As you probably can tell by now, I love a good treasure hunt. There’s something about going off in search of rare, hidden, objects or services that always gets my blood rushing. I also love plant-based eating. So why not combine the two passions?
That was the thinking that inspires my wife, Donica, and I to book a trip to Portland, Oregon, by all accounts and surveys the #1 Vegan-Friendly city in the United States. Our mission: to hit up as many plant-base eateries as we can in a 2.5-day long weekend, in search of the perfect Portland vegan experience.
In most cities around the world, finding a vegan restaurant is truly a treasure hunt. If you’re lucky, there’s maybe one plant-based resto in town, along with a number of “vegan-friendly” establishments, like Subway and Chipotle. Finding a place to eat in such a town is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Not so, Portland.
A quick check on HappyCow, the plant-based search engine, delivers 495 results for Portland. That includes vegan, vegetarian and veg-options. Narrowing the filter further, I find 55 vegan-dedicated restaurants, markets and food trucks! Absolutely amazing. For non-meat eaters like us, Portland is the motherload.
Over the course of the weekend, Donica and I walk over 42 miles because, if you’re going to spend your whole vacation eating, you better darn well work it off! We wind up visiting seven 100%-plant-based eateries and at least three vegan-friendly joints that we stumble upon along the way. The dedicated-vegan places include:
The Secret Pizza Society: A tiny little joint with pseudo Andy Warhols on the wall. The pizza options are super-funky: chevre, gouda, ricotta, parmesan and cream cheezes, a jalapeno popper pizza, and let’s not forget the “Pyro” – soy curls, greens, and veggies folded into a pizza, gyro style. We try the smoked gouda and pepperoni: quite yummy.
Kati Thai: A straight-forward Thai restaurant with all the classics, done right. We particularly enjoy the Tom Kha soup and the Larb Tofu.
Doe Donuts: A vegan donut shop that will make you forget Voodoo (Portland’s more-famous donut place). We order the coconut cream, peach fritter, chocolate cookie dough and Earl-Grey glazed donut with coconut cream on top. Delish.
Obon Shokudo: An elegant Japanese restaurant with unusual dishes. The onigiri (rice balls) are so-so – they didn’t need the cream filling. But we love our two soups: miso and udon tempura.
Boxcar Pizza: Famous for its artisan, Detroit-style pizza, this place is a winner. The Jimmy Pesto, with mozzarella, cheddar, pesto, pepperoni, jalapenos and hot honey drizzle is out of this world. Honey on a pizza? Why not!
Norah: A fairly-high-end, vegan, Pan-Asian restaurant with a creative take on classic dishes. Our Thai-style pad see ew is quite fabulous.
Ice Queen: Essentially a vegan popsicle shop with interesting flavors, including Deja Bru, Mangonada and Oatchata. We go for a straight-forward strawberry with a whole fruit inside… pretty fantastic.
No doubt our most mind-blowing Portland culinary experience, however, comes not from a brick-and-mortar restaurant but rather, from a food truck. You see, every neighborhood in Portland boasts its own gathering of food trucks, what they call “food pods.” As we’re walking along, we see a sign for a truck called “Bake on the Run,” specializing in cuisine from Guyana. Most, but not all, of their offerings are plant based. The dahl is delicious but what really changes our world view is the “Missionary Chocolate Truffle Bake” – essentially a ball of puff pastry, stuffed with truffles and flash fried. You pop an entire ball in your mouth, bite down, and well – the sensation is indescribable (for a family audience, anyway).
Would we go back to Portland? In a second! We have at least 48 more restaurants to visit – and another order of Truffle bakes!
(It’s interesting how what’s scarce becomes more valuable. On their own, diamonds, gold and silver don’t possess all that much “utility.” But because they’re pretty and relatively hard to find, we place high value on these gems and metals. We “commodify” them. Vegan food is generally hard to find, and hence my wife and I really appreciate when we do discover it. What’s your “scarce resource”? The next time you go out on the town (or travel), what treasure hunt can you create to give focus to your journey?)