Restaurant Reviews

Reviews of Portland/Vancouver area restaurants are welcomed. Please send reviews (200-word limit) to webmaster@nwveg.org. Reviews are subject to editing by the webmaster and do not represent the opinions of Northwest VEG.

Refer to Dineout page for location and hours of restaurants.

Dalo's Kitchen
by Ardis Karr-Robak

This hidden gem has been in business since early 2004 and is in the process of expanding. The family-run restaurant will be able to seat 30 more patrons in 3-4 months. Our group of 30 (dine-out, 8/12/06) filled the simple and tastefully decorated dining area. They generously provided us with a complimentary sampler plate for 2 as a visual for ordering. This meal includes 4 dishes, such as red lentils, yellow lentils, spinach and cabbage with carrots and potatoes served with traditional injera (bread) or 1 of 3 varieties of rice. Lively jalapeno paste accompanies each meal to individualize level of spiciness. Each item was fresh and fun to eat in the traditional style — no forks! Savory ingredients and flavors were blended and cooked perfectly. The staff warmly catered to our every need and the substantial portions are a steal at $4.99 for 1 and $8.99 for 2. Dalo's is the ideal combination of excellent food and genial service that nourishes both body and soul.

Kinta Restaurant
by Janet Liu

Friends and I recently ate at Kinta Restaurant, a new Malaysian dining spot. We were very pleased with our experience and highly recommend it as an affordable and elegant place to treat yourself and friends to a healthy and fun meal. The owners are Phan and Dennis Mai, who are NW VEG members. Our dining party started with Curry Puff appetizers: deep-fried pastries filled with curried potatoes, mushrooms, and wood ears. The crescent-shaped pastries were elegantly presented on white dishes dressed with banana leaves and a dollop of a sweet red sauce. The puffs were very tasty and the dough was fluffy, crunchy, and not at all greasy. We then selected our entrees (all under $10 each) and went up to the counter to order and to select our vegetables. There were 20 open containers filled with fresh and colorful vegetables. I picked bok choy, eggplant, fried tofu, and Shitake mushrooms. For our entrees, we ordered the Curry Stir-fry Noodles, the Assam Soup Noodle (in a sour tamarind and pickled vegetable broth), and Mushroom Soup Noodle. The stir-fry noodles were tasty, a perfect blend of spices, and the mushrooms were huge, thick, and juicy. The soup noodles had lovely flavors, balanced between the sweet and the sour spices (the Assam), and came in hearty quantities. Overall, we liked picking from the large selection of seasonal fresh vegetables. We were impressed with the elegant presentation of the dishes: simple yet bold in colors and arrangement. The restaurant is tastefully decorated, with white linen table cloths, colorful paintings on one pumpkin-orange wall, and unobtrusive lighting globes. Light filtered in through two banks of windows bounding the corner restaurant. "A good date spot". Last but not least, the service was friendly and attentive. Bon appétit. Kinta is located at 3450 SE Belmont St, Portland. Hours are 11-2:30 and 5-9, Tuesday-Sunday (to 9:30 on F), closed Mondays.

Old Wives' Tales
by Ardis Karr-Robak

June's dine-out (6/10/06) took place at Old Wives' Tales, one of Portland's oldest veg-friendly restaurants. The cuisine is influenced by a wide variety of styles drawn from Indian, African, Mediterranean and Thai. Breakfast offers 30 vegetarian items and is served all day. About 12 of these choices are vegan and include tofu scramble, tofu rancheros and roasted potatoes. Nearly 30 veg lunch items are on the menu, most of them vegan. These range from hot and cold sandwiches to burritos, tofu, and sides of fruit, seasonal veggies, beans and rice. The all you can eat salad bar is another great option. Our diners feasted on colorful plates consisting of beets, corn and black bean salad, garlic tofu, hummus, potato salad, raw veggies and fruit. There were even more choices on the soup bar with 4 veg soups and multiple breads and crackers with ingredients clearly listed. Tofu sloppy joes were a favorite in the group from the daily specials page, served with thick, chunky gazpacho soup bursting with flavor. Vegan carrot cake and pumpkin pudding are delicious endings. OWT has separate dining rooms for groups and serves beer and wine.

Vegetarian House
by Ardis Karr-Robak

Have you ever thought about how great it would be to walk into a restaurant, be handed a thick menu with, oh, let's say, 75 entrees, and be able to choose any one of them? It can happen, at Vegetarian House in Chinatown, site of our September dineout. In the mood for something familiar and comfortable? Choose a vegetable, chow mein or fried rice dish. Looking for something different? There are 9 mock fish dishes, 6 of them spicy. Try tofu hushpuppies, lemon or orange chicken, sweet and sour beef or beef in tangy sauce for memorable textures and flavors. The best way to sample the plethora of dishes is family style with 8-10 people, utilizing the lazy susan in the middle of one of the round tables. The weekday lunch buffet is also an excellent way to try multiple items. Portions are large, sauces are generous, the food is unique, savory and consistently superior. Frozen faux meats are also available to take home. [Sept. 2006]

Vita Café
by Rita Woodburn

I love the low-key atmosphere of Vita Café, the cozy booths, the funky art on the walls, and the colorful new patio complete with a bocce ball court. Vita now has a full cocktail list, complemented by a good selection of bio-dynamic organic wines and vegan wines. Over the beer taps is a cool bar rack welded out of old bicycle parts. We had dinner there this weekend, and the new dinner entrées are amazing. I couldn't decide between the seitan cheese steak or the mushroom stroganoff; both can be made vegan. I went with the mushroom stroganoff with tempeh. Others at our table had the sun-dried tomato polenta with roasted vegetables. One of our favorites was the Italian pasta dish tossed with kale, veggie sausage, chili flakes, and lemon olive oil — sprinkled with toasted bread crumbs. For dessert we had some of the Sweetpea Bakery's tofu cheese cakes. Our party had a great time, enjoying a few cocktails, trying the different meals. The service was attentive and friendly and as always the cost was incredibly reasonable. Vita Café is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner at 3024 NE Alberta Street, Portland, OR 97211 [Feb. 2007]