• 5
• Southern Comfort

This is absolutely the best vegan menu in the beautiful city of New Orleans. The regional options are so wonderful for those of us who walk past 99% of the city’s culinary offerings with loathing and longing to taste something of the authentic traditional cuisine. Seed is super healthy, but without compromising the gluttonous joy of hangover brunch and nutrient packed cocktails. I am grateful they reopened in time for our visit. Speaking of visiting, they have some of the best, consistent hours in the city. 7 days a week from 11-10 (10-10 on weekends) is practically unheard of. They are also super easy to get to from the Charles Ave Street Car (hop off at Erato, walk one block). Otherwise it’s a pleasant enough half hour stroll from the Quarter. The windows are somewhat dark from the outside, so don’t be put off if they look closed. Once you go in, the space is bright and airy. The servers are cool and convivial, attentive and relaxed - which is a fine balance for sure. We ate here twice on our visit, once for brunch and once for a late lunch. The Seed breakfast and a bloody mary were just what the vegan doctor ordered after a late night. I am always on the lookout for vegan bloody marys, however the Seed mix they use was a little bland - a lot of cucumber and not very much spice. It still did the trick, just not quite what I had expected. The tofu scramble was a pretty mushy consistency too, but the flavor was great. Along with the seitan bacon and a side of spicy potato hash, it was a very complementary savory brunch. The lunch we had a couple days later was perfect in every way. The gumbo with spicy seitan prompted my wife to confide that I had not been making gumbo at home the way it was supposed to be, and I realized with my first bite just how uninformed my palate was before. This was slow cooked vegan creole perfection. For such a simple looking dish, it had a rich and hearty base and complex spice and character. It’s the kind of dish that prompts people to unexpectedly exclaim Mercy be! or some other such nonsense. The southern fried tofu po'boy was equally delectable. With a light chickpea breading, the tofu chunks were delicious. Again, such a simple looking sandwich with lettuce and tomato, but it was out of this world. Unfortunately due to all the amazing bread and so much tofu (not complaining) we were too full to try the beignets. I just hope they are still going strong so we can try them when we return! Updated from previous review on 2015-10-01