Updated:
While the service at Morning Glory Cafe can be friendly and quick, it can also be curt and lagging.  However, this is not to say that you should avoid this Eugene vegetarian staple.  They are still serving the same great food with a rotating special menu.  Unless you’re trying to make a meat-hungry omni happy you’re dining companions are likely to find something to enjoy among their menu from gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free, nut-free.  No matter your avoidance – let them know your allergy and they are likely to find something suiting your needs and desires.

I found the gluten-free vegan pancakes served with fruit and maple syrup to be amazingly fluffy, smooth, and tasteful for being made with spelt flour.  Topped with fruit, Earth Balance, and maple syrup, it was one of the best gluten-free breakfasts I’ve had.

Fall 2007:

Visiting Eugene is always a pleasant experience because it reminds me of more simple times, of a slower life that I’ve never lived. A town full of college kids finding their independence and creating art out of anything and everything. Morning Glory adds perfectly to that life-style. A small and cute vegetarian café next to the train station filled with art and hippies. If you just got off the train and this is your first experience with Eugene, it’s right on. The café is casual with customers of all life stages enjoying the local art and music. The food is local and organic with vegan options abound.

Morning Glory serves great breakfast comfort food with many vegan options. My top picks are generally off the sweet menu with the French Toast or Waffles with real maple syrup. However, I do fancy The Fusion for a more savory meal.

The French Toast and waffles aren’t anything too special, if vegan options are available. They are presented beautifully with your choice of fruit compote or maple syrup with soy butter. A kiss of powdered sugar and I could eat these for every meal.

The Fusion is a unique creation, similar to an omelet. A pan fried shredded potato cake, like a hash brown, is filled with sauted onions, mushrooms, firm marinated tofu cubes and spices. The potatoes are folded over to make a shell and is then topped with a dollop of homemade tofu sour cream. The meal makes you feel wholesome – a bit like a hippie.

The biscuits and gravy are large and filling. A full order comes with 4 biscuits and mushroom gravy. The gravy is thick with mushroom bits in it to add to the texture. If 4 biscuits is too big, try the half size to get your fill of great biscuits and gravy.

I suggest bringing a pre-breakfast snack if you have a hard time waiting for food on an empty stomach. The Morning Glory staff are very relaxed and seem like they are willing to do as little as possible, beyond making your wonderful food. Orders are taken at the counter, all water, utensils and condiments are self serve. If you wait around long enough your order will be served to your table. You will eat it and it will all be worth the wait.

Freshed Squeezed Grapefruit Juice:

Biscuits and Gravy and Glory Potatoes:

Biscuits and Gravy:

Spelt Waffles:

French Toast:

The Fusion:

The Cafe:

Update Winter 2011: Bloop closed on February 25th, 2011.

If carts could give you a hug, Bloop would. You may be familiar with Bloop’s location since it shares a cart with Sonny Bowl.  But in the morning the signs change, and instead of rice bowls, vegan oatmeal bowls are served.

The pastel chalk board menu, flowers, and old-time music will pull you in under the protective overhang for a long embrace. You will feel the warmth take over your body as you enjoy a bowl of sweet oatmeal served with fruit and nuts, sip on your hot Stumptown Coffee, and wonder if you could grab a Black Sheep Bakery muffin for your mid day snack, as the pastry box stares at you.  The oatmeal options are simple – 4 regulars and a seasonal special. Peanut Butter Banana, Apple Cider, Good for you Goodness, and the Simple Oatmeal.

The Simple Oatmeal is made like all other bowls with thick cut oats cooked in almond milk but served with brown sugar. For only $3.75, it’s a great deal.  All bowls are served in 16 oz. to go soup containers, hearty enough to last a normal breakfast eater through lunch. If you’re a big breakfast eater, you may want to grab a muffin, or check out Portland Smoothie Company, next door, for an additional item. The tight seal of the container makes it easy to take it with you, or to store your oatmeal until second-breakfast. While the oatmeal is served hot, it’s not too hot so the steam continually cooking the meal should not be an issue.

The Peanut Butter Banana is oatmeal cooked with almond milk, served with almonds, agave, peanut butter, bananas, and Bloop’s own cinnamon mix, which contains walnuts. At less than $5 a bowl, it’s a good price for fresh, healthy food on the go.

The Apple Cider contains oats cooked with almond milk and apple cider mixed with maple syrup, walnuts, fresh apples, and a cinnamon mix. The cinnamon mix includes cinnamon, brown sugar, and chopped walnuts.  This bowl is for people who love a sweet breakfast, but it’s a natural sweetness that won’t leave you feeling like you ate a VooDoo Doughnut. The oatmeal is nutty, chewy, a bit sticky, without being too paste-like. The added nuts and fresh tart green apples mixed throughout make this a fantastic wholesome breakfast.

