VeganFabulous

the lowdown: Blue Pig | 5026 SE Division St., Portland, OR 97206 | 503.231.2775 | Website | Entrees $4.95 - $10.95 | ***

Seriously large portions and the best build your own tofu scramble in town!

It seems every week I am updating a blog post to indicate the restaurant has closed. It saddens me each time because not only does it mean lost jobs and vacant storefronts; in most cases it is one less restaurant for us to enjoy. Even Great Harvest stopped baking vegan muffins and scones, apparently they aren’t recession proof. Last week I would I have told you the recession hadn’t affected me or anyone I was close to, but stark news a few days ago proved that the recession’s dark cloud was looming in my proximity and had captured someone I love. Despite the recently passed stimulus plan, I continue to feel a combination of helplessness, anger, and fear. How much more can we lose? I think it is only a matter of time until we find out.

A few weeks ago we broke our brunch dry spell by checking out Blue Pig on Division. A quaint diner with a subtle 50’s era feel, mostly due to the waiter’s t-shirt with rolled up sleeves and 501’s. Although your choices are limited to the tofu scramble, don’t be turned off because for $9.95 you can build your own scramble and include as much or as little of the items for the same price! With options includeing olives, peppers, vegan sausage, broccoli and onions to name a few, I was tempted to order the entire list! All portions are large, as is the soup mug sized latte! Blue Pig is a relative new-comber having only opened their doors last July. My hope is folks will return for the value if nothing else.

the lowdown: Soul Vegetarian | 879 Ralph David Abernathy SW, Atlanta, GA 30310 | 404.752.5194 | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $6 - $12 | *****

Unsuspected food in an unsuspecting place!

Despite taking a 2 week hiatus from this blog, I am still here and kicking with a backlog of things to write about! To recap, I got engaged, turned 30, went to Montreal for my birthday, set a wedding date, booked a wedding location and photographer, planned our honeymoon, started a new school term on the topic of Financial Management, and rejoiced at our new president! Who cares about all of that stuff anyway, we are here to talk about food! En route to Montreal we had a layover in Atlanta. No sooner did we find ourselves a seat at the gate than we realized our flight was canceled due to freezing rain and the next flight wasn’t until the morning. I immediately jumped on the internet to research vegan friendly restaurants and stumbled upon vegetarian African soul food!

Soul Vegetarian is a worldwide chain with two locations in Atlanta. When we asked the cab driver to drive us to Ralph David Abernathy he pause and asked us for the address again. We repeated it and he said “Are you sure that is where you want to go?” We were certain we needed some good food to lift our spirits from the debacle of being stuck in Atlanta with no baggage, so we asked him to press on. Apparently he was concerned for our safety. Nonetheless, we arrived to a dining room filled with vinyl booths and servers dressed head to toe in traditional African garb. The menu was entirely vegan and included burger and sandwich options with a choice of fries or onion rings and accompanied by a salad. They offer a full buffet and juice bar equipped with the makings for a mean banana split. Sadly I left without a trace of the menu and nothing of the sort is posted on their site. Although I am leaving you with no details, you better hope to god that wherever your travels take you Soul Vegetarian is nearby.

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: Bye and Bye | 1011 NE Alberta, Portland, OR 97211 | 503.281.0537 | Lunch, Dinner, Happy Hour | Food Items $5 - $8 | *****

Alberta Street bar with stiff bevys and righteous vegan food!

The Alberta hood is known for their restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, and most definitely Last Thursday. This is the part of town where you can dine on vegan biscuits and gravy, gaze at countless varieties of art, buy a rain barrel then grab a beer before heading home. I visit quite regularly and most recently rallied to my next door neighborhood to hang with a pal at the notorious Bye and Bye. We ate, we laughed, we people watched, but this was after feeling completely out of place with only two tats.

