Yoko's

...annnnd a quick recognition for the real stuff.



Has anyone ever tried Tuna Taka's? Small fried rice patty (uncanny to a hash brown) topped with spicy tuna, avocado and green onions. Yoko's has got em in their authentic Hawaiian sushi bar and they are a must try for all sushi lovers.

Location: 2878 SE Gladstone Street Portland, Oregon 97202
Neighborhoods: Southeast / Creston-Kenilworth

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

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!

My heart belongs in Portland

I've been toying with the idea of moving since my recent trip to Portland and last week I took a short trip to scout some spots to live and search for potential jobs/transfers. My main goal is to be up North by Halloween, but the realistic side of me is only hoping it all falls into place before years end. So, hello my fellow Northwesterners.



Dove Vivi eggplant pizza: mozzarella, blue cheese, roasted eggplant, basil and fresh tomatoes on a cornmeal crust



trout pytt i panna (swedish hash) from Broder Cafe

vegan voodoo doughnut

El Nutri soyrizo and potato chimichangas

the adorable Albina Press

Besaw's salmon and cream cheese scramble with incredible potatoes and toast

sea salt with caramel ribbon ice cream from Salt & Straw

beach day at Cannon Beach!





vegan burger and fries from Boogie's Burgers



floor punch from The Bye and Bye

eastern bowl

some fun with Anthony's hasselblad

the best soda there ever was, butterscotch beer

delicious breakfast burritos from Whole Foods

job hunting

mac-no-cheese from Homegrown food cart... the best vegan mac n cheeze

two popeye rolls and more vegan sushi from Yuki



Ty's Big Breakfast from Jam on Hawthorne: two eggs over veggie sausage patties on an open faced english muffin and smothered in a vegetarian sausage gravy with hash browns on the side

Petunia's vegan salted chocolate chunk cookie-- the softest and most delicious

A snowless Salt Lake Christmas

I've been a total slacker, but I'm finally getting around to an update of my trip home for Christmas, the first in four years!

My holidays were the most uneventful, so I was glad to be with family for a few days in December. I was terribly glum that it wasn't a winter wonderland, in fact Salt Lake has been MAJORLY lacking in snowfall this winter, but hopefully one day I will have my white Christmas...








One of the houses I grew up in. Sugarhouse Park, isn't that the most adorable?


Evergreen's resurrection... Golden Phoenix.


Totally in love with my Opa's new fridge!


Dinner and a movie with my two favorite ladies.




The Grinch: tomato, basil and balsamic vinaigrette in a sushi roll? Amazing.


My favorite cheesecake on Earth.






My contribution to the white elephant party.


Fire opal SOAP that I bought for my grandma, in love.








Making cookies for Santa Claus.




Christmas dinner with my mom: mahi mahi and wild rice.




Gift to myself since my fancy black polaroid was stolen.






This little mama was so happy to have me home. ♥