The Good for You Goodness is close to a Parfait with uncooked oats, Whole Soy yogurt, agave, cherries, walnuts, and the cinnamon mix. This may become my favorite breakfast bowl as the mornings warm up because it is served cold. The uncooked oatmeal is sandwiched between a modest base layer of soy yogurt, and canned cherries topped off with walnuts and the cinnamon mix. This bowl is best enjoyed mixed before eating to combine the layers.  It’s great the way it is in terms of flavor, no additional condiments were needed, but they are provided if you feel otherwise.

Once the Portland Smoothie Company opens earlier in the morning, Bloop may face early morning cart competition. Who knows, maybe their proximity will become a perfect cart marriage of oatmeal and smoothies.  If you’re up, downtown, and hungry before 10am, check-out Bloop for a good, healthy breakfast option.

Bloop Menu:

Apple Cider:

Good for You Goodness:

Updated 12/11/2009 – New Daily Specials Menu –

I have experienced Tofufuffalo and thrown down my 40 cents a tofu wing.

And it is great. They have Spicy (Frank’s Red Hot style) and BBQ. At first I was digging the Spicy, but then BBQ won out.  It seemed to be the overall favorite among my friends, but mingling the two was also quite popular.  They’re basically strips of chewy, defrosted tofu, fried and smothered in sauce.  Can’t go wrong there.  Vegan ranch available for dipping! The new sensation has arrived.

UPDATED 8/24/09 – Menu Additions!

Years ago it was Paradox, but in the past year, Hungry Tiger Too has become my default “vegan diner” spot. I’m still sore over Paradox’s booth removal and expansion anyway, sorry!

Obviously, there’s a large separate vegan menu – the blue one.  They’ve recently added home fries, a BBQ tempeh sandwich, a Portabello mushroom scramble, Rosemary tofu skewers and a couple other items.

I never consider the multiple boca burger options, but it’s cool to choose from sizable scrambles, greasy sides, sandwiches, salads and appetizers like nachos and the dear squash filled wontons, a full bar, $4 Mimosas, vegan friendly bloody Marys, and huge vegan pancakes for $3.  It took me until this past weekend, appropriately after the Vegan Prom, to try one, and I’ve seen the light.  They come as a side option to scrambles or $3 individually.

I know you can find corn cakes to drown in maple syrup in this town, and I like the wheat free Chai Blueberry pancake at Jam well enough, but I’m usually wary to order vegan pancakes.  When I want pancakes, I want the eggy, fluffy pancakes from diners in New York that I grew up eating, not grainy corn cakes.

But here I am, recommending HT2′s fantastically giant vegan pancake, taking up an entire plate just like they do at real diners, with a lop of vegan margarine and a mini pitcher of maple syrup.  I don’t know if it’s the real stuff, or even 50% real stuff, but it does its job.  Can I please have a late night and then eat a pancake?  Sure!

I’m not forgetting the whole fried corndog thing with $1 (all vegan!) corndog and Pabst night; I just don’t want to eat them. I do go for the fun of it every few weeks, squeezing into the bar or showing up early to grab a table on the restaurant side.  One day a friend of mine will go for the glory to entertain me…

UPDATED 1/20/2009 – Quick Notes

The Hungry Tiger Too now has a regular menu, and a 2 page vegan menu.  Wednesdays are $1 vegan corn dog nights!  Fridays are $1 off vegan entree (excluding breakfasts).  Happy hour offers cheap vegan and side dish selections, like $4 vegan nachos smothered in cheezy sauce.

Sandwiches now come with housemade chips or slaw, and fries or tots are extra.  Sad, but true – and we hear good things about the chips.

The mac and cheeze is now $9.50 or so – and it hasn’t looked as cheezy as it used to.  On the other hand, the nacho cheeze went from being an oily, not so flavorful sauce to being a more than decent cheezy sauce I’m willing to pay for.

Times Visited: Too Many to Count!

The Hungry Tiger Too is more evidence to the fact that SE Portland and Veganism are BFFs. It’s gaining notice for keys reasons – local ads mention “VEGAN OPTIONS”, it’s within a couple blocks of everyone’s favorite vegan mini mall, and it’s the new existence of the now defunct but popular Hungry Tiger dive bar on East Burnside.

One half of the establishment is a closed-off bar with smoking, while the other half is a restaurant. The restaurant is smoke free and minors are welcome until 7pm. The building itself is a large house, and there is additional seating on the back porch and out front. The restaurant has tables of varying size and booths. The walls of the restaurant are colorful murals of wildlife that prominently feature many appropriate tigers. Vibe wise, I get the feeling that if you dimmed the lights come evening at Cup & Saucer and added more liquor and vegan food, you’d get something similar.

