Semi-Recent Vegan Eating in Spokane, WA

This past summer, I found myself in Spokane, WA twice for work. During both trips, the #1 most satisfying meal I had was the Bistro Tofu Scramble from Huckleberry's Natural Market.

Bistro Tofu Scramble

At $6.49, it's a hot plate of scrambled Small Planet tofu, zucchini, bell peppers, yellow squash and mushrooms that takes its flavor from the vegetables themselves and soy sauce. And it comes with house potatoes (or toast or non-vegan blueberry pancake) and a coffee.

I reached for the hot sauce sparingly. With the soy sauce, it reminds me of the scrambles I used to make when I first went vegan and was scared of spices. On my first trip, I was super hungry as I trekked up the big hill from downtown, and couldn't imagine anything tastier than this plate in front of me.

Plus, the corner cafe is part of a natural grocery store, so that rules. I picked up Small Planet spicy tofu dip, crackers, fruit, granola, and other goods from the marketplace - and a bottle of NW Marionberry daiquiri mix for my sister in New York.

My second favorite place to eat in Spokane is PF Chang's. Yeah, I admitted it! On the last day of my first trip there, I was walking downtown and craving Chinese food, looked up, and there it was. When pressed for time and not in the mood for another modified entree somewhere, PF's is there for ya, for better or worse. It's a chain, you know what to expect, and they're pretty dang vegan friendly.

Szechuan Asparagus

This spicy asparagus was pretty good! You know, for assumably non-local asparagus, from a chain.

Side note 1 about PF Chang's: I did my share of research into their vegan options writing a Stumptown Vegans review, and the only ingredient that the company cannot confirm is vegan-friendly is sugar, so make your own decision there. If you go to every restaurant you visit and ask them about their sugar sourcing, I thank you and would like to see a web guide for this! Really.

Side note 2 about PF Chang's: I was totally served a cockroach in my Ma Po Tofu at their Long Island, NY location a few years ago, and it took a long time before I considered visiting them again, let alone ordering that dish. Which was tragic, because I really like it.

Coconut Curry Tofu

I had a couple entrees from PF's on my visit in September, it was two blocks from my hotel! I'm usually a fan of this light curry dish, but the only thing doing it for me here was the tofu and sugar snap peas.

Number 3 on my list of Spokane picks is an actual vegan and vegetarian friendly restaurant!

Mizuna is an upscale establishment located downtown in a brick building. I actually dined out on their patio area, which is a very clean alleyway next to the restaurant. It was so nice and calm! It almost felt like I was on a movie set, it was a touch surreal. The menu was very much Northwest, with a lot of talk of local produce and organic elements. While there was a note about most of their menu being able available vegan (it's largely vegetarian), I did notice that a lot of dishes co-starred cheese, for example, and sometimes it makes a vegan sad to pay the same price and not get a heaping pile of nuts in return.

This was one of the few entirely vegan options on the menu, it's from the appetizers section -

Flatbread with roasted potatoes, rosemary, greens, roasted garlic and caramelized onions.

The bread was freshly baked, tender and slightly sweet and two slices made me so happy.

The roasted potatoes were simply great. A shining example of simply the best ingredients.

I also had a salad from Mizuna - I recall most of the salads on the menu had cheese in them. This one had a really pleasant maple & red wine dressing, walnuts, greens, lovely roasted red beets & subtracted the cheese. And the side of baguette? So good & hearty.

Roasted Beet Salad

The cozy alleyway where I dined at Mizuna:

They have a couple dishes with Field Roast, and there's fantastic sounding braised homemade seitan on their dinner menu. The dinner prices were a tad steep for me, so I went for lunch, and I would certainly dine here again.

Other places of interest:

A few minutes' walk up the hill from Huckleberry's, Picabu Bistro had two or three vegan friendly entrees. I remember there was a cilantro happy green curry with Small Planet tofu (I swear I saw that same item on a few menus around downtown) and I went with the falafel wrap.

I actually asked if there was cilantro, was told no, but there was. I picked around it. The fries, pita and the pepperocinis strips were good! I remember they had local beers on tap and a 'famous' vegan cheesecake. The staff was really helpful, despite the cilantro issue, and the place had a comfortable, small restaurant vibe.

