Pennsyltucky Veggie Awards 2012 – Best Chili

Allen Street Grill – Vegetarian Chili

Best Chili was added as a category this year because there are so many great vegetarian chili’s to choose from in our area. Allen Street Grill in State College has beat out the others with it’s Vegetarian Chili. It has a mild tomato base seasoned with ancho chili powder. Less brothy than the runner up and more consistent flavor wise, it is brimming with chunks of zucchini, carrot, red & green pepper, and onion that are just tender. They add in some kidney and black beans and top it with a garnish of fresh scallions. A hearty vegetarian chili for years whether you get a cup or as a base in the full blown Santa Fe Chili Bowl topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, tomato and onion and served with tortilla chips.

Bullfrog Brewery

With this region’s mild palate preferences, chili is rarely served very spicy unless by special request. Spiciest in the region is the second placed Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport. They have a beer infused Veggie Chili and the initial pleasant beer flavor adds a really special quality to it as the heat sneaks up on you. Like the chili at Allen Street Grill, it has a tomato base, veggies and beans but is less consistent in flavor because Chef Rico changes the recipe with the brews available on tap. We loved it when he made it with the Extra Fancy Stout. 

Elk Creek Café in Millheim as well as State College’s Otto’s Pub and Brewery and aardvark kafé and have all offered noteworthy vegan chilis but none have remained as regular menu selections. The latter and Selin’s Grove Brewing Co. of Selinsgrove both use a Textured Vegetable Protein in it for a toothsome texture and extra rib sticking bonus.

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Also noteworthy is Mad Mex for its tomatillo based Chick Pea Chili upon which you can opt for the vegan toppings of Tofutti Sour Supreme and Daiya Shreds. Bullfrog Brewery also has the vegan shreds as a choice.

I feel a bit more qualified than just a regular customer to judge this category having been awarded the mid-atlantic region’s second best for my vegan Pennsyltucky Chili. I feel so very happy to exclaim,”¡Felicidades! Allen Street Grill,” for being awarded Pennsyltucky Veggie 2012 Best Chili. It is a chili all vegetarians can look forward to warming them through the winter and offering great flavor year round.

Have you tasted a better vegetarian chili than this one? If it’s in central PA (see map here) and is a regular vegetarian menu item, let me know and I will include it in the judging next year! Drop me, Pennsyltucky Veggie, a line or feel free to leave a comment!

Brews n Bytes Café & Eatery

Brews n Bytes Café & Eatery has not had an easy time of it over the past few years. The little sign from the outside announces that it is a “bastion of music, arts & free speech.” They might want to add a parenthetical title of “when the flooding waters of the nearby Susquehanna cut us a break.” Danville frequently floods and Brews n Bytes is doing its best to, yet again, rise phoenix-like out of what had been a sopping mess on Lower Mulberry Street.

The co-owner, Jason Leonardo Rafael Perez-Dieppa, is gregarious and enthusiastic about his business. Although I could not tell you what the place was like before the multiple times it had been flooded, he is applying a lot of love and elbow grease into what is shaping up to be a lovely little café. From what I can derive from their FaceBook history, it was a favorite (and seems to be again) drawing performers and a regular coffeehouse kind of crowd.

From a cultural standpoint, coffeehouses serve largely as centers of social interaction, Brews n Bytes seems to be just that kind of place. I do ask why I, as an introvert, find myself popping into places where many congregate to commune and chat. It is clear that the vegetarian food options had been calling me for some months and for those who like catching up on the local scene, my telling of the social aspect will be an added enhancement.

Chef Lisa, co-owner, has crafted yet another exciting menu with many vegetarian and vegan options. Between Jim and myself, we ordered the Veggie Chili and the Putini Panini (vegan). Above and beyond that, when we visited in the very last days of 2011, the menu then included a lot of vegan wraps like a Veggie Burger in strips or the Portobella Lagosi. Next time I think I will order a Humana Humana Hummus.

They had just re-opened and were still pulling together a few things like the espresso area but that wasn’t stopping local performers from already booking gigs. It was a bit drafty because of some final repairs that were being made but we had a good time knowing that when we next visited it would be even more attractive than it already was. The brightly colored walls, cozy furniture and temporarily quiet musical equipment all radiated a place that was filled with joy.

Jim said his coffee was “really good” as we sat enjoying a jazzy Pandora Radio station at one of the dozen little tables in the back dining area. We were glad to sit and enjoy our surroundings at leisure; parking is cheap on the one-way Mulberry Street at >10 for 30 minutes. Families and veggie folks of all ages will feel comfortable and welcome and I have been eager to write this glowing review since December 2011.