The vegan friendliness is evident on the menu in appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and entrees. Many items are available vegan, sandwiches like the Ruben, (see Portland Vegan Reubens for more love!) and others are vegan by default, like the butternut squash wontons. Vegan friendly options are marked with a character on the menu, and it’s all over it. There is no fun cocktail list in the restaurant, but there are decently priced microbrews and hard cider. You can order from the full bar as well. Standard vegan-friendly appetizers of greasy tator tots, french fries, and crinkle cut fries are available anytime. During happy hour, they are all a dollar-off. Selected drinks are also discounted on designated days.

As for the food itself, let’s talk about the Mac & Cheeze.

Extra points: Bread crumbs, and the serving dish.

I realized with taking my first bite that it wasn’t cheezy, but I kept trying it and kept liking the meal. Non-nooch crazy vegans should check this out! At $8 (now $9.75) it was enough for two meals, and several bites for others to sample. Raves were heard all around. The only downside is the helping of bland, pre-mixed grilled veggies on the side, but like you have room for them anyway. Take them to go and feel a bit healthier with your leftovers.

Breakfast is served all day, and for us it breaks down to biscuits, gravy and tofu scramble. The tofu scramble comes with toast and potatoes. Word is out that it tastes like more than plain tofu, but that can’t be said for the tofu on the salads. The butternut squash wontons ($5) are a pleasing diversion from standard appetizers and potatoes. The filling is mild and sweet, the fried shell is crispy enough and the creamy coconut sauce is complemented nicely by the sporadic sprinkles of sweet chili sauce and spice on the wonton itself.

Sandwiches are offered with vegan mayo, tempeh, and fake bacon. On my most recent visit, the server recommended the vegan Club sandwich ($9). This packed sandwich of three slices of bread, peppered Tofurkey deli meat, store-bought tempeh bacon, tomato, green leaf lettuce, and vegan mayo was not on the menu yet, but should be soon. Served with a pile of deliciously hot tator tots and a pickle, a split sandwich and appetizer is enough to feed two decent appetites. If I had known the price before ordering I would have held off, but I’m glad I tried it. I’d order it again and take half home.

There’s such a comfortable atmosphere and friendly menu at the Hungry Tiger Too, that I was shocked to be one of two people in the restaurant recently. Meet your friends for dinner ASAP, because word will spread….

Mac and Cheeze with grilled veggies

Butternut Squash Wontons

Club Sandwich with Tots

Portland Scramble with hash browns and toast

Vegan BLT with Tots

Nachos

Ceasar Salad

Mandarin Salad

Biscuits and Gravy

Grilled Cheese

Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Address: 207 SE 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Mon-Fri 11am-2am, Sat & Sun 7am-2am

http://tryveganpdx.com/restaurants/hungry-tiger-too/

~

If you can draw your attention away from the new Taqueria Los Gorditos: The Restaurant, albeit briefly, let it glimpse upon Artemis Catering and Cafe across the street.  The vegan-attentive, organic catering company, and cafe operate out of a spacious, corner coffee shop at SE 12th and Eliot, right across from vegan nacho land.

The philosophy of Artemis Foods is, “[as] a sustainably managed company which supports local relationships in every way we can”.  The cafe features daily, showcased prepared food specials (I play the ‘ignore the chicken breasts plate’ game), an Everyday Cafe menu, and Artemis To Go options. The vegan To Go options include sides, soups, and rotating desserts. Ordering can be done in advance or at the café.

On my multiple visits, I’ve always spotted at least one vegan side dish and baked good.   On my last visit, there was Citrus Spaghetti Squash, Vegan Breakfast Cookies, and Vegan Coffeecake. On top of that, there are blatant, considerate vegan options on the breakfast, lunch sandwich, and simple meal option menus.  For example, the breakfast menu includes a Vegan Breakfast Panini; the lunch, a BBQ Tempeh, Olive Oil Roasted Kale, Grilled Butternut Squash, and Lemon Tahini flatbread sandwich.  The vegan Simple Meal options are less exciting, and out of my normal budget for to go meals ($18/person), but it’s nice to know they’re available.

The item I’ve been most enamored with is their frequently seen, seasonal Vegan Coffeecake ($2.50). It rivals every other vegan coffeecake I’ve tried in town. The homemade cake was delightfully, simultaneously soft and crumbly, with big chunks of vanilla tinged brown sugar.  It was a totally perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea, or strong coffee, naturally.

The Vegan Breakfast Panini ($5.50) sounded like it could do no wrong: Smoked Apple vegan sausage and Tofutti Cream Cheese grilled between local Grand Central Yukon Gold Bread. It stands out as a quickly prepared, savoury breakfast treat, outside of the realm of bagels.  The Field Roast sausage is delicious, the Tofutti is creamy, and does its job holding the sandwich together.  However, I found myself wishing the golden, grilled bread was thicker, as it holds such a grand filling. One could also argue that the sausage could do with a little grilling ahead of time, to give the sandwich a little extra bite, texture wise.