Falafel from Picabu

Burritos & Beer

I can't find my photos, but I recommend checking out Neato Burrito & the adjoining Baby Bar. They're across from the beautiful, historic Davenport Hotel and open late into the night. Neato doesn't have vegan on the menu, but walk them through it & you'll have yourself what would be a mediocre burrito - but with the addition of spicy, crumbled Small Planet tofu it steps up a bit.

Baby Bar is an astoundingly tiny bar, with a casual mix, decent prices & a very hipster jukebox. It's possibly my favorite thing about Spokane...you know, because it was reminiscent of Portland.

Coffee

I was in town for work, so that means long days & drinking coffee and trying to avoid Starbucks. I've been to two local coffeeshops in Spokane - Brews Brothers and Thomas Hammer. Brews was more comfortable to lounge in, and the quality was okay, nothing notable. I was really amused the day I overheard a political candidate saying really, really amusing generically positive statements to another person about his campaign.

The young barista at Thomas Hammer made an awful latte. And I splurged on vanilla - yet it wasn't sweet at all. Evan, just look at it...

Thomas Hammer Vanilla Latte

And some Spokane pics:

...and that's what I've experienced in Spokane, WA.

If you know the area - what did I miss? Any tips?

P.S. Mizuna, I'm sorry I put PF's ahead of you.

Add another fancy vegan option and you have the spot.

Recent Great Stuff.

Time to be straight forward. Here's some stuff, that happened recently, that I deem great:

Tomato Season. I ate a tricolor pint of cherry and grape tomatoes for lunch the other day.

The Wednesday downtown farmers market. Mere block from my office.

Hands down, my favorite farmar.

Crazy-gluing that hand down - the Cafe Velo cart.

It's a smaller set up (this one is a bike! Oh, Portland) than the Saturday markets', with 400 fewer people on line with cute crying babies in front of you. Individually dripped cups of Stumptown, you choose the roast! I went with an Indonesian roast this past week.

Soymilk on the counter!!!!

Holding on the farmers market theme for one more addition: Pimientos de Padron. I can't let these go this summer. These were sauteed classicly with olive oil, coarse sea salt and crushed red pepper.

I brought the above peppers to the Try Vegan Week Potluck & Trivia night, along with these cookies from the upcoming Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.

Citrus Glitters

Heading back to test kitchen land, I've started testing for Isa's upcoming 'healthy' book. I am so freaking busy lately, but if I'm making a point to cook at home, odds are it will be her recipes. It's just how life is.

Summer Lovin' Curried Corn Chowder

Moving on from corn, to corn - the down home, smoked corn on the cob from Homegrown Smoker Vegan BBQ. If you've read my Stumptown Vegans review, you know I'm quite fond of them. They've recently labeled quite a few main items gluten free, and I swear, their home cooking style food is better every single time I go.

From corn to......pizza! Because sometimes Hot Lips puts corn on their pizza..... At this week's Yelp Portland Ballroom Bash. Here's Maeve with the vegan foccacia pie Don personally delivered to the table of awesome Yelpy vegans.

The Yelp Elite Hour & Ballroom Bash was super fun! I'm not a huge Hot Lips fan, and I despise their cilantro pesto, but how cool! I was able to get a tomato base slice a bit earlier, fortunately for my tastebuds and sanity, had I been induling in more of the complimentary beverages.

Oh hey, walking across the Morrison Bridge safely for once, thanks to construction, is pretty great. And random.

And really, really great - a veganized Vermecilli Bowl from Huong's Vietnamese cart downtown. He has other vegetarian options that are alright, but I've been wanting to request a vegan version of the pork or chicken bowl for too long! So, I finally did. He even volunteered a summer roll for the eggroll before I could even think to ask. I'm on a rice noodle kick.

It was tasty, and HUGE! And $6! It had fried tofu strips and this strange white gluten, which was good stuff.

All in all, Really Great Stuff.

Splendid. Iced Coconut Coffee, Hot Ass Day.

Iced Coffee with So Delicious Coconut Milk.

