LinX

Let's talk hot dogs. Finding a good textured, well-constructed, superb tasting vegetarian hot dog doesn't come easy, but when I find those hidden gems out there, I relish every last one of 'em. [Pun intended!]

One of the very best hot dogs I've had the pleasure of ingesting was in cute little Old Town nestled inside Orange, California. LinX had me at pretzel bun and really won me over with all of their interesting housemade condiments.

Jumping all over their vegan dog deluxe on a pretzel bun with grilled jalapeños and onions, I had a really hard time deciding which sauces to try, so I opted for a few while salivating over them all: honey BBQ, lemon aioli and "trinity" (ketchup/mayo/mustard)...all of which paired well with the dog and implemented as perfect dipping sauces for the delicious Belgian frites!

Also notable: they do burritos. Yep, get your bad boys wrapped in a flour tortilla with all the Mexican fixins.





Location: 238 W Chapman Avenue Orange, California 92866
Neighborhood: Old Town

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

There are so many yummy things about fall and this healthy dish is one of many.

The crunchy yet crumbling texture of these cauliflower florets is perfection.



What you will need:

1 head of cauliflower
3 cloves of garlic
Juice from half a lemon
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°(F). Thinly slice garlic and sauté in olive oil on medium, until warm. Cut cauliflower into florets and toss onto cookie sheet. Pour garlic over cauliflower and drizzle a little extra olive oil. Squeeze lemon juice over the top and sprinkle salt & pepper to taste.

2. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned. Stir florets 20 minutes into baking for even cooking. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower.

(I made this dish vegan, however I've heard good things about sprinkling fresh Parmesan cheese over the top once removed from oven.)

Back to Eden Bakery

As I alluded to earlier, Back to Eden is probably the most well-known spot to get vegan soft serve here in Portland. Not to mention some brilliant nut put a marshmallow at the bottom of my vegan waffle cone once, commence non-leakage (hooray)!!

They also carry baked goods, small snacks and savory pastries that aren't half bad themselves. I usually get a sundae of sorts, though their ice cream is typically too sweet for my liking (and a bit pricey), so I'm usually having a fierce craving for super sugary treats when I come here.


[oregon trail sundae]
vanilla soft serve, chocolate cream cookies, white chocolate
chips & caramel sauce instead of chocolate


vegan vanilla soft serve in a waffle cone


savory cashew cheese and asparagus tart

Location: 2217 NE Alberta Street Portland, Oregon 97211
Neighborhood: Northeast / Alberta Arts District

Junior's Cafe

Holy guacamole, french toast with caramelized peaches as a special?! I don't know if I will ever be the same, and the only way to feel comfortable again is if they keep this "special" indefinitely!

Love love Junior's Cafe because it has a cute diner feel, but it's still young and cozy nuzzled in the cutest little neighborhood. The glittery gold booths and gaudy wallpaper are super charming and I find myself pointing out new things every time I come here.



Nana's vegan tofu scramble with spicy tofu sauce
[sauteed tofu, garlic, red onions, mushrooms & spinach]

Location: 1742 SE 12th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97214
Neighborhood: Southeast / Ladd's Addition

Green Wok

After hearing all sorts of stuff about something I had never tried:
VEGAN SUSHI (the real stuff, faux fish), I'd been excited to visit Green Wok, a vegan chinese restaurant about 30 min south of Portland. Their online menu looked very clean and well put together... actually, mindblowingly awesome! so I wouldn't have expected this place to be as dingy as it was once we arrived. It was your regular hole in the wall chinese establishment and the menu was extensive, SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM, which I often don't like. It was overwhelming, so instead of dabbling in a little bit of everything, I just stuck to their manageable-size sushi list.

First and foremost, their yellowtail nigiri was uncanny to the real thing, I was shocked! It was a little salty, but the texture was on point and it looked so much like the real thing. Looking back that was probably all I should have ordered. The tempura was yummy, however their "salmon" tasted like Field Roast and all the sushi rolls were stuffed with a type of "fish-salad", which were all...meh.

Glad to have tried it once, but a 30 min drive might be pushing a trip back.





Location: 11137 SW Capitol Hwy Portland, Oregon 97219
Neighborhood: Southwest

Petunia's

Vegan ice cream and sweet lovers unite!

Though I feel like Back To Eden Bakery is most talked about around these vegan-prominent parts, the new(ish) and growing Petunia's Pies and Pastries gives them a run for their money, no doubt. Located downtown with dreamy pastel walls, exposed brick, a fancy feel and fresh flower + candle centerpieces, I would like nothing more than to live here.

I'm not a huge sweets fan, but when it comes to ice cream, let me have at it! My last visit to Petunia's I discovered their build-your-own-sundae menu (Brûléed banana split, yes please!) and I definitely built my dream sundae...then devoured it.

