VeganFabulous

Kabobi - Peace Eh? Why Not?

posted on December 21st, 2008 in Portland 10 Comments

One and only Afghan joint in PDX!

Despite struggling to find rides to work due to inclement weather, hearing disheartening news at work, and realizing my snow pants are too tight, a few great things happened recently! I attended two incredibly fun birthday parties, was elected to the Board of my company’s gym, and received my first blog award ever by Denny at a simple kind of life. However, my melodrama pales in comparison to war torn countries whose people struggle for simple freedoms and are expecting 30,000 US troops in the coming months.

Recently my friend and I traveled to the outskirts of Hawthorne (ok anything beyond 39th is far away to me) to experience Afghan cuisine. I had never heard of such a thing thereby didn’t question their proclamation of offering the only Afghan cuisine in Portland. Located in a mini strip mall next to No Fish! Go Fish!, Kabobi offers a sizable vegetarian selection mostly consisting of vegan options! We began with Samosas ($7) and shared the Veggie Combo ($11.95), a spread of spinach, green peas, dahl served with basmati rice and the cauliflower dish Gulpi Chalaw ($9.95). Additionally, we ordered a side of Naan ($1.50) to complete the meal. Despite one man cooking, serving, and busing tables, the food was great as was the experience. However, it seems unfair that I had the opportunity to feast on a plentiful Afghan spread when I am unsure if the Afghan people have the same luxury.

Higgins - Sustainable Food and Sustainable Love

posted on December 14th, 2008 in Portland 13 Comments

local, seasonal, fantastic!

Last weekend my beloved friend and cat Rupert died suddenly and tragically right before our eyes. As I watched him take a few of his last silent breaths on the floor beside our bed I clutched our little dog Snap, hating myself for all the times I scurried him away when he walked across the keyboard as I tried to write blog posts such as this. I’d like to think he chose to be near us during his last few minutes, but all I can do is savor the 12 years we had together and learn lessons about his patience and forgiveness.

It’s been a long time coming but we finally had a special occasion suitable for dressing up and dinner at Higgins! Located in a classic building on SW Broadway, downtown Portland, Higgins is a traditional restaurant offering NW cuisine and professional service. Although the menu changes weekly, the chef often offers at least one vegan dish or will prepare one upon request. After polishing off artisan breads and olive oil we shared the beet soup ($7), followed by the squash samosas ($19.25). The samosa dish was an exquisite combination of presentation, taste, and portion. Unfortunately, my satiation precluded a dessert of sorbet ($8.50) but we vowed to return for dessert when we were not so damn full and it was not so damn cold outside! Nonetheless, Higgins is a wonderful place to enjoy food and the people and pets we love.

Nobody’s Talking about Biwa

posted on December 6th, 2008 in Portland 15 Comments

Cute little spot tasteless vegan choices.

Last week was a whirlwind of finishing up an ethics research paper on foie gras, attending a neighborhood meeting on plans for the Streetcar to hit NE Broadway, and recovering from Thanksgiving. Alas, I found time to meet a friend who I haven’t seen in months for a relaxing, yet unsatisfying dinner at Biwa. It’s amazing how much time can go by between seeing an old friend and patronizing a restaurant that is totally dull.

It has been over a year since I last visited Biwa, a small stylish joint offering Japanese fare with no flare. Attentive wait staff are on hand to assist pairing sake with your food choices and the menu has several vegan options indicated by a small black dot. We started with the sauteed mushrooms ($7), a small, shamefully bland, plate of seasonal mushroom varieties. The entree choices include the tofu hotpot ($10) and handcut udon ($8). I went with the udon and added tofu for an additional $2. Again, unless sprinkled with the complimentary spices, the udon is bland and a very small portion. No sooner did I arrive home than I toasted a bagel to make up the difference! Nobody’s talking about Biwa because there’s nothing good to say.

I Wanna Be Your Dog - Twitter Style

posted on November 23rd, 2008 in Portland 14 Comments

the lowdown: I Wanna Be Your Dog | NE 18th & Alberta | Dinner/Late Night (Tues-Sun 6pm-2:30am) | Dogs $2 - $5 | *****

One dark cold Sun nite I visited the hole in the wall hot dog shop. Super good veg dogs. Don’t go if from grshm, owners like hoodsters only.