So splendid. So delicious.

Coffee from local roaster K & F.

Unsweetened Coconut milk beverage of the god, by So Delicious.

Escape from my day at work, pull down the shades, cat on your lap, splendid.

I have a full product review in the very beginning stages for their newest product line, look for it later this summer! I should just get this out there - the vanilla = take. my. breath. away.

Thank you Staci for the idea! Next time, I work almond into this.

Homegrown Smoker Vegan BBQ, Last Thursday & Two More Days of Dittering

Last night I made the trek up to NE Alberta Street for Last Thursday mayhem. I was planning on going anyway to live it up dittering style, and then I found out about a new all vegan BBQ stand opening, Homegrown Smoker, and three vegan bake sales,

so I teleported there after work, an iced coffee break at Sweetpea Baking Co. and a stop at a new cocktail bar opening. Same ole Thursday routine.

Chronic Tempeh Ribs, Smoked Soy Curls, Mac and Cheeze, Molassesey cornbread, BBQ beans

Three of us split this, and I swear, it cost $8. My favorite part was the fantastic smoked soy curls. They're closed this weekend, but check them out for a real opening Wednesday or Thursday! The staff is adorable, and one of their dads does the BBQ-ing! Exclamation!

Spotted at Last Thursday:

The new roaming Voodoo Doughnuts van

The new Spud Locker topped potato cart - featuring a yam with vegan cinnamon roll topping! Must try sometime...

Some more Last Thursday photos

As I mentioned earlier, my friend Michelle Crocodile knows an owner of Petunia's Pastries who had their opening last night - many vegan treats!

My friend Michelle C, Strawberryrock and I shared this beautiful Chocolate Hazelnut frosted & filled cupcake. It tasted..beautiful.

I was worried a few months ago that I was allergic to hazelnuts when making test recipes for the Vegan Cookies book, since I couldn't breathe and my lip and eyes swelled and all, but forgot about this until just now, and phew, I was fine last night.

The initial reason we were heading to Last Thursday was for The Grilled Cheese Grill.

Michelle and I shared this grilled mozzerella soy cheeze with grilled jalapenos.

At the GCG, you can eat your sandwich in an old, decorated school bus. It's trippy.

Look at the table below. There's so much more to say, but you really need to check it out for yourself.

The obligatory Sweetpea stop. Since we're vegan.

Dittering lunch #4 - Eggplant with basil & tofu from Just Thai.

Going back in time, Dittering lunch stop #3,

a Tastebud Pita salad from the Portland Farmers Market.

I picked up apricots and sugar snap peas.

After work that day, I stopped by the Peoples Coop street fair. Not on twitter, but they're my neighbors and I heart them. There was a vegan (gosh!) salad (gosh!) stand.

For $1 from their farmers market, I picked up the cutest shiitakes I have ever seen.

Ever seen.

Coffee Plant hug. The quickest post ever.

Faint with me now,

Soy Latte and freshly baked cinnamon roll 

from Coffee Plant, downtown Portland.

What type of week was this??

As usual, I have posts in the works for this site and Stumptown Vegans,(NYC Vegan Ice Cream show down! Perierra Creperie!) but I'm a little busy at work, which means quite busy in real life.  I'm headed to Spokane for the rest of the week for work, so if you have some recommendations there on what to do and where to dine, please don't keep them locked up. Please share.

Portlanders - VeganTwitNic this weekend! Sunday, June 21st, 1pm at Colonel Summers Park.

No Shiitake, Not again.

It's not time for excuses.  I'm sure no one is actually bothered that I'm not posting my NYC food write up yet, except for my sister, who recently told me it was about time.

This weekend I made two tofu frittatas.  They were both easily gluten free and based on recipes that will be in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's very-upcoming Vegan Brunch cookbook.  I first tested one over a year ago - the Swiss Chard.  With frittatas, you don't have to worry about making or buying a crust (and feeling semi to officially ridiculous if you do buy the crust).  You basically take one pound of tofu, some vegetables, spices and a few other key ingredients, mush it all together in a pie pan, and bake away.  Here's a link to Isa's Sundried tomato frittata recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance.  I made the first of my two tofu dishes the night before and just popped it in the oven after work the next day to take warm to a gluten free birthday potluck.  

