lunch

I’ve been wanting to eat at Wildflower Earthly Vegan Fare ever since I learned of its opening in South Jersey recently. Having lived in South Jersey (yes, I’m capitalizing “South” because it is like its own state!) for a majority of my life, I can say there aren’t too many all-vegan or vegetarian places to choose from. Even though I no longer live in that area, it is nice to have a place like this to dine at when visiting friends or family.

I went with my husband and my best friend from college, neither of which are vegan or vegetarian. They were eager, however, to try this lovely new place as well. Wildflower is a casual, mostly take-out oriented place (for now). They do have some outdoor seating and we enjoyed a very nice Jersey summer day sitting at one of the outdoor tables.

I could have easily gotten anything on the menu, as all of it appealed to me in some way. I settled on the Kick Ass Nachos, which were large white corn chips, covered with black beans, olives, TVP (texturized vegetable protein), a lovely salsa queso sauce, an organic spring mix, tomatoes, and guacamole. It was heavenly! It was packed with fresh, organic toppings and was so large, I could not even finish it to try one of their amazing desserts. It was a pleasant surprise to see that they carry some of my favorite beverages, such as Izze drinks. I grabbed a Grapefruit Izze to wash it down. Party in my mouth!

My best friend tried the Chicken-Safe Salad wrap, which was made with a seasoned blend of not-chick’n (which I was told by the owner was TVP & Vegenaise), sliced almonds, dill pickles, organic red onions, carrots, celery, jersey fresh scallions, and an organic spring mix. My BFF described it as “filling and flavorful” and indicated that the taste was “delicious and the seasoning was rich, but balanced.” The texture was further described as “smooth and not rough on the palate.” Portion sizes were so good that she saved the other half for dinner that night.  She was impressed with how good vegan food can be and said that this meal helped to dispel some of her perceptions. She washed her wrap down with a wonderfully delicious Virgil’s Natural Root Beer.

Lastly, my SO ordered the Middle East Feast salad, which consisted of baked falafel, organic hummus, millet tabouli, kalamata olives, organic cucumbers, carrots, red cabbage, tomatoes, an organic spring mix, and homemade tahini sauce. I have to say that his meal had the best eye appeal! He enjoyed his salad, but wished the falafel was a little crunchier on the outside. He’s used to fried, not baked falafel, but thought if they were baked a little longer, they might have appealed to his preference for a crunchier outside texture. Regardless, he devoured the salad and the only thing left on his plate were the olives (he doesn’t like olives!). His beverage of choice was the Jersey Fresh Strawberry-Peach Lemonade, which he described as “very good, more strawberry than peach.”

Overall, we really enjoyed Wildflower! I would most definitely return if I was in the area. I need to try some of their desserts, which I’ve read some excellent reviews on.
On my veganlicious scale, Wildflower received an overall rating of 4 out of 5 carrots!