Blossom Du Jour – Pardon My French! (Part I)

So, my love affair with everything from the Blossom folks continues (except with Blossom itself, of course) with my discovery of Blossom Du Jour (Midtown West). I had passed it on many a pizza run to the Two Boots nearby, but never actually went in. I’m so glad I finally made time for it! Me and my vege-friend Chad scarfed down two of their scrumptious sammies, and I would certainly do it all over again.

Atmosphere: 

BDJ is cleanly and simply decorated, with some awesome 50’s style barstools and an open space for you to browse their menu… it’s very much a take-out type of joint. Still, not a bad place to grab a quick bite or enjoy one of their many indulgent smoothies/shakes. They also have breakfast items like hot cakes (!!), some wraps, and specials for each day of the week! Today was Taco Tuesday, but I wanted a sandwich, so alas.

There's Chad, being the usual clown. It's cause he's hungry!
There’s Chad, being the usual clown. It’s cause he’s hungry!

The staff is made up of folks in their 20s/30s, so it has a very casual vibe. They were pretty welcoming and helpful, always a plus!

Quick note: they have a credit card minimum of $10… and even if you had already spent more than that, and then want to buy say a bottle of water later, no can do! So just make sure to get everything in one go!

Midtown Melt (cajun spiced seitan, v-cheese, agave guacamole,  lettuce, chipotle aioli): 

Savory, with a touch of sweet, thanks to the agave guac!
Savory, with a touch of sweet, thanks to the agave guac!

I definitely enjoyed this sandwich… not only for how yummy it was, but also how neat and cute it looked before I dug into it. Ok, so call me weird for saying a sandwich is cute. Fine. But good looking food should get kudos too!

The combination of cheddar Daiya with the creamy, slightly sweet guacamole (sounds a bit weird but it works) on top of cajun-spiced seitan made for an enjoyable flavor trip that really hit the spot. Plus, the ciabatta-style bread with bits of cornmeal dusted on top was soft, crusty and fresh, which definitely upped the overall sandwich experience. Don’t I sound like a sandwich snob right about now?

The Midtown Melt also comes with a creamy chipotle aioli sauce, which I used for my onion rings instead since the sandwich was creamy enough!

Onion Rings:

Crispy, crunchy and pretty much indispensable to any sandwich session.
Crispy, crunchy and pretty much indispensable to any sandwich session.

It’s damn hard to find onion rings that are vegan, let alone GOOD onion rings, so my tummy was extremely happy about these babies. These were crunchy and spiced with just the right amount of chili/cracked black pepper to taste, and complements a sandwich perfectly. Plus they were nice and thick, and didn’t have a doughy crust like a lot of nonvegan onion rings usually have. Yum!

The Avocado Griller (in-house grilled rosemary lemon un-chicken, fresh avocado, v-pesto mayo, crisp romaine lettuce):

Chad just had to steal my original sandwich choice. Grr.
Chad just had to steal my original sandwich choice. Grr.

Since I am just recovering from a sore throat and had already dug into my sandwich, I didn’t swap half of mine like I usually do and didn’t get a taste of this one, which was my first pick! But it does look yummy, doesn’t it? I will have to make a part two for this post! Stay tuned!