The drink selection starts with classic Stumptown coffee drinks, refreshes with juices, and relaxes with loose-leaf teas, mimosas, beer, wine, and more.  The Stumptown air pots and lattes are all very consistent.  The café offers soy and hemp milk.   I was impressed when I recently overheard a very knowledgeable barista detail the Stumptown preferences of customers!  In fact, the origin of this review were the visits that stemmed out of a lovely holiday soy latte experience this past winter.

Now that Spring approaches, take your food out front and people watch the daytime crowds at Genie’s or Gorditos.  There is table seating both in and outside the café.  It’s been quiet every time I’ve gone, so go with a book or a friend and relax.

Artemis is open during the day, Monday through Saturday.  Go for a beverage, the coffeecake, and browse the cases at this calm, neighborhood spot in a growing-ever-more-popular crossing.  See if any of their fresh and creative dishes strike your local, organic, sustainable fancy!

Vegan Coffeecake

Vegan Breakfast Panini

Holiday Latte

Another place to enjoy Portland’s favorite meal, with a theme – flip your own pancakes. Slappy Cakes is a new restaurant at SE 43^rd and SE Belmont. The converted garage offers a large, open, brightly lit dining area, and ample seating with table top griddles. After settling in  and thinking about the details, this reviewer thought, “I am glad I don’t have to bus the tables or clean the griddles. This could get messy!”

Diners are seated to clean, personal griddle tables  with wooden stands covering hot surface. The heat is turned on, and the wait staff will remind you that this surface is in fact hot and there’s no need to touch it to find out.

The menu is typical of a full service diner – pancakes, home fries, omelets, scrambles, sides, and a vast alcoholic breakfast drink menu. Though not on the menu, they do offer tofu for their scrambles. Post 11am, sandwiches, salads, and soups are also offered. I’d be curious to know the percentage of visitors who eschew the personal griddle and sit at the bar, facing the open kitchen. These spots must be reserved for neighborhood locals when the novelty wears off.

On to the pancakes, because that is what Slappy Cakes is all about. There are three options, and only one vegan option – the whole wheat. For tabletop griddle dining you choose your batter plus one addition, all for $5. The additions range from chocolate chips , dried cherries, nuts, fancy apple sauces, and many more, vegan and non-vegan. Even if you do not enjoy add-ins to your pancakes, I suggest an addition anyway. A quarter cup of nuts or dried fruit will be nice snack while you wait for your pancakes to cook, which do take awhile.

The beautiful paintings on the wall show patrons how to make pancakes: pour the batter, add your additions, flip, and enjoy. On this review’s first visit I wished there was more guidance on making the pancakes. Not that I am new to pancakes, they are one of my most favorite breakfast dishes, but when the wait staff is busy, it can feel lonely staring at a blank hot griddle with a 16 ounce bottle of pancake batter. Never fear, The Stumptown Vegans are here for you. Here is our guide:

1. Order 1-2 orders (2 if you’re really hungry) of whole wheat pancake batter, plus an addition.
2. Cook the pancakes nearest the center of the griddle, it’s the hottest.
3. Be patient, the vegan batter needs a bit longer to cook, and your griddle may require additional oil before the next pancake if it’s sticking.
4. Pour normal shapes, round, to get the hang of using the squeeze bottle. Keep the cakes to about the size of your palm. Once this is mastered, move on on to fun shapes.
5. Nuzzle the additions into the batter right after sprinkling it on top of the wet batter. Use your fork or your finger. This will help it cook faster. (Don’t try using the various syrups as an addition. This will make the griddle cleaner angry).
6. Flip the pancakes only after you see lots of little bubbles rise to the top and pop, and the edges start to look a bit dried out. (Don’t be cute and try to flip the pancakes high into the air. This will make the person who has to clean the lamp shades angry).
7. Watch closely because the second side will not take as long as the first. Gently use your spatula to poke under the cake after 1-2 minutes to see if it’s done. (This is where it would be great to have an hour glass).
8. Keep making pancakes. As soon as you have your first group of cakes on your plate spread the batter for the remaining so they cook while you’re eating.
9. Have fun! Slappy Cakes is about the experience. Try spelling out your name or drawing your cat’s face in pancake batter.

The vegan pancakes are a bit disappointing in the fluff and taste departments. The cakes lose their fluff after the flip and the taste gets by with the variety of syrups. However, I don’t think many people will visit Slappy Cakes for the food, but the experience. Each griddle has their own set of four syrups – maple, blueberry, marionberry, and cherry. Real maple syrup is available for an added cost of $1, but vegan butter is free, but it’s no Earth Balance.

Besides the pancakes there are not many vegan options – home fries, field roast sausage, and a quinoa salad. All of the menu items were on the small side compared to most other Portland diners. The home fries are quarter sized deep fried potato cubes topped with dried parsley and salt, served on a small plate. They taste more like French Fries than Home Fries because they were actually fried. Most tables do not come with personal ketchup bottles, so ask for ketchup if that’s your style. The Field Roast sausage is half of a normal sausage, cut in half and cooked until browned. Definitely moist and tender with a bit of crunch.

