Gold beets, smoked tofu, avocado, capers, cucumber dill sauce, and pumpernickel.

When I found out Horizons, a lovely vegan restaurant in my hometown of Philadelphia, was closing down, I was distraught. But my tears were quickly dried when I heard the owners would be opening a new vegan restaurant in Philly! Enter: Vedge. This upscale vegan restaurant opened in late 2011 and has since taken the world by storm. I’m pretty sure I love Vedge even more than I liked Horizons. It’s a bit more refined and it’s just more of an experience. It’s definitely pricey, but the food is amazing. The portions are small–you are supposed to order many dishes. This can add up as you’d imagine but it’s also my favorite way to dine. I love to try small bits of as many dishes as possible. Yes, I’ve been known to frequent a veggie Indian buffet now and then. But Vedge is no buffet, that’s for sure. It kind of feels like you’re at an old-school gentleman’s club (not that kind!), as it’s divided into rooms and covered in dark wooden fixtures. Actually, the time I went there for dinner, I was sitting next to two (talkative) old-school gentleman, only one of which was vegan.

Roasted rutabaga salad, little leaves, charred onion, farro, and pistachio.

That’s the other great thing about Vedge: it’s popular with non-vegans too. It’s practically mainstream. They recently launch a line of sauces with Williams-Sonoma, which is obviously big-time for a niche restaurant. And then more recently, Vedge made it to GQ’s list of “the 12 Most Outstanding Restaurants of 2013.” . If you read the review, this was clearly a hard sell. According to Vedge’s twitter, “the first words out of Alan Richman’s mouth on the phone w/ me “I fucking hate vegan restaurants, how do you do what you do?” What a sweetie-pie!

Chocolate pot de crème with coffee salt, macadamia nut biscotti, and b-day candle!

This July, Vedge is coming out with their own cookbook entitled, Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small That Redefine Vegetable Cooking. And look, I procured a little preview for you!

It’s complete with the recipe for Vedge’s shaved Brussels sprouts with whole-grain mustard sauce. Brussels sprouts are maybe my favorite thing ever. I’m pretty sure I could survive just on Brussels sprouts and coffee. If I can’t, I’ll miss you guys, but know I died happy.