Stumptown Vegans

Homegrown Smoker Vegan BBQ cart

Posted on April 16, 2010 by jess scone| 16 Comments

Updated 4/16/2010 – Homegrown Smoker has moved to SW 4th and College by PSU. They are now open for business! Check out the new menu here. BBQ Nachos, anyone? SloSmoMoFo? Chicken Fried Steak?

I went for lunch today, and have to say that the creamy mac nocheese, in particular, was killer – the best version yet! All the old favorites are still on the menu, with the additions of a many versatile options – including gravy smothered breakfasts, greens, and sweet potato fries!

They’re already drawing quite a new following on the crowded cart block.

Classic Combo:

The shiny new cart:

Updated 10/27/2009 New hours from their twitter: NEW HOURS: Thursday-Saturday 12-7 Sunday 12-5 Closed Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday.

Updated 10/6/2009 The cart has moved to NE 27th and Alberta, and now has wood fire heated seating!

Updated 8/24/2009 – Gluten free news! From their Facebook:
Homegrown Smoker: Well the cornbread recipe is done as we all like it. Gluten Free now and made with Cornmeal, Flax and Maple. Beginning Thursday our Chronic Tempeh Ribs will also be Gluten Free. All GF menu items: Beans, slaw, Cornbread, ribs, sauces, soy curls & tofu Soon to be GF Frito Pie!

Homegrown Smoker Vegan BBQ Brief Review
Overall	Service	Food Quality	Atmosphere	Vegan Options
9.5	10	8.5	9	10
Location: NE Alberta and NE 27th
Hours: Thurs-Sat Noon-7pm, Sun Noon-5pm			Times Visited: 4

The Homegrown Smoker Vegan BBQ has been scientifically proven as a reason I venture out of my nook in SE Portland to Alberta Street.

If you are lucky to have vegan family in Portland, this is where you should take them. This is a memory-making, happy family picnic’s dream food. Sorry for getting all sappy, but I’m so proud of them! Yet I barely know them! It’s a heart warming operation, that is family-based itself. I know the young staff is clearly older than I go on about; there’s simply this older sister in me who has siblings across the country who wants to hug them and thank them for being vegan and doing this. Just imagine your younger siblings making vegan food!

This is how I feel going to the Homegrown Smoker open cart on Alberta Street. They’ve taken up residence in a spacious corner lot with the even newer Open Heart Cafe, and have their smoker, ordering station, and picnic tables just waiting for you to wander by for vegan home cooking. They’re part of this new trend of carts like The Grilled Cheese Grill and Wolf and Bears, who have vast amounts of property and specialty seating areas, in comparison to the packed downtown cart blocks.

Their menu features four primary home smoked vegan proteins: BBQ Chronic Tempeh, Extra Firm Tofu, Smokey Soy Curls, and Field Roast Chorizo. All involve the smooth, tangy Kansas City style BBQ sauce, the perfect example of the staple BBQ sauce you want in your fridge, but better. The father of some of the staff has a true passion for BBQ, and you can taste it. The first item I tried was the BBQ Chronic Tempeh. A couple of my friends say that it could use some additional roasting or grilling, but I love some soy bean and am down with the straight up, nutty, smokey sauce-smothered strip.

Whenever someone has mentioned HGS to me since they’ve opened, I find myself raving about the Smokey Soy Curls. I’ve visited four times, and every time, they’ve found their way into the combo I’ve shared. Anyone who knows the trick, the importance, of the soy curl marinade, can respect these. The smokey flavor thrives in these tender pieces.

HGS added tofu to their menu due to public demand, and that’s rad. Unfortunately, I must say that the dense super firm tofu is almost too much for the coat of sauce. The Field Roast Chorizo is store bought, but I think it’s one of the best of the best fakes, texture and flavor wise.. The smoking tops that, and it is the most practical protein, size wise, to order in a sandwich ($6). But brace yourself: I suggest you skip the sandwiches of folded pita, smoked protein, sausages, and peppers altogether. They’re greatly overshadowed by the combos. That is unless you’re there for the revolutionary Macnochito ($6), a burrito of macaroni and cheese, soy curls, beans, peppers, onions, chorizo, and sauce. I was impressed when I saw someone ordering it!

