Telegraph Station’s Vegan Selections

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, June 24th, 2011

Veg-Chicken Sliders with Guacamole from Telegraph Station

Neither my sister nor I had ever eaten vegan before, so after hearing about the Compassion Over Killing Benefit Day, we knew we had to check it out (plus I didn’t have the stomach space to try everything, so two stomachs are better than one). We ended ordering the spicy beef Asian lettuce wraps, the vegan “beef” banh mi, and the veg-chicken sliders with guacamole.

Our favorite dish was the veg-chicken sliders with guacamole. The “chicken” looked dry, but it was far from it. The “chicken” was well seasoned and the homemade guacamole was delicious. Overall, the whole slider was extremely flavorful.

The next dish we received was the vegan “beef” banh mi. My sister and I were at first a bit reluctant to pay $7.50 for a banh mi since we’re used to getting them for three bucks at Eden Center, but we had to try it to see how well it matched up against a traditional Vietnamese sandwich shop. How did it compare? Not too shabby. The bread isn’t as crunchy as the baguettes used in Vietnamese shops, so it its better for anyone who has weaker or more sensitive teeth. The first bite into the sandwich was very flavorful, but also a tad bit too salty for my tastes. The carrots are sweet, but are hard to taste since they’re cut so thin. And be careful, the jalapeno slices in there are extremely hot.

The last dish to arrive was the spicy beef Asian lettuce wraps. It seems like the same beef used for the banh mi is also used for the lettuce wraps, except the beef in the lettuce wraps were moderately spicier. The lettuce helped balance out the saltiness of the beef and complimented each other quite well. The peanut sauce was sweet and delicious. My only comment is that we should have asked for a spoon since every time we dipped our lettuce wrap into the sauce, the Vermicelli noodles and carrots would stick to the sauce and fall out of our wrap.

Vegan "Beef" Banh Mi from Telegraph Station

After my sister and I finished our delicious meal, I had a chat with Chef Adam Jirgl and Chef Jens Pedersen. When asked as to why they decided to get involved with Compassion Over Killing, Jirgl responded that his brother’s roommate back in college, Aashish Bhimani, helped him network with Compassion Over Killing. Bhimani is very involved in Compassion Over Killing, is also a vegan, and helped introduce Jirgl and Pedersen to many different vegan dishes.

Spicy "Beef" Asian Lettuce Wraps from Telegraph Station

This is actually the second time that Telegraph Station has participated in C.O.K. Benefit Day. The first time time around, Jirgl states that they had vegan burritos.  In fact, as you saw from their menu, they love to make vegan dishes inspired by many different places. They have Asian, Southwest, and Latino vegan selections.

After today, Jirgl and Pedersen will have to make, in my opinion, a tough decision as they are only planning to add three vegan items to their permanent menu. So far they know that the vegan “beef” banh mi will be one of those that will be permanent, since it is their most popular item, which only leaves two slots remaining.

Telegraph Station has only been open for about six months making it a fairly new restaurant and it has been serving vegan food for only two and a half months. Jirgl and Pedersen have big plans for vegan dishes though. They both love the challenge of making vegan dishes that vegan and non-vegan eaters can both enjoy (for which I can account for since I’m not a vegan, but I loved their dishes). As the season changes, they hope to have seasonal vegan dishes such as stew during the winter and lighter items, such as their seasonal summer salad, for the summer.

Pedersen also made a note that vegan dishes are extremely healthy, have lower cholesterol, and instead of dieting on rice crackers, people on diets eat quality food. The duo have no problem attracting a healthier crowd to try their vegan dishes as their offerings of freshly squeezed juice and non-dairy based smoothies already draw in awesome customers.

I asked if they would ever decide to become a completely vegan restaurant. Just as I finished asking, a customer came into the restaurant asking, “What do I have to do around here to get a dead animal on my plate?” Jirgl and Pedersen chuckled and said probably not since the majority of their clientele still love meat.

When asked if they would plan to venture into vegan seafood? “Not in the near future,” Jirgl replied. Instead, they would like to focus on their current vegan meats and hopefully expand the same concept of vegan dishes and healthy food into more restaurants.

