VeganFabulous

the lowdown: Shelly’s Honkin’ Huge Garden Burritos | 800 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205 | Lunch, Food Cart | Items $5.25 -$6.25 | *****

Way too easy to overeat at lunch!

I’m nearly thirty, no kids, unmarried, and own a home with my boyfriend. What’s a girl gonna do? Go to an attorney of course and get some legal documents written up to further the commitment! That fateful day happened this last week when I put my life in someone else’s hands (my hands are full too). Not only did I will everything I own to my boyfriend (which isn’t much), I gave him the authority to pull the plug and take over when I go Britney. Nonetheless, the epic moment passed quickly and we were hungry for lunch!

The Honkin’ Huge Burrito food cart has been my favorite for quite some time. Shelly, the owner, has some serious burrito kung fu and is always ready to hook you up. The line is generally 8 people deep but she is a pro at turning things around quickly. When you get to the front of the line you have three simple choices. Small, Medium or Honkin’ Huge and the prices are $5.25, $5.75, and $6.25, respectively. I ordered the small and requested no diary which knocks off $.50, bringing my lunch to a mere $4.75! Lots of love goes into Shelly’s burrito making. The tortilla is grilled to perfection and stuffed with rice, beans, onions, tomatoes, garlic, homemade salsa, and lettuce. To top it all off you have a choice of about 15 hot sauce varieties. A Honkin’ Huge burrito is an excellent way to celebrate your intensely romantic new commitment or lunch break.

the lowdown: Backspace Cafe | 115 NW 5th Ave., Portland, OR 97209 | 503.248.2900 | Website | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Items $3.50 - $7.50 | ****

Vegan gamer madhouse.

I used to be freaked out by Backspace. Every time I walked in I always felt like the yuppie loser who was trying to hang with the cool WOW gamer kids. I finally got over it and my boyfriend and I used to grab coffee and play chess to pre-function before Ground Kontrol. Yes, those were some fantastic days.

Backspace is on the equator of downtown Portland between urban growth and transient thoroughfare. Inside is a huge room filled with gamer computers, chess tables, art, and you might even spot body suspension equipment. The entirely vegetarian menu is filled with snacks, salads, and sandwiches, all vegan upon request. After having scored $15 on a lottery Scratch-It, we decided to treat ourselves to takeout from Backspace. With so many choices on the menu ranging from a Quesadilla, Hummwich, and Happy Vegan BBQ Seitan Wrap (among many others), it was a tough call but I decided to indulge in “The Mezza”. Baba Ganoush on leavin bread with a side salad, made for a great tasting meal. Whether you are scoring experience points with your level 65 WOW Dark Elf, updating your MySpace page, or just simply hungry, Backspace has you covered.

the lowdown: Alleyway Cafe & Bar | 2415 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR 97211 | 503.287.7760 | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Happy Hour | Items $5 - $8.50 | ***

Chill out with some options.

I had been to Alleyway Cafe once before. It was a Friday night, the place was hopping, and the folks sitting immediately behind us were obnoxiously intoxicated and so loud we couldn’t hear ourselves think! I had my eye on the veggie burger but we opted to leave before our eardrums popped. Luckily this weekend I had another chance to go and let me say that the morning after at Alleyway is much different. Get there before 11am and you will be the only kids there!

Alleyway Cafe is the former Local Beet in an aluminum covered building with an expansive covered outdoor seating. The dining room is very minimal offering a no frills dining experience with local art being the only noticeable decor. The menu is a quick read with one vegan option, however, the server offered to sub tofu in any of the other dishes. The $7 scramble, made of Kalamata olives, spinach, and tomatoes, was well, just a basic scramble. Although the potatoes were darn crispy and good, the entire portion was rather small. I found myself reaching for the menu to order something else! Needless to say, Alleyway is a fine choice if you are in the area looking for food with friends think Vita Cafe is too hippie, otherwise, go to Vita.

the lowdown: Arabian Breeze | 3223 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232 | 503.445.4700 | Lunch, Dinner | $6.75 - $11.75 | *****

Crazy good.

