[nervousxtian]

Time to write a travel-guide Nick, and write off all your meals on your taxes!

[TastyTidbits1]

Hi ExtraMSG - for late-night vegan eats, try Dots. A decent selection and reasonably priced. My husband loves their vegan burrito. Not authentic, but tasty for late night and they even sneak in some greens ;)

[ExtraMSG]

Thanks and welcome Tasty.

[ExtraMSG]

Decided to see what I'd get with a more Southern Indian vegan meal -- which should be easier -- so my wife and I went to Chennai Masala, the place I consider best in PDX right now serving the standard southern specialties on a regular basis.

We ordered a lot, but it gave me another meal the next day: medhu vada, chili and onion uppatham, chole dosa, aloo gobi with basmati rice.



The medhu vada tasted fine, but it seemed like it had been cooked ahead. The outside wasn't crisp and the inside was a little dense. A decent medhu vada, but I've had much better there and especially much better at Tandoor. These chutneys, both tasty, would come with every dish one brightly fiery and coconutty, the other sweet with a progressive burn.



Loved the uppatham. It was crunchy from both a nice crust on the outside and the onions throughout the sour dough. The chilis added a nice green vegetal flavor along with some spice. Sambhar came with the chutneys, but it's finished with ghee, so I skipped it. The server helping us was very good about letting us know which dishes had dairy or egg and which didn't.



The large dosa was generously filled with the spiced garbanzo mixture. The sour dosa with the earthy garbanzos and sweet carrots made for a nice range of flavors, especially when coupled with the chutneys. I actually used the leftoverst the next day as part of a quesadilla filling for my wife.



Everything in the aloo gobi was cooked perfectly. The potatoes and cauliflower were both tender but not mushy. The surrounding curry was creamy and aromatic. It could have used some salt. It also highlighted CM's approach which has them packed with Desis (there was a line of people waiting at 8pm), but maybe doesn't fit the American palate best always. Like Indish, their food would never be confused with greasier offerings of San Francisco's Tenderloin or even the creamier, richer, more butter-heavy dishes of East India Company or Tandoor.

I'd alter some of these dishes for seasoning and palate, but it's hard to fault most of what I've eaten at Chennai Masala. It very much reminds me of the better Southern Indian places in Silicon Valley, which at this point still has to be my benchmark. And there's no doubt, you can eat well as a vegan here.

[ExtraMSG]

Alma Chocolates has been doing choco-pops, frozen chocolate sweets. When my wife and I stopped in to get a gift for someone, we also got one of these -- a vegan version, the chocolate-blackberry with coconut.



I'm not sure if they're just frozen, or made into a granita texture first, then frozen, but they're a little difficult to eat at first. But it's not too long in the heat we'd been having before they can be gnawed on. They're not especially sweet, have an intense chocolate flavor, and this one had a nice blackberry secondary note to it. Nice to get a quality vegan dessert once in a while.

[TastyTidbits1]

After driving by it for months and then reading the post, we tried El Nutri taco last night. I think it offers more vegan options than most - which is great - but overall I found the flavors to be a bit flat. Even the salsa. When it's time to break the vegan fast, run to Cora y Huichol. Their tortillas, asada, and chicken tacos are the best I've had from any truck in these parts. I wonder if they would consider offering vegan chorizo and nopales?

[ExtraMSG]

Made a reservation for Wildwood the other night. Have been systematically calling the top restaurants in Portland to find out how vegan-friendly they are and see what they offer to do for a vegan. Some have been willing to do little, noting, eg, that they can take the cheese off several salads, but nothing else is vegan-friendly, while some, like Wildwood, have offered to make off-menu dishes or transform current omnivorous or vegetarian dishes into vegan dishes.

Menu had several salads that could be made vegan, plus a couple other apps. The pizza was a long shot because it had both cheese and salami on it along with basil and tomatoes. But I think this is a good candidate for something tasty and substantial. They should think about just offering one off-menu. Brush some oil and garlic on the crust, add some veggies, maybe some herbs, salt, and call it good. They always have a selection of great veggies at Wildwood. The vegetarian risotto could be made vegan without the cheese, I believe. They offered to make one of two different off-menu entrees for me: a panzanella or a ragout.

