
First of all, let me just say that Portland was so laid-back and vegan-friendly that I felt like I was on another planet. Almost every restaurant and pub had at least one vegetarian option on its menu, and there were tons of places that were exclusively veg!
The coolest thing was that it actually seemed as though veganism/vegetarianism were completely accepted there (unlike in the Midwest), which made me feel right at home. I highly suggest visiting Portland if you haven't already - even if you're not vegan or vegetarian - it's worth it for the food alone!
Anyway, I have tons of pictures (of course), so I'll try to keep this post about food as much as possible, but please don't hate me too much if I stray from it a bit...

Above is a group of pictures of the first "Vegan Strip-Mall" in the country! It contains four stores: Sweetpea Bakery (with coffee and vegan goodies); Food Fight Vegan Grocery (with everything your little vegan heart desires!); Herbivore Magazine & Clothing Store (with cookbooks, mags, t-shirts, stickers, cotton bags, etc.); and Scapegoat Tattoo Shop (this one's pretty self-explanatory).
And yes, I nearly hyperventilated when I saw it! I mean, a vegan mini-mall? Seriously? Who'd-a-thunk it?!
Anyway, the first picture (going from the top L) shows some of the cool veg-themed t-shirts that were in Herbivore's store. The second one is of the door to Food Fight Grocery, which proudly proclaims that the store is "Open Every Fucking Day!" The third shot is of the Herbivore sign that sits outside of the strip-mall, and the fourth one shows the inside of the grocery store.
Hmm? What's that you said? Show us some of that yummy food already? Your wish is my command...
First stop: Veganopolis, a 100% vegan cafe, which offers cafeteria-style breakfasts and lunches, as well as a diverse menu of tasty vegan vittles.


The next picture is of CH's Veganopolis meal. It's a Chik'N Pesto sandwich, which is a "chicken" patty, topped with pesto (it was delicious!), spinach, onion, and "rawmesean cheese," all on a ciabatta bun. As you can see, CH had the colcannon, too, as well as a bit of cucumber salad.


(FYI: a single "Mezza Platter" can definitely feed more than one person - trust me - I tried my damnedest to prove that statement false and failed miserably.)


Here I ate a scrumptious veggie burger that was made from veggies as well as "spent" grains, which were left-over grains that were used to brew beer! (Talk about recycling!)
CH and I also shared an unhealthy, but delicious, plate of onion rings, which were accompanied by a cilantro + avocado sauce. Oh, and we had a huge beer-sampler, too, of course!

CH and I were fortunate enough to visit some gorgeous places in Portland and the greater Oregon area, including Silver Falls State Park (which contains 10 waterfalls!), the Columbia River Gorge, and the Japanese Gardens. Following are a few shots from those places...






Fourth stop: Old Wives' Tales, a veg-friendly diner-type of restaurant that also offers a small salad and soup bar.


Despite my lack of memory regarding the name of the cupcake bakery, I can definitely vouch for the fact that it churned out some yummy cupcakes!
The one pictured at the top is called "The Pearl," and it consisted of vanilla with some kind of filling in it (CH's pick). The bottom two are mini-cupcakes - one is Apple Pie Spice (my pick), and the other is Chocolate Stout, which was made with beer from a local brewery.

Sixth stop: The Whole Bowl, a vegetarian food cart in downtown Portland. (Note: there are multiple other locations as well.)

And, although it struck me as a little odd that Portlanders seemed to patronize "food carts" for lunch - I had a hard time disassociating them from the funnel cake and "elephant" ear stands at the State Fair - I quickly discovered the natives were on to something: cheap and delicious food!

In fact, that's what that yellow-looking sauce is that's visible in the picture below. Apparently the ingredients are very closely-guarded; all that the Whole Bowl crew will say is that the sauce contains lemon, garlic, and other "spices," and that it's both vegan and wheat-free.
(It's also referred to as "crack sauce" quite often - 'cause it's so very, very addictive.) Hmmm...


