Horizons Café

Almost everything our meat-eating reviewers sampled at this vegan restaurant in Willow Grove, Pa., was just as good, if not better, than what they’ve had at non-vegan restaurants.

By: Judith Norkin

   Our first impression of Horizons Café was to realize that some inspired decorator had done a good job of turning a modest mini-mall shop front into something really special.
   With every wall painted a different tropical color, bright artwork, twinkling white lights and candles glowing on every table, we were transported to atmosphere so festive we could almost believe we were at an island getaway instead of rainy, cold Willow Grove, Pa.
   We knew the restaurant, opened by Rich Landau in 1994, was one of the few vegan restaurants in our area. This meant every item on the menu would be completely meatless and dairy free. Though we are unapologetically omnivorous, we were curious to see what Horizons could offer.
   We entered with open minds, empty stomachs and many questions, which our waitress answered with kindness and good humor. Her relaxed and friendly attitude put us completely at ease, and we plunged in enthusiastically, reviewing the many intriguing and unusual menu items in detail.
   The soups and salads all sounded good, but we wanted the most complex and creative dishes. It was the dining equivalent of a test-drive. Could a couple of dedicated omnivores actually eat healthy and be happy?
   The appetizers sounded delicious. Jerk-spiced tofu scallop cocktail ($8), the wild mushroom and smoked tofu enchilada ($6.75) and the Cuban nachos ($8) all sounded good. My husband settled on the portabella mushroom carpaccio ($7), a large, thinly sliced mushroom fanned into a graceful crescent shape, served with a potato-black olive griddle cake and garnished with onion, capers and tomatoes. The dish was remarkable. The mushroom’s slippery texture and earthy flavor was enhanced with a remarkable citrus remoulade — definitely better than any non-vegan appetizer I’ve had.
   I ordered the Jamaican barbecue seitan wings ($7.50). I don’t like real chicken wings and these were so much better than the real thing. The chunks of seitan — wheat gluten, sometimes called "wheat meat" — which had been cut into small pieces about the size of real wings, were covered in a richly flavored island spice glaze that had been heated to the point of stickiness. The cucumber ranch dipping sauce was just delicious — much better than any non-vegetarian ranch I’ve eaten.
   Small plates of mixed greens were included with entrées, so we did end up having salads. Expecting nothing special, we were happily surprised to discover the salads included freshly made dressings that were so delicious we pushed aside the herb-infused olive oil provided for dipping the bread and used the salad dressing instead.
   My dinner entrée was the pecan and sage baked seitan ($15.50). The instant I saw it on the menu, I wanted it. My husband could not be convinced to try my second choice (which I also wanted to taste), the Pacific rim grill-blackened tofu ($14). The menu said it came with a Hawaiian Huli Huli marinade, edamame purée, sesame-grilled spinach, vegan wasabi beurre blanc, Korean barbecue sauces, jasmine rice and sprouts. It sounded good, he said, but he wanted the garlic grilled seitan steak ($15).
   My pecan and sage baked seitan consisted of a "cut" of seitan stuffed with vegetarian sausage and wild mushrooms baked with a Dijon glaze and covered with a pecan crumb crust. It was served with herb potatoes and baby string beans. Like all the dishes, it was presented in beautiful form, with a sprinkling of fresh herbs encircling the wide rim of the oversized dinner plates. It was a stunner on the plate and on the palate.
   My husband’s entrée was a "cut" of seitan steak, with grilled asparagus, herbed potatoes and creamy horseradish and roasted red pepper sauces. When is a steak not a steak? When it’s a mock steak. Despite the chef’s incredible creativity with sauces and spices, this dish couldn’t satisfy a meat-eater like my husband. However, I imagine it would be a perfectly acceptable dish to the committed vegetarian, for whom meat is completely off-limits.
   Another note — if I go again, I will not order a seitan-based appetizer and a seitan-based entrée, since underneath the sauces and the spices the dish’s base has the same texture and density. It’s probably better to choose a tofu entrée after a seitan appetizer and vice versa.
   By the time we were ready to order dessert, the kitchen had run out of black rainforest cake ($6), my first choice. It was described on the menu as a bittersweet chocolate fudge torte with milk chocolate mousse, pineapple and mango sauces, and boy did I want it. The only other choices were a sorbet or a cheesecake, presumably made from tofu, and a dessert tapas for two ($9.50).
   We tried the dessert tapas, which consisted of three small bowls served on a narrow rattan tray. One bowl held a cup with perhaps two tablespoons of melted chocolate, two short skewers of fruit and one teensy cube of cake. Another bowl held a single small scoop of mango sorbet. The last bowl contained a warm apple empanadita — again, quite small — with caramel sauce. The operative word here was small. If each dish had been as stunningly prepared as most everything else we’d have been satisfied, but we felt the desserts lacked the finesse and sophistication of the other dishes. It was dessert tapas for one-and-a-half, not two.
   Overall, everything else we tried at Horizons Café was as flavorful and satisfying as meals we’ve eaten at non-vegan restaurants, and in some cases, much better because we knew we were eating healthy and nourishing foods. This unusual and imaginative restaurant is an educational and culinary experience worth exploring. I am sure we will visit again.
For directions to Horizons Café, click here.