The Warm Mushroom and Root Vegetable Salad was simple and enjoyable. Chanterelle mushrooms, rutabaga, carrots, and quinoa mixed together on a small bed of salad greens for $7. The champagne dressing was mild and left me wanting more of a citrus flavor to company the tenderly cooked roots. While I was told this dish was vegan, I later learned that champagne is not typically vegan and do not know the amount of research Slappy Cakes has done to know one way or another.

The drink menu is full of fun drinks like an Orange Cream Cicle, A green bloody mary, called the Slappy Green, and the Slappy Screw, a normal screw driver rimmed with cinnamon and sugar. Beware, the Red Slappy uses anchovie ridden worstershire sauce and a bacon stiring stick. The Green Slappy on the other hand, is a weak tomatillo bloody mary. The green drink will turn heads with the usual drink color.

A few other things to note – if you require a lot of food to fill you up, order two sides and pancakes, or two orders of pancakes and one side. However, doing this will run you about $13 for breakfast. They are willing to substitute tofu for eggs in their scrambles, but it is not on the menu, just ask for it.

Slappy Cakes is very family friendly and I was surprised that kids making pancakes and pouring syrup wasn’t as messy as it could be. Also, diners are given plenty of room at each table to flip pancakes with ease and without fear of bumping into your neighbor. The wait staff are helpful, but very busy with the amount of tables, and families who frequent the restaurant.

If I was 10 I would beg my parents to take me here every weekend. Since I am not, I have a hard time dragging myself across town for a simple meal I can make myself, and better, in the comfort of my own home. If you’re into pancakes check out Hungry Tiger Too, Laurelthirst, or  Jam.  I will however, visit Slappy Cakes to meet out of town friends who want a fun Portland brunch dining atmosphere with a safe IHOP-like menu. And if you’ve got kids, take them here; this is one of the most kid friendly Portland brunch places I’ve been in awhile.

Griddle Table:

Toppings:

Flipping Cakes and the Open Bar:

Cooking Cakes:

Field Sausage:

Home Fries:

Warm Root Salad:

Slappy Green:

Update: As of Spring 2010 Flavourspot has opened a new, late night cart downtown on SW 3rd and Ash.

And, if you didn’t know already – they have two locations – check them out on Mississippi.

Q: What can sell out a little coffee cart on N. Lombard?
A: Food Fight posting “VEGAN WAFFLES” on their website.

We went on a Saturday and they were almost out of vegan waffle mix. I let them know to increase their stock because I was moving a few blocks away and I loooove waffles. The wait was longer than expected, about 10-15 minutes, but worth every moment. Two veggie sausages were tucked into a beautifully browned waffle blanket. The secret to this yummy brunch was the maple/margarine spread. All wrapped in foil so it doesn’t leak onto you. I salivate just thinking about this wonderful creation and it was only $4.50. There were many other waffle options, some vegan, some not – just check out their website.

Since I am not a coffee person I cannot speak to the coffee, but my brunch companion was quite impressed with the amount of creme in her Americano. She said it shows a great barista. I just thought it looked pretty so I took a photo. No extra charge for soy milk in their fancy drinks.

If you don’t live in the area, you should still take a trip there at least once a month, if you’re a waffle lover. Since it’s outside and they have a picnic table, you can take “jr.” (as they called the flour legged furry friend with us) but they don’t have vegan non-human cookies. This will be my new regular hang out.

Vegan Maple Sausage Waffle

Peanut Butter and Rice Mellow Fluff

Fresh Strawberries with Ricemellow Fuff:

Apple Crisp:

~

We’re such happily spoiled Portland vegans.

On my first visit to the brand new Mississippi Marketplace cart lot,  I overheard two girls lamenting about how there is nothing vegan to eat on Mississippi Street. How did they get through their days without an all vegan cart within walking distance? I’m not a fan of the ginormous, mushy tofu scramble at Gravy down the block, but it’s an offering, along with Por Que No, great thin crust slices at Mississippi Pizza Pub, quite a few menu items at Muddy’s Coffeehouse, the rotating vegan options at Equinox, and Portland classic Laughing Planet, to name a few on the actual street.  And who could forget Portland superstar and Stumptown Vegan favorite Flavourspot?

Don’t mind me rolling my eyes at how happily spoiled we are. It’s time to celebrate the opening of more vegan food carts! The Mississippi Marketplace is brand new and was specifically designed to host carts. Ruby Dragon is one of two new, all-vegan additions to Portland’s cart fever of 2009, in this lot alone. The other addition is only one spot away- Julie and Jay Hasson’s superb Native Bowl.

As usual these days, the Ruby Dragon cart is charming. It reminds me of Savor Soup House – it’s like a little house. It has a gable style roof and vertical wooden panels on the bottom half of the cart, and a pleasant green on the upper half.  There are tables for four across the parking lot – mostly covered under a large canopy; there’s still a ton of room to have an impromptu picnic on the lot grounds if the weather permits, and sweetest of all, there is a row of bar stool seating built into the side of the cart itself.

