But if you’re a vegan, this is as good as it gets.Īnd by the way, I wasn’t hungry an hour later. Would I have liked some prosciutto or wine-soaked sopressata in there? Hell, yeah. Everything tasted super-fresh and the goat cheese packed enough flavor to carry that sandwich. But I was committed at this point, so I took my plate over to the teeny counter by the window and took a bite. An inveterate meat eater, I feared that the lack of protein would leave me hungry and reaching for a snack in an hour. The sandwich contained nothing but vegan goat cheese, arugula, and sliced heirloom tomatoes on a crusty French baguette (luckily, all foods I do enjoy). The only way to describe how I felt at that moment is… helpless.īut when Youssef came back out a few minutes later with his mystery concoction, it looked delicious. He didn’t even ask me if I was allergic to anything. “I’ll make you a sandwich.”Īnd before I could try any other samples or ask him just what he was planning to put on this sandwich, Youssef disappeared into the kitchen again and I was left standing there, hoping he wouldn’t come out with a pumpernickel roll with olives and yellow mustard (all foods I do not enjoy). Not as dense as real cheese, almost mousse-like. It had that sharp, tart flavor I’d missed for so long, and the texture was smooth and fluffy. It was pure white and had dried herbs around the edges. Youssef handed me a generous slice on a slip of parchment. First I picked the goat, since I used to love goat cheese and I’d never had dairy-free goat before. But at this point, I was feeling stupid and hungry. (Turns out there was a decimal point missing.) And why is there a paté sandwich on the menu if everything here is vegan? What exactly is on this sandwich besides mozzarella or taleggio, and does it really cost $1250? ‘Cause that’s a bit overpriced, if you ask me.
I was starting to wonder if this Youssef guy was like Willy Wonka and I was going to end up getting turned into a giant blueberry.Īt last, Youssef gestured to a chalkboard behind me. I’m the kind of person who likes to order my food off an iPad so I don’t have to talk to anyone. “Right here,” he said, pointing to himself.
He didn’t introduce himself, but I deduced that he was Youssef Fakhouri, the founder and inventor of Vromage. After several stressful minutes, a man finally emerged from the kitchen and greeted me. There was no one behind the counter and no menu posted on the wall or printed on paper. Well, when I walked into Vromage, located in a tiny strip mall on Sunset Boulevard, I was worried. I pictured a cozy little spot like the Artisan Cheese Gallery in Studio City, where you can get beautiful sandwiches and salads - but without dairy! When I heard that a veteran cheesemaker opened up a shop selling dairy-free cheese in West Hollywood, I couldn’t wait to try it.
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