It was 9pm on Friday night and we were just leaving the grocery store, I still had loads to cook in preparation for our gathering on Saturday, and I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. If it wasn’t for Arabian Breeze being right across the street from Fred Meyer I don’t know what I would have done. What I do know is that planning and executing parties is hard work that I only want to undertake once every couple of years. Phew!

I’ve been to several Mediterranean restaurants and Arabian Breeze is by far my favorite. They have an extensive menu with vegan items scattered throughout indicated by the words “vegan yes!”. The best part is the Arabian Breeze Vegan Mezza. $11.75 will buy you this magnificent platter which puts all other mezzas to shame! The dish includes hamara, garlic baked cauliflower, lemon and olive oil garbanzo dish and more! The bread is the size of a table and extra pieces are $1. The service is authentic and fun. Next time I want to dine in for the full effect but if you are about to fall over with exhaustion, by all means take it home!

the lowdown: No Fish! Go Fish! | 5th & Yamhill, Portland, OR | Website | Lunch, Food Cart | $6 Lunch Special | ****

Fantastic food on the go!

What do you do when your lunch plans are canceled and you didn’t bring a sack lunch because you thought you were going out? I go to No Fish! Go Fish! Truthfully, picking up food at the Fish is perfect for any occasion. Whether you are going stag or meeting a friend. Just be sure to have a back up plan if it starts raining. You don’t want to end up eating your food in the trough called the food court.

I remember No Fish! Go Fish! back when I first started working downtown eight years ago. After all these years the same guy is still serving up the fantastic fish and soup combo, which, due to inflation, is now $6. I can’t argue with that price though because you get two fish shaped crispy cornbread inspired pastries stuffed with a variety of fillings and a pint of the “Soup of the Gods.” Depending on the day you will have your choice of 3 flavors. I always pick the Dal but I’ve heard that all of them are great!

the lowdown: India Chaat House | 804 SW 12th Ave., Portland, OR 97205 | 503.241.7944 | Lunch, Food Cart | $5 - $7 & 5 course Lunch Special $5.50 | ****

Indian to go!

When it comes to grabbing lunch downtown, it turns out you’ll find the majority of the vegan/vegetarian options are at food carts. Knowing which food cart to go to can be problematic as there are a large number of them and they all look the same! If your lucky enough to know someone privy to the food cart scene then you end up finding the hidden gems!

The Indian Chaat House is a bit off the beaten path standing solitary on the corner of 12th & Yamhill. If you are like me and tend to judge eating establishments by the outward appearance, you may have never noticed this place. Luckily I have an incredible lunch partner who knows her way around town and for $5.50 we each enjoyed the 5 course lunch special! The menu clearly states that dishes are vegan upon request, the portions are enormous, and your food will be ready is less than 5 minutes. With only two picnic tables you will need to find an alternative place to dine or prepare to squat in the Starbucks outdoor seating at Pioneer Square.

the lowdown: Bay Leaf | 4768 SE Division St., Portland, OR 97206 | 503.232.7066 | Website | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $8.95 - $10.95 | ***

All vegan/vegetarian Chinese cuisine.

As a new homeowner we fell into the overconfidence bias of thinking we could fix a few things around the house. We visited the dreadful Home Depot and proceeded to apply caulking to the tile shower. Everything appeared to be going well except we missed a few minor details. The caulking didn’t match AND we didn’t wait long enough for it to dry. Instead of a few cracks in the grout we ended up with a stringy mess at 4:30 in the morning! Alas, having friends competent in this arena is an absolute bonus and receiving household tips over dinner is a winning combination.

