Stumptown Vegans

Time Visited: 2

Su Casa fills the gap of taquerias peppering Lombard by providing a welcoming sit-down restaurant you’d go to with your family to enjoy the warm chips and fresh salsa before the hot plates of food arrive. Lucky for us vegans, Su Casa offers a full vegetarian menu, most of which can be easily made vegan.

The restaurant itself is nothing to get excited about; it can feel empty because of the design. There are little to few decorations or room dividers. Nothing interesting to note about the table layout, but maybe to note they were clean. All of this reminds this reviewer that this place could have been a dressed down Denny’s, but it still has a family owned and operated feel. There are booths and tables lining the walls with a few central tables in the open space. There’s also bar, which I have yet to visit.
The vegetarian menu features the usual: burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, tostadas, and all of the rest. The black beans set the vegetarian menu apart from the “regular” menu, which is a shame because refried bean are so nice in a burrito. Su Casa’s menu is all incredibly fresh. The salsa must have been made the same day I visited. The warm crunch of the newly baked chips with the cool, somewhat spicy salsa is why I love Mexican restaurants and Su Casa has become my place to eat baskets full of warm, salted chips.

The tostadas are just as fresh as the chips and salsa, but a bit plain without avocado or cheese. The beans were cooked perfectly and for $4 I’ll order this again.

The fajitas made for an uncomfortable dining situation. First, a HUGE pile of seasoned vegetables arrived. A long wait followed before receiving the beans, rice, and tortillas. Twice those eating this meal thought that maybe vegan fajitas consisted only of seasoned vegetables and started digging in because of the wait between the plates. After everyone else was served, out came the sides of beans, guacamole, and rice. This plate seemed like they were skimping on the beans and rice, but really, it was the pile of vegetables causing items to appear smaller than they were. Later, we were given our choice of corn or flour tortillas - some of the freshest tasting tortillas I’ve had since leaving Texas. The vegetables appeared to be of the frozen, then steamed variety - they were lightly seasoned to keep the flavor of the vegetables and just a peak of the mildly spiced seasoning.

Overall, I enjoy Su Casa as a neighborhood joint. If it was across town, I don’t think I’d visit. If you’re in North Portland and you’re searching for some good Mexican food where you know there won’t be lard in the beans - check out Su Casa. Close your eyes, enjoy the freshness of the food, and pretend you’re not sitting in North Portland.

Tostada:

Fajitas:

Fajitas:

Rating: 2.5/5
Hours:
Sunday-Thursday 11:00 am-9:00pm
Fr-Sat 11am-10 pm
Address:
3107 N Lombard St.
(503)285-5611

Times Visited: 3

When I was a silly, young vegetarian, I declared french fries my favorite food. From the mall food court, to unmentionable chains, and even diners, it was true! I later learned that french fries shouldn’t be a food group, but the adoration is still there.

Portland has a lot of contenders for best french fry purveyor - from the classic fries at Dots with their spicy tofu sauce, seasoned fries at Bonfire, garlic at Goodfoot, super crispy at Hungry Tiger Too, rustic at Pause, and classics at Burgerville, you can get your greasy, salty fix in any neighborhood until the early morning. Portland’s newest french fry fix, the Potato Champion cart, is now open for business and definitely in the running for best fried potato sticks.

The cart is located in the corner in the food cart dominated park lot at SE 12th and SE Hawthorne Street. It’s brightly painted with a blue sky and green rolling hills and the smell of fries drifts from blocks away, bringing you closer and closer. Options consist of fries, soda, dips, and gravy for the fries. The fries are Belgian frites style, having been cooked twice in oil. They are handed down from the cart’s window, with basic condiments like ketchup, mustard, and salt available on an outer ledge.

The fries are sold straight up as small ($3.50) and large cones ($4.50). Getting to the point, the fries are reliably crispy, hot, and fairly salty. They don’t taste like bland, old potatoes - they taste like golden strips of potato. They’re greasier than you might expect, because they’re quickly fried upon your order and then abruptly drained of oil. Fresh out of a fryer is either going to strike you as appetizing or appalling; you either dig fried potatoes, or you don’t.

