cumin oil.

Together the sharp spice of Sriracha and fresh green chili, the sweet of lemongrass and cilantro, the crunch and oil brought by the grilled Seitan, the tangy daikon slaw and my “carnivorous” ripping into the chewy homemade baguette left me grinning that food smile from the first bite.  In my mind I’m not eating vegan food, and I’m not necessarily eating a burger: I’m eating a delicious flavor and texture combination that I wish there were more of (perhaps it’s the free glutamates/Umami in Seitan?).  In essence, my reaction is exactly what Rich is going for, as evidenced with his proclamation that “it’s all about reaching out to the mainstream.  I want the suit and tie wearing, motorcycle riding, family raising, aspiring, thriving community to eat these ingredients and enjoy fresh food.”  While everything that goes into Horizon’s food is ethical, environmental and healthy – none of it works unless the food is this dang good.

The Banh Mi Sliders will appear on the weekday, weather permitting Happy Hour menu which starts Tuesday, 5/18, served between 5-6 pm outside and are an absolute bargain at $4 for two.  We expect this to become one of Philly’s staple happy hour foods.  Go here. Eat this. Expand your horizons with some food that does no harm and tastes so fine.  With meals this delicious, I could definitely look past meat again, even with all the ridiculous meaty treats Philadelphia has to offer.

Horizons
611 South 7th Street – Philadelphia, PA 19147 (Google Map)

Ask any vegetarian or vegan living in Philadelphia for their favorite sandwich, and its a good bet that the answer will be the tofu hoagie from Fu-Wah Mini Market. Opened in 2003 by the Lai family, the same people behind the wildly popular and delicious Vietnam Restaurant, the small store has quickly become a West Philadelphia institution, selling a variety of groceries and Asian items. But it is the tofu hoagie that causes a small crowd of customers to hover around the register, and during nice weather on the sidewalk outside.

Based on the banh mi, a sandwich created during the French colonization of Vietnam, the tofu hoagie stuffs the same basic fillings (sans pork) into a fresh Amoroso’s roll rather than the traditional baguette. Warm, marinated tofu is topped with shreds of pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro and sliced jalapeño peppers, a sweet combination that finishes with a surprisingly spicy kick. A Vietnamese Chicken hoagie is also offered for the carnivores, but the chunks of dark meat chicken were incomparable to the light and fluffy taste of the tofu. It is interesting to note that customers who are normally wary of the taste of the soy-based product, have grown fond of the way it is prepared in Fu-Wah’s sandwich.

Although tofu hoagie veterans know the best way to obtain one without the wait is to call ahead, we found that watching the sandwich artist line up ten rolls on the counter and delicately prepare them one at a time was well worth it. Some find the 47th and Baltimore location to be a hike from Center City and beyond, but if you’re in West Philadelphia, we recommend giving the tofu hoagie a try.

Fu-Wah Mini Market
810 S 47th Street Philadelphia, PA 19143 (Google Map)