I EAT A LOT OF VEGETABLES, but sometimes certain ones fall off my radar. I hadn’t given much love to carrots in my kitchen for years. But in 2024, carrots are suddenly everywhere.
Chef Danny Garcia, winner of “Top Chef” season 21 earlier this year, took a special interest in this root vegetable during his run. His carrot slaw won unusually effusive praise from Tom, Gail, Kristen, and the crowd who got to eat it. He became known as something of a carrot specialist along the way to his big victory.
Here in Philly, food enthusiasts recently took to the Philadelphia Eats Reddit community to talk about and discover all the great carrot dishes this town has to offer—and turns out there are many.
You can still find fresh carrots at farmers’ markets through September and even into October. Those beautiful bunches are ideal in these recipes. I like a bouquet of small, multicolored carrots with their greens still attached.
CARROTS ON THE MENU
If you’re in the mood for carrots but don’t want to cook them yourself, try one of these restaurants. Menus change, so you might not see these exact recipes on the current menu. But rest assured each of these restaurants knows their way around this trendy root vegetable. Order any carrot dish they have.
CAMPFIRE CARROT AT VEDGE
1221 Locust St.
vedgerestaurant.com
CARROT CORNBREAD AT PRIMARY PLANT BASED
161 W. Girard Ave.
www.primaryplantbased.com
MOROCCAN CARROTS AT CASABLANCA MEDITERRANEAN GRILL
947 Federal St.
casablanca-grill.com
FIRE ROASTED CARROTS WITH HONEY, PISTACHIO, AND LABNE AT STINA PIZZERIA
1705 Snyder Ave.
stinapizzeria.com
BABY CARROTS WITH VADOUVAN, FETA, AND HAZELNUTS AT WILDER
2009 Sansom St.
wilderphilly.com
HEIRLOOM CARROTS WITH CRUSCHI PEPPER, CRÈME FRAÎCHE, AND PARSLEY AT OSTERIA
640 N. Broad St.
osteriaphilly.com
ROASTED CARROTS WITH TZATZIKI AT BARCELONA WINE BAR
1709 E. Passyunk Ave.
barcelonawinebar.com
PICKLED CARROTS AT FOUNTAIN PORTER
1601 S. 10th St.
fountainporter.com