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post dedicated to the clumsy kid

Berbati’s Pan - Optimistic Recollections

posted on November 16th, 2008 in Portland 7 Comments

Super cheap.

As the weather declines, the downtown Portland lunch options follows suit. Much of the vegan variety is offered through food carts; unless you are running back to the office, food cart dining isn’t nearly as pleasant as it is during the summer months. To complicate matters, I can no longer simply jump on my bike during my lunch hour without making a change of clothes, thus my options are further limited. Nonetheless, last week I borrowed a golf umbrella and foraged my way to Berbati’s, a gruesome 10 blocks in a downpour.

Berbati’s is a well known night spot sandwiched between the infamous Shanghi Tunnel and Bar XV. This threesome comprise a few of Portland’s most well known hot spots. Even I had a few crazy nights filled with heavy drinking and bar food at these places. Berbati’s is a much different scene during lunch. The daylight draws attention to all the imperfections that are typically hidden at night, the dining room is entirely empty, and the music is non-existent. The vegan options include gyros with hummus instead of tzatiki, veggie panini, and boca burgers. I ordered the gyro with falafel ($4.50), which included fries. It was decent and cheap, however, certainly not worth the trouble nor as good as I remembered it.

Andina - Yes We Can

posted on November 7th, 2008 in Portland 20 Comments

You will never feel left out here!

It is difficult to articulate the feelings that I have about our new President-elect Obama. On Election day I left work early and scrambled to the 15th & Killingsworth Obama HQ’s to put in my last ditch effort at “Getting Out The Vote”. I walked through the streets of the Piedmont neighborhood dodging rain to find the stragglers who had not yet turned in their ballots. I was met with “I’ve already voted”, “I don’t have time”, “It is against my religion to vote”, or no answers to my knock. I have never volunteered for something I believed in with so much conviction. It is difficult work both physically and emotionally. Knowing that I was one of the legions of Obama foot soldiers believing in change and hoping for something great, Tuesday night was my realization that the words “Yes We Can” aren’t simply words, they are words to live by.

Last weekend we jammed the best of the Pearl district in one night. Shopping, Theater, and dinner at Andina. Andina is the type of place where advanced dinner reservations are required, otherwise you will be stuck with a very early or very late meal. Although it looks intimidating and vegan unfriendly, it is quite the opposite. The service is fantastic and well paced, the atmosphere is perfect for both special occasions and casual dining, and they have an amazing vegan menu including tapas and entrees. Regardless of your order things will kick off with unlimited bread and three sauces, of which the hibiscus and hot sauce are vegan. We started with the potato cake that I cannot remember the name of and I ordered the Porto Saltado ($17) for my main course. The yucca and mushrooms were earth shattering with a portion larger than I was capable of eating entirely (quite rare). The entire experience was outstanding. Clearly there are no limits to what this country is capable of and where vegans can eat in Portland.

Big People and Little People for Sip & Kranz

posted on October 28th, 2008 in Portland 8 Comments

Unbelievably cool coffee shop for all ages!

This past weekend my best girlfriend and her family (including a toddler) made the trip from Spokane to Portland. Although a mere six hour drive, she felt the culture shock immediately upon reaching city limits. She was amazed at the number of people riding bikes, smiling strangers, restored houses, green parks and the kid friendly vibe! Honestly, I didn’t realize how well kids and Portland got along until I had a little one in my house. In honor of that I have decided to begin marking posts as “Kid Friendly” to hook the parents up!

One of the main attractions to any out of towner is the Portland coffee culture. In Spokane, it’s either Starbucks or gas station coffee. To knock her socks off we went to Sip & Kranz, a posh coffee shop serving Black Sheep baked goods, Stumptown coffee, and kids play area fully equipped with a flat screen TV and a variety of playthings. You may be frightened by the notion of a pearl district coffee shop catering to the urban baby scene, expecting screaming babies with faux hawks and baby couture. Fear not, it is quite the opposite as these kids are relatively well behaved. We enjoyed our artistically designed soy lattes while catching up on life and watching the 3 and under crowd work the floor.

