I just returned from a fast and fun trip to Portland Oregon in celebration of my husbands’ birthday. We were so blessed to have our twin boys who are up in college in the Pacific Northwest join us for the festivities. I have completely fallen in love with Portland not only for the vibe of the community and the breath taking scenery but this city definitely caters to the vegan at heart appetite. Here is a rundown on some of my favorite dining establishments, Portland Vegan Style, we visited.
Portland Vegan Restaurants
PRASAD
Prasad lives by their motto eat, inspire and unite and that is just how you feel when you walk into this trendy order at the counter casual dining healthy hot spot. Located right in the center of the Pearl District Prasad is my go to place when I hit Portland. Sharing the space with Yoga Pearl, Prasad has the vegan raw and cooked eats going on breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their juices, smoothies and sweets are hard to resist. If we’re stopping by for a meal I always find myself ordering one of their raw dishes. This time I had the Utopian Dream Pasta which consisted of shredded green papaya, carrots, collard greens, scallions and broccoli tossed in an almond butter Pad Thai sauce and topped with sliced almonds, mint, cilantro and sesame seeds. It doesn’t get better than that. The guys are predictable too, with the Chipotle Chili Bowl made from black beans, steamed greens, scallions. sesame and hemp seeds, brown rice and then topped with avocado and cilantro. Darryl (my main squeeze) always orders their Tempest smoothie which is made with mango, spinach, avocado, dates, homemade almond-hemp milk and kicked up a notch with cayenne. I can never get enough of Prasad and would eat their everyday if I lived in the Pearl.
BLOSSOMING LOTUS
Located in a neighborhood on the North East side of Portland in the Irvington District you can find this amazingly delicious organic fresh vegan cooked and raw cuisine restaurant, Blossoming Lotus. We were here to celebrate Darryl’s birthday with family and friends and found the place packed with locals when we arrived. Since we were a large group we were able to taste quite a bit of what Blossoming Lotus had to offer. My favorite of our starters was their Thai Salad, a wonderful romaine based salad with cucumber, mint, cilantro, cabbage slaw topped with coconut, toasted peanuts, and barbecue soy curls and then delicately tossed with a delicious peanut dressing. We also shared zucchini cakes that rested on a tasty cashew cream based sauce and escorted with a side of homemade salsa. The mushroom foccacia topped with arugula was also a big hit at our table.
For my entree I indulged the Bibimbap which is a bowl of marinated portobellos, peanut soy curls, broccoli, roasted garlic aioli slaw, pickles, hot sauce, sesame seeds, and scallions on top of brown rice. Loved it. My boys had Cheeseburgers crafted from lentils and walnuts and topped with cashew brie and all the other normal burger fixings.
Dessert was a hit but we were so full that we could only order for our birthday boy a chocolate raw cheesecake and a side of coconut ice cream. Yumalicous! Along with Mocktails Blossoming Lotus serves local beers, wine and kombucha.
I have to say that the service was informative and attentive, the creativity top notch and the food mouth pleasing. Our carnivore friend even made the comment that this is the best vegan restaurant he has ever been too, and I have drug him to quite a few.
Heads up, the menu changes seasonally so you will love dropping by often. We even made our appearance the following evening for a quick dinner before heading to the airport. Hands down Blossoming Lotus is not to be missed if you are in the Portland area.
GREENLEAF JUICING COMPANY
Organic juices are harder to find then you would think when hitting a juicery. Since I look at juicing as main lining my nutrients, organic is the only way to go. This is exactly why I love Greenleaf Juice. They have an amazing array of juice combinations that are freshly juiced or cold pressed for grab and go. Their innovative menu of shots feature an array of liquid designed boosters. I love their Acai and Granola Bowls that make a perfect meal all by themselves. This high quality establishment has three locations in the Portland urban area. Check them out the next time you get a juice, smoothie or bowl craving. You will know you are getting the best that nature can provide.
PORTOBELLA VEGAN TRATORRIA
Vegan the Italian way is what you’ll find at Portobella Vegan Trattoria located on the South East side of Portland in the Hosford-Abernethy district. This vegan inspired cuisine has all the dishes you love to find in your own favorite trattoria like pasta, pizza and mouthwatering sauces, only this Italian cuisine is completely whole food and plant based. Portobella prides themselves for sourcing their organic ingredients and directly works with several local farms in the nearby area. The interior decor is recycled wood from an old Oregon barn.
We were in love with this Italian fare right from the start with our first bite of their famous Beet Tartare of diced roasted beets mixed together with a carrot aioli and layered on top of a cashew puree. We also enjoyed the House Pickles and Mushroom Arancini of crispy fried risotto balls with sage-fennel sausage and topped with a basil marinara sauce. We all split their version of a caesar salad and then dove right into the entrees. My boys ordered Arrabbiata Pizza that was loaded with chili-fennel marinara cashew cream, hot peppers, garlic and seitan arrabbiata sausage. I indulged the Cauliflower Steak which was a roasted cauliflower with tapenade, Israeli couscous, romanesco, trumpet mushroom confit and green beans. Darryl feasted on the gnocchi of the evening. Everything was delicious and even though we were fully satisfied we did order a dessert. Lemon Cheesecake with Lavender Sorbet and Pistachio Anglaise was thankfully on the smaller size and just perfect to finish the experience sweetly. Portobella Vegan Trattoria is by far the best vegan Italian eatery I have ever experienced.
Exploring the city, hiking the Columbia River Gorge, being together with my boys, birthday celebration, visiting good friends, great weather and vanguard vegan cuisine made for an outstanding weekend in Portland. I can’t wait to visit again!