Frittata #1.
With shiitake mushrooms, tomato, rosemary, thyme, and spinach.

Frittata #2.

Again with shiitake mushrooms from last week's People's farmers market, asparagus, and dill. You can tell that this one was made with much firmer 'fu.

I brought this one to an Eat to Live themed dinner and felt like I should've had a little "VEGAN" or "TOFU" sign on it as I walked there, with it proudly in my hands.

And rounding out my weekend that included two more tea lattes from Sip, a perfectly creamy hemp and almond latte from Sweetpea.  Yes.

An examination of Portland Soy Lattes.

This Portland girl has been back to her missed city for a week now.  She wandered around sunny downtown Phoenix with her shades for a few days for work and wasn't feeling it.  Scoping out the immediate hotel-dominated area, she had a so so Vegetable Platter (minus the bread with butter) at 1130 Grill, crappy veganized pasta with crappier mixed vegetables that totally came from a freezer at a place that needs to go unnamed it's so unmentionable and a delicious meal of Coconut Curry Tofu with plantains and red beans & rice at Breadfruit, a cool Jamaican restaurant that will be featured as a travel review on Stumptown Vegans in the immediate future.

 

For now, an photo essay ala Urban Vegan of recent soy lattes in Portland, OR.

Is it starting out on the wrong foot if I admit I don't remember where the hell this was from? 

jd + COFFEE

I've always enjoyed the taste of coffee even if my stomach and head don't cherish the caffeine associated.  No matter.  In recent months, much thanks to the prompting of Evan of Bjorked Off!, this girl's come to welcome the treat of a well crafted soy latte back into her life.  

I've had a dramatic relationship with coffee culture over the past few years.  I do have respect for the barista profession, and dig that Portland is a town where people want to work with coffee and consider it a craft.  In high school, I made crappy cappuccinos with espresso from pods before the Starbucks invasion of the late 1990s on suburban Long Island.  I don't support corporate coffee chains - this is Portland, where I can drink locally roasted beans at independent shops in every part of of town.  

Check out this article on the New Portland Micro Roasters from last month's MIX magazine for a a read if this is striking your fancy. Onto the photos!

Latte from Barista Coffeeshop. 

Barista is a new coffeeshop in the Pearl District, opened by renowned Portland barista Billy Wilson, formerly of Albina Press.  The best I've ever had.  Swoon.  etc.

Stumptown, downtown

First the first time I can remember, I actually scored a table was able to sit down with my latte and the Portland Mercury.

Tiny's in SE

From Sweetpea Baking Co.  

Audra made this with coconut and I think, chocolate.  

It was lovely as heck.

The not-so-elusive Karla of Veganshizzle and a latte and bagel of her own.  

I just found this back in my Flickr stream and thought it appropriate.  Sweet Pea serves Stumptown and you have your choice of sugary goodies made with care to accompany your beverage.  

From Albina Press, SE

The latte that's still somewhat in front of me, from Coffee Plant, downtown.

Mocha + Black Sheep Bakery cobbler bar from Portland Coffee House, downtown.

I haven't been back in months.  That's all.

Evan at Tiny's with a soy latte.  I wouldn't want someone to be devastated if they weren't featured here...

What reasonable latte drinker doesn't appreciate hearts and swirls?

Hmmmmm

The barista at Opposable Thumb was trying something on this?  

It's a peppermint hot chocolate.

Woops, straight up cup of Stumptown and a Monkeywrench

Snickerdoodle.  I've got to give my devotion to Sweetpea's doodles...

From Cellar Door.  A favorite - they roast their own beans in small batches and they turn into Portobello Vegan Trattoria come evening~

This may not be pretty, but overlook the desire for latte art and trust me, it was actually wonderful.  From Spella Caffe coffee cart, downtown, also a local roaster.

The cart.

You don't like coffee?  Eat some cookies.  

Lazy Samoans (Toasted Coconut Chocolate Cookies)

From Terry & Isa's upcoming and officially named 

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.

I'm oh, so, curious to try a hemp latte soon....