Royal Tavern, Govinda's, & Dizengoff: Something New, Something Old, Something.... Pink

On Friday night, started the weekend off right with co-worker gal pals. They drank specialty beers. I gulped iced water. We discussed all the things loved and despised. Quite frankly, it felt nice letting out the steam. Plus, one of them recently had a milestone birthday (speaking of which the other co-worker's birthday is today). Hilarious coincidence right? Still, in the dark, with a few lit candles containing real fire, we ate vegan together-- they both ordered vegan cheesesteaks-- one had without onions and the other without mushrooms. I was blown away by PhillyVeganMonster's Instagram post of Royal Tavern's special of the week-- a massive chickpea burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Of course, apologizing to arteries in advance, I had to try it out for myself.

Served with hot skinny fries, a juicy pickle, and vegan mayo, the unique "cheeseburger" also contained tomatoes, lettuce, onion (a little too much onion), and seitan ba'con. Naturally, this colossal sandwich had to be eaten with fork and knife. It was just so massive. I believe the cheese is Violife's original version (or mozzarella as PhillyVeganMonster suggested). It has that rich, mild flavor that Daiya just doesn't have. The thick, well-seasoned chickpea burger, held together with little crumbling, was superb.

On Sunday, my roommate and I stopped by Govinda's for dinner. It was her first time there. I love the place, especially when they have an assortment of vegan donuts. I ordered my usual chik'in cheesesteak on a whole wheat roll. She tried out the chik'in burger.

One can never go wrong with a slice of Vegan Treats dessert. This carrot cake is a definite favorite. It's moist, contains a yummy balance of fine, grated carrots, and memorable spice blends from childhood and the cream cheese frosting isn't a sugary, overpowering catastrophe. My roommate enjoyed the chocolate peanut butter cake. She said something along the lines of, "I usually don't like peanut butter things, but the peanut butter flavor wasn't too extreme."

At a Saturday afternoon work function, a sweet co-worker saved me Dizengoff Hummus and pita bread inside of their trademark hot pink bag. It was an incredibly good meal-- the right balance of lemon juice and garlic flavoring the creamy, tangy whipped hummus goodness. With the soft, chewy pita bread long devoured, I've included this delicious hummus in pasta and rice dishes, experimenting to heart's desire.