Recently I finally got a chance to check out Wayward Cafe’s new digs in the university district. Wayward has been a vegan staple in Seattle for years. It opened some years ago, originally as a workers collective, but after a time it began to experience some organizational issues and slid down hill for a time. Eventually some new owners took over and whipped it back into shape. Now, it has moved into a great new location across the street from Sidecar.

We made it up to Wayward for a late Sunday breakfast. The new location features a reasonable amount of seating, and while it was busy, we were able to grab a table about two minutes after walking in. Despite a full house, service was still prompt and the food came out swiftly. With the opening of the new location came a new expanded menu, so we decided to try some new items as well a some classics.

Filling in for the classics we have the perennial biscuits and gravy. I’m not sure how biscuits and gravy became such a staple of American vegan cuisine, but I’m not complaining. Wayward’s are top notch, served smothered in a creamy mushroom gravy that I could pretty much eat on its own.

“Suns Over Seattle” is a vegan take on “Moons Over My-Hammy” that some of you may remember from the Denny’s menu. Scrambled tofu, veg ham, and a “cheddar” sauce sit between buttery grilled sourdough. An amazing sandwich served with hash browns.

Last up was the “Cream Cheese” Blintzes.  The blintzes were good (FYI a blintz is similar to crepe, but typically a little thicker), but the filling was pretty much just a cream cheese icing (obviously made with Tofutti). While it was tasty, I would have liked a little more body from the filling. It was also surprising that this was the only crepe/blintz on the menu. I would love to see one with some fruit.

Over all Wayward remains on my top recommendations for Seattle, so get up there and check them out.

Our First stop was a late breakfast at Vita Cafe in NE Portland. I have been going here for years, and as it was close to where we were staying it was a fine choice. I will first note that Vita is not all vegetarian, as is the case with most of the choice spots in Portland. For some reason it seems that while Portland is incredibly vegan friendly, there are still not that many all vegan restaurants (all though many more than there were a few years ago). We ordered the Faux Turkey Florentine which featured their house made faux turkey with spinach, tofu, and vegan hollandaise on a English muffin. We also had the “Portland Breakfast,” a basic plate of scrambled tofu, potatoes, and toast.

A large mound of vegan soft serve with chocolate sauce, crushed mint cookies, and dandies marshmallows

The next stop was Back To Eden, a newly opened vegan bakery just down the street from Vita. They boasted an impressive case of desserts including cookies, pies, cheesecake, and cakes and truffles. Also on the menu: both vegan soft serve and Coconut Bliss ice cream, and related treats like sundaes, milkshakes, and floats. They also offered a good number of gluten free options for those for whom that is an issue. We elected to try one of the soft serve sundaes with chocolate sauce, mint cookies, and Dandies marshmallows and a slice of Boston cream pie. The sundae was great, and surprisingly large. The Boston cream pie was ok, but not exceptional. Over all I am excited Portland has another vegan bakery, and it will be on my list of places to stop next time I am down.

Boston Cream Pie

That evening we headed to Hungary Tiger Too in southeast Portland. This exceptionally vegan friendly (but also not all veg) bar boasts an impressive separate vegan menu featuring vegan corn dogs, burgers, sandwiches, nachos, and breakfast. I, of course, had to try the vegan corn dog basket, which featured two vegan corn dogs atop a rather large basket of tater tots. We also had the BLTeaser, a vegan blt made with tempeh and avocado. It was served with their house made potato chips, which were also excellent. Everything was good, and the service was fast and friendly. Some time I will have to make it down on a wed for their $1 corn dog night. I’m not sure how late their kitchen serves, but the all ages dining room closes around 7pm after which you will have to order at the bar.

Perhaps one of the greatest things Portland has to offer is actual late night options for vegan food. Besides a few bars that serve a late night menu, Portland is covered in food carts. Often several will share a corner lot in a sort of urban food court. One great spot for late vegan eats is the lot at 12th and Hawthorne. We stopped at Whiffie’s Fried Pies. Whiffie’s features both sweet and savory fried pies, most of which are vegan (and marked on menu). As they were out sweet pies by time we go there (2am) we got an empanada filled with soyrizo, beans, and a yeasty cheese sauce. The crust was light and flaky, and the filling was excellent. The lot also featured a Mexican cart that boasted many vegan options including cactus burritos, a potato cart that offers vegan poutine, and a pizza cart that offers vegan cheese and sausage. Most are cash only, so come prepared.