We ordered: both a vegan and non-vegan version of the nectarine crostone, the heirloom tomato salad with blue cheese on the side, the halibut for my wife, and the ragout for me. They comped us a trio of sorbets.



We sat at the open kitchen counter, the spot I choose 90% of the time I eat there. Great lighting for photos, too. It's always interesting to watch how the cooks work.



They started us with a sour whole wheat and some oil, vinegar, and butter. Nice dark crust on the bread. The oil and vinegar allows you to while the time Rorschach testing your dining partner. Everything looks like boobs and balls to me. I'm sure that's insignificant.



My wife and I both wanted the crostone when we looked through the menu. Rather than just "dumb it down" and force my wife to share mine, we decided to order it both vegan and non-vegan. The non-vegan version, above, came with bits of hazelnut smoked ham and marscapone, in addition to the butter-crisped bread, corn, chanterelles, and nectarine. She enjoyed it very much.



However, neither her nor I felt like I lost much on my version. I got more nectarine, for one thing. She liked the smokey ham, but the chanterelles gave the dish enough umami balance that I would have never thought that it needed more had I never seen her version. As it was, mine was delicious. The nectarine was terrific, tart and richly sweet from being cooked. Too often fruits, especially orchard fruits, lose their character when cooked. The corn had an intense natural sweetness of its own, and even the chanterelles had an earthy, meaty sweetness to them. So many levels of sweet, but the dish never felt like dessert. It was just damn tasty.



The best eavesdropping of the night came right before our heirloom tomato salad arrived. A few ladies walked by, one shocked that what she had eaten, "tasted like a tomato, but wasn't red!" I respect her enthusiasm for the flavors, even if her naivete made us chuckle, because the tomatoes on our salad were great. Grilled rounds of sweet onions along with walnuts and arugala gave sharpness, depth, nuttiness, bitterness, and peppery notes to the sweet and summery heirlooms. My wife felt a chevre would have worked better than the creamy blue. My only quibble would be that the nuts especially, but even the tomatoes, could have used a sprinkling of salt. Maybe that's a result of me not eating the cheese, which probably would have added salt.

My wife loved her halibut. It was great to see a definitive sear on that piece of fish, topped with a mint-cucumber-yogurt sauce. Shell beans, corn, grean beans, and cherry tomatoes propped up the hunk of seafood. This seemed to be -- by far -- the most ordered dish that night. At one time, we counted 9 up at once. Encouraging in such a meat and potatoes town.



I was a little disappointed when I heard my options, to be honest, for entrees. Panzanella, this time of year, seems to be second only to risotto in what fine dining restaurants will offer vegans. That's why I went with the ragout. I thought: I hope this isn't just a bunch of shit in a bowl with a tomato sauce or something. I guess in a way, that's what I got (minus the tomato sauce), but without any of the negative connotations, because this was well-balanced, well-executed, and very enjoyable.

They had taken a piece of the sour whole wheat and toasted it, using it as a base to pile on the melange of seasonal goodies. The bread was soaked with flavorful juices. The mixture of veggies included that same intensely sweet corn and earthy sweet chanterelles, along with fresh, creamy poacha beans and tender, thin lengths of summer squash. There was a tartness to the dish that brightened everything, but I couldn't tell if it was a splash of lemon juice or a little vinegar in the ragout. Whatever its source, it was a great touch. Another great touch were enough chili flakes to wake up the palate without making the dish actually spicy.



I was hoping the sopapillas might be egg and dairy-free, but they actually had a little lard in them. They sounded so good, though. But we were happily surprised with a trio of sorbets on the house. These were my favorite sorbets so far (not including Cool Moon). There were three distinct seasonal flavors: raspberry, gooseberry, and rhubarb. Each one was delicious, although the rhubarb was probably a little icy and the gooseberry not dense enough, making it melt too quickly. But the flavors were great. Some shortbread cookies and a chocolate chip cookie came on the side along with some plums and huckleberries. (My wife hadn't eaten the cookies last time I talked to her, so I don't know how they are.)

Good service throughout. We never wanted for anything.

Another really good vegan meal at one of Portland's fine dining restaurants -- further proof that good cooks can cook good food, vegan or not.

[Laksa]

ExtraMSG, on Aug 5 2009, 04:35 PM, said:

Decided to see what I'd get with a more Southern Indian vegan meal -- which should be easier -- so my wife and I went to Chennai Masala, the place I consider best in PDX right now serving the standard southern specialties on a regular basis.

