VeganFabulous

the lowdown: East End | 203 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214 | 503.232.0056 | Website | Dinner, Late Night, Happy Hour | ****

Super cheap eats!

Just when I was about to swear off local businesses for their lack of business sense and overall bitchy attitude, I spent a couple hours at East End and feel better about Portland. It is amazing to me in this economy how difficult it is to correspond with restaurants, bakeries, venues and wine bars. Either all of them are insanely busy (doubtful) or none of them understand the first thing about customer service (likely). Nonetheless, I threw back a tall glass of lemon water and good grub last night and feel much better!

The East End, formerly The Rabbit Hole, is a low key bar with a cheap as hell happy hour menu, photo booth, and a restroom at the end of a long dark scary hallway. If it wasn’t for my friend always keeping me up on the food scene, I would have never guessed this place would have been an option for my finicky ass. Everything on the dinner menu is <$10 and includes a vegan burrito ($7), tacos ($6), and BBQ Tofu sandwich ($7). More importantly, Happy Hour is from 4-7 and offers the burrito and BBQ Tofu sandwich for $4! No need to bust the piggy bank on this one folks, eat your heart out!

the lowdown: Kabobi | 3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97214 | 503.230.1120 | Lunch, Dinner (Closed Monday) | Items $4 - $14.95 | ****

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.

the lowdown: Pambiche | 2811 NE Glisan St., Portland, OR 97232 | 503.233.0511 | Website | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $7 - $18.50 | ****

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!

the lowdown: Picabu Bistro | 901 W 14th Ave, Spokane, WA 99204 | 503.624.2464 | Website |Entrees $7.95 - $17.95 | Lunch, Dinner | ****

This is where you go in Spokane!

Last weekend I visited my college roommate and dear friend in her hometown of Spokane. Thus far I have made it a yearly tradition.  Her daughter, approaching two years old, was at an age where she wasn’t quite verbal, but her personality and charm did all the talking. I struggled for the first part of the weekend to earn her trust and by mid-day on Saturday I received it. Despite my sometimes awkward and sometimes rigid approach around children, she was able to open her arms up to me and give me a chance.

Google searching “Spokane + Vegan” ranks this blog #3. Unfortunately this doesn’t say a lot about vegan dining since I have only reviewed one Spokane restaurant! Luckily the HappyCow.Net index lists 7 options. Picabu was my top choice not only because it was nearly my only choice, but there were a few reasonably priced menu items including appetizers, salad, burgers, curry, pad thai, and a falafel. Picabu is located up the hill from Spokane’s downtown, juxtaposed to Roseaur’s, a grocery store. Although I generally avoid restaurants in such locations, we carried on through the front doors into a quaint, art covered bistro with a neighborhood feel. We started with the amazing Cilantro Hummus ($7.95) complete with grilled veggies and I followed that with a huge Curry Bowl ($10.95). Most typical curry only comes with a few veggies while this bowl included broccili, zuchini, onion, mushrooms, and green beans, not to mention it was loaded with tofu! We ended with dessert and the vegan option is a delectable Raspberry Cheesecake ($5.95). It doesn’t seem like much changes as we get older except our taste in food, friends, and clothes. One thing is for sure, we all scrutinize what we eat and who we spend time with and sometimes it just takes a little bit of time to warm up.

the lowdown: Mash Tun | 2204 NE Alberta St., #101, Portland, OR 97211 | 503.548.4491 | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $7 - $11 | ****

Beer and (vegan) Burgers!

After a day filled with cleaning house, pedicures, volunteering for the Obama Campaign and biking all over town to attend these engagements, there’s nothing better than a decompression over burgers. Fully decompressing with all the political news this week has been extremely difficult. The notion that the McCain/Palin ticket could win the election and run our country frightens me to no end. I wish there was more I could do.

