USDA Dietary Guidelines for 2010 advize eating less meat

Image: health.gov/dietaryguidelines/

The report: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010  states to eat less meat along with fat, sugars, and processed grain.

duh.

Maybe this is what taco bell was going for?

what's with the Oregonian Food Blog lately?

photo: beerandblog.com

It's mostly beer.  I love beer.  Who doesn't?  But i can't help but notice that the majority of the posts are related to beer.  Not even bars or booze.  Just brewing.  I guess that's one place there is still money in food journalism?

Check it out:  www.oregonlive.com/dining/
Today on the front page of 15 posts, 9 are about beer.  That actually seems low based upon my fairly un-scientific poll as of late...

That being said i still enjoy the unique perspective they bring to dining in portland, despite them firing most of their good reviewers and writers.

anyone been to C Burger in Old Town?

photo: burgersdogspizza.com

C Burger has a veggie burger that the Oregonian "Cheap Eats" recently said was "satisfying in a way that meat burgers generally are and veggie burgers generally are not" [sic]. And about the $2 sides: "The house-cut fries are that wonderful combination of crisp and comfort with their soft interior and crunchy exterior coated with just enough oil to anchor the salt. And the onion rings are fried with a mild buttermilk batter that allows the sweet Walla Walla onions to shine through.  "
One thing i do miss a lot is a good burger.  I'll have to go check this out after the disappointing dust-puck that was the Gruner veggie burger.  The pictures of the C Burger, conventional burger look amazing, so how bad could it be?  famous last words since i've said that before... You can get it on a muffin or a bun, oh how sweet to have choices. 

C Burger is on Couch, between 3rd and 4th. 
cburgerpdx.com; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Wednesday-Friday, 7 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday.
Tell us what you think in the comments.

no-wait breakfast at Meriwether's in NW

This place was suggested by a friend as being untouched by the hipsters and if you go early enough you can beat the church goers (to the table).  It's huge and they appear to have a huge staff.  Our meals and beverages came quickly and the service was great.

I had their Huevos Rancheros which have an interesting mole patty, they claim is vegetarian.  They call that part a casserole.  While overall it was very good, the patty was overcooked and dry at the edges.  This is one of their signature dishes and was good except for the edges of the patty.

Huevos

theSmallViking had the florentine benedict.  The egg was perfectly poached and the hollendaise and muffin seemed great.  But it seemed they must have replaced the typical spinach with a heartier green that was almost completely uncooked.  it basically ruined an otherwise good dish.  The potato au gratin that came with her dish was just plainly marvelous, it's too bad her main event was so poorly executed.

I'd probably go again if someone was going, but i'd rather wait for 5 minutes to get breakfast elsewhere.

Meriwether's (0 to **** (stars), higher=better):

• Food Quality: *  (1 star, good ingredients, poor execution with a smattering of good)
• Vegetarian menu: * * (a bunch of good options, but this is brunch afterall) 
• Vegan menu: 0* (one or two if you are lucky or they are willing to convert)
• Service: * * * (friendly, very fast, non-pretentious)
• Atmosphere * * (like your boring aunt converted a nice farm house)
• Green: * * (+: lots of local ingredients, green-ish takeout containers)
• Gluten Free: * * (lots of options and replacements)
• price: $$ (moderate)
• overall: * (they messed up, some of the food, maybe it was a fluke?)

Anyone try the wild mushroom-nut burger at Grüner?

Gruner (photo: SeriousEats)

Serious Eats' ongoing column A Hamburger Today recently gave Grüner's burger what can only be termed a glowing review.  Even going on to say that it outshines the rest of their menu. 

One might rightfully ask themselves why a vegetarian food blog would care.   I tend to miss hamburgers, i'll admit it.  More importantly, however is how one food item can speak volumes about the rest of the menu.  Despite SeriousEats' Adam Lindsley's admonitions about the pale menu in comparison to the burger; if it really is that good, how bad could the rest of the menu be? 

