Philly Food

I was so psyched that my job sent me to an amazing conference in one of my favorite cities:  Philadelphia.  Not only do I have friends and cousins who live there, but I also adore the old cobblestone alley ways and all of the beautiful murals throughout the city.  Plus, Philly has fabulous food!  Now I knew I wasn't going to be getting a Philly cheese steak or a soft pretzel while I was there, so before my trip, I looked up some gluten free restaurants on Gluten Free Philly.

 The one that stood out to me the most was Sweet Freedom Bakery.  Their treats are all gluten, egg, dairy, soy, corn, peanut and refined sugar - free (and they're kosher!)  They have donuts, cupcakes, cookies, muffins and more.  I went there with my friend Miriam and we indulged in some chocolate chip banana bread and a cinnamon twist!  They were so delicious, sweet with a fantastic texture!  Next time I'm in Philly I am going early in the morning to try their cinnamon buns!

 Later that evening, my cousin Cassandra snagged us a reservation at the hottest new vegan restaurant, Vedge.  Even with all the talk and anticipation over this new restaurant, the food still managed to surpass all my expectations.  We started with the collard greens and the crispy cauliflower in a kimchee crema - both were phenomenal.  My cousin ordered the braciole: cauliflower and garbanzo beans wrapped in thinly sliced eggplant and a pea salsa verde- it tasted like nothing I had every eaten.  My plate was a beautiful stack of golden beets, smoked tofu, avocado and capers served with a creamy dill sauce (all vegan.)  The flavors were so sophisticated- smooth, refreshing, yet rich and satisfying.(Also, check out my cousin's blogpost on Vedge! Yes, we were both taking tons of photos during our delicious meal for our blogs- what do you expect- we're related and even have the same Aries birthday!)

Along with these two unique places, I had luck finding good food at the Reading Terminal Market- similar to Faneuil Hall in Boston or the Ferry Building in San Francisco- with plenty of options for fresh and yummy food.



I also went to Alma de Cuba, a fabulous Cuban restaurant.  We shared the sweet plantains and the tostones (all gluten free!), and I went for some ceviche topped with sweet potato shredded crisps and a side of garlicy greens.

Philly is also known for it's plethora of good Vietnamese food and so we went to Vietnam Palace in Chinatown and I had the tastiest vermicelli bowl with shrimp and bbq pork! Oh, and speaking of pork-the top photo is of a pork roast with a honey saracha sauce, brussels sprouts and a sweet potato hash that I ate at Smokin Betty's (there was definitely some sugar in this dish, but otherwise it was safe for me!)  I can't wait to come back to Philly for some more delicious food!