Want to know what happens when 6 guys open up shop on lower Alberta street offering stiff drinks, vegan grub, and an atmosphere derived from their bare hands? Nothing other then legions of folks lined up just to get inside! Nevermind the vegan food, these cats go because it is the place to be! We were there to eat and damn do they have a great menu! Previously I have had the BBQ Veggie “Chicken” which was a plate of grilled tofu, beans, and collard greens. During my last visit I ordered the Meatball Sub and my dining partner had the Weepying Tiger sandwhich.With each menu item you have the choice of a side, tofu, greens, tortilla chips, black-eyed peas, and broccili. I choose the tofu because it is crusted with nutrtional yeast and tastes better then french fries!  Be aware that the food is spicy, messy (meatball sub anyway), and damn good. I need to start going more often, despite my shortage of hipster traits!

the lowdown: Nutshell | 3808 N Williams Ste. C, Portland, OR 97227 | 503.292.2627 | Website | Dinner | Entrees $11 - $14 | ***

All vegan cuisine.

It has been nearly a year since my first visit (and subsequent review) of Nutshell and my god is an update long overdue! Not only had the food pricing changed, but my general thoughts have as well. I choose Nutshell this week as a meeting place with a friend because it is relatively close to the freeway, which is handy for my friend making the horrific commute from Beaverton to Vancouver. Lucky for me, it is a 5 minute bike ride.

Since last year, Nutshell has raised their prices, reduced their menu options, decreased their portions sizes, and changed business hours. My first review included price ranges from $5 - $11, now the only thing $5 will get you is a side of fries! The tandoori bread and oil options remain and the menu items are all fresh and elegantly presented, its just different. Either Nutshell is having an identity crisis or business is on the decline. I ordered the Barbeque Platter ($14); red beans, potato salad, roasted green pepper stuff with corn, and corn bread. While my friend ordered the Fried Quinoa & Polenta ($13); a meticulous display of three quinoa triangles topped with greens. I was rather disappointed with platter due to the dried corn bread, tart potato salad and unimpressive portion of beans. I favored the quinoa, but there is no way that portion would have been enough for me! My experience with service has always been spotty. This time it was great but it seems the half baked appearance of the cooks and servers isn’t improving as the prices go up. I’ll leave Nutshell open as an option but will more often keep riding by.

the lowdown: Vita Cafe | 3024 NE Alberta, Portland, OR | 503.335.8233 | Website | Entrees $4.50 - $9.75 | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | *****

Many veg options and free-range meats.

Have you tried Chacha‘ing yourself lately? You know, the new service that allows you to text message 242242 with any question and a real person will respond within 5 minutes? While waiting for my meal this morning at Vita Cafe I did just that and was severely underwhelmed with the response “Megan Kielman is a Windows System Manager in Portland”. I had high expectations of Internet greatness but it’s alright, especially since I had fantastic brunch, something I haven’t had in quite some time!

For the best Vita Cafe experience visit for a breakfast meal (served until 4pm) where you will have a choice of pancakes, french toast, biscuits and gravy, scrambles and more. In addition to the vegan choices they offer free range meats, cheese, and eggs, making it a perfect spot for those of us whose regular dining partners aren’t of the vegan variety. I kicked my meal off with a cup of Stumptown coffee and soy milk, followed by the “New Year’s Breakfast” ($8), a plate of steamed veggies, fried seasoned tofu, and a choice of corn cakes or french toast. We also split the full order of biscuits with almond gravy ($5). Food comas aside, Vita Cafe is one hell of a place. To avoid a wait, arrive before 11am!

the lowdown: Small World Cafe | 416 SW 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97204| 971.255.5589 | Lunch | Entrees $5.99 - $12.99 | ***

Full fledged downtown Ethiopian option!

Previously on “VeganFabulous Does Lunch”, Megan met up with a few former co-workers who drove all the way from the giant tech corporation in Hillsboro. The three of them lunched at Bijou Cafe, enjoying good food and geek talk. This month…Watch Out! Megan gives the downtown Ethiopian scene a try.