Tread lightly ye, the menu changes often, and this "Alpine" eatery is pretty heavy on the meat and the post-animal ingredients.  But, their fall lunch menu (through december perhaps) has a "wild mushroom-nut" burger which is topped similarly to the carni-burger.  Remember to ask for it without bacon!  Adam calls the bun "[none] better", and goes on to say:

The cheese is nutty and rich, and strong enough to stand out among so many other powerful flavors. Front and center are the insanely good bread-and-butter pickles. The neon pink pickled onions combine the sweetness of grilled onions and the bite of vinegar, and the mustard greens further widen the flavor spectrum by adding a touch of bitterness. As if the burger wasn't already transcendent, Grüner also gives you one of the best sides you're likely to find anywhere: fried smashed potatoes.

Apparently they also have house made ketchup, which, as of late, has become somewhat of a passion of my own.

let us know how it is.  i'll try to get over there this coming week.

http://www.grunerpdx.com/   503.241.7163
527 SW 12th Avenue, Portland, Oregon

PoMo Gives "Miss Delta" happy hour of the week

"Miss Delta" (photo: portlandmonthlymag.com)

We reviewed "Miss Delta" back in August, giving it 2 out of 4 stars.  We go there often, due to its decent vegetarian menu, and good, if a bit inconsistent food.   We love their drinks.   Happy hour is probably the time-to-go.  We haven't tried the brunch as of yet, but have heard good anecdotal things.

John Chandler from the Portland Monthly seems to like miss delta for happy hour, mostly for it's decent food and great prices.   He says:

The kitchen crew at Miss Delta aren’t shy about repurposing (sic) the chow, as evidenced by my meatloaf mac and cheese ($6), and my brother’s meatloaf po’ boy ($6).
more here:
http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/blogs/

a wild birthday at wildwood

Jen brought me to Wildwood on NW 21st Ave for my birthday.   It's another one of those "foodie", chef-run type places that seem to abound in portland these days.  Heavy on the meat with some really good veggie options that are worth a try.  It's the price i pay for being choosy in how i eat while still attempting to enjoy great food.  Their menu, like most good ones, changes often as ingredients go in an out of season, so there is always something new to try here, even for us vegetarians
They seem to really love anchovies here, so be careful, many a menu-item can fool you.  We asked which items were veggie friendly and still received great service without any (additional) hint of attitude. 
We had the heirloom tomato & summer melon salad to start and it was marvelous.  Very fresh.  We also had the fried green tomato & eggplant which were a tad salty but balanced out well with the rest of the dish. 

For an entree we shared some sort of veggie stack which also had tomatoes.  We were fine with this as the tomatoes at the end of september are incredible around here.  This dish was a bit heavy on the broth and became a bit soupy and that diffused some of the stronger flavors a bit too much, such as the goat cheese.   I also had a wild mushroom and leek tart which was buttery, earthy and delicate; my favorite item of the meal.  Of course, the dessert with a single candle was a great treat. 

I highly suggest you go check it out, particularly soon-after the menu shifts, as you might be most likely to get the freshest ingredients.

Wildwood (0 to **** (stars), higher=better):

• Food Quality: * * *  (3 stars, great food, a few stumbles)
• Vegetarian menu: * (just enough options to make it worth going.  make sure you ask what is veggie) 
• Vegan menu: 0* (one or two apps if you are lucky or they are willing to convert)
• Service: * * * (friendly, very fast considering how busy, non-pretentious)
• Atmosphere * * * (modern, dim, white table cloths, quiet on a weeknight)
• Green: * * (+: lots of local ingredients, - lots of meat)
• price: $$ (moderate)
• overall: * * (if they had more vegetarian options it could be a 3)

return to the Bye & Bye

We went back to the Bye & Bye, which we often do.   I've heard so many good things about the grilled cheese, i just had to try it.   I've had several types of vegan cheese through the years.  When i was vegan i tried them all.   Back then, there weren't many options and the options were terrible, to be frank.  From what i gather, Bye & Bye uses Daiya for their grilled cheese.  This is the best vegan cheese i've ever had, bar-none.  The only other stuff i've had that comes close is called "vegan gourmet" and it's also very good.  Anyway, the grilled cheese was prepared really well, and you can add other items like onion, avocado, jalapeños and tomatoes.   But the cheese is just kinda soulless.  Nice and shiny and a bit stretchy, but even less soul than single wrapped kraft American cheese.  Well, maybe more soul than that, but less flavor. 