We ordered a lot, but it gave me another meal the next day: medhu vada, chili and onion uppatham, chole dosa, aloo gobi with basmati rice.

The medhu vada tasted fine, but it seemed like it had been cooked ahead. The outside wasn't crisp and the inside was a little dense. A decent medhu vada, but I've had much better there and especially much better at Tandoor. These chutneys, both tasty, would come with every dish one brightly fiery and coconutty, the other sweet with a progressive burn.

Loved the uppatham. It was crunchy from both a nice crust on the outside and the onions throughout the sour dough. The chilis added a nice green vegetal flavor along with some spice. Sambhar came with the chutneys, but it's finished with ghee, so I skipped it. The server helping us was very good about letting us know which dishes had dairy or egg and which didn't.

The large dosa was generously filled with the spiced garbanzo mixture. The sour dosa with the earthy garbanzos and sweet carrots made for a nice range of flavors, especially when coupled with the chutneys. I actually used the leftoverst the next day as part of a quesadilla filling for my wife.

Everything in the aloo gobi was cooked perfectly. The potatoes and cauliflower were both tender but not mushy. The surrounding curry was creamy and aromatic. It could have used some salt. It also highlighted CM's approach which has them packed with Desis (there was a line of people waiting at 8pm), but maybe doesn't fit the American palate best always. Like Indish, their food would never be confused with greasier offerings of San Francisco's Tenderloin or even the creamier, richer, more butter-heavy dishes of East India Company or Tandoor.

I'd alter some of these dishes for seasoning and palate, but it's hard to fault most of what I've eaten at Chennai Masala. It very much reminds me of the better Southern Indian places in Silicon Valley, which at this point still has to be my benchmark. And there's no doubt, you can eat well as a vegan here.

Looks great. The low salt you noticed sounds interesting. Anyplace which reduces it is A-OK by me. I've had catered food from Chennai which was very rich but I think that's the 'banquet style' food eaten on special occasions.

You may want to add the place formerly known as India Direct to your list. Although it is still mostly a grocery store they've expanded the restaurant part and put it in the front room and I believe it's all vegetarian. I think it's called India Spice and Supplies or something. (BTW I noticed quart-sized containers of ready-to-cook dosa batter and little tubs of various chutneys in the cold case. Commercial, so probably not great.)

[ExtraMSG]

Interesting. I've eaten there a few times, but last time the dosa counter was still in the back. Less than 10 days left now and I'll be in the culinary hot spot of Eastern Idaho this weekend, probably hoping for a Sweet Tomatoes or even an Applebees, so it might have to wait until I'm an omnivore again.

[Amanda]

Off Topic: I was just in Southeastern Idaho the past two weekends bookending a trip to Colorado (too much driving). Did you know that Sizzler was voted best steakhouse in Pocatello? I saw a billboard saying so! I think that part of Idaho still has a ways to go on the fine dining front. And, certainly, it's a good thing you won't be vegan on your trip there. I think you'd be subsisting on crappy salads, fries, and canned fruit cocktail, period. Don't forget...Jello is meat.

Best regards,

Amanda

[ExtraMSG]

I will be vegan there. I expect it to be rough.

[Amanda]

Ugh! Any way you can pack your own food? Eating there's going to be ugly for you, otherwise. I had no dietary restrictions and still found the options bleak as it was.

Portland does seem to be pretty unique in that it is accommodating to vegetarians and vegans for the most part. I'm not sure the word vegan is even in any dictionaries in SE Idaho (at least none that my relatives have, it seems). It's a very foreign concept there and it's a very different world. Good luck, Nick. I will be interested in seeing how you deal with it there. You'll probably find a way to be creative, though. You're pretty resourceful, overall.

Best regards,

Amanda

[Calabrese]

Both Sel Gris and Carlyle have been willing to make a vegan meal (with advanced notice for a vegan friend of mine when we have dined out together).