My friend and I had been looking forward to Bay Leaf all week. When we arrived to the strip mall-esque scene we promptly ordered more food than either of us could reasonably eat but that I ate anyway! Everything on the menu is vegan or vegetarian making it a difficult choice but all the reviews recommended the “Sesame Tofu”. To round out the meal we ordered the “Green Curry” and “Dumplings”, bringing our total to $24. The dumplings were marginal and the curry was a fantastically bland combination of broccoli and soggy tofu. Thankfully, the “Sesame Tofu” redeemed the visit, but unless it is on your way home and you are picking up takeout, don’t bother.

the lowdown: Muddy’s Coffeehouse | 3560 N. Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97227 | 503.445.6690 | Website | Items $3 - $7.50 | ***

Basic breakfast grub!

Home Depot is the worst big box store on the face of the planet. 50,000 square feet of endless aisles filled with millions of DIY items and I can never find what I want. When I do, I can only buy 50 lbs of peet moss when I only need about 1 lb. After leaving the store and vowing I would never return, we hit up Muddy’s for brunch and Pistils Nursery on Mississippi Ave, much more my style.

Muddy’s is like having brunch at your cool hippie friends’ house. Random tables and chairs, mix and match coffee mugs and place settings and multiplication flash cards for good measure. You serve yourself coffee and place your order with whomever walks by. They are happy to make anything on the menu vegan with one requisite tofu scramble (must specify vegan). Being a scramble whore I ordered it. $7 included potatoes and toast which I doused with house made hot sauce. If you visit Muddy’s for lunch take your pick of a TLT or tofu sandwich. Although the scramble wasn’t my fav, I give Muddy’s a load of props for being effortlessly laid back, having some vegan love on the menu and reminding me that as department stores continue to take over the world there are still good people doing good things and I’d rather give them my hard earned cash.

the lowdown: Jace Gace | 2045 SE Belmont St., Portland, OR 97214 | 503.239.1887 | Website | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Happy Hour | Items $5 - $8 | ***

Waffles all day long!

I had started to wonder how long it would take before I ran out of places to write about. Then last week I was humbled by the constant stream of possibilities when an old friend introduced me to the latest trend, waffles! Just when you think you are one with the dining landscape of Portland, a savory waffle puts you in your place.

Jace Gace is as unexpected as paying $400K for a one bedroom condo on Belmont. The modern decor is intertwined with poignant art installations that change at least monthly and offer dramatic messages whose meaning you can ponder while chowing down your waffle. The menu clearly outlines the vegan options which include a traditional, savory, and sweet waffle. I started off with the “Avocado Rancheros”, a waffle topped with black beans, avocado, ranchero sauce and tofu cilantro sour cream. The Belgian style waffle was thick and crispy and although an unconventional combination, it was rather tasty! It didn’t take much for my friend and I to convince ourselves that we should split the sweet option, the “Pina Colada”. A waffle drenched in coconut, pineapple, and banana. Two waffles and a mug of french press. I keep trying with the hope that one day, I will be a hipster!

the lowdown: Bridges Cafe | 2716 NE Martin Luther King Blvd., Portland, OR 97212 | 503.288.4169 | Breakfast, Lunch | $4.50 - $10.25 | ***

One fantastic tofu scramble!

Have I already mentioned that I love my new neighborhood? Well I do and I especially love that Bridges is 3 blocks away and ready to serve breakfast on those mornings that I am hungover from staying up too late cleaning!

Bridges can be found on MLK with multiple signs advertising “Breakfast All Day”. The dining room is tiny and packed with the occasional sighting of over worked servers hustling to keep the coffee refilled and food in people’s faces. Some folks may not appreciate the impatience of the servers but I thought it added to the charm. Just be sure not to futz around while ordering the tofu scramble or they might give up on you. Regardless if you like attitude or not, I can assure you that the scramble makes up for it! A plate full of tofu with mushrooms, red onion, spinach, and potatoes coupled with the best damn bread I have had (aside from Dave’s Killer of course) and a mug full of K&F coffee. All ingredients are local, fresh, and fantastic!