Sunwishes

By Kirsten Henri
Add Comment Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jan. 12, 2005

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2027 Walnut St. 215.255.8408
Tofu po' boy: $9.50
Grilled tempeh salad: $7.50
Coconut tofu nuggets: $5

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Oh, did I make a foodie fool of myself during a recent late-night beerfest. I was at a bar with several co-workers when we fell into a discussion about vegans. Fueled by foamy pints of lager, I railed against their irritating eating habits, pesky morality and tendency to appear either grossly under- or overweight. It was at this moment that one of my work friends (who fortunately was very forgiving) gently revealed his lifelong vegan status. I felt like a heel--perhaps because I had stuffed my entire meat-eating foot in my mouth. Following profuse apologies, I said what truly bugged me about veganism had less to do with the aforementioned reasons and more to do with the fact that the vegan foods I had tried always failed to excite the palate. He suggested I head over to Sunwishes, whose totally vegan menu was one of the best he's had. Of course I went (wouldn't you if you'd just made a royal ass of yourself?), and I can report that I'll now be eating my words along with that foot. Sunwishes produces some of the most flavorful, freshest out-and-out delicious food I've had in recent memory. Let's begin with the tofu po' boy, which I ordered specifically because I thought it would be the least viable crossover item. A soft lavash wrap is stuffed to overflowing with lettuce, tomato, red onion and silky tofu rectangles that are dredged in Cajun spices and fried till crispy, and slathered with a creamy remoulade with hints of mustard. While it lacked the tang of the sea you'd find in a traditional oyster po' boy, the other flavors were so pronounced that I found I didn't miss the real thing. A grilled tempeh salad over spinach with marinated mushrooms and onions, avocado and sun-dried tomato was vibrant and full of complementary punches of flavor, and made even brighter by a cucumber-horseradish dressing. Simple coconut fried tofu came to life when dunked in the addictive shoyu-ginger dipping sauce. It's clear upon tasting that a great deal of thought and care has gone into the execution of the fare at Sunwishes--it coaxes complex layers of flavor from a limited palette. The food is designed not only to follow dietary restrictions but to inspire the senses of carnivores, herbivores and, yes, foot-eaters alike.

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