Street Beet: Kentucky Fake Chicken

You have probably heard of, or been to one of Street Beet’s popups by now. Meghan Shaw and Nina Paletta, the duo behind Street Beet, have a brilliant concept of creating vegan spins on fast food menus. Street Beet grabbed attention about a year ago with Vegan Taco Hell, featuring their versions of Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme, Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco, and other favorites. They are back at it again, whipping up their take on Kentucky Fried Chicken menu items.

Fried Fake Chicken

6 pieces of chicken fried tofu. First of all, the tofu was juicy, unlike any tofu I’ve ever tasted. The breading was seasoned well, strongly resembling traditional KFC spices and seasonings. Crispy, perfectly fried. You won’t find soggy chicken here. Despite being fried, these little golden nuggets were surprisingly light. I don’t know how they did it!

Mashed Potatoes

Served with mushroom gravy. Classic, simple, but that doesn’t mean boring. A rich, meaty mushroom gravy dolloped on top creamy mashed potatoes.

Mac & Fake Cheese

Pasta smothered in a cashew cheese sauce. The pasta was cooked al dente with a creamy, smooth, cheese sauce. The cashew cheese is probably the one vegan food that amazes me the most. It tastes so close to real cheese it really is unbelievable. Good, solid, comfort food.

Everything was delicious and Street Beet blew me away, yet again, with their ability to recreate fast food favorites. It’s astonishing how closely the food resembles the real thing, only the vegan versions are better! My only disappointment was that there were not any biscuits to scoop up my mashed potatoes and gravy.

There’s such a buzz around Street Beet’s popups. It’s like being lucky enough to score a table at the hottest new restaurant in town, only you get to experience that over and over again. When you arrive, there is a line outside the door. If you get there early, you can grab a seat and order your food. If not, it’s first come first serve, and food runs out fast!

Events

Street Beet has definitely created a name for themselves in the pop up food scene. So what’s next? Here’s a list of Street Beet’s upcoming events so you don’t miss out:

• Hamtramck Popup Food Fest: May 11th @ 3PM, Ant Hall, Hamtramck
• Vegan Taco Hell #11: May 14th @ 6PM,
• Vegan Brunch: June 9th @ 10, the Lunch Room, Ann Arbor
• McDaddy’s: June 20th @ 6pm, Nancy Whiskey, Detroit
• Mo Pop Festival: July 28th-29th, West Riverfront Park, Detroit