Erin M.
Yelp
I've had Miss Rachel's food on three separate occasions, three separate ways. She's definitely near the top of my list of vegan chefs in the Philadelphia area.
My first time sampling Miss Rachel's food was the most underwhelming. We ordered two catered items for Thanksgiving: seitan turkey with mushroom gravy and stuffing. I'm no huge fan of seitan, but the turkey was alright. The mushroom gravy was quite good. The stuffing was incredibly dull and tasteless. I would hope for something a little more interesting than white bread chunks with celery and a little spice. Maybe some cranberries and walnuts? There are way more interesting stuffing recipes out there. The meal was $70 which was a little on the pricey side for the food quality. But again, it was all uphill after this experience.
My second time at Miss Rachel's was for a surprise birthday party for a friend of mine, given by her boyfriend. We subsidized the party at $15 per person, but I'm sure he paid quite a bit more for appetizers, lemonade, vegan cheese and desserts. This time, the food was amazing. I really dug the little vegan crab cakes and the chipotle hummus. Really interesting stuff. There was a vegan cheese plate, but I missed most of it because other party goers inhaled it. Everything was fabulous and the space was great for a small party of friends and family.
The third time was this past weekend, for the Saturday farm table meal. At $45, plus tax and tip, this is a pricey meal, but I'm guessing that Miss Rachel makes a tiny margin cooking for small crowds. We had to book it about 2 months in advance because it is a popular meal. I went with two friends and my husband and we were joined by a few strangers (or new friends!) including some folks from the Humane League which was very cool. My husband and I started by splitting a mushroom tart and a tempeh taco. The mushroom tart was absolutely drool worthy and possibly my favorite part of the meal. Next up, my husband and I each got the arugula salad which was fresh and lightly dressed, and pretty good. We each also ordered the potato-based lasagna with "late summer vegetables." It was mostly potato, but the taste was okay and the vegan ricotta was out of this world. Unfortunately, this course was cold when we got it. Finally, for dessert, we split the peanut butter s'more and the zucchini bread sundae. All I could taste on the s'more was the peanut butter and it was not my favorite. The sundae, however, was fantastic, and the ice cream and fennel cream were incredibly decadent. Overall, a great meal. I think coffee should be included in the cost of the meal, but it is not. We ended up paying about $60 each, including tip and coffee. That price is a little much for the food, but worthwhile for the experience.
I definitely would return here for catering (not Thanksgiving), takeout, or a party. The farmhouse dinner was worth a single trip but a bit pricey for me to return. The food is wonderful and Miss Rachel is a gem.