Nov 19, 2021 - Food and Drink

Primary Plant Based's vegan treats will make you forget about meat

Primary Plant Based's pumpkin cornbread. Photo: Mary Claire Sullivan for Axios

I'm very much a meat-eater, but I found myself intrigued by the menu at the new vegan BYOB Primary Plant Based, which opened last week on Girard Avenue in South Kensington.

The take: From the appetizers to the desserts, you're not going to miss any animal products if you eat here.

Flashback: You might have had some of Primary Plant Based's food already. Chef Mark McKinney originally ran it as a pop-up out of Khyber Pass in Old City, where he previously served as culinary director for Stephen Simons and David Frank.

Honestly, the star of the show was the ice cream. As a lactose-intolerant human, I've had my fair share of vegan approximations — but the soy-based chocolate chip cookie dough had the texture and meltiness of the real thing.

  • On the small plates side, the masa ball soup had a super rich guajillo broth. And the pumpkin cornbread prompted comparisons to a similar dish at D.C.'s Michelin-starred Tail Up Goat.
  • For the larger stuff, the kofta kebab sandwich was great — though admittedly not the most adventurous choice. But the jackfruit carnitas medianoche is deliciously different (think: a Cuban sandwich meets chicken and waffles).
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