The menu is large, somewhat comparable in size to a small restaurant’s. It’s larger than a lot of corner cafe’s! There is a breakfast section, Eternal Mornings, Soup and Salad offering, and a large Afternoon Til Sundown listing.  The breakfasts include tofu and tempeh scrambles with vegetables, sandwiches, baked oats, pastries, and more. The breakfast menu states offerings are served all day, but a chalk board at the cart usually lists a handful of specific offerings and specials. There are seven curries described on their menu, and they have two available every day.  They announce the designated curries, such as the Ruby and Cashew Eggplant, on their twitter and on the chalk board, all of which are served with sticky rice ($7 per curry).  Daily desserts rotate as well, from their ginger-friendly take on apple pie, to cupcakes, sweet bread, quinoa chocolate chip cookies and small cinnamon rolls (2 for $3).

Ruby Dragon proudly features Oregon based Dave’s Killer Bread, Surata Tempeh, and Dae Han Tofu. It’s no surprise that there is a focus on local, organic produce.  From the cart itself, to the staff, to the menu, to the food on my plate, everything at this cart sang ‘made with love’.  Just check out this statement from their blog:

Our foods mirror our own creativity and passion to nurture others on how to live a sustainable lifestyle. Our dishes are meant to appeal not just to the life long vegan, but the omnivore, and the experimentor.

I headed savoury  on my first visit and ordered a single version of the Abbot ($4.50 single, $6.50 double), which was described as an open-faced, ‘world class sandwich’. There are obviously worldly flavors at this cart, such as: Ethiopian, Indian, Japanese, Thai, and dear, Portland hippie.  The sandwich was on Dave’s Sprouted Toast, always fantastic; with creamy, generous Vegenaise; snappy, curry glazed cashews, a thin length of seasoned, addictive tempeh, and a side of subtle Ethiopian spiced home fries with chopped onions. I’ll be honest, I didn’t find it easy to pick up this sandwich, I opted to use a fork for my meal.  Regardless of how you eat it, the sandwich is unique winner. It’s a whole lot of brown, color wise, but not flavor wise. The meal itself was prepared in less than ten minutes with a couple orders ahead of mine, and my herbal teapot was also ready quickly.  As it was ordered for there, it was served on a real plate with silverware, to be returned after use.

On my second visit, I intended to turn sweet and order the Tiger’s Paw quinoa and hemp seed pancakes.  I’ve heard raves from friends and back to my eavesdropping, I heard someone call this “the best pancake I’ve ever had in my life” on my initial visit. The heated intrigue was there, but the staff was out of batter and my cart companion and I decided to share a single version of the Jade Abbot (single $5.50, $7.50 double), along with tasty panko-crusted rolls from the Sushi Tree stand (soon to be a cart).  Indeed, it’s the same base sandwich, upgraded with Ruby Dragon’s rich and raw kale salad with avocado, lemon juice and sea salt. I swear, the only thing I felt was missing from the previous sandwich was something green on my plate, and here ya go.

Were they faced with limited ingredients one day in the kitchen and discovered this gem?  Was it simply divinely inspired?  I don’t know, but I’m getting the tingles just thinking about salty kale, avocado, tempeh, cashews, Vegenaise and Dave’s together again.

The combination of food made with love and the range of flavor influences at this cart is sweet.   If you find your way here after a long night and hard morning, I feel confident their cooking and a soothing pot of herbal tea could cure your woes. And for the early risers – it opens at 8am daily!

The Mississippi Marketplace may seem a bit fabricated, but it’s an astoundingly clean and family friendly cart lot with a vegan nook of awesome potential. You’re likely going to throw down $6-$10 for a meal, but the quality and experience is worth it.   I envy this neighborhood’s new lunch options!

There are portable toilets on the lot, an ATM coming and once Prost opens on the corner, you’ll be able to bring your cart food onto their deck and enjoy with a beer.

The Jade Abbot

Single Abbot

The cart

Herbal Tea Presentation

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Habitually, like any caffeine-addicted Portlander with a soul, I find myself walking past big name coffee shops for a great cup of coffee at my spot of choice.  When I’m at work, my pick is the downtown location of Coffee Plant. It’s the most realistic, vegan-friendly coffee shop I can get to on what I deem a coffee break. Don’t get your hopes up, they don’t have vegan paninis or anything more lunch appropriate you can find at, well, a coffee shop without vegan sandwiches. If you want one with sandwiches downtown, head to Half and Half or Backspace.  What they do offer is reliably well-made Stumptown Coffee and espresso beverages and vegan baked goods.