One combo ($8) is enough to split with a friend for a small meal, one large appetite or for one with a portion of leftovers to take home. Pick two of the smoked vegan proteins and your choice of two sides. All combos come with a square of the moist molasses cornbread. The sides include the creamy chipotle coleslaw, sweet and smokey BBQ white beans, and the macaroni and cheese consisting of classic elbows in a semi-thick nutritional yeast sauce. My vote to best complement the protein goes to the macaroni and cheese and adding a side of corn on the cob for $1 extra ($2 as a separate item). If you like corn, you must. The ear of corn is once again, memorably smoked, and rubbed with the HGS custom seasoning blend. The beans are whole and the sauce sure is sweet, but there’s enough sweet and smokey elements in a combo. Keep them in mind if you’re only there for sides.

There is a bottle of homemade Mellow Yellow mustard based hot sauce on the counter that was recommended for the mac and really works with it. The mac itself is like the first version of the vegan, nutritional yeasty tradition you refine and makes its way into the vegan potluck repertoire. I tried it on opening day and it was dry, but since then it’s really improved and come into its own.

Sticking with the family BBQ theme, they offer homemade lemonade, sweet tea, and the ever- popular Jarritos soda. The tea is refreshing, but hell yeah, tamarindo! I’ve yet to indulge, but you can complete your meal with Clara’s daily desserts. These have included fresh baked cookies and brownies.

Finish your leisurely meal with another round of conversation at the picnic tables, because unless it’s Last Thursday, this cart hasn’t seemed to yet attract the foot traffic it deserves. If I lived in the Alberta neighborhood, it would be on my mind for speedy, righteous take out and long lunches, no doubt. It’s not a sit down dinner– this is a casual affair and comfort food. I’m noticeably a fan of the whole package HGS encompasses and offers: It’s really good food, and their soy curls and corn are fabulous.

Combo with Tempeh and Soy Curls

BBQ Chronic Tempeh

Above Photos by Lucas DeShazer

Smoked Corn

Combo with Tofu and Soy Curls

Iced Tea

Menu

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Posted in NE, all vegan, bbq, cart, gluten free, jess, lunch, quick, updated

Vegetarian Dim Sum House Guide (NYC)

Posted on April 15, 2010 by jess scone| 4 Comments

Vegetarian Dim Sum House, Brief Review
Overall	Service	Food Quality	Atmosphere	Vegan Options
8.5	7	9	8	10
Location: 24 Pell Street New York NY 10013 (212) 577-7176
Recommended Dish: Adventure!
Hours: 10:30am-10:30pm			Times Visited: Too Many to Count

The Stumptown Vegans Travel! A Travel Guide.

My pilgrimages to NYC in recent years include a few mandatory stops: great bagels, cheap falafel, Teany, LifeThyme, Soy and Sake or Red Bamboo or Vegetarian Paradise 2, phew, something upscale, the vegan ice cream shoppe showdown, and the famous Vegetarian Dim Sum House in Chinatown. Ironically, it wasn’t until after my departure from the East Coast that I dove into the dim sum menu. Prior to that, I’d stop in for lunch and naively think “well, they sure offer a lot of appetizers….”

The Vegetarian Dim Sum House has a huge regular menu available during lunch and dinner. That being said, you should go for the 30+ namesake menu: steamed buns, rice flour rolls, and dumplings galore. Dim sum is traditionally served from morning until noon, alongside Chinese tea. At the VDSH, there is no time limit, and you can share your dumplings and small plates in the morning, in the afternoon, and into the late evening. Appropriately, a small pot of complimentary tea is brought to every table upon seating. Warning – you may have to prompt for refills when it’s busy, which is often.

I think VDSH is best experienced with a small to medium group of diners. I doubt any hungry member of your party, from the picky to the adventurous, will be able to resist peeking at the versatile options continuously arriving at tables around you.