1. Choose your ice cream: three scoops of vanilla coconut bliss
2. Choose your sauces: caramel
3. Choose your toppings: cookie dough and marshmallows




salted caramel cookie bar


two slices of turtle cheesecake


[via]


[via]

Petunia's also offers more than just ice cream; be sure to try one of their cookies, bars, whoopie pies, cupcakes, layer cakes, cobblers, pies, tarts, sticky buns, doughnuts, even some savory soups, sandwiches and salads, of course washing it all down with a signature cocktail, (gluten-free) beer, wine or coffee and tea.

Location: 610 SW 12th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97205
Neighborhood: Downtown

24th & Meatballs

Whoever designed this place is rad. It's perfect for what it is, from the decor to the seating and the menu... I loved it all. 24th & Meatballs is an ever so obvious meatball-focused restaurant. Everything on the mix and match menu including pasta and salads are priced under $10.

Catering to all sorts of diets, I enjoyed the list of options for your own perfect meatball creation. You've got The Classic stuffed with beef, veal, pork and basil. The Pork including chilis, cheese and spices. The Chicken parmesan and thyme (this one's gluten-free!). A special "ball of the day" that changes and The Vegan to which all I've gathered is it "contains nuts".

My go-to is The Vegan slider with hazelnut arugula pesto sauce. Tiny little guy and on top of being cute as hell to photograph, the meatball was tasty and not dry at all. The salads could use a little sprucing, not so much to write home about.

They serve $1 kool-aid which was pretty cool, but I always opt for the ginger lemonade!


[vegan slider with hazelnut pesto arugula]


[vegan slider with marinara x2]

Location: 2329 NE Glisan Street Portland, Oregon 97232
Neigborhood: Northeast / Kerns

Departure

A small fancy dinner with my two favorite ladies at Departure was in order for my 25th Birthday. This pretty swanky sky-high lounge and restaurant is located on the rooftop of The Nines Hotel in downtown Portland with incredible views of the city. The theme is Asian fusion and what originally drew me to this place was the delectable vegan menu, but what made this experience even sweeter was walking up the hallway (and even their bathroom!) reminiscent of my favorite ride, Space Mountain.


crispy tofu // smoked chili glaze, sweet & sour pineapple


bbq tempeh steam buns // korean bbq sauce tempeh, spicy slaw


garlic fried rice // sunny egg, scallions


a whole mess of birthday soosh


maguro karai roll // big eye tuna, sweet & spicy sauce


big eye poke tuna // chili, avocado, white ponzzu, rice crisp




custom cake from sweetpea, thanks guys

Sushi Ichiban

This is the fourth Ichiban sushi establishment I've visited, all unrelated, and each one has given me an experience I'll never forget.

A lot of my vegan friends have recommended this spot and now I see why. I've always been kind of weirded out by the circular conveyer belt that goes round and round until you decide something looks appetizing enough to snag up. It took some coercing on my friends' part to get me to come here, but with promise of being able to order off menu my mind was put at ease. I was blown away by how good their veggie rolls actually were. This isn't somewhere I'd particularly want to eat fish from (cheap and dirty), but I was into their flat rate plate pricing for everything, $1-4 per plate depending on color. It's awesome when you're on a budget or want to look like a conquistador at the end of your meal with a mile high stack of plates that only cost you $20-30.








The star of the show and must have if you ever visit is the Eliza roll. Yum!

Foodie Friday: A N D Cafe

One of the places I was most excited to try the moment I moved to Portland was A N D Cafe. All vegan/vegetarian and full of deliciousness, this cafe was right up my alley. From an adorable menu with cute names for entrees, such as the "hot nest", to the pure aesthetics of the food that came out, this spot is top notch and by far one of my favorite go-to's for brunch in this city.



bennie in a mess: tofu scramble, tomato, spinach, homemade biscuit, hollandaise
[meatloaf benedict in the background]

meatloaf benedict: two eggs poached, walnut "meat"loaf, toast, hollandaise

full nest: 3 nests, veggies, tofu scramble, veg sausage, hollandaise, homemade biscuit

feast waffles stuffed with veggie sausage, potato & vegan mozzarella topped with hazelnut sausage gravy, tofu scramble annnnnd a side of nests

My favorite place for Fall

Without question, there is nowhere I would rather be than Salt Lake City during Fall.

The main event of this trip home was in honor of the hardest working, kindest and most giving man in my world retiring; Congratulations, Opa! Luckily it landed on probably the most perfect week of the year. Thanks to everyone (including Mother Nature) for making it everything it was. ♥



raiding my grama of all her canned garden goodness

this guy talks to you over a loudspeaker, very odd

vegan mac n cheese [city cakes]



avocado toast and soy vanilla latte [rose establishment]





homemade vegan tofu scramble from scratch



my favorite cake on earth, vegan tiramisu [sages cafe]







pickles on a stick





breakfast sandwich and cinnamon apple fries [em's restaurant]



g-ma helping prepare hobo dinners

campfires in millcreek canyon



obligatory cafe rio stop

caffe d'bolla "and a sun for the rainy day"

joseph smith sphinx, mormons are weird [gilgal]





sloppy josephina: vegan double cornbread smothered in sweet lentil chili [frisch]