VeganFabulous

the lowdown: Higgins Restaurant and Bar | 1239 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205 | 503.222.9010 | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $19 -$33 | *****

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.

the lowdown: Berbati’s Pan | 231 SW Ankeny St., Portland, OR 97204 | 503.248.4579 | Website | Lunch, Dinner, Happy Hour | Items $4.50 - $10 | **

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.

the lowdown: Alexis | 215 W Burnside, Portland, OR 97209 | 503.224.8577 | Website | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $8.95 - $19.95 | ***

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!

the lowdown: Morning Star Cafe | 510 SW 3rd Ave #100, Portland, OR 97204 | 503.241.2401 | Website |Lunch, Coffee | Items $5.50 - $7.25 | **

Cute coffee/sandwich shop and great location, yet avoidable.

Sure, there are cute girls behind the counter. Sure, the name Morning Star sounds kind of hippie which provides hope that they may extend their love to vegans. Sure, the location for downtown Portland employees is great and the prices are affordable. Nonetheless, the cute girls are rude and I can’t bump the image of prepackaged fake meats when I think of this place.

There are a few things that bother me about Morning Star Cafe. First, it is not the fact that their normal menu offers nothing without cheese or meat. In fact, their Specials menu has a permanent item called The Veggie ($6.75) which includes veggies and hummus, a side of chips, and is quite good. The problem I have is that each time I have been there, the person at the register claims they are new and don’t know what they are doing, and sandwiches are routinely served out of order. Additionally, the folks making the sandwiches are completely out of touch with what kind of bread they are using and the inner working of the sandwiches they are making. All of these complaints would be moot if they were in some form pleasant about their ignorance, but shockingly I get the feeling they believe it is a privilege for me to spend my lunch hour there. Luckily I have boundaries for that type of abuse. As for the everyone else, Morning Star is often packed with those who either don’t ask questions, are fooled by the name, or enjoy the abuse.

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.

SW 3rd Ave Location

NE 15th & Davis Location

the lowdown: Voodoo Doughnuts | 22 SW 3rd Ave., Portland, OR 97204 & 1501 NE Davis, Portland, OR 97232 | 503.241.4704 | Website | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night | Items $1.5 - $4 | ****

Vegan doughnuts. Nuff said.

UPDATE: From Arctic Circle, to car dealership, to donut shop, Voodoo now has a NE Portland location so us Eastsiders can get our fix. Enjoy the covered bike parking, the classroom style dining room, and the vintage trash decor while munching on a variety of vegan donuts!

There are many treasures to be found while making your way through the crawl space of downtown Portland’s underbelly, and Voodoo Doughnuts is one such gem. I have made it tradition to bear pink boxes full of doughnuts on Christmas morning with my family. Truthfully, none of them seem terribly excited about the doughnuts but I find enjoyment picking them up late on Christmas eve.

All souls who crave vegan doughnuts are not new to what is available at Voodoo but every time I tell someone who has difficulty understanding my dietary choices that Voodoo has said doughnuts, they look at me with complete disbelief. “What are they made of then?” is what commonly comes next after the perplexing look. Nonetheless, Voodoo is a small crack in the side of the building that houses Shanghi Tunnel, Bar XV and Berbati’s Pan. It is open 24 Hours and tattoo covered employees make creme filled, penis shaped, fruit loops covered, bacon decorated delights all night long. Although the vegans are left out of the phallic fun, the selection consists of 5 cake doughnut varieties with sprinkles. All are damn good.

the lowdown: XV | 15 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97204 | 503.790.9090 | Website | Entrees $6-$9 | Dinner, Happy Hour | ***

Happy Hour and late night hotspot that doesn’t leave the vegans out.

Thirty is the age where it seems you have to start owning up to the fact that you are an adult. Sure, I’m not quite thirty (< 6 months), but I am already feeling my age when I look around and notice that I am not the young kid I used to be. My dentist is my age, the hipsters look 10 years younger than I, and I’m no longer than youngest at work. As a result, I avoid bars whenever possible. Primarily because I don’t drink, secondarily because I hate feeling like an old hag. Last week I was shocked when I dropped into XV for Happy Hour and noticed the average age was 32! Perhaps happy hour is the only time of day when you will find a majority of thirty somethings at XV, but hey, at least you now know where to go to avoid the kids and order vegan goods on the cheap.

With any bar the food service is secondary to the drink service. Although XV has a large menu offering sizable vegetarian options (indicated by a red *), many of which can be vegan. Don’t expect the servers to know anything about the vegan options (be very clear with them so they can communicate that to the chef), or to service your table within a reasonable interval. I suppose this is just one of the compromises you make to save $2 off food and suck down cheap well drinks and PBR. The vegan crowd can choose from several appetizers, tacos, sandwiches, pizza and burgers. I went for the “Dakota Burger” ($8) and added the yam fries ($2). The burger included fresh veggie condiments and the fries where off the charts (I could not confirm if the aoili was vegan so I had them hold it). Thankfully we had another order of these fries gifted to us by the bartender (he was crushing on one of the girls at our table) because the side order just isn’t enough. I’m just happy some of us are still getting hit on!

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: Bijou Cafe | 132 SW 3rd Ave., Portland, OR 97204 | 503.222.3187 | Breakfast, Lunch | Entrees $6 - $12 | ***

Great place to take your family.

In a beeline to Stumptown I have only stopped in front of Bijou to decline a copy of “Street Roots” where the same woman has been selling issues on that corner for years. However, last week I had the opportunity to visit Bijou not once, but twice! It turns out that Bijou is good for lunch dates and taking moms out for Mother’s Day. Especially when you are the only one in the bunch that doesn’t eat eggs (or diary or meat).

Bijou, with its understated exterior, is an easy miss when Stumptown’s overflow of coffee hipsters are hanging outside. If you do happen to peer in you may think the only clientèle are yuppie housewives and retirees, but don’t let your snap judgment fool you on this one. Bijou is actually a quintessential cafe complete with bar, open kitchen and very friendly offbeat servers. Visiting for lunch and brunch presents you with one option each and the good news is breakfast is served all day. Be mindful of your arrival time, however. Lunch goes into full force around 12 and on the weekends breakfast is already slammed by 9 (this isn’t your typical Portland roll-out-of-bed-at-11 crowd.). Bijou does a great job of turning over tables at a reasonable pace so you won’t have to wait more than 20 minutes usually and with Stumptown next door, grab a cup and feel free to bring it in with you if your table becomes available. For my lunch visit I ordered the “Japanese Buckwheat Salad”, soba noodles with julienned veggies artistically presented and topped with greens for $7.95. During my return breakfast visit I ordered the “Tofu Scramble” for $7.75. Be sure to request this vegan, they will substitute roasted veggies for the potatoes (which are cooked in butter). Of the two, the scramble was my favorite, simply because it was a heartier meal, I drank lots of coffee, and the toast is thick and fresh. The best thing about Bijou is that everyone can enjoy cafe style good food.