The Peet’s Coffee Dilemma

posted on October 22nd, 2008 in Portland 4 Comments

Who the hell knew?

I typically avoid chainy type coffee shops except when I am at work and I pose as a corporate socialite by joining my co-workers to a weekly tall soy latte at Starbucks.Yes it’s true, you’d think that the entire company I work for was holding a meeting in line at the 1st & SW Taylor location. I claim I am just going for the ride but I admit, I used to be a Starbucks junkie and spend $3 a day. Alas, I am a reformed coffee drinker and cheap ass. I make Stumptown drip at home during the week and french press during the weekend. One thing I can’t whip up without too much effort is a pastry which is why Peet’s is now newest sub-cool coffee joint.

About a month ago I met a friend at Peet’s on Hawthorne and she offered to buy me a pastry. I politely decline saying I doubt they were vegan and the cashier lit up and proclaimed that most of their baked goods were vegan! I quickly took her up on the offer for a free bite and relished at the notion that the majority of their goods are from Black Sheep Bakery! Who would have thought that I could indulge on a Blueberry Cornmeal Muffin, Apricot Scone, or Smart Muffin all in the comfort of a Starbucks competitor? Needless to say I still prefer to support the underdog but I can’t pass up on vegan goodies with my coffee when there is a Peet’s near my house and 9 other locations in the metro area!

Alexis - The Good Side of Burnside

posted on October 14th, 2008 in Portland 9 Comments

More work lunch choices!

Although my weekend was productive teaming up with The Clumsy Kid to register voters in front of People’s Co-Op, attending a Pentecostal church service in Oregon City for a class assignment, and catching a showing of Guys and Dolls at the Armory, I didn’t manage to dine anywhere new. As a result, this post reaches far back into the past to a lunch date I had with an old co-worker. This is his favorite place and for me it is another spot to put on the list of work friendly lunch joints.

At night, Alexis is in the heart of crack deals, homeless shelters, hobos, and strip clubs and seems an unlikely place for fine Greek dining. The restaurant entrance is quite inconspicuous and unless you knew what it was, you would think it was another gritty space trafficking in maleficence. In actuality, it is quite opposite. The expansive space opens to carefully prepared dining tables, nicely dressed servers, and articulately crafted dishes. Much to my dismay there is only one vegan friendly dish, but that is typical for work outings. At least the Gyros Vegetarian ($8.95) is very fresh and healthy. You will need to have them hold the feta but they are happy to do so. Another thing to note, their homous has a much lighter consistency and color than I am accustomed to, so don’t be alarmed if you think it looks like yogurt sauce. My only concern is if you visit after dark, leave your bike at home. Opa!

Pambiche - Religious Perspective over Cuban Cuisine

posted on October 5th, 2008 in Portland 9 Comments

Super super good!

I’ve had a great weekend for movies and food! Friday night Netfix delivered 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 days, a riveting Romanian film about a college student receiving an illegal abortion during the Ceauşescu era. Saturday night we saw the earth shattering Religulous, a defiant documentary by Bill Mahr about the self fulling prophecy of the world’s religions. Followed by dinner at Pambiche and finally vegan cupcakes purchased at the Obama Mama Bake Sale. In summary, get informed, vote, speak out, then head to Pambiche.

Pambiche is that multicolored building on 28th & Glisan that everyone has seen and wondered what the hell is it is and why there so many people out front. Authentic cuban cuisine, eyeball popping coffee, and fresh juice bevys under one roof! Don’t try to figure out the four page menu on your own as it is mostly filled with meat items. Just ask for the vegan items and you will find only two, but both incredible! As with everywhere else, take your pick of salads, the waitress swore by them but I wanted something hearty. As a result we went straight for the Tostones Viandas ($5.75), fried plantains (similar to french fries) with spicy sauce as the appetizer. Followed by the entree Plato Comunista ($11), a plate of beans & rice, beets, and yuca. Sure, you can thank god for the mouth watering food but you’re only kidding yourself and taking credit away from the chef!

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