On my most recent visit, my small group for dinner included three seasoned vegan dim sum fans (featuring two omnivores!) and an eager vegan friend. We followed our self-imposed VDSH rules and passed around the dim sum check list and mini pencil. With over 34 dim sum selections to choose from, your visit can become a dim sum study.

Our ordering guide:

Every member of your group should pick at least one safe dish. Think steamed Spinach Dumplings and Fried Wontons.
Every member of your group should pick at least one strange dish. Think Turnip Cakes, or Corn Congee.
Every other member of your group should pick at least one explorative dish. Think Sweet & Salty Dumplings, or Rice Flour Rolls with Chinese Kale.

With a group of four, this brings your table at least ten small plates to share. This is incredibly reasonable, considering the dim sum prices ($2.95-5.95) and miniature offerings. The prices have risen slightly in the past couple years, but you can still dim sum generously for $10-$12/a person.

I’m clearly a fan with a few years of dim sum exploration under my belt, so I wanted to share some of my personal recommendations:

Safe Dishes:

Pan Fried Dumpling 4.95 – basic shredded cabbage and various vegetable stuffed dumplings. an easy, appealing order when nervous omnis are with you.
Spinach Dumplings 2.95 – featuring tender, green dough.
Deep Fried Vegetarian Crescents 2.95 – the name says it all. easily one of the greasiest items I’ve tried here.
Mini Vegetarian Spring Rolls 2.95 – really mini, really adorable, really filled with cabbage.

Strange Dishes:

Sweet Yam Soup with ginger juice 3.15 – small cups of clear, almost dessert-like broth with a sweet, ginger-infused bite and small cubes of cooked, orange yam. Wait a minute after it comes to the table, the staff will ladle it out for you.
House Special Corn Congee 3.15 this corn pudding-like dish isn’t quite my thing, but it sure is interesting and well worth the cheap shock value to see if anyone will eat it.
Vegetarian Mock Shrimp Dumplings 2.95 firm, yet semi-gelatinous (think, thick kanten) pieces of faux shrimp – if you don’t know if you can go faux-shrimp or not, this is a cheap way to test the waters!

Explorative Dishes:

Vegetarian Mock Roast Pork Buns 2.95 – quintessential explorative success. Steamed buns with a mildly spiced, seemingly soy, mock roasted pork filling.
Sesame Paste Buns (Steamed Or Fried) 2.95 – round and soft buns with a sweet sesame paste filling. I’ve tried these fried, and I think that’s overdoing it with these winners.
Rice Flour Rolls with Chinese kale 2.95 – until I actually tried these, I did not think they looked appetizing. however, I’m a big fan and always order them! actual green kale inside curious folds of tapioca
Buddha’s Rice Flour Rolls 2.95 – the same rolls, filled with an assortment of vegetables and liberally topped with a dark, brown sauce.

In short, let me be roughly, the one millionth vegan to recommend this as a NYC vegan must-go.

If you’ve been, please share your favorites!

Vegan Note: According to VegGuide.Org, “Everything on the menu is vegan except for the mango pudding and some of the bubble teas”.

Exterior

Pan-fried Dumplings

Spinach Dumplings

Shrimp Dumplings

Sweet Yam Soup

Bowls for Soups

dim sum

Vegetarian Mock Roasted Pork Buns

Buddha’s Rice Flour Rolls

Rice Flour Rolls with Chinese Kale

Mini Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Sesame Buns

Sharing

Pineapple ‘Chicken’ Entrée

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Posted in all vegetarian, cheap, chinese, dim sum, jess, nyc, travel

The Stumptown Vegans Present: 25 Great Vegan Foods for $7 or Less

Posted on April 7, 2010 by stumptownvegans| 28 Comments

Special Announcement:

We’ve painstakingly compiled this listing of 25 Great Vegan Foods for $7 or Less in Portland, OR

All items are $7 or less! They are listed in no particular order.

We purposely stayed away from happy hours deals, where some of these items may be even less expensive! Check out our podcast with full item descriptions and more rants & raves here.

This is modeled after recent similar listings by Willamette Week and ExtraMSG, except this time – it’s all vegan! We’ve included links to our prior reviews and restaurant websites on the list below.