Mash Tun is unfortunately one of the least talked about brewpubs in town. Just off the beaten path of Alberta it offers an exceptional patio, laid back atmosphere, and most importantly ample vegan options. From hummus and tempeh things (fried tempeh with BBQ sauce) as appetizers to two house made burgers choices, BLT, and falfel, you will not be left out. I choose the Veggie Burger ($8.25) composed of oats and veggies with a side of fries. The difficulty in making vegan burgers is that they are difficult to bind without eggs, but I applaud Mash Tun for their continued effort to offer a great vegan burger, despite the fact that it slightly breaks apart after a few bites. Other places would have given up long ago or thrown us a bone with a Boca Burger. We all know that Portland is one of the rare places where vegans can eat out every night, people prefer bikes over cars, and most everyone supports the liberal lifestyle. I often forget that Portland is not representive of the rest of Oregon, or even America. We need to do something more, I know I plan to.

the lowdown: Black Sheep Bakery | 523 NE 19th Ave., Portland, OR 97232 | 503.517.5762 | Website | Breakfast, Lunch (M-F only) | Items $3 - $7.75 | ****

Cute cafe for everyone (if you don’t work during the week or work nearby).

The morning of our departure to Burning Man we couldn’t pick up the rental car until 7:30. I wanted to make the most of having a weekday off in Portland so we picked up breakfast on the run at Black Sheep. This visit was to serve two purposes; patronize a vegan bakery while I could (they are only open M-F) and ensure a full stomach and snacks for the road while we traveled through the back country of Oregon, California, and Nevada. The mission was successful, it’s just a shame the goods couldn’t have lasted for the return trip!

Black Sheep opens at 7am and we sauntered in at exactly that time. I was excited for the variety of options on the menu and the case full of baked goods. Although the menu alleges that breakfast is served “open to close”, there are many items you cannot order until the prep cook arrives, which isn’t until 9. These items include vegan biscuits and gravy, vegan egg & sausage breakfast sandwich, and sometimes tempeh bacon. With some remaining luck they had tempeh strips available which was fashioned into a bagel sandwich with vegan cream cheese and veggies ($5.50). We also grabbed a cornmeal blueberry muffin and biscuit & vegan sausage muffin ($2 each). There is no shortage of non-veg options (egg, cheese, mayo, milk) as well to cater to the surrounding areas’ business patrons. Admittedly I was disappointed I couldn’t try some of the items, but the available food was delicious and dining room is quaint and welcoming. If I worked nearby I would most certainly make a habit to stop by and lobby for the prep cook to show up earlier!

the lowdown: Give Pizza a Chance | Between 4th and 5th on Stark, Portland, OR | 503.333.4434 | Items $2 - $10 | ****

This food cart rocks!

StumptownVegans are Portland’s vegan food cart connoisseurs. If it’s a food cart that serves something vegan, they know about it. This especially comes in handy when I am trying to figure out a quick meal on a work lunch break. With their comprehensive reviews I know exactly what I am getting into before I go.

Admittedly, food carts are sometimes difficult for me. Many of them occupy dilapidated trailers or makeshift shacks whose cleanliness would surprise me if they met code. The row of carts on 5th and Stark is no exception. As I was slowly walking by each one looking for Give Pizza a Chance I cringed but as I rounded the corner, I was pleasantly surprised by the well cared for cart that serves pizza by the slice, whole pies, and calzones! As a vegan your options are limited to freshly baked items as the pizza slices ($2-$3) all contain cheese. Based on the StumptownVegans recommendation I ordered a vegan calzone ($7) which included my choice of any of the following ingredients: spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, olives, and peppers. Although it took 20 minutes (record wait for food cart dining), it was well worth it. The piping hot calzone had the best crust and fillings around. I hadn’t had a calzone in years but I’ve never had one made with such fresh ingredients. If you are going to give any food cart a chance, let it be this one!

the lowdown: Al Amir | 223 SW Stark St., Portland, OR 97204 | 503.274.0010 | Website | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $5 - $18 | ***

More Lebanese options in Portland then you know what to do with.