The downside to the cone was experienced on a of couple visits: the very, very bottom fries were all what could be called stragglers: 1/2 inch of less pieces of overcooked potato, but the rest were perfect! The cone is somewhat easy to walk around with if you’re comfortable with either dumping condiments on top or going bare. If you’re lucky, the cart’s picnic table or tree stump-style seating circle will be available for easy going munching and dipping.

Each order of fries comes with one sauce of choice, and additional sauce is available for 50 cents a piece. The vegan choices include horseradish ketchup, Vegenaise, djion mustard, and a surprisingly mild rosemary truffle ketchup. My dining partner and I were ready to be negatively overwhelmed by the rosemary truffle-ness, but we really liked it. The two of us barely made 1/4 of a dent in the dip as well, opting for regular ketchup every so often. A vegan peanut satay sauce is in the works, and regular ketchup and mustard are totally free.

Small and large cups of vegan Poutine ($4.00 and $5.00) are made up of fries, vegan gravy, and chunks of Follow Your Heart cheddar. The gravy is housemade with a thin base of vegetable stock, balsamic vinegar, and onions. It’s tangier than something you’d put on your vegan biscuits, and even more pungent when you bite into the cheeze. The salty fries do get soggy, as is the tradition with gravy fries, but the meal does come with a fork. Share with a friend to keep the fries going into your mouth somewhat crispy. Half of a small vegan Poutine was more than enough for me, and the flavor combinations were nothing I’d crave in the future, but big points for creativity and thoughtfulness. I’d like to hear what others think of it!

Not only is this a cart that makes you fresh, hot fries, but they’re getting vegan friendlier by the week! We’ve only been graced with Potato Champion since April, and it’s like every week they add something new and vegan. The cart is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6pm-midnight and Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm-2am. Perfect for picking up after a bar crawl or late night with friends.While the mature vegan in me says these fries are for splitting and are not a meal, there’s a voice inside saying ‘yes they are!’

It’s not like you’re going to visit the cart with a side salad in hand!

After his first few bites of Belgian fries, my dining companion instructed me to hit him over the head with a baseball bat if he ever contemplated baking fries in an oven again. Living within walking distance, he simply needs to hold out and eat healthy through Sunday-Tuesday!

Small vegan Poutine

Large Cone of Fries

The cart

The Menu

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Location: SE 12th and SE Hawthorne Parking Lot, Portland, OR
Hours: Wednesday-Thursday 6pm-1am, Friday and Saturday 6pm-3am

Times Visited: 4

As a farmer’s market addict, I often find myself eating a fresh piece of fruit or picking from pint of berries while walking around. The samples will only satisfy one’s hunger so much. While the fresh produce at the market is wonderful, so are the vegan-friendly food vendors. The locally crafted food is a reason to go in itself, with vendors like Dave’s Killer Bread, Tastebud Pita, Sweetpea Baking Company, Hoda’s, and the newest addition of Todbott’s Triangles.

The triangles, which are really rice balls, have been sold wholesale to the People’s and Alberta Co-ops for a while now, but Todd has recently started tabling at the People’s and Eastbank markets. He wanted to show people how appetizing the fresh ones were that he prepares for each order. As a food vendor, Todd is one of the friendliest I’ve come across. The preparation itself takes less than a couple of minutes, and before you know it you’re walking away with a rice ball. I mean, triangle.

It was the cheap price of $2 that first caught my eye. This was followed by the quick realization that this was something cheap and vegan! There is usually one vegan variety available, if not two. There is a vegetarian ball with honey, but the filling is premixed so it cannot be prepared sans honey. He also makes a ball with salmon that will be sold at the Eastbank market, but not People’s.

Depending on how you eat them, the balls can be on messy side. You can pick it up and bite into it, carefully keeping the wrapper in each bite, or get yourself a fork if you must. Traditionally called o-nigiri, the balls consist of a salty filling encased in lightly seasoned blend of organic white and brown sushi rice, all seated in a piece of dried nori. Todd’s signs describe them as both balls and triangles, so think what you will. I’ve heard them sweetly called heart shaped as well.