Here it is: While CH and I were eating at Veganopolis, the owner started up a conversation with me because of the law school sweatshirt that I was wearing. She asked if I was from Chicago, and we started chatting a bit. She was really nice and told me some cool stories about when she used to live in the Midwest, and then she shared a little secret with me...
She's planning to open up a Veganopolis in Chicago within a year's time! Now if that doesn't excite you, you either don't leave nearby (sorry!) or you haven't seen their menu/website yet. Check it out here, and start planning your trip! Just don't forget that you heard it here first!
I *love* PDX
ReplyDeleteso jealous
thanks for the quick trip back there... ahhhh....
oh man...i can't believe there's a vegan strip mall!! i must move to portland....
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great trip full of wonderful eats and beer! Yummy! Portland is definatly a destination for people that love food. I was just talking about it in my post today.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to The Foodie Blogroll! :)
I feel like I am still on our trip!!! Thanks for taking me back to the best vaction we have taken to date. Many more to come! Especially if they involve Tali sauce, but especially if they involve good beer :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing - now I realize I need to go to Portland! The "crack" sauce at the vegetarian stand sounds awesome - I do hope you can churn out an imitation recipe! It looks like you had so much fun... It must really be a drag to back to the normal routine after that trip!
ReplyDeleteawwwww...you did an awesome job highlighting your portland trip! the mini-mall is a blast isn't it? i'm glad you had fun here. maybe the cupcake place you visited was st. cupcake? i know they have some vegan cupcakes...
ReplyDeletewow, that looks amazing! I want to get over their before herbivore goes out of business :( Its so sad. I will miss them.
ReplyDeleteWelcome home! A Veganopolis in Chicago? Are you teasing me?!
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous of the PDX'ers! Vegan street cart vendors? Really? Is that just to rub it in for the rest of us who are forced into iceberg lettuce and spaghetti marinara when we go out to eat? :P
Put up more pictures so we can live vicariously for a little longer!
I wish they'd open a veganopolis here in Dallas! (Hey, I can dream, can't I?)
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks like a fabulous vacation! The food looks fantastic, and I shouldn't be looking because I'm hungry for a snack...
ReplyDeleteGaaaah- head exploding from awesomeness of this post!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you got to go to the vegan mini-mall! I've literally had dreams about it! It must feel so indulgent to go somewhere so veg-friendly. Like a kid in a candy store, I say.
The quinoa burger sounds like a suspiciously perfect version of all my favorite foods. Yum!
And the non-food pictures are gorgeous too- especially the bridge one. You should be a vegan travel writer/ photog for Vegetarian Times or VegNews.
Glad you guys had such a good time and shared it with us!
oh dear, you are making me *so* jealous! i wish i were in the pacific northwest right now.
ReplyDeleteSigh... so many of your pics reminded me of my trip to portland almost a year ago...except at that time there was no vegan mini-mall yet! Dang! I need to head back. I loved veganopolis as well, and I'll have to remember about the lunch carts, don't think we hit up any of those.
ReplyDeleteIt's so overwhelming visiting such a veg-friendly city when it's different from where you live. I just got back from seattle, experienced that same thing. Thanks for posting your photos and giving us a glimpse of your trip!!
I have to comfort myself with the fact that it's a GOOD thing I can't afford to fly out to portland, because I would get SO FAT from eating all the good food out there...
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing our pics!
wow ~ thanks for the great detailed post....I have always wanted to go to Portland and you gave great insight on places to start...that curry cauliflower soup looks great.
ReplyDeletethanks for your comments earlier and am glad you did, will plan to stop by again to read your veg adventures!
wow. i am speechless. i think i need to move to portland.
ReplyDeleteany luck with the Tali Sauce? I'm trying to nail it down too -- it's a tough one!!
ReplyDeleteglad you enjoyed Portland so much, such a great place to be vegan!
ReplyDeleteFor the Tali sauce, try starting with a moroccan charmoula, heavy on the lemon, and add a little tahini. I've been thickening mine with corn starch, but there's something else giving it that slightly eggy texture. Still, the saffron-lemon-garlic taste of the sauce comes straight from the venerable charmoula, so starting there is the way to go. Message me if you need a recipe.
ReplyDeleteHi Ted and Spencer!
ReplyDeleteAny luck with the Tali sauce?
I NEED it!
Thanks