With this economy, this vegan is eating out less and less. But when I've had a couple bucks burning a hole in my pocket, one place I've been frequenting—and recommending—is The Red & Black Café at Southeast 12th Avenue and Oak Street.
There are a lot of things to love about the somewhat recently relocated Red & Black, beyond the fact that their location is now very close to my office. In addition to the fact that it is a local, worker-run and worker-owned business, the all-vegan menu uses local, organic and seasonal ingredients whenever possible. And the warm, cozy location is both easy to get to and a welcoming retreat. From it's MySpace page, the place is self-described as sounding like "solidarity, revolution, and peanut sauce splattering on glasses." Check the site for live music and other events.
The straightforward menu includes soups, bowls, salads and sammies on bagels or bread, plus some drinks (include fair-trade organic coffee and local microbrews) and desserts. In particular, the savory Kale ‘n' Quinoa bowl with smokey tempeh bacon ($6) was deliciously healthful and hearty enough for two. The salads are a little more expensive at $7.50, but are described as "Big as yer head." But my favorite, probably, has been the TLP Sammie: more of that mouth-watering tempeh bacon, fresh lettuce and yummy red peppers on toasted bread with chips and pickle—all for $6.75. Other choices include sandwiches based on hummus, tofutti, tempeh "tuna" salad and tapenade. Don't forget to check the specials for things like pizza and such.
Though the menu isn't that adventurous, it is tastefully reliable. Just be sure to bring cash; they don't accept credit cards and the little ATM machine charges a painful fee that kind of defeats the purpose of scouting out a reasonably priced bite to eat.
Photo from http://portland.indymedia.org