I’ve tried three flavors now, and each has satisfied every craving for salt that my mouth could possibly have. The dulse, soy sauce, and sweet sesame is a pleasant combination of sweet vs. salty. It’s like when you pour just enough soy sauce on your rice and didn’t over do it. The tempeh, local shiitake, miso, and tahini has a more rounded out salty vibe, with textured tempeh and tender shiitakes making for a substantial filling. There is another tempeh filled, with mustard, with an excellent amount of spice upon reaching the middle. As with all of them, make sure to eat some rice and filling at the same time to even out the bite. No need for soy sauce or wasabi with these gems, they are perfectly flavored. They all stand on their own as fantastically yet appropriately salty experiences.

The unfamiliar may assume these balls are too simple and boring and overlook them. If you are a fan of sushi at all, or just a fan of salty flavors, stop by a farmer’s market, pick up your produce and try this snack. You could make a small meal out of two of them, but I think it’s best to eat one. Recently I bought two, and even though it was dinner time, I was full with half of each and saved the rest for another small meal. There’s no need to fuss over the same old veggies in your boring vegan sushi anymore. Now that I’ve had the fresh and the refrigerated, I have to agree that the fresh are far better.

Todbott’s rice balls are a welcome, vegan-friendly addition to the farmer’s market food vendors.
Definitely unique. Definitely tasty.

Rice Balls

The cart

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Markets: People’s Coop Farmer’s Market
Wednesdays Year-Round 3pm-7pm
3029 SE 21st Avenue
Portland, OR 97202

Eastbank Farmer’s Market
Thursdays 5/15/2008 - 9/25/2008 3:30pm-7:30pm
Hinson Church, SE Salmon and 20th

Times Visited: 2

Voleur is on the higher end of downtown lunch spots. It’s a cozy restaurant on the corner of SW 1st and Ash. I can image the scene is different during the evenings being surrounded by dance clubs and the scene that follows. The tall eastern windows flood the main dining space with light, but the wood features absorb the light and can make it feel intimate and comfortable. The bar area is much darker with a few booths and a heavy wood bar with many beers on tap.

The lunch and dinner menus offer two items which can be made vegan: the Winter Vegetable Jambalaya, and the SW Vegetarian Black Bean Burger. They also have the obligatory hummus plate, but they dress it up with Kalamata olive and jalapeno. It may be because the restaurant has not been very full, but the service has always been top notch. The wait staff has always been very helpful and informative as to what is vegan.

Both dishes are filling and flavorful, but overpriced. The Winter Vegetable Jambalaya is a hearty quinoa stew flavorful with tomato, carrot, spinach, and zucchini. There’s a bit of spice, but nothing that really stands out. The dish is made vegan by omitting the sausage from the $10 dish and it’s still $10 without the meat, a trend that’s been annoying these Stumptown Vegans. The meal would taste better if the price was lower, that’s for sure. I’d only order the dish again on a cold day where I needed the warmth that only comfort food can provide.

On the other hand, I’d love to visit Voleur again and again to enjoy the Black Bean Burger and side salad. The $9 burger was made better with the substitution of avocado for cheese. Voleur’s salad dressing options shows they are a cut above other restaurants in the area and not just in price. The fresh greens and berry vinegrette made for a wonderful addition to the meal.

Another condiment that shows that Voleur’s is a cut above the rest is their Habanero Blackberry Ketchup used to adorn the burger. It’s not too spicy but it adds to the flavor of the soft, but firm, house-made black bean burger and avocado. Happy Hour allows you to enjoy the burger for only $4, so we highly suggest checking it out at a lower price.

From the atmosphere, the quality of food, attentive wait staff, to the high prices, it’s clear that Voleur is a quality dinning spot downtown. The only draw back beside the price is the occasional sticky table. If the price weren’t so high for a vegan meal, I’d visit this restaurant more often. The outdoor seating on the Max line route, is pleasant and a wonderful place to watch the world go by.

SW Vegetarian Black Bean Burger:

Winter Vegetable Jambalaya:

Rating: 3 out of 5
Address: 1st and SW Ash
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11am-3am, 24 hours Friday and Saturday