Sandwich of the Week: The Vegan BBQ at Remedy Diner, Raleigh, NC

Your weekly look at the best thing between sliced bread.

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Folks in North Carolina take their pulled pork sandwiches very seriously, so the words "barbecue" and "vegan" go together down there about as well as "baby" and "bleach." But Remedy Diner, located in downtown Raleigh, just off Moore Square, is looking to change that with their meat- and dairy-free take on the classic pork/slaw/bun sandwich.

Read on for our review of the Sandwich of the Week...

Start with the "meat": Remedy uses a textured soy protein marinated in barbecue sauce that approximates the unique consistency of eastern North Carolina pulled pork (squeamish meat eaters might even say it actually—gasp!—improves on the classic model, since the soy version is 100% gristle-free). It's a little wetter than the meat version, but that's not necessarily a bad thing since the soy is actually soft (unlike a lot of imitation meat), and you won't need to drown the sucker in vinegar because the cole slaw's so good. And the slaw is the secret weapon: shredded cabbage and carrots, mixed with veganaise and a homemade red wine vinegar, it provides the tangy kick you look for in a barbecue sandwich. So yeah, we ate it, loved it, and we ain't afraid to say it: "vegan" and "barbecue" do go together (best to leave baby and bleach separate, though, unless that baby's real mean).

Vegan BBQ sandwich, $8.50
Remedy Diner
137 E. Hargett St.
Raleigh, N.C.
theremedydiner.com

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