VeganFabulous

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: Dingo’s Taco Bar | 4612 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97215 | Website | 503.233.3996 | Lunch, Dinner, Happy Hour | $6 - $13 | ***

Alty Mexican fare with plenty for the vegs.

39th Avenue is the inner city limit of Portland where beyond lies nothing but Mall 205, Gateway, and Gustav’s. Ok, that’s an overstatement but I often overlook anything past 39th thinking it is too far away. As it turns out, there are a number of places I am missing out on. As I continue through my stretch of never knowing where to eat, I turn to outer Portland for inspiration.

If I were to focus on Hawthorne alone, excluding the higher ordered streets means excluding Sapphire Hotel, A Pizza Scholls, and Dingo’s. A girlfriend discovered Dingo’s and we were both encouraged by the use of tofu scattered throughout the menu. Choices include burritos, enchiladas, tacos, and fajitas. I ordered the veggie burrito + tofu ($8.25), but the fajitas + tofu ($11.75) looked and tasted even better! Sadly this was not my plate, but the cast iron dish filled with spicy veggies and tofu including rice, beans, and tortillas generated entree envy and made my sad burrito appear unsuitable for photographs. The moral of the story is that the good life of Portland does not stop at 39th. Reasonably priced, tasty food can be found beyond the unofficial city limit of East Portland.

the lowdown: Hawthorne Street Cafe | 3354 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97214 | 503.235.8286 | Breakfast, Lunch | Items $5.95 - $8.95 | *

Two options, one questionable.

For some reason every time I drove by Hawthorne Cafe, I forced myself to put it up a few notches on my dining list because I felt certain that it would be one of those places that has a ridiculously awesome tofu scramble. To be safe, I called and was told there was a variety of vegan options, but I think this was another classic case of the individual answering the phone either thinking vegan = vegetarian, or had an over commitment problem.

We arrived at the Hawthorne Cafe just before 11am, in time to barely miss the rush of hungry east siders. However, it didn’t matter, because the bottleneck was a result of having only one server. When we had the opportunity to order, she nervously scoured the menu for options, of which there were two. The tofu scramble without eggs and the “Mexican Spuds” without cheese. Since a plate full of potatoes rarely sounds appetizing first thing in the morning, I went with the scramble. My first clue should have been the frail toast, my second should have been the soggy veggies, but three times is a charm when I found suspect egg remnants. Let’s be honest, the tofu scramble was never designed to be vegan, I went with it under the assumption that they would accommodate, as they said they would. Vegan or not, the service and food do not add up to a good Sunday morning brunch.

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.