Unlike most other coffee shops in Portland, where you can grab a plastic wrapped vegan delight that may hit the spot, or just may be mushy or stale, Coffee Plant offers vegan pumpkin muffins and cinnamon rolls ($2.50 each) that are baked daily.  They are specifically labeled vegan, and it’s certainly not just the vegans asking for them.  You can smell the pumpkiny spices drifting through the door on weekday mornings. I normally consider myself a fan of bakery style muffins, with a slightly crunchy crust sprinkled with coarse sugar, but whenever I give into the moist pumpkin muffin for breakfast temptation, I am delighted. There’s no crunch, but there’s one fluffy, filling, spiced bite of dark pumpkin goodness after another.  I’ve been sporadically giving in since 2005, and they’ve always been this satisfying.

The cinnamon rolls are gorgeous. The frosting is generous and infused with cinnamon, something I wish more rolls would hit up.  Admitting another of my pasty preferences: I’m a soft, Cinnabon type gal, and I’ve had very few vegan cinnamon rolls that accomplish this emulation. This cinnamon bun has all the sweet flavor, but it’s sturdier than what my dreams are about.  The tempting discounted day-olds on the counter are even sturdier, understandably, and are quick to go.  For that matter, the cinnamon rolls themselves are usually gone by late morning. Please don’t think I’m insulting their cinnamon buns, they’re probably dreaming about being dipped in a cup of coffee, and I think they’d be dynamite there.

Besides the muffins and cinnamon rolls, Coffee Plant usually has a tiny selection of vegan  Voodoo Doughnuts available, of the cake variety. The shop itself is small, and from the rotating art on display to the comfortable baristas, to the scent of pumpkin, it’s a bit of downtown hustle mixed with the attraction of neighborhood shops elsewhere around town.  Like any other coffee establishment, there’s continuously a line in the morning, but the staff is well trained and you can sense the customer service through the little bits of obligatory cool attitude.  There are two small tables outside the shop, inside window nook seats, tall tables with bar stools and a table or two inside the actual downtown building the shop resides in.  While it’s a place I have caught up with a friend over coffee during the afternoon, I take my order to go 99% of the time.  I can’t envision myself sitting down with a book in its small environment with the to and fro through their doors, but that’s me, and my focus is on heading back to work.   Despite running out the door, the act of sipping one of their pretty, rosette adorned lattes alone relaxes me. Of course, they offer espresso, americanos, cappucinos, and bottled sodas, on top of house and French pressed coffee.

The  Stumptown Vegans don’t regularly review coffee shops, but Coffee Plant is one this reviewer frequents and it stands out with its commanding of foamed soy and two freshly baked vegan items.  Again, none of their paninis are vegan, and I can’t help but have a tragic, faint recollection of salads in the cold case from their former neighbor, the vegetarian Divine Cafe cart, which moved in 2007.   Rice and soymilk are both additional charges, as it goes, and you do have to ask for these nondairy milks for coffee (at no charge).  I’ve never had so much of a raised eyebrow at that casual request.  It’s definitely no magical Sweetpea Baking Co., but it’s my workday fix for splendid soy lattes. And as you now know, I’m really enjoying my love affair with the pumpkin muffins.

Coffee Plant opened a second location in the Corbett Building in the SW Johns Landing neighborhood in 2006, which also offers hemp milk. Both locations have cute green and orange punch cards promising a free drink one day.

Cinnamon Roll and Soy Latte

Soy Latte

Pumpkin Muffin and Iced Coffee

Where’s your favorite vegan friendly coffee shop in Portland? We’ll be writing about the very, very best soon, hint hint!

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When the Perierra Creperie cart opened, I had no doubt it would one day offer vegan crepes.  It seemed like a natural evolution in that SE Portland parking lot filled with carts.  Sure enough, the announcement came this spring on the Food Fight! blog and the cart quickly caught the attention of the Portland vegans.

You can see the French specialty prepared promptly for each order through the large glass windows of this contemporary member of the “could it be any more popular?” cart village at SE 12^th and Hawthorne.  There are both sweet and savory crepes, with a couple of vegan menu specials posted in the window and the ‘Make Your Own’ option.  Off the bat, these crepes are not the soft and thin crepes you’ve had before, or dreamt of after seeing Amelie too many times.  All vegan crepes at Perierra are also gluten free, with a batter based of rice and chickpea flours. This combination of allergen awareness and the vegan hook-up  is both convenient and touching, especially for the gluten free vegans in your life.  Besides passing on the rice cake pizzas my aunt would subject my celiac cousin to when we were younger, I’m eager to try new things and include gluten free meals into my vegan life.

The winner of the savory vs. sweet vegan crepe decision is absolutely the savory. The slightly earthy and somewhat crispy crepe layers work best with the savory ingredients.  I’ve tried two savory crepes ($8); one had tofutti cream cheese, fresh spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and roasted red peppers, and another brought decadent mole sauce to the mix, minus the peppers.  Your initial bite of crepe may take you by surprise if you’re not one to stock up on chickpea flour, but once you hit the notable filling, the curiosity starts to shed.  The mole sauce mixed with tofutti cream cheese is my favorite component because of how remarkable the flavor of the sauce is.  I’d like to see even more savory fillings stand against the alternative crepe – think curry, spiced potatoes, and roasted garlic – they’d all hold their own like the mole does.

