Squirrel’s Vegan Kitchen

Thank you all for your comments. I am feeling much better, but this cold has certainly made its rounds. I think about 1/4 of the people I work with have been hit this week. Blech.

Portland vegans are spoiled. We know it. While we only (compared to Seattle or New York) have a handful of vegan exclusive restaurants, we have a nice amount of vegetarian and incredibly vegan-friendly places. But the number of vegan exclusive places has gone up this year, with the Veggielicious food cart, Nutshell, and the new NE bar Bye and Bye. Vegan food and drinks abound at this place, in a beautifully restored space on the corner of Alberta and 10th. The decor is clean and modern, but warm and inviting and the artwork is beautiful. They have a CD jukebox with a nice array of music and a very nice patio. Ample bike parking. We went there last night to celebrate some good news with friends.

Barbeque “Chicken” Plate. Chunks of tofu, coated and slathered in BBQ sauce, with steamed broccoli (usually comes with greens) and black eyed peas on the side. Spicy and delicious. I especially liked the tang of the BBQ sauce. I’m not big on southern greens, so I subbed broccoli, which was sprinkled with nutritional yeast. In the background was a drink I ordered with crushed blueberries in it. Yum.

Meatball sub, with soy meatballs, melted cheese and marinara and sprinkled with nutritional yeast, with a side of greens.

Veggie dog, with the works: tomato, onions, mustard, peppers, and black eyed peas on the side.

The food was very good, but we all found our meals suprisingly spicy. Some of us didn’t mind it, but others were a little surprised. If you like Southern food with a little kick, you’ll love Bye and Bye. The drinks are good and reasonable, it’s non-smoking, it has a great atmosphere and it’s vegan owned! It doesn’t get more Portland than that.

I’ve been meaning to write a review for awhile now of the Tao of Tea. This little gem, tucked back on vegan-friendly Belmont in SE, is seemingly overshadowed by Paradox, Laughing Planet and Hoda’s, which are other vegan-friendly restaurants within the same two blocks. On one side the Tao of Tea is a tea room and store, but just 2 doors down, is their other tea room with a menu. I went there one day on a whim and had an amazing meal that has lead to many repeat trips. Creating a little haven for Portland’s lack of Indian cuisine, Tao’s menu has a wide range of appetizers and entrees, all at great prices and in a relaxing atmosphere. The food is admittedly Americanized, but tasty, filling and crave-worthy all on its own. Their food menu is only one page within a book of teas, so be sure to not overlook it the next time you go for a tasting. Many of the appetizers and entrees are vegan.

I had the aloo parantha, a thin, freshly made flat bread filled with Indian spiced potatoes. It comes with a small container of dal and, usually, raisa, which has dairy in it, but they will easily swap it out for a side of the chana, which is wonderful. There is also a side salad, with young greens, apple slices, marinated black beans, and dried cranberries, tossed with a tea vinagrette. The whole meal is very filling and delicious and is only $7. Excellent. We went with friends and each tried a few flatbreads. The group favorite was the miso flatbread, which looked similar to this, but had a very complex, almost cheezy flavor to it.

They say they have several vegan dessserts, but really only one is (the others have honey in them). This is the one, though, and it’s wonderful. A banana coated in sweet, sticky rice and steamed in banana leaves, served with a mango dipping sauce, dried cranberries and dried coconut. It is a good sized dessert for sharing with someone and perfectly hit the sweet tooth without over doing it.

A meal at the Tao always leaves me feeling happy, full, and nourished. I love to just get a big bowl of chana and cup of tea. It’s my new total comfort food and health wise, it’s probably much better nutritionally than the burrito I usually get at Laughing Planet: the one filled with mashed potatoes and garlic sauce.

Two more tasty places, one new and one sleathly tucked away, in P-town.

Ooh, and I have an exciting annoucement: I will be doing a book signing and tasting at Sidecar for Pig’s Peace in Seattle on Novemeber 11th from 11-2. Come on by and have some yummy samples from the book and chat with me!