Day Two in Portland: The Culinary Adventure
After a great first day in the City of Roses, I decided to check out the East side of Portland. My first stop would be the Hawthorne neighborhood, which is a collective of many independent coffee houses, ethnic restaurants, and funky boutiques. I spent a good two hours wandering the street and popping into every store that caught my eye. My favorite stops included Presents of Mind for jewelry, accessories, cards, and funky gifts, Mink Boutique for women’s clothing, and Fat Straw for bubble tea.
From Hawthorne, I made my way up to Alberta Street, an up-and-coming section of the city known as the Alberta Arts District. While Alberta is similar to Hawthorne in the sense of many fun boutiques, coffee houses, and restaurants, it really caters to the artist community in Portland and supports local artists through rotating artwork for sale on café walls, as well and standalone galleries. During the summer months, Alberta Street is host to “Last Thursday”, a neighborhood street fair playing host to street vendors of all kinds. I’d driven through Alberta before and remembered that there was a restaurant, Vita Café, I really wanted to try. Vita has an extensive selection of vegan and vegetarian options, and I’d heard great things about their Tempeh Reuben. Before arriving at Vita, I stopped in some super cute stores, with my favorite being Mabel and Zora, a women’s clothing store carrying a large selection of Max and Cleo dresses, Michael Star tees, Tina Turk, Sweet Pea, and fun yet affordable jewelry.
Hungry and shopped-out, I finally made my way to Vita Café for my Tempeh Rueben I’d been anticipating since my trip began. This sandwich consisted of two thick slices of tempeh smothered in vegan 1000 island dressing, sauerkraut, and swiss cheese on toasted marbeled-rye bread. I never thought a soy-based meal could be so delicious and filling! As if I didn’t eat enough at Vita, I stumbled upon Townshend’s Alberta Street Teahouse and treated myself to the most delicious Vanilla Rhoobis Bubble Tea. Townshend offers four different types of tea as your beverage “base”, as well as 18 different bubble tea flavors and three different types of pearls. Not only does Townshend have a fantastic selection of bubble teas, but they also offer over 80 traditional teas, tea lattes, and baked goods from Dephina’s Bakery.
I finally made my way back downtown where some relaxation at the hotel was in order before another night out. After consulting with the super-helpful staff at Hotel Monaco, I decided my vegan-craving was not yet fulfilled would go and check out Portobello Vegan Trattoria, a new vegan Italian eatery in Southeast Portland. Portobello was super-casual, and my three course meal consisting of Mushroom Pate, Roasted Tempeh Ravioli, and vegan Timarimu set me back $16. Unreal! While the entire meal was outrageously good, the vegan Tiramisu really stole the show. How could a traditional dairy-based dessert be made with no dairy? The waitress explained Portobello uses a tofu-based product to produce the creamy, mascarpone-like flavor. When combined with homemade lady-fingers, this is not a dessert to be missed and is fitting for vegans and non-vegans alike.
It may be the understatement of the century to say I was completely and utterly stuffed after my meal at Portobello, so going out and getting a cocktail or two was totally out of the question. I called myself a cab and headed back the Monaco, anticipating the final day of my stay in Portland!
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Hello! I live in Portland, love your page, you should visit Departure Restaurant & Lounge it’s in the nines hotel which is the roof top of macy’s. lots and lots of wonderful restaurant in the pearl district.