For those who are interested at dining at Telegraph Station, they have specials every Thursday through Sunday and have a live band every Friday and Saturday night.

Telegraph Station
5735 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22303
703-373-3376

- Mai Nguyen

Compassion Over Killing Benefit Day at Telegraph Station!

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, June 24th, 2011

Today I headed over to Telegraph Station for their Compassion Over Killing Benefit Day. In celebration of today, the Chef Adam Jirgl and Chef Jens Pedersen put together a selection of Vegan dishes.

Items on the menu include:

Spicy Beef Asian Lettuce Wraps (3) – Marinated veg-beef served on a leaf of lettuce with Vermicelli noodles, carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, and Hoisin – peanut butter dipping sauce; $7.50
Vegan “Beef” Banh Mi – Soy garlic ginger marinated “beef” on a toast roll with cilantro, cucumber, carrot strips, and jalapeno slices; $7.50
Lo Mein with Tofu – noodles, carrots, scallions, cilantro, green peppers, and tofu with a soy sesame dressing; $6.50
Seasonal Fruit Salad – Kiwis, apples, grapefruit, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and mint; $6
Veg-Chicken Sliders with Guacamole (2) – Seasoned Veg-Chicken on  a slider bun with lettuce and homemade guacamole; $5.50
Cajun Veg-Chicken Gumbo – Homemade vegetable gumbo with okra served over rice with bread; $6.50
Gazpacho – Traditional Gazpacho made in house with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, and olive oil; $5

I just wanted to go ahead and post the menu for anyone who was interested in attending tonight. The event started at 3 p.m. and will end at 10 p.m. They will also have a live band performance for your entertainment. A portion of the proceeds will go to Compassion Over Killing which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending animal cruelty in agriculture and promoting vegetarian eating. For a full review, please stay tuned.

Telegraph Station
5735 Telegraph Rd
Alexandria, VA 22303
703-373-3376

- Mai Nguyen

Forget Snowmageddon, it’s DC Meat-Free Week!

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

In response to Meat Week, DC Vegan joined forces with Compassion Over Killing to plan the inaugural DC Meat-Free Week.  Unfortunately, Old Man Winter doesn’t seem to want you to eat your veggies. 

Snowmageddon interfered with the last two days of Meat Week and the first few days of DC Meat-Free Week. There’s a good chance it will interfere with the rest of the week’s events as well.

(Image: DC Vegan)

DC Meat-Free Week is scheduled from Sunday, February 7 to Saturday, February 13.

-Tuesday, Feb 9:  Sticky Fingers Bakery in Washington, DC.  A portion of the proceeds benefits Compassion Over Killing.

-Wednesday, Feb 10: Busboys & Poets (all locations)

-Thursday, Feb 11: The Source in Washington, DC (5:30-10:30PM) (Reservations Recommended)

-Friday, Feb 12: Restaurant Nora in Washington, DC (Reservations Recommended)

-Saturday, Feb 13: Great Sage in Clarksville, MD (Reservations Recommended)

A dinner with Farm Sanctuary President, Gene Baur will be rescheduled for February, 27 at Great Sage.

There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan restaurants around Northern Virginia if any of those options are too far. Or, if you’re unable to make any of the events but you do venture out to visit the grocery store, there are plenty of tasty vegan recipes to try while you’re stuck at home.

If you do lose power, try these tips from the American Red Cross to keep yourself and your food safe.

Image: One Vs. Many

Just be sure to keep warm. You can even memorialize Snowmageddon by helping a great cause. When you purchase a t-shirt from One vs. Many, founded by local guys Alex Welsh and Grant Hill, 15% of each t-shirt sale will benefit So Others Might Eat (SOME), a non-profit organization that works to help the homeless, poor, elderly, and individuals with mental illness by providing meals, housing, job training, addiction treatment, and counseling services.

Too bad there isn’t a DC Meat-Free Week shirt. Of course, you could settle for one of these shirts.

–Aisha Salazar