For vegans, the most unfriendly meal of the day is usually breakfast. Even if the dish is meatless, it’s usually made with eggs, milk or cheese, which vegans eschew. While it’s pretty easy to make tofu scrambles and egg-free pancakes at home, eating out can be pretty tricky. But lucky for us, we have Rutherford Pancake House, which serves both vegan and omnivorous fare, so it’s a perfect place to take family or meet with friends who might still be slightly wary of vegan food.
Vegan breakfast options abound on the RPH menu, making it difficult to choose. On a recent visit with a group of friends, we had a such a hard time deciding what to order that we joked about getting one of everything. Vegan Belgian waffles, fruit-topped pancakes, and French toast are all available daily, and weekend specials are often such creative vegan dishes as red velvet pancakes and cinnamon raisin French toast. And speaking of French toast, how about some French Toast American? Layers of French toast made with fresh, house-made challah bread, stuffed with vegan cream cheese and topped with sliced strawberries. Yes, please! This is what I decided to have for my recent breakfast, and I felt even more stuffed than the toast! It was quite incredible and extremely filling.
Tofu scramble is a pretty common breakfast for those on a vegan diet, and most people are shocked to find out that Rutherford Pancake House has not one, not two, but four types of tofu scrambles. Are there really are four different ways to make it? Yep! My personal favorite is the Popeye, which is made with spinach, mushrooms and avocados. The Roman scramble is another favorite, and it’s made with garlic onions, meatless “sausage” and dairy-free cheese. There is also the Chili Con Fu, which my friend Zuzana recently ordered. It’s a standard tofu scramble topped with homemade chili. The final option is The O.K. Corral, which has peppers, tomatoes, onions and frijoles. And if all of that isn’t enough food for you, meatless sausages are available as a side dish.
If you’d rather have a lunch dish, there are even more options than there are for breakfast. If you’re in the mood for a hearty sandwich, you can choose the “Cheese Steak” sandwich or the Barbeque Seitan Sandwich, both of which are messy and delicious. I really love the Veggie Dayiasadilla, which is a quesadilla made with Daiya tapioca cheese. And thanks to Dayia’s cheesy goodness, RHP also makes vegan pizza. Other vegan lunch options include veggie burgers, veggie sliders, nachos, a vegetable pita melt, soup and chili as well as customary salads.
The food at Rutherford Pancake House may appear to be standard diner food at first glance, but owners Rick and Spiro created the menu with health consciousness in mind. Fresh ingredients are used wherever possible. French fries do not come out of the freezer, but are made with potatoes that are cut in-house, and fresh bread is baked daily. Meals may take a little longer to come out to your table, but that’s because it’s cooked to order, so that’s fine by me.
Rutherford Pancake House is located at 40 Park Avenue in Rutherford and is open from 7:00am to 3:00pm.