The Vegan Putini Panini was served halved on a super-fresh, thyme seasoned 6″ panini. It was pleasantly warm and crammed with hummus and oodles of soft grilled vegetables. Not just a variety of flavors and textures had been paid attention to, Chef Lisa obviously considered color and chose carrots, zucchini, red onions, mushrooms and red peppers to fill our sandwich. A festive little portion of creamy corn and black bean salad dressed up the plate and added a gentle south-western flavor to the meal.

The Veggie Chili was served with sour cream and cheese on the side and was wisely spiced mild/medium for the Pennsyltucky palette. It was thick with TVP, black and kidney beans, onions, red and green peppers. Very hearty on such a chilling day, I appreciated that it came out piping hot.

Not far off Interstate 80′s Danville exit, this is a spot all Pennsyltucky veggie travelers should know about. They are open Tues-Sat 10:30 AM to 9 PM and you might want to check the Webpage or FaceBook to see if there is a band playing. Brews n Bytes boasts the most extensive and unique fusion/eclectic vegetarian (seafood too) menu within 100 miles and it’s true. You can enjoy a vegan meal, great coffee and take advantage of the Wifi in a warm and hospitable atmosphere. Something tells me with Brews n Bytes, the best is yet to come.

Spats Cafe and Speakeasy Restaurant

What’s in a name? Before I ever went to Spats I got the impression that I was going to have to be sized up through a little sliding window in the front door, maybe give a password to let me into the self-proclaimed “speakeasy.” Prohibition is long over and State College is anything but a dry town (as described in amazing detail by This American Life’s #1 Party School) but Speakeasy’s still a cool term and might have its etymological roots in Pennsylvania.

Our first visit was years ago during a cold winter holiday. I remember sharing lunch with our son, then 15, and one of his first girlfriends, Danya. The tall ceiling wasn’t making it easy to heat the dining room but we had a pleasant and special lunch in the dim filtered light of late December. It was that day we realized they actually had vegetarian choices. Thank you to Danya for drawing Spats to our attention.

On the corner of College Avenue and Pugh Street in downtown State College, Spats sits above The Rathskeller to which I gave an earlier food review. I always like to stop outside the brick exterior and read the posted menus because they have been dedicated to always having one vegetarian special.

The interior is lovely and dimly lit with a Deco Bourbon Street theme. The wood floors, tables and chairs are accented with the rouge and black color scheme of table cloths and high painted ceiling.The selection of jazz always puts me in a festive mood and the little Mardi Gras beads wrapped around the silverware is just the best.

We almost always get the Vegetable Jambalaya but since I reviewed the same kitchen’s creation at the downstairs The Rathskeller (from which you can tap into the WiFi), we took time to really look over the menu and seek out some new things to try. We went for dinner but read over the Tapas and Amuse-Bouche menu too. So much to tempt us but it was a couple of vegetarian specials that won out this time.

You might think I was sick of chili after the week of prepping and competing in the Vegtoberfest Chili Cook-off. Not so, I am always intrigued to see how others put together a Vegetarian Chili. This recipe was quite mild but smoky with chunks of tomato, green & red peppers, corn and kidney beans. I thought they played it a little too safe but it was fine other than being too salty. I added their Spats hot sauce to make it have a little heat.

I also ordered another of my favorites, Creole Chopped Salad. It always comes out super chilled with a wonderful range of textures, veggies and flavors. It does include a cheese, lettuce and a sweet creamy dressing. There is nothing else like it anywhere in the area and we both really enjoy it.

Jim took advantage of the vegetarian special of Eggplant Ravioli. It was topped with soft small cubes of mozzarella and scallions and the fresh made pasta pillows with blanketed in a red sauce. The sauce was creole inspired with the twist of adding sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives for flavor and texture. The sauce on its own was a little too salty to begin with and the olives pushed it over the edge. The raviolis were very mild, well cooked pasta around a perfectly done filling of cooked eggplant and cheese.

Although Spats has regular vegetarian specials, I can’t think of many who will want to visit regularly. It’s just a bit salty – price and palette wise. Save it for a special night with your sweety or a group of friends who are hard to impress. How many places do you know in State College that offer a between course sorbet palette cleanser?. It’s not a place to take rambunctious children and reservations are suggested. A Vegan would be hard pressed to easily sort out what might make a good meal here but it is a pretty classy place for a Vegetarian dining experience.

Winner Pennsyltucky Veggie Awards 2011 – Best Salad