25 Great Vegan Foods for $7 or Less:

Steak and Cheese at D.C. Vegetarian $5
Vegan Club at Backspace $7
Small plate at Portobello Vegan Trattoria (i.e. Italian Sausage stuffed Ravioli with Daiya and Broccoli Raab) $7
Misoyaki Eggplant at Miho Izakaya $6
Vegan Apple Fritter at VooDoo Doughnuts $2.25
Maple Sausage Waffle at Flavourspot $5
Vegan slice at Dove Vivi $3.75
Broadway Bowl at Native Bowl $6 for Regular
Tofu Salad Bun at Pho PDX $7
Falafel Sandwich at Hush Hush $5.50
Red Red at Asaase Ital Palace $6
Lunch Special (entree, summer roll, drink) at Thai Basil cart $5
Fries and dip at Potato Champion $3.50 regular, $4.50 large
Frito Pie at Fixin’ To $7
The Jade Abbot at The Ruby Dragon $4.50, single
Chicken Salad Sub at D.C. Vegetarian $5
Lunch Buffet at Green Wok $6.50
NoPo Burrito at Proper Eats $6.50
Tempeh Things (buffalo or bbq) at The Mash Tun Brewpub $6.95
Pad Thai at Thai Food Cafe $7
Big Lunch Special at Bombay Chaat House $5
Biscuits & Gravy special at Sweetpea Baking Co.
Fried Pie at Whiffies Fried Pies $3-4
Wok Bar at New Seasons $6.95
Weeping Tiger Sandwich at The Bye & Bye $7

Honorable Mentions:

Taqueria Los Gorditos – the cart and taqueria. We’re shocked neither of us included an option and expected the other to – we just couldn’t decide on which excellent item! Nachos? Torta? Soy Curl Mulita?
Vegan Eggplant and Cashew Tofu Stir Fries at Just Thai $5 – This cart is sweet, very vegan attentive and happy to include extra vegetables!
Anything from Sip!
Spaghetti with Gravy or Spicy Soba Noodles at Yarp?! $4-6
Field Roast sandwich at East Side Deli
Biscuits & Almond Gravy at Vita Cafe and Paradox Cafe $3-5
Side of Organic Smash Coconut Yams at Papa G’s $3.85
Everything else that’s slipping our minds!

This is not a definitive listing of the BEST offerings out there, simply 25 great suggestions we’ve tried in the recent past.

Do you agree with any of this? Let us know & please share your favorites!

Check out our full podcast here. You can also subscribe via Itunes.

Looking for more recommendations? For an older list be sure to check out our May 2008 podcast on Cheap Food in Portland for $5 or less. Many of these may be out dated, but some are still relevant.

Some photographic evidence of said 25 Great Vegan Foods:

Ravioli Small Plate at Portobello Vegan Trattoria $7

Apple Fritter VooDoo Doughtnut $2.25

The Jade Abbot at Ruby Dragon $4.50

Red Red from Asaase Ital Palace cart $6

New Season’s Wok Bar $6.95

Regular Cone at Potato Champion! $3.50

Hush Hush Falafel Sandwich $5.50

Chicken Pad Thai at Thai Food Cafe $7

Frito Pie from Fixin’ To $7

Big Lunch Special from Bombay Chaat House $5

Whiffies Fried Pie – cherry chocolate chip $3 (Photo by Lucas DeShazer)

Steak & Cheese from D.C. Vegetarian $5

Sauage_Cheese

Chicken Salad Sandwich from D.C. Vegetarian $5

Lunch Special from Thai Basil Cart $5

Misoyaki Eggplant at Miho Izakaya $6

Tofu Salad Bun at Pho PDX $7

Buffalo Tempeh Things at Mash Tun $6.95

Club Backspace from Backspace $7

Biscuits & Gravy at Vita Cafe $3-5

Special at Taqueria Los Gorditos

Spaghetti with Gravy (Tomato Sauce) and Veggies at Yarp?! $6

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Posted in Cartopia, Indian, Middle Eastern, N, NE, SE, SW, Sandwich, The Management, all vegan, cheap, dinner, downtown, favorites, japanese, jess, local, lunch, mexican, podcast, quick, snack, thai, webly

In The Bowl Vegetarian Noodle Bistro (Seattle)

Posted on April 3, 2010 by jess scone| Leave a comment

In the Bowl Vegetarian Noodle Bistro, Brief Review
Overall	Service	Food Quality	Atmosphere	Vegan Options
7.5	6	9	6	9
Location: 1554 E Olive Way Seattle, WA 98102
Recommended Dish: Angel Curry
Hours: Mon – Sun 12:00 pm – 9:30 pm			Times Visited: 1

The Stumptown Vegans Travel!