Meatball Sub with brussels sprouts

The next day began with a lunch at The Bye and Bye, an all vegan bar in NE Portland. Beneath the stylish modern interior we found a delightful menu of vegan food including many sandwiches and several bowls, including several bbq based options. We decided on the meatball sub with a side of Brussels sprouts, and the special with a side of black eyed peas. The special was a hearty slab of mushroom polenta, tempeh, kale, and a cumin aioli all sandwiched between an English muffin. Everything was excellent. I highly recommend the meatball sub and the brussels sprouts. They serve a full menu until 10pm and offer a truncated late night menu till close. You can also check out their vegan cocktail menu, including all your creamy favorites made with soy creamer and soy whip.

The special with black eyed peas. Fun fact: all the photos in this post were taken with my iphone.

That evening we headed to Blossoming Lotus. For years blossoming lotus operated in a shared space with a yoga studio in the pearl district but recently relocated to the NE in to their own restaurant space. It seems that they may already be outgrowing their new digs as we actually tried to eat there the night before and left after 25 min with no sign of a table. So we can back the next night armed with a few friends and a reservation (I believe they only take reservations on larger groups). The menu featured hearty vegan fair along with a large raw section and many gluten free options. We started with the live nachos, tomato and walnut chips with squash nacho cheese, cashew sour cream, and an avocado sauce. They were good, but like many raw dishes a little on the pricey side. For entrees we tried the four cheese lasagna, which was good, though nothing spectacular, and the special, which was hazelnut breaded tempeh served over roasted vegetables and kale and topped with portabello gravy. Over all the meal was good, but be sure to get there early or bring some friends and make a reservation.

We topped off the weekend at Voodoo Donuts, Portland’s local indie donut company. Voodoo now has two locations. Their original down town location is open 24 hours, and their newer location in NE is open till 3am (although they will sometimes sell out and close early) and offers seating, parking, and pinball. While not all vegan, they offer a wide selection of vegan donuts, both cake and raised. Voodoo has been serving up vegan cake donuts for years, and offers toppings to classic sprinkles to crushed Chico Sticks. The vegan raised offerings are a newer development and they new offer a full range of classics including jelly filled, maple bars, and Boston cream. The raised donuts are light and fluffy and just the right amount of sweet. I grabbed a vegan dozen plus a few others including a gigantic apple fritter and the “Portland Cream,” a cream filled donut topped with maple glaze.

Recently Seattle has started to get on the street food band wagon. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of vegan options available. While many hot dog stands might have a veggie dog, rare is the vegan hot dog bun (most typical buns contain milk or animal derived dough conditioners). So I was supprised and excited to find some excellent vegan offerings at what seemed a verry unlikely place: a BBQ catering truck shaped like a giant metal pig. Unfortunately the pig has gone into hibernation for the winter and won’t be back on the street until April.

Maximus/Minimus is built on the idea of two flavor profiles: maximus (spicy and savory), and minimus (sweet and tangy). While the specialty of Maximus/Minimus is pulled pork, they also offer a surprising veggie sandwich. The sandwich, which is listed on the menu as 100% vegan including bun (pretty sure they use Rudy’s Organics), is composed on barley with grilled fennel and onions with your choice of sauce (which you are limited to maximus as minimus does contain honey), which makes a very good, and original, sloppy joe/pulled pork kind of sandwich. For the sides they offer two slaws, both of which are vinaigrette based and dairy free (although the minimus does again contain honey), and house made vegetable chips. The chips are one of the highlights, composed of potato, carrot, beet, and green beans spiced with a little jalapeno.

When active, Maximus/Minimus spends most of the day at 2nd and Pike in downtown, as well as at events around the area. While a bit of a line can form durring the luch rush, they are good at handling it. They usually have someone out front taking orders and payment and things move along quickly. There is no seating, only a few folding tables you can hunch over if you don’t want to take your food back to the office. A veggie sandwich, slaw, and chips will run you $9. Check them out at www.maximus-minimus.com