[BigDaddy]

I came across a post on yelp about an Israeli owned cart at SE 20th and Morrison, Wolf and Bears. I might give it a try, but generally if I'm over that way, I'm going to Bunk or MCB. I had some excellent kosher vegetarian meals at a few places in LA; my boss kept kosher and often would buy my lunch if I'd run over and pick up the food.

http://www.myspace.c...andbearskitchen

[ExtraMSG]

Walked into Ocean City not too long ago. It's the new restaurant that took over the Golden Garden location on 82nd between Powell and Division. They totally overhauled the interior to make it a nice banquet Chinese restaurant. They're doing dim sum daily. I had suspected the cook might be the cook formerly at Yummy Yummy and looking at the menu, it seemed I had to be right, so I asked. Yep. Later his wife noticed me and came and talked. Not sure why they're doing the 1am thing every day again, but I'll try to make use of it until they come to their senses.

Vegan options were super-limited. They had an attractive host/server who spoke very good English and graciously went through the menu options with me. Nearly every vegetable dish had a meat component. Ended up with two: king mushroom with vegetable and pea greens with bean curd.



This was enormous, even for the price. It might have fed three or more just by itself. The mushrooms had the appearance of a salisbury steak in a TV dinner, an odd brown with a brown gravy. They sat atop choy sum, nicely cooked, but without any flavor beyond the boiled vegetable. It was fine, but definitely a side dish.



Pea greens also seemed boiled, not sauteed. They sat in the light broth they were probably cooked in, maybe some garlic and oil flavoring it, little more. Bean curd sheets covered the greens. Again, this made an adequately tasty side dish, though I think I prefer the average vegetable dishes at Shen Zhen more -- at least the vegetarian ones.

I think I'll return to Ocean City when I can eat meat again. I miss the squab at Yummy Yummy. The vegetarian and vegan options are too limited.

[ExtraMSG]

Went to Dove Vivi the other night. It's one of the few pizza places to specifically make vegan pizzas. They have two on the menu currently:

della salute: roasted eggplant, marinated green peppers, caramelized onions, mushrooms, tomato sauce with herbed tofu ricotta (optional)
corn cashew: vegan roasted red pepper and cashew cheese, fresh sweet corn, caramelized onions, chives

I got a slice of both, plus a beet salad minus the blue cheese.



The beet salad was simple, but nice. Also quite large for the price. The shallot vinaigrette was light and bright. There were a good number of beets, each just fork tender. The roasted walnuts had a good fresh crunch to them.



The della salute on the left was a little flat. I think it needed salt, maybe some sugar or acid, just to round everything out and excite the palate a little. This one tasted more like a classic pizza, though, with its heavy reliance on the tomato sauce and the nice, creamy addition of the herbed tofu ricotta.

The corn cashew tasted better to me -- I really enjoyed it -- but it seemed more like a savory tart than a piece of pizza. That's not really a knock against it; it just may not satisfy the pizza craving as much. The fresh sweet, juicy corn on the crunchy cornmeal crust with the creamy cashew sauce was very elegant. Both pizzas could have used truly caramelized onions for more flavor, however.

Love the crust, though. I also love that while the pizzas are vegan, they don't feel like odd mock versions of pizza.

[ExtraMSG]

Got lunch at New Seasons the other day (the one on Division). They have a lot of good options for a vegan, including a salad bar that overlaps with their "hot wok" bar. You can also order sandwiches by choosing which ingredients you want in them. There are also pastas and some other choices. I went with a sandwich and hot wok bowl.



For the hot wok, you grab a black bowl and fill it with whatever you want. It's one price, whatever you put in there. I tried to keep it protein heavy, since that's the hardest thing right now. I put soy beans, tofu, bean sprouts, peanuts, bok choy, rice noodles, ginger, garlic, and summer squash in the bowl and handed it off. You get a few choices for what to add while it's being cooked, too, such as rice, sesame seeds, pickled ginger, and the sauce. I went without the rice and chose the curry for my sauce.



Basically, it's Mongolian Grill with an emphasis on local/seasonal/organic ingredients. Like Mongolian Grill, the main problem is that the flavors come out tasting a bit muddled. The curry sauce was entirely flat tasting and really just hurt the flavor of the veggies. I think if I did it again, I might be better off without a sauce and just salting it and maybe adding a splash of lime or vinegar. I think they may not be as skilled on the wok as your average Mongolian Grill cook, either, because it seemed like everything was just tossed together and cooked the same. If you've ever watched the Mongolian Grill cooks, they actually separate out the different parts of your bowl and make sure that things that need to be cooked longer get cooked longer, etc. Here, the tofu was very undercooked, as was the ginger. I think they'd be better off putting fried tofu on the bar rather than fresh -- or at least having both. I think with some experience, though, you could make a good meal of this.