The ‘Make Your Own’ sweet crepe ($6) I had featured fragrantly inviting melted chocolate, fresh strawberries, and blueberries.  While the filling was lovely, the actual crepe distracted me here.  A friend of mine raves about a banana and rum crepe she ordered, and I’ve made a mental note to try it, but my recommendation remains with the savory.  Perierra also has a shake menu that taunts me with the Coconut, Basil, and Avocado, in particular, but none are vegan.  There is an invigorating and filling berry based fruit smoothie ($5); just block all thoughts of that amazing shake from your mind and remember that Sip exists.

The crepes themselves are quite large, and I’ve shared on all my visits.  I would not order an entire one for myself.  At $6-8 per crepe, splitting is also a way to preserve your cash flow, especially if this is a late night stop.  The staff is sweet and happy to help personalize your crepe, and speedy with the actual crepe making.  You can take your folded pancake to go, sit at the picnic tables populating the cart, or even on the ground; this former parking lot is a place for impromptu late night picnics.   As a vegan, I’m giving Perrierra major credit for adding a homemade, vegan, and gluten free crepe to its menu.  Their vegan crepes are a considerate addition to French fries, fried pies and Soyrizo burritos in that magical cart village.  And I swear, every crepe I’ve tried has been better than the last.

Sweet Crepe:

Expect a better photo of a savory vegan crepe soon! If anyone has one, we’re happy to include it.

Check out the Village Creperey cart and Tour de Crepes for more vegan crepe options in town.

Date: October 4, 2007
Revisited March 2009
Times Visited: 2

Although it was generally the restaurant I was advised NOT to visit in San Francisco, I hit up Herbivore.: The Earthly Grill for breakfast one morning. Those who did recommend it did so with a grain of salt, and I was forewarned of the prices. I decided to go with the Basil pesto tofu scramble plate ($8.75), since I had spent the past few days eating fruit and tea for breakfast at a convention. My wary grew when ordering; I inquired as to what was actually in the scramble, and was told “some spice mix, I think it’s called Earth Balance“. Personally I don’t know anything about a spice mix of that name, just the golden margarine. I was there to give it a try, so I sipped on my teeny, tiny, but fresh, mimosa, enjoying the people watching outside on Mission St.

When my tofu scramble plate, and side of tempeh bacon ($3.25) came to the table, I was overwhelmed. The scramble plate included a heap of greenish porridge (the tofu), potatoes, toast and a container of jam. Upon looking at the scramble, I knew I had to take a leap of faith, or hunger – and I was positively surprised. While I had never had a scramble quite like it, the herby pesto flavor was tasty as heck, and the consistency issue was quickly overcome. I scooped up a couple bites on the thick toast, though I didn’t dig the pesto/jam combination, I could already picture myself ordering this again. The jam wasn’t memorable, and I couldn’t discern the fruit origin. The second best part of the plate was the potatoes – There was a very decent amount of the perfectly salted potatoes: nice and crispy on the outside, and well cooked on the inside – how often does that happen? The tempeh bacon was at room temperature, and though the flavor was sweet and salty – it wasn’t something I’d opt for again. I like mine warm and crispy.

Bottom line, I would return to Herbivore. It was conveniently located in the Mission St. area nearby Ritual Coffee, where I also stopped. I would also probably order the same thing, minus the tempeh bacon. Portland does breakfast so well that I did have to focus at first on keeping warm thoughts of Vita, Junior’s, Jam, and Beaterville out of my mind, and remembering I was out of town. The experience didn’t knock my socks off, but it did satisfy, and didn’t disappoint.

Brief Update:
The other Stumptown Vegan found herself at Herbivore while searching for pancakes on a lazy Saturday morning. (People in San Francisco are not as serious about breakfast as us Portlanders are – the place was empty until 10am!)

The doughnuts were great cake doughnuts. It was odd they were served with blemished, poorly sliced pears. The breakfast burrito was a bit borning with beans, salsa, tempeh. The two blueberry pancakes were thick, and not cooked fully, leaving the center a bit gooey. Also, they were not sweet. This pancake fanatic will not be ordering these again.

Next time I’m in SanFrancisco I will check-out Weird Fish for some rumored great pancakes.

Pesto tofu scramble and house potatoes

Tempeh bacon

Mimosa

Inside

Blueberry Doughnut

Chocolate Doughnut

Breakfast Burrito

Blueberry and Banana Pancakes

 
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Address:
983 Valencia
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.826.5657 phone
Sun-Thurs. 9am-10pm, Fri & Sat. 9am-11pm