In the memory of my meal at In The Bowl Vegetarian Noodle Bistro, I keep adding foggy windows into this popular little restaurant in Seattle’s Capital Hill district. The water refills were flying, the take-out orders were clearly a way of life in the neighborhood, the frantically productive kitchen took up at least 1/3 of the open restaurant, and the front door rarely stayed shut with the comings and goings of new clientèle. The foggy windows? A figment of my imagination, but they sure do fit on a cool, winter evening. The hustle and bustle? A fingers-crossed indication that my visit was going to be worthwhile.

I was fortunate to be seated at the last open table within moments of my arrival. It was right by the busy front door, but thanks to my forthcoming meal and hot tea, nothing was bothersome. Taking up nearly half the small two-person table was the overwhelming, double-sided, lengthy menu. It had all the standard Thai restaurant selections you’d expect and more: Japanese noodle dishes, numerous appetizers, and elaborate sounding specials. I must have flipped it over four times before bypassing a coconut and vegetable studded special for the Angel Curry ($7.95) from the curry section. From the sounds of the various descriptions, it seemed like all curry pastes were homemade – always a welcome sight for vegetarians and vegans.

After the suspenseful, green tea- sipping ($1.50 for a small pot with a tea bag) wait, that approached twenty minutes, my meal arrived. The meal consisted of a small bowl of curry, and a big serving of cooked, thin rice noodles, both presented together on a large plate. The curry was utterly flavorful. It had a powerful, mildly spiced (by request) yellow curry based broth with a bit of coconut milk. The vegetables were lightly cooked and held that freshness that’s often lost, or cooked away, in curries. There was bok choy, green beans, carrots, mushroom, green cabbage, pineapple, broccoli florets, and large cubes of the freshest, softest tofu I’d sampled in what seems like years. It still held its shape, yet, it was just so fresh and moist in the curry. There was also an option of fried tofu, faux beef, faux chicken, faux prawns, and faux duck for this dish. I had tofu on my mind, and did not ask about the vegan specifics of the soy protein additions. Please leave a comment if you know more.

How to eat it was a bit curious. Do you put the noodles in the bowl, or vice versa? I decided on the second option of spooning the curry over the noodles. It seemed the most logistical move for maneuvering the saucey curry vs. noodles situation with my serving spoon and chopsticks. No matter, the Angel Curry with soft tofu was just one of the best meals I’ve had this year, and there isn’t a thing about it I would change.

The best part of the customer service at In The Bowl was the consistent water refills. The staff never stopped cycling the room, taking orders, filling waters, moving meals, and so forth. This speed was also something to accept as part of the experience, and atmosphere. Your meal is coming, just don’t expect friendly, hand-holding service on its way. I swear, my waitress was across the room after asking what type of rice I wanted. I quickly specified rice noodles, which were actually listed with the dish on the menu.

Bringing up the water again, I noticed that I wasn’t at the only table where it was quickly refilled and placed on the complete opposite end of the table as the customers. I’m not offended, it’s still on the same table, but the haste is apparent. That being said, frequent water refills and a steaming bowl of curry or spicy soup undeniably go together. My bill followed with an offer of a to-go box and a surprise, complimentary cup of semi-pleasantly plain soy and black rice pudding.

I think the brief, yet, functional customer service is part of the experience at It the Bowl. Sometimes it’s okay to be disconnected with your food and company (or alone)!

And for a bowl of housemade curry that vitalizing, I would deal with something that actually annoyed me.

Angel Curry with fresh tofu and rice noodles