Dinner and a movie is one of my favorite night out activities. Although I prefer to do it the opposite way, movie first, then dinner. I like this order because matinees are cheaper, there is no hurry to finish dinner, and talking about the movie over dinner is great! Last weekend we saw the much anticipated Dark Knight at the Broadway theater.  Heather Ledger was terrifying, Christian Bale was amazing, and having not seen Batman Begins didn’t seem to hamper my enjoyment of the film. I generally avoid movies over 2 hours, but I was happy to make an exception for this one. It’s a good thing we actually ate dinner prior to the movie this time.

Al Amir is one of the more expensive Lebanese options in Portland. It occupies a narrow space where the tables are mostly empty. Apparently it turns into a dance club at a certain times each night but the only evidence of this is the disproportionate speakers mounted on the walls. They offer a vegetarian menu and each time I’ve asked they’ve indicated that all items are vegan. I ordered the “Maza Al-Amir” ($16) which includes a Maza appetizer and a choice of one entree. The Maza includes the standard hummus, grape leaves, falafel, bread, and Baba Ghannooj and is large enough to share. There are four entree choices consisting of a variety of grilled veggies and rice. I choose the vegetable shish kabob topped with garlic sauce. Although the Maza is better at Al Amir’s neighbor Karam, the entree was excellent. The perfect type of food to rest in your stomach for 2.5 hours while you enjoy a movie.

the lowdown: Opposable Thumb | 3312 SE Belmont St., Portland, OR 97214 | 503.238.0146 | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Items $3 - $7.95 | ****

Art, coffee, food.

Sunday morning I was awaken at 5am to the news that my paternal grandfather had passed away. We were expecting it within the week, but no matter how prepared I thought I was, the teeth of reality still bit me hard.  The last conversation my grandfather and I had was about my garden. He seemed so pleased that I had planted tomatoes and was watering my plants everyday. As a result, I am dedicating my newly planted tree to his memory.

Knowing what to do with yourself after a death is awkward, especially when opposing family forces complicate the issue. I’ve had my eye on the Opposable Thumb for some time now and since opposition was the word of the weekend, it seemed appropriate to visit on Sunday. It is a cafe perfect for studying, hanging out, observing art or just having a mellow lunch. There is a vegetarian section on the menu which contains a wonderful baked tofu sandwich ($5.95) made with house-made focaccia bread, spicy baked tofu, grilled onions, roasted red papers and a side salad. Other items to choose from are the Portabello mushroom sandwich ($6.50) and a variety of salads. Grab your MacBook, homework, or just yourself for an incredibly relaxing visit.

the lowdown: Oba! Restaurant | 555 NW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97209 | 503.228.6161 | Website | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $7.50 - $28 | ****

To see and be seen.

Long gone are the days when I would leave work early to get a head start at the Oba First Thursday mack scene. This last visit was a combination of celebrating some good news on the home front and an excuse to dust off the motorcycle and cruise around town. However, I learned that just because you take the mack scene out of the girl, doesn’t mean the mack scene disappears. My boyfriend was attempted prey for a young nicely dressed local. Be careful, it’s a shark pool in there.

Oba is another one of the Pearl District’s hot spots that have a fabulous alternative menu, but you have to ask for it! This isn’t just for us vegan’s though, the menu includes vegetarian, dairy-free, wheat-free, and low-fat choices. There are so many options on the menu you could spend hours reading through all of them. In my previous visists I have ordered the grilled vegetable and tomato tacos ($10). This time it was a quick decision to try the roasted butternut squash enchiladas ($18). The plate includes two enchiladas, quinoa salad and normally a creamy walnut sauce which was replaced by a spicy tomato sauce for the vegans. Not only did I clean the plate, the service is outstanding! Bust out your snazzy clothes and throw back some fresh fruit coctails and fantastic food!