The sandwich was very tasty. I chose a ciabatta roll, grilled veggies and roasted peppers for the interior, and hummus and olive tapenade for the spreads. It'd be nice to have some protein options, but the flavor here was as good as most meated sandwiches. Good price, too. I think it was only $6. It was a much better sandwich at a better price than most bakeries give.

Ordering was a little funky in that people seem to stand in multiple undefined lines. Also, you pay after you receive your food, but then you've got to be holding all this food while you pay, which is a pain. Also, my sandwich came probably 5 minutes after my wok, though I put in the orders at the same time. That meant the wok was getting cold while I stood there waiting for the sandwich. Also, I had lunch at like 2pm and it was still slammed. I don't know what it would be like at noon.

But overall, it was an encouraging experience and a very good value.

[Egads]

ExtraMSG, on Aug 10 2009, 09:53 AM, said:

Like Mongolian Grill, the main problem is that the flavors come out tasting a bit muddled. The curry sauce was entirely flat tasting and really just hurt the flavor of the veggies. I think if I did it again, I might be better off without a sauce and just salting it and maybe adding a splash of lime or vinegar. I think they may not be as skilled on the wok as your average Mongolian Grill cook, either, because it seemed like everything was just tossed together and cooked the same. If you've ever watched the Mongolian Grill cooks, they actually separate out the different parts of your bowl and make sure that things that need to be cooked longer get cooked longer, etc. Here, the tofu was very undercooked, as was the ginger. I think they'd be better off putting fried tofu on the bar rather than fresh -- or at least having both. I think with some experience, though, you could make a good meal of this.

I concur on the fried tofu bit--at least let people choose one or the other. For the record, I think their "Shanghai Sauce," which is just a basic soy sauce plus some other stuff, is the best sauce, letting the veggies do their own thing, and adding a complimentary flavor to everything. If you go back, I'd recommend trying your same hot wok bowl, but with the different sauce.

[sacman]

ExtraMSG, on Aug 10 2009, 09:53 AM, said:

Ordering was a little funky in that people seem to stand in multiple undefined lines. Also, you pay after you receive your food, but then you've got to be holding all this food while you pay, which is a pain.

Okay, stop right there. That's the kind of incompetence that drives me MAD when I'm in a restaurant. Put in a little table where the customer can store their tray while paying. Figure out a workflow that avoids the issue entirely. Do friggin' something to make it as convenient as possible for the customer. Come on, people, this doesn't take a PhD. I am 200% with you on this. Why 200%? Because it pisses me off at least twice as much as it pisses you off.

Another example: Mrs. sacman and I went to get lunch at a pizzeria around the corner from our office the other day. There were about three menu boards describing their offerings - one had prices, the others didn't.

There were starburst-type cutouts saying "lunch special" but then there was no actual description of a lunch special! I spent about 3 minutes trying to figure out what was available...and in the end I got so pissed off and frustrated that I just walked out of the place.

What I'm getting at here is that restaurants need to make it as convenient as possible to order from them. Do NOT freaking screw with my lunch hour. Like lots of workers, I am on a strict time budget, and if you mess with that, you are going to get hit right in the pocketbook.

-sacman

[vj]

sacman, on Aug 10 2009, 10:42 PM, said:

ExtraMSG, on Aug 10 2009, 09:53 AM, said:

Ordering was a little funky in that people seem to stand in multiple undefined lines. Also, you pay after you receive your food, but then you've got to be holding all this food while you pay, which is a pain.

What I'm getting at here is that restaurants need to make it as convenient as possible to order from them. Do NOT freaking screw with my lunch hour. Like lots of workers, I am on a strict time budget, and if you mess with that, you are going to get hit right in the pocketbook.

Sacman, he's talking about a grocery store.

You can pay whenever you want, whereever you want. Usually, I run over and pay right after I make the order., before I have a plate to juggle. But a lot of times if I'm picking up groceries too, I'll bring the order slip with the groceries and ring it up then. I've even just said to the cashier, I had a salad and a Vernors, and s/he'll just ring it in.

And yes, you do have to kinda mill around, and the east side stores don't have a lot of room for that.