While, Daiya is good, for vegan cheese, it's still just really not that good, if you like cheese.  If you are  vegan, i suggest the grilled cheese at Bye & Bye.  If not, there are tons of other really tasty options at Bye & Bye that appeal to most carnivores and veggies alike.  I really appreciate what Daiya is doing.  I believe there are trade-offs required for the motivations in how i choose my food.  For me, local and sustainable is far more important right now than vegan (and in this case, non-local).  You can see my previous review of Bye & Bye for more details on how it stacks up in this and other regards.

Toro Bravo: tapas vegeterianos?

A couple weeks ago we reviewed Olympic Provisions.  At the time i was thinking about this fair city's top restaurants and how meat heavy they have become.  Some say this is a backlash against years pasts' vegetarian, and lactose-intolerance waves.  With the popularity of food and chef-stardom comes better food, and i think in some cases the classics are meat heavy or use meat ingredients.  These restaurants have their place in our culinary landscape.   Others attempt to cater to a wider variety of patrons and cook what some would call more challenging dishes.

manchego fritters

Toro Bravo has a good selection of meatless plates.  I went in thinking we should just order every veg. plate, but left thinking that not only did we lack room on the table, but we would have been stuffed to the gills.  In their nut mix they've had to do away with the crunchy chickpeas because people sued after breaking teeth on them.  Seriously, who sues a restaurant for serving crunchy things? The chickpeas were the best part, according to Jen.

We started, as per usual, with apps and drinks at the standing bar by the door.  Come early as there are no reservations, usually, and there is almost always a wait.   This wait, as they say, is worth it.  I had their version of the old fashioned, and Jen had the sangria.  The sangria is a must, it's so good, not that my drink didn't refresh and delight.   We used our drinks to wash down the manchego fritters.  Topped with a light, fresh tomato salsa, these are amazing.  The only thing i can compare them to, is deep-fried balls of Cheez-It® dough, but much more refined.   I can still taste them. Oh baby.

At our table quickly, we were ready and willing to order. Grilled corn w/ cilantro pesto: as it was still late summer, the corn was sweet, slightly charred, and the smothering of clarified butter certainly didn't hurt.

potatoes bravas

The Potatoes Bravas should be on everyones' table, including the omnivores amongst us.  They are like a combination of hot wings and steak-fries with an amazing house-made aioli, but done so perfectly that you really just don't want to share them.  Take heed, however, further courses may be even tastier and one needs room!  We took a quick greens break with the Sautéed spinach with pine nuts and golden raisins.   I love pine nuts, and i really don't like raisins, but this was fantastic.  Balancing the toasted seeds with the slightly tart greens with the subtle sweetness of the raisins is pure genius, despite the humble ingredients.

zucchini & sheep cheese bake

There are several salads on the menu that change with produce availability.  Ours was a butter-lettuce salad with lots of red onion and a creamy dressing with just a hint of fennel.  Finally the star, in my opinion, of the meal was the zucchini and sheeps' cheese casserole.  It's not always on the menu, but try to find something like it.  I dare say this is the best dish i've had in a month.  Jen said i was dancing in my chair with my fork like a little boy eating ice cream for the first time.

Toro Bravo (0 to **** (stars), higher=better):

• Food Quality: * * * * (4 stars, amazing food all around.  I've never had anything less than great here)
• Vegetarian menu: * * (plenty of great options with an ever-changing menu) 
• Vegan menu: * (far fewer options, but some conversions available)
• Service: * * (friendly, very fast considering how busy, non-pretentious)
• Atmosphere * * (some cafeteria style shared tables, rustic, open kitchen, can be crowded, loud, great cocktail bar upstairs)
• Green: * * (+: lots of local ingredients, - lots of meat and cured meat)
• price: $$ (moderate)
• overall: * * * (if they had more vegetarian options it could be a 4, one of my favorites in town along with Farm Cafe.)