vegadeli

we tried vegadeli when it first opened, but we were too underwhelmed to make the long drive back (all the way in chesterfield, yo) for a second chance. we were both craving food from a 100% vegan (!) restaurant this past weekend, though, so we put pedal to metal, waving our skinny middle fingers at gas prices.

mission:

vegadeli

chesterfield, mo

terrain:

did we mention that vegadeli is located in chesterfield? eesh. we still can't figure out why the owner chose that location, but it is what it is. the interior of vegadeli is relatively no frills, sporting a few basic tables and some "folk" art on the walls. the menu is posted on the wall next to the front door. the menu is posted by the door, and it has pictures next to some of the items, which struck us as a tad too chinese buffet. we're guessing they do this because many new customers may not be familiar with some of the ingredients.  one orders at the cash register, which is adjacent to a sparsely populated dessert cabinet. to its credit, vegadeli was clean.

personnel:

the cash register operator was soft spoken and friendly. when i requested an off-menu item (hummus with bread), she didn't make a fuss, and when we ordered the kale wrap (more on this later), she couldn't suppress her delight in the quality of our selection. we love it when restaurant staff are excited about the food.

rations:

we started with a hummus appetizer. yes, that's a plastic container you see there. why they didn't serve the hummus in a washable dish is beyond us. in any case, the hummus was strange but tasty. it almost tasted cheesy, which made us think they may have added some parma to it. either way, it was good enough to finish off but not good enough to order again. the pita was served cold with no seasoning. too bad. from the hummus, things picked up a bit, beginning with the delicious yellow lentil soup and veggie-stuffed cornbread. the lentil soup was not overly salty, but it still managed to pack plenty of flavor. the cornbread was fantastic, combining chunks of veggies and just the right amount of sweetness from the corn. when we combined the cornbread with the soup, the result was magical. still, the serving size of the soup was laughable. we paid for a bowl, but there couldn't possibly have been more than 5 ounces. did the server just mess up our order?  we sure hope that's the case.

after the soup, we moved on to the kale wrap. it was quite nice, really, and had a delightful taste of sesame, but again the serving left much to be desired. we understand serving controlled portions, but it is simply unacceptable to charge nearly ten dollars for what amounted to a few leaves of kale, a slice of tomato, and some sauce. they did throw in some chips (kettle brand?).

despite the shortcomings, vegadeli should still be commended for offering a 100% vegan menu. clearly, they know how to make their food taste yummy; they just need to work on presentation and value.  no doubt, though, we'll be paying them more visits in the future.

assessment:

b- (primarily because of the inconsistencies)

vegetarian-friendly score:

a+