“With cheese?” Mike Della Pia asked my lunch bud.
I’d asked my friend to order at the counter, which I sometimes do when I’m on recon. Della Pia and I have never met in person, but we’ve talked on the phone for stories I’ve written in the past. We follow each other on social media. Most of the time, no one knows me when I’m out on assignment, but there was a higher chance of discovery at V’s Diner in Casselberry, where Della Pia is a managing partner, and everything on the menu is the V-word: vegan.
“Can we get bacon, too?” my pal queried.
“Um… we don’t have bacon,” said Della Pia
Back in our baby blue booth — V’s old-school diner renovation is entirely adorable — I laughed quietly. But it’s not as funny as it sounds.
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Okay, it is. He asked for bacon at a vegan restaurant. But even so, the team at V’s has been working on a plant-based version and managing partner Mackenzie Singleton says they’ll have it soon enough.
The V’s Diner team doesn’t use the “plantified” words so many other venues and makers adopt, words like cheez or chick’n or stayk, a tactic which I both like and don’t.
I like it because creating plant-based versions of things like chicken or meatballs from scratch, using real ingredients from housemade seitan (a wheat-based protein), vegetables, spices and so forth is a sophisticated, labor-intensive process that deserves better than words like “bacun.”
I don’t like it because often it means those trying it — usually meat eaters — are going to judge it on what it isn’t, which is meat.
Therein lies the conundrum.
But that is neatly canceled because even my beef- and bourbon-loving friend found plenty he could enjoy at V’s Diner.
Also, if you’re health-conscious, switching to a diet that’s a little more plant-based might afford one health benefits such as lower cholesterol and blood pressure, a decreased risk of heart disease or weight loss.
Years ago, in fact, I switched to a vegan diet and, without changing anything else about my lifestyle, dropped 10 pounds, just like that.
And, says Singleton, the single biggest surprise since this popular plant-based food truck put down brick-and-mortar roots, is who’s been coming to see them.
“A lot of new faces come in every day. And we’re turning guests into regulars. It’s really fun. And what’s interesting, too, is that most of our customers are not vegan at all.”
Cue that record-scratch noise. Come again?
“Yeah, we had a huge crowd in the first few weeks, vegans, many people who knew us and had been waiting for us to open, would come visit. But now what we’re starting to see are regulars who are local to the area, who live closer, who are coming out and just enjoying the food,”
Many, he says, are from non-vegan segments they hadn’t expected.
“We have several regulars who are dairy-free. One is this cute little girl who can’t have dairy, and her parents bring her in, sometimes three times a week, so she can get a cheeseburger and dip her fries in cheese sauce and get baked goods, and everything is safe for her.”
Singleton understands. His vegan journey began in his 30s when he learned he had high cholesterol.
“I had to figure it out. And the pain points from that are what established this company.”
There’s no pain whatsoever in navigating the menu. Though plant-based choices are far more prevalent at conventional restaurants than every before, in many places — and in the past in virtually all of them — the standard “vegan meal out” consisted of fries and a side salad. There’s no need for that here.
The daily special, the BBQ Burger Cheddar Melt ($14), was our collectively agreed-upon favorite. Hearty and cheesy, the formidable wrap, highly shareable, was tangy with smoky-sticky barbecue flavors. Caramelized onions added a crisp texture. This one should be on the menu every day.
V’s has only been open for a couple of months, but I’d encourage them to play with these burger-based wraps because their scratch-made veggie burger ($13 in its traditional incarnation) was among the best I’d ever had when I tried it years back on the food truck, and it still is. That toasted Olde Hearth bun is everything. And the cheese? It’s cheesy!
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The mac & cheese ($4) was more divisive. I enjoyed the yeasty, noochy flavor of the cheese sauce. “Nooch” is slang for nutritional yeast, a key ingredient in many cheese-flavored vegan items.
But my friend, let’s call him Mr. Bacon, was unmoved.
I get it. While Kraft-like, it’s not spot-on. It can’t be cheese. Because it’s not cheese. But those used to such iterations (and perhaps some of you non-dairy folks) might just enjoy it for what it is.
The plant-based protein in V’s chili ($4), however, is hella convincing. It’s downright meaty in texture. A little sweeter than your average, it’s traditional chili through a subtle baked beans filter. Some might dig the chili-mac combo ($4) for a nice hit of both.
The grilled chicken Caesar wrap ($13), another massive log of sando, comes filled with crisp, lightly dressed romaine and chicken that really offers up a char-grilled flavor.
“It reminds me of a falafel,” another dining partner opined. It wasn’t a complaint. The smallest chicken bits had an airy, crispy-fried sensibility that aligned with the observation. For non-vegans looking for “meat,” this could be the one.
Desserts here are going to hit epic levels when the milkshakes start shakin’. That’ll be soon, says Singleton, and will feature locally made Vegan Scoops‘ frozen delights. In the meantime, though, the baked goodies from none other than Della Pia’s mom, JoAnn, will scratch the itch.
Chocolate chip cookies ($3) and cupcakes ($4) have been flying out of the case. Highlights include the seasonal pumpkin spice with maple frosting and a fudgy Hostess cupcake doppelganger Mr. Bacon liked enough to bring home for Mrs. B.
A lifelong baker, this is Della Pia’s first vegan turn with her mixer, and Singleton says she’s been enjoying creating on a whim.
As for those of you dragged in by your vegan or enthusiastically flexitarian pals to sample, I say the same thing to you as anyone else: be adventurous! Try what sounds good (ooh, a chicken Philly!), try what sounds crazy (what the H are steak animal-style fries?!), try something sweet (cookies and cream cupcakes!) Try, try, try! And have fun exploring this brave, new world that could take your LDLs down a little.
And if you’re resigned to naysaying, I suggest doing what vegans have been doing since the dawn of the plant-based lifestyle: order a side salad and fries and deal with it.
Lunch with friends is the point, anyway. And V’s, with its friendly folks and slick retro look, is a cute, new place for it.
If you go
V’s Diner: 908 State Road 436 in Casselberry, 407-279-1966; vsdiner.com
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