Strapped with $7 dollars and a craving for Enjera, Megan meets up with yet another former co-worker. This time her peer hails from the nearby gas company prepped to teach her a thing or two about home furance efficiency.  While ordering, Megan reviews the menu with a perplexed look as she notices a dish containing fish is included on the “Vegetarian” menu. She pondereds the plausability of Ethiopians’ considering fish a vegetarian item before ordering the “Beyeaynetu”, a dish containing split peas, lentils, cabbage and of course enjera. She could have chosen any one of the other 5 vegan options but she had a strong affinity to the $5.99 price tag. Although Megan thought the food was decent and appreciated the spice of the lentils, it just didn’t have quite the same pizazz as Queen of Sheba, Dalo’s, or Enjoini. Nor was the enjera as big!

the lowdown: Food Front Co-Op | 2375 NW Thurman St., Portland, OR 97210 | 503.222.5658 | Website | Sandwiches Half: $3.65+ Whole: $5.99 | ****

Quick and healthy while you shop!

There’s no better way to spend your Memorial weekend than with a stomach virus. Yes, that’s right. I woke up Sunday morning so sick I couldn’t get out of bed until 4pm and this bug hasn’t totally left me yet. I am the kind of person who would rather go to work vomiting than call in, but after having stomach pain for 2 days and going to the emergency room to be sure it wasn’t something worse than a virus, I figured I better stay home. So here’s to eating when sick!

Food Front is a tiny Co-op in NW Portland offering a fantastic bulk section (it is the only place in town I could find agar powder) and $30 nut butters. They also offer a great sandwich bar with a variety of vegan options. When you arrive you fill out a form that includes soy cheese, vegan mayo, two types of baked tofu, tofurky, tempeh burger, and of course all the veggies you can handle! My dutiful caregiver surprised me with a whole, wheat sandwich stuffed with plain baked tofu, vegan mayo, hummus, lettuce tomato, onion, sprouts, and dill pickle. I could only eat half of it, which is out of character for me so I am going to blame it on the sickness and my lack of physical activity since my surgery (I get to ride my bike again on Friday!).

the lowdown: Blue Olive | 4627 NE Fremont St., Portland, OR 97213 | 503.528.2822 | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $8 - $15 | ***

A slightly more upscale Mediterranean alternative!

Celebratory dinners are the best! Especially when they involve someone else paying, a swollen nose, and falafel. Yes that’s right, I had been craving Mediterranean food since I went under the knife and finally after 7 days of being sedentary, I was prepared to venture out.

Fremont is one of those spotty streets with pockets of quintessential shops and restaurants separated by rows of beautiful houses. Like most of the establishments on this street, Blue Olive has a more refined feel than your typical Mediterranean joint, making it perfect for a special occasion. However, unlike the other places, the food options on the vegan front are a little light. According to our vegan waitress, aside from salads, I could pick from the Falafel and Homous appetizers and the “Briam” entree. During lunch there is a Falafel Sandwich option. Needless to say we started out with the Falalfel, a plate of six for $7. For dinner I enjoyed the “Briam”, a vegetarian casserole with green beens, zucchini, eggplant, green pepers, and potatoes. It was good and kept well for the following day’s lunch, a little pricy ($12) for the portion, however. You’ve probably never heard of Blue Olive because everyone is always talking about Hoda’s, Arabian Breeze, Yahala, Karam, Nicholas’…and rightfully. Not only does your money go a lot further, the options are plentiful. If you are down for a date night, Blue Olive provides the better ambience.

Red and Black Cafe | 400 SE 12th Ave., Portland, OR 97214 | 503.231.3899 | Website |Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Coffee |Items $2 - $6.75 | ****

Coffee shop, sandwich shop, internet cafe, hard core.

There is something to be said about having just been under the knife, in a percecet induced state, and asking my mom to take me to Red and Black Cafe. Maybe on some level I has a sense that I would not be judged based on my appearance, or perhaps I was looking for some vegan love to wipe the pain of my operation away? Regardless, I am still embarrassed for being in public but excited at having found my new favorite coffee shop.

Honestly, I remember very little about the Red and Black Cafe except that it occupies an old home with a huge flag draped outside. The menu is entirely vegan with a variety of sandwiches and baked goods including a TLT (tempeh lettuce and tomato), TLP (tempeh lettuce and pepper), Reuben, and Tuna named “Chicken of the Soy”. I feasted on the TLT accompanied by blue corn chips for $6.25. The last thing I remember is thinking it was excellent before passing out.