A Peek at Portobello Vegan Trattoria

Open less than a month, Portobello Vegan Trattoria is becoming quite the immediate hit among Portland vegans.  I joined friends for my first meal there last night, and will be dining with another group for a family style dinner this weekend.  

After last night's luscious dinner, I'm ridiculously stoked to return so quickly, try more and support this new vegan establishment in such annoying economic times.  

Let me say that I grew up eating Italian food more than any other, and fresh vegan pasta at a restaurant in town, let alone in walking distance to my apartment, is in itself a thrill.  

Here's a peek at what my table ordered:

Small plate of Portabello Ravioli with Walnut Arulgula Pesto.

Side of Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Beet Appetizer

Pickled plate appetizer

Small plate of Gluten-free Spaghetti squash with one giant meatball

Ham and Scheese wrapped Seitan

Side of Roasted Pumpkin with Rosemary

Side of Garlic Broccolini

Lasagna

Believe it, we didn't order any desserts!  Don't panic - Tiramisu will be enjoyed this weekend.

Look for an official review in the next month on StumptownVegans.com when they've been open a bit longer.  

For now, enjoy the Italian food porn and check them out if you're in the Portland area.  

They're open Wednesday-Saturday 5:30-10:30pm and are located at 2001 SE 11th Ave, in the same location as the excellent Cellar Door Coffee Roasters, who are open during the day.

More cooking testing.

Two more test recipes from Terry and Isa's Upcoming Vegan Cookie Book.

Roasted Almond Cookies with Fluer de Sel

Sweet Potato Blondies, squared

Sweet Potato Blondies, pre-sliced

Excellent, Excellent.

Dharma Initiative Brand Cake

My AWESOME friend Katie Jane made this for the AWESOME Season Five Premiere of LOST. And she took the photo.

It was entirely gluten free, with chocolate cake and Peanut Butter and vanilla frosting and filling.

I had fun putting Dharma Initiative Brand labels on everything in sight for the viewing.  I downloaded them from the Max Pictures website, thanks!

Altogether we had Dharma cake, scones, muffins, Smokey Boar Dogs with Zukay Live Foods Horseradish and Garlic Dill Relish, Mr. Cluck's Secret Recipe Almond and Potato Chip baked chicken seitan and tofu, Ethan's Island Chips and Salsa (Mild Zukay - it's delish!), Dharma Composite Ranch Dip with veggies and potato chips and Is Jin Dead? Korean Style Kale.  The numbers were all over one wall, and Dharma station symbols were on another.

The goods.  

Thanks Farrell for the photos!

Rations Table

It wasn't flat!  If only Sawyer was there...

Zelda with the main rations station behind her.

NO SPOILERS.  

I've spent the past month and a half re-watching seasons 1-4, and watching the 3-hour premiere last night was positively zany.

Asian. Grilled. Tofu.

Tofu. Marinade. Cast Iron Grill Pan. 

Side of Hoisin'd Veggies. Long grain brown rice.  

Lunch.

Lunch, lunch, lunch.

The Asian Marinade recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance and Veganomican can be found here.

I don't really feel the need to talk much on this post, I've left the message to the grill lines and fu.

There's a kind of hush.....

I've been forgetting my camera at work lately and not photographing all the fun food business I've been  up to.  Like, last night, I went to Nhut Quang with a friend again living up to my #2 fan status.  It's quite a dedication for a SE Portlander, right.  Today, I had my camera with me, a sunny afternoon and a mission to photograph my lunch downtown.  After juggling ideas throughout the morning, I decidedly walked to the classic India Chaat House at the start of my lunch hour and sadly found them closed for the day.  

My thoughts turned to tofu and I found myself walking to I Love Thai Food.  I've recently read that they were under new ownership and slightly less vegan friendly and flavorful and wanted to check things out.  Sure enough, a new sign and menu presented it as I Like Thai Food cart and 4 or 5 people in line deterred my stop there.  Love to Like, really?

I peeked in at some other carts nearby but nothing called me in.  I found myself walking to Dreamers in another food cart lot since I hadn't gone in ages and thought it'd be fun, but it was also closed.  I contemplated giving Small World a third shot for Ethiopian food but didn't want to spend so much on lunch, and finally ended up with a falafel wrap from Hush Hush.  

Falafel Sandwich 

I dig Hush Hush for the speed (always served in a flash!), service and quality of food, but I do leave there smelling like falafel every time.  The past couple falafel wraps I've had there were still very good, but I found myself being annoyed with the tahini-soaked second half and pointless watery tomatoes.  I still the the falafel flavor and size deserve recognition.  The BEST falafel I've had recently was from Karam.  It was positively stand out - crispy yet moist and delicious.  I almost couldn't believe it.  I regretted not going there as I walked with my lunch today, but I've made it through the rest of my day so far.

Exterior of Hush Hush.  Go in!

And that's the story of my wandering lunch hour.  

