People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has released a list of its top 10 vegan BLT sandwiches in the country, and D.C.’s own Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats makes the cut.

The Columbia Heights vegan spot makes its “TLT” version with tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato, and Vegenaise, instead of mayo. The $7.05 sandwich comes with a choice of multigrain, French, or white bread.

In honor of World Vegan Day today (the beginning of World Vegan Month), I decided to check it out.

I’ve never really understood why vegan food would want to imitate the very thing it’s trying to displace. If I’m going to eat vegan, I’d rather embrace the veggies rather than disguise them. Imitation meat rarely lives up to the real deal.

Sticky Finger’s play on the BLT is no exception. The strips of tempeh have the salty smokiness of bacon, but not the most critical element of a BLT: crunchiness. The tempeh is cold, moist, and limp. That said, the tomato and lettuce were fresh, and the faux-mayo is convincing. It’s an OK sandwich, but it won’t satisfy true BLT fans. Sorry, PETA.

Photo by Jessica Sidman