VeganFabulous

the lowdown: Grand Central | 839 SE Morrison St., Portland, OR 97214 | 503.236.BOWL | Website | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $8.25 - $21.95 | ***

A little bit of grub and a lot of bowling!

Fresh off spring break I’ve been trying to kick back into my normal routine but am having difficulty focusing. I feel like I have been hibernating for six months and am wide awake and ready to start little projects around the house, fine tune wedding details, and shop for spring/summer clothes. It seems only appropriate I’d be taking a Marketing Management course this term as I am knee deep in consumerism.

Speaking of money, what better way to spend $42/hour than on a bowling lane for a group of amateurs! That’s right, close out your savings account because bowling these days is not cheap! The once dilapidated bowling alley is now a bridge and tunnel mecca! On weekends the restaurant is packed and expect a 2 hour wait for a lane! Don’t be afraid to join in the fun though, the Portobello Sandwich ($9.25) is easily vegan without the cheese, aioli, OR fries and it is pretty good. In addition, the bowling shoes were renewed with the building renovation so you won’t be trapped sticking your feet in 30 year old slogs. Phew! I think we did our part to stimulate the economy yesterday!

the lowdown: Portobello Vegan Tratoria | 2001 SE 11th Ave., Portland, OR 97214 | 503.754.5993 | Website | Dinner only | Entrees $7 - $12 | ***

All vegan Italian!

Work is busy, school is busy, people’s kid’s are busy, and pets have dental appointments. As a result, over the last several years my friendships have largely involved occasional emails, dinner dates, and maybe a movie. Unfortunately, everyone’s busy schedule has a way of obfuscating strong friendships. It isn’t until something significant occurs in one’s life does the dividing line between supportive friends and those you simply dine with become obvious. Throughout the fog of excitement and stress of wedding planning, I have re-discovered some amazing people in my life. How I found them or they found me, I can’t explain. I only hope I can express my appreciation in the short amount of time we do have.

Part of wedding planning always involves choosing very important dates, especially the bridal shower. A great friend and bridesmaid graciously offered to throw the party so we met at the new Portobello to discuss preliminary details! The best way to describe Portobello is tapas style Italian. All main dishes are offered in two sizes, but even the larger size is disappointingly small. We were both quite hungry and had difficulty deciding so we ordered several dishes. To begin we shared the Bagna Cauda ($6), an antipasti with bread, veggies, and garlic/olive oil dip.  Round two included the Roast Brussels Sprouts ($4), Saltimboca alla Vegana ($8), “hearts” wrapped seitan, and Pumpkin Cappeliacci ($10), dumplings stuffed with pumpkin and layered with cashew sauce. The food is good, but not terribly exciting. However, like the Portobello mushroom, the restaurant has a variety of offerings and brings a much needed element to the currently contracting vegan dining landscape. Not to mention it is a great place to dine with the friends you want to see more often.

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: Sip & Kranz Coffee Lounge | 901 NW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97209 | 503.336.1335 | Website | Breakfast, Coffee | Items $2 - $5 | *****

Unbelievably cool coffee shop for all ages!

This past weekend my best girlfriend and her family (including a toddler) made the trip from Spokane to Portland. Although a mere six hour drive, she felt the culture shock immediately upon reaching city limits. She was amazed at the number of people riding bikes, smiling strangers, restored houses, green parks and the kid friendly vibe! Honestly, I didn’t realize how well kids and Portland got along until I had a little one in my house. In honor of that I have decided to begin marking posts as “Kid Friendly” to hook the parents up!

One of the main attractions to any out of towner is the Portland coffee culture. In Spokane, it’s either Starbucks or gas station coffee. To knock her socks off we went to Sip & Kranz, a posh coffee shop serving Black Sheep baked goods, Stumptown coffee, and kids play area fully equipped with a flat screen TV and a variety of playthings. You may be frightened by the notion of a pearl district coffee shop catering to the urban baby scene, expecting screaming babies with faux hawks and baby couture. Fear not, it is quite the opposite as these kids are relatively well behaved. We enjoyed our artistically designed soy lattes while catching up on life and watching the 3 and under crowd work the floor.

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: Tin Shed Garden Cafe | 1438 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR 97211 | 503.288.6966 | Website | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Seat P4 | Entrees $4.75 - $14

Veg friendly, dog friendly and tofu for egg substitutions are free!

Day 1 of the fall time change is my favorite day of the year because it feels like the day lasts for eternity. With all the extra time there is no better place to spend a lazy morning than the Tin Shed. No secret to anyone, the Tin Shed is hopping at all times. When we arrived there were 10 groups ahead of us, within 5 minutes there were 10 more behind us. You might think waiting 45 minutes for a seat is ridiculous but with bottomless coffee and garden to wait in, all your clock watching habits disappear!

Although unmarked, many of the items on their menu are vegan friendly. I ordered the How Latin with vegan sausage, spicy aioli, tofu scramble, and vegan cheese grits. This dish completely knocked my socks off. Not only did the black bean salsa and aioli pair well with the scramble, the portions felt as eternal as the morning. As you can see in the image below, the portions are quite plentiful. Please note that I had to remove two slices of bread in order capture the dish!