Angel Food Marshmallow Making

Back in September, I bought myself a New Zealand-based Angel Food Vegan Marshmallow kit from Food Fight! on my birthday.  Ridiculously, it took me until this past weekend to make them.  Sure, it also took me a couple months to build up the nerve to buy non-organic corn syrup in the first place - I wanted these as old-school as possible.  With a cheap candy thermometer and my supplies ready, I spent a Saturday night making vegan marshmallows.....and then rewatching LOST, and eating marshmallows with friends.

Traditional Vanilla and Black Raspberry Marshmallows

The process did take time - though I'm sure I was done within 40 minutes of less: boiling, whisking, measuring, whipping, taking temperatures and setting. Go figure, as a food blogger, I enjoy spending time on culinary projects.  The end product wasn't as Sweet and Sara marshmallow-fluffy (or traditional) as I'd hoped, but they are smushy and sweet!  I felt a tad silly buying a kit shipped from New Zealand for a vegan indulgence, but it was a positive purchase from a vegan company that I made at the local vegan grocery store, and for my birthday!

FYI, this kit and a meringe kit are also available via mail order from Food Fight! and Angel Food itself among others. 

The Black Raspberry variation was considerably...smushier, thanks to the extra liquid from the local black raspberry jam.

 Psst, I know (and have sampled!) Julie Hasson's progress on bringing vegan marshmallows to the masses as well!  Thrilling news after the Emes-isn't-vegetarian-gelatin tragic story from a few years back.

Fluffing in my mom's old KitchenAid mixer

The messy boiling station

Live fluff!

 Yeah, I'm ridiculous.

My juice is green.

Apple-Mango-Field Greens-Garlic-Ginger Juice

My friend Shaun of In a Pickle and a Jam gifted me with her old juicer when she moved from Portland last year.  You know, she's a vegan who left Portland.  It happens more often than you think. It's not all magical nutritional yeast covered streets and freshly made vegan donuts handmade by dear Katie Jane at Sweetpea on Saturdays.

Back to the point, my friend Tiffany of the new blog she's begging me to plug even though she 

only has one entry up so far, A Series of Open Letters to Entirely Random People, constantly tells me from thousands of miles away that she wants juice.  I don't ship her juice, but it does inspire me to use said juicer.  And truthfully, she's told me at least two humorous ideas she has in store for other letters, and I helped her navigate wordpress and I'll be disappointed if she doesn't keep blogging, so now she better.  I'll make her juice when she visits.

Personally, I find myself juicing when I have a surplus of produce, like after picking up $1 bags at Limbo or with odds and ends - a random apple, beet and two I'm-worried-about-them-going-really-limp stalks of celery and then I'm thinking juice.

$1 Bag of apples and mangoes

Reason #4,599 that I dig vegan Portland - A special peanut butter cream filled donut with chocolate glaze at Sweetpea, and a mug of Stumptown Coffee.

blah blah blah cookies

Recent cookie production from my kitchen....

Espresso Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.

Deluxe Cocoa Brownies - 

I swear that a friend of mine impulsively moaned while eating these.  

Isa's New Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mocha Mamas

Nutty Wedding Cookies and their powdered sugar sea.

The recipe for Isa's new Chocolate Chip cookies is available here while the PPK is fancied up. The other cookies are confidential test recipes for the upcoming Vegan Cookies book.  Roasted Almond Cookies with Fluer de Sel are next on my to-test list~

Cast Iron Seitan in da house.

Locally made in Portland, Cast Iron Seitan can now be found at Food Fight! Vegan grocery store.  It is  priced at $5.65 for 12 ounces.

And according to the creators, it should be available next week - in bulk - at People's Coop as well.  

If you're going to buy prepared seitan that's not in a can (because there's just such novelty there I won't deny you) - let it be this!  

I've so far tried it grilled over peanut noodles and cooked into chili.  I know I'm a member of the church of Post Punk Kitchen anyway, but I really am a fan.

Grilled with tofu over more peanut noodles.

Nhut Quang - Recent Vietnamese Food Adventures in Portland

I've previously expressed my fondness for Nhut Quang, the vegan Vietnamese restaurant on NE 82nd and NE Fremont.  I went again twice in the past week with friends, and would like to declare my "new favorite dish" award to #19, the BBQ Roasted Gluten.  

There is also Van Hanh on SE 82nd and Division, which is simpler and faster for me to get to from my residence, but I would certainly consider tasty vegan Vietnamese food destination dining and I prefer the actual food at Nhut Quang and the experience of making a point to go there.  

As a vegan establishment that I thoroughly enjoy, I make a point to support them.  I had reason to worry about their future, hence the recent visits.  If you are also a fan or haven't been yet - please check them out.  The economy blows and independent restaurants are being affected. Support your veg*n friendly favorites!

 

Here's a look at what my friends and I shared for dinner last night:

BBQ Roasted Gluten 

Vietnamese Crepes 

Vietnamese Crepe greens station - lettuce, mint and basil

Green Beans and Gluten

Steamed Bun

A look inside.

Sushi Rolls with lovely peanut sauce

And salad rolls

And elsewhere in vegan-friendly Vietnamese friendly dining, here's my recent pho take out from Huong's Vietnamese cart downtown. Read the Stumptown Vegans review here.

Vegetarian Pho to go

Bowled.

Ample leftovers, fo sho.