exploring lunch at Clarklewis

Clarklewis: baby green salad and carrot soup

Vegetarians like food, right?  Clarklewis is a bit meat-tastic, and many of Portland's finest dining establishments are animal-heavy.  After-all, many chefs don't really care for vegetarians.  We have "underdeveloped tastes" and "overdeveloped morals", which can lead to boring dishes at the hands of some.  That being said, many modern chefs seem well up-to-the-challenge of catering to the distinctive, yet vegetarian, patrons' taste.  However, I didn't go to Clarklewis and expect tons of options.  Indeed, the menu is posted at the door.

Clarklewis is certainly no exception to the meaty-rule.  I've been there multiple times, yet I've never been there for dinner.  Call me crazy: I don't want to pay through the nose for a few apps.  On occasion these may be the best things on the menu. But, this would take a special occasion, and some serious lack of options. 

Lunch.  Lunch is a different story.  While today they didn't have main lunch courses without meat, they do have several satisfying and tasty first courses to satisfy the meat-disinclined.
I had the carrot soup and "Kingfisher [farms']" baby green salad.  The salad was good, with well-dressed and flavorful greens on a chilled, clean, white plate.  It tasted like i plucked them from a talented gardener's glove that very minute.

Clarklewis: amazing house-made chips

The carrot soup, which turned out to be vegan, (no cream, too bad.  veggie broth), and was a bit lacking in flavor and lacking in savory for my taste.  It did have a nice drizzle of oil and some almonds and i ate almost all of it.

My lunch companion had the Reuben, which looked amazing, albeit clogged with pastrami.  He has a very refined palette which leads him to ask the server a myriad of MCAT level, top-chef questions prior to ordering. 
He also had the foresight to order a side of chips.   They were, quite simply, amazing.  Obviously fresh, with just a sprinkling of vinegar, fresh herbs and salt.  He took to guarding his dish so i could not partake in more than my share.

The menu changes often, but it might be worth a look for lunch or happy hour.  This is especially true considering the caliber of food and chefs they seem to retain.   I probably won't find myself there more than a few times a year, but I'm sure the chefs are okay with that.
Clarklewis for lunch:  

• Food Quality: * * (2 stars, high quality, when you can eat it)
• Vegetarian menu: 0* (some cursory menu items listed as vegetarian)
• Vegan menu: 0* (i got lucky with the soup)
• Service: * * (standard, a bit slow with the drinks and check)
• Atmosphere * * (pros: open-air wall, wood grill, white table cloths)
• Green: * * (pros: local ingredients, cloth napkins, wood grill; cons: lots of meat)
• overall: * (great food, lack of veggie options)

****=Extraordinary, ***=Excellent, **=Good, *=Fair, 0* (no star) = Poor, Below average.