VeganFabulous

the lowdown: Queen of Sheba | 2413 NE MLK Blvd., Portland, OR 97208 | 503.287.6302 | Website | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees <$10 | ****

More great Ethiopian!

Thank god we have revitalized the “Take Out” night at my house because owning a home on top of everything else is starting to mount. I am reducing my time in the kitchen by trying to use lots of left overs and make lots of sandwiches for dinner. On the busiest night, we pick a nearby restaurant where we can grab some takeout and have a 0 stress meal. Last week I was craving Ethiopian and google maps indicated that Queen of Sheba was the closest!

Since I didn’t pick up the meal I can’t speak to the dining room, but what I can tell you is that when I called to ask about the menu, the man on the phone was very excited to tell me about the 10 vegan items. Since I don’t have much exposure to Ethiopian, we stuck with the safe choice and ordered the Veggie Platter for two. For $20 you get two huge slabs of injera bread covered with all 10 veggie sides. It was so much food we were able to slice 4 meals out of it! Be forewarned, Ethiopian food is difficult as takeout unless you have a 3 foot wide plate at home. There is no shame is being messy though!

the lowdown: E’Njoni Cafe | 910 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97217 | 503.286.1401 | Lunch, Dinner | Items $5.95 - $12.95 | ***

Ethiopian is always a great option!

Until recently I had no idea how many Ethiopian choices there were in Portland. Now, the seven month old E’Njoni is Portland’s latest addition! After a previously bad experience with reheated injera and lentils at a competitor across town, my friend and I were looking for fresh, authentic Ethiopian grub. We came to the right place.

If you want to have your pick of a vast selection of restaurants, Killingsworth is your street. With choices ranging from pub grub to Pho, you can’t go wrong. Seven months ago, E’Njoni joined the ranks adding Ethiopian to your plethora of choices. E’Njoni is family owned, offering reasonably priced food with service that makes you feel like your neighbors invited you over for dinner. With a number of vegetarian options, which happen to also be vegan, we had a difficult time choosing but decided to share the”Veggie Combo” and “Shiro”, family style. The “Shiro” is a herbed chickpea sauce spread throughout the middle of the combo which included greens, lentils, curry, split pea, and beet stew. The server brought kept brining us injera until my stomach expanded like a sponge and there was still enough leftover to do it all again at lunch the next day. Aside from the 5 year old staring at us the entire time in the booth next to ours, I had an excellent time. If Ethiopian is your thing, go immediately to E’Njoni.

the lowdown: Dalo’s Kitchen | 4134 N. Vancouver Ave. #207, Portland, OR 97217 | 503.808.9604 | Website | Lunch, Dinner | Items $5 - $10 | ****

The veggie platter is amazing!

This last weekend I attended my second PPK meetup held at Dalo’s Kitchen. The meetup was attended by cupcake, joannalovesyou, pdx-nummers, theprocrastinatingcook, strawberryrock, michelle c., jdfunks, and susie tofu monster. Admittedly I have attempted to visit Dalo’s once before but was scared off by the strange exterior. I now realize how foolish I was because sometimes the best food comes from the most unsuspecting places.

While listening to an array of cover songs, hip-hop, top 40, and world music we feasted on salads and the veggie platter. The veggie platter consists of huge rounds of Injera bread used for dipping into split peas, lentils, spinach, and potatoes. Between 11 of us were had a huge amount of leftovers, not to mention the tab rounded out to $60! Until recently I had never had Ethiopian fare but after Dalo’s I can see myself craving it on a regular basis.

the lowdown: Langano Lounge | 1435 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214 | 503.230.8990 | Items $8ish | Dinner, Late Night

2/3 of the menu options are vegan.

Langano Lounge, the bar below Jarra’s, is where my friend and I ended up one Monday evening after we attempted to go to Dalo’s and I chickened out. Sadly, I am notorious for judging a place by its outward appearance. Believe me, I am trying to work on that.

The atmosphere reminded me of a childhood friend’s basement, where you could stay up all night watching movies and talking loudly, out of earshot of the parents. The couple running the place were possibly the owners and were very friendly. We were excited to eat as neither of us had tried Ethiopian food before, but disappointedly, the food appeared to be reheated leftovers. Although we left dissatisfied, we will be back when Jarra’s is open.