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I think the broiling hot weather here in Portland this weekend has pushed a toasty, gooey sandwich like a reuben far from my mind. But have no fear -- we'll be back in earnest in the coming weeks. One reason for this is sheer necessity. I am leaving Portland for Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to begin graduate school in early August. I didn't really have this possibility in mind when I began this blog, but now it gives me a bit of a deadline. With a little over two months to go, I think B. and I will have a chance to review every TRUEBEN in Portland, as well as test a few more recipes and veganize a few more non-vegan reubens. But that might mean more frequent posts than usual, so check back often!

Also, if you haven't already, mark your calendars for Try Vegan Week which is June 7 - 14th. I'll be helping out with the vegan happy hour at the Bye and Bye, and actually, I'm hoping to morph it into a vegan food pub crawl. Luckily, this event coincides with Pedalpalooza, which means it becomes the embodiment of everyone's favorite Portland stereotype, the vegan cyclist who partakes in other unhealthy activities, like drinking and smoking (though, for my comfort and yours, most of the places on the route are smoke-free indoors). A portion of the happy hour will take place at the Bye and Bye, but you can opt to jump on your bike (or feet, or bus...) and join us at other vegan-friendly bars before and afterward. Speaking of Try Vegan Week, if you missed it at VegFest last weekend, Papa G's is still selling Temptation soy ice cream as a fundraiser for the event. I highly recommend getting two scoops of the vanilla in a glass and adding a bottle of Virgil's Root Beer from Papa G's drink cooler, as I did earlier this afternoon. Yeah! I've been brainstorming other ways to get involved with the week of vegan outreach, and hope to post some interesting, perhaps non-reuben related yet vegan-themed material to the blog during that stretch.

I also helped arrange another vegan event -- this one doesn't fall during Try Vegan Week, but will be part of Pedalpalooza: the Vegan Baked Goods Ride. If you are free that afternoon, you should check it out! We've put a fair amount of work into scouting good locations all around Portland to stop and sample vegan baked goods. We'll be hitting places that actually bake their own goods there, like Laughing Planet and of course, Sweetpea, as well as coffee shops that provide options from the numerous vegan bakeries in town. Since I won't be able to actually go on the ride, I've been going out of my way to sample many of the vegan baked goods to be had in town on my own. After all, I've only got a couple months left...

Update: I thought I was going to have to miss my own ride, but it turns out the client had to reschedule, so I'll be here for the Vegan Baked Goods Ride on June 24th after all!

TRUEBEN: Tempeh Reuben at Proper Eats

From the menu: $7.50. Marinated baked tempeh, Dave's Killer Bread, caramelized onions, local kraut, vegan sauce, with a side salad.

I was nearly as excited to try the reuben at Proper Eats in St. John's as I was to revisit the Red and Black reuben last month. If the Red and Black's wasn't the best, in my mind this was probably the reuben to top it. Part of what influenced this was that I'd read somewhere that the reuben at Proper Eats incorporated some kind of pesto aioli, which, though it's far from traditional, seems kind of exciting. Ultimately, I thought the tempeh reuben at Proper Eats had a lot in common with the Red and Black, with a bit of unique spin which I appreciated, but which wasn't quite enough to make it rise to the top.

Like the Red and Black and Veganopolis, Proper Eats feels like a luxury because everything is vegan (though there was one dairy item on the Proper Eats menu...they let you add Tillamook cheese to their burrito for an extra charge). Proper Eats also has raw entrees, which appear similar but not identical to those offered at Blossoming Lotus in Northwest Portland. I'd like to go back some day and try a Mexican-inspired dish -- they had raw fajitas as well as some great sounding nachos and burritos. They did also have a few specials on the board that looked tempting, but were significantly more expensive than the standard menu items. I appreciated the fact they had four good microbrews on tap. If you do go, check their website or call to see if it's some kind of event night, especially if you are going with a large group. I've heard it can be kind of awkward to arrive on Mondays, when they show movies, and they also have a set up for live music. If that's not your thing, checking in advance is probably a good idea. All and all, I found the restaurant, a spacious room in back (the front of the place is a grocery and deli), mellow and peaceful, despite the fact that it was "parade day" in St. John's.

As for the sandwich, it arrived with a small, yet picturesque salad that seemed to include field greens, beets, black sesame seeds and even tiny squares of nori. They have various delicious sounding dressings on the menu; we were served the maple balsamic, which was pretty good. The sandwich was somewhat warm, the bread obviously toasted, but it seemed like at least one of the ingredients, probably the kraut, had come straight from the fridge, so the sandwich was a little inconsistent temperature wise. I didn't find it incredibly off-putting, but B. said he would have preferred the entire sandwich be a room temperature rather than have cold pockets.

The sauce was very similar to the Red and Black's, great flavor and pretty authentic tasting according to my hazy memories. The consistency was a bit runnier, making it more dressing-like, which was good in my book. The slice of tempeh was very mildly seasoned -- more flavorful than the Vita Cafe's, but barely detectable. Otherwise it was good, even a little juicy. And being mildly seasoned meant it wasn't too salty, and it didn't dominate the sandwich. The caramelized onions were a nice touch, but sort of stole the show from the kraut. The kraut almost seemed like a seasoning rather than a component of the sandwich. It added a tartness but was pretty hidden in the onions. This was also a complaint of B.'s. He felt all you could really taste was the onions, tempeh and sauce, and he would have liked a greater variety of flavors. Like past sandwiches, we yearned for more sauerkraut. If and when we return to Proper Eats, we'll probably take the opportunity to try one of their other intriguing menu items, but I would recommend the tempeh reuben to fans of reubens -- it's worth trying at least once, I think.

4 out of 5
Proper Eats

A little hippie gem in North Portland. Somewhat lackadasical service, but our food came fast. Good beer, almost %100 vegan menu. Do your grocery shopping in the front room. Tempeh reuben, $7.50, comes with small side salad.

Veganization: Rachel's Reuben at the Goose Hollow Inn

Perhaps this should be obvious: "the Goose," as this tavern in SW Portland, nestled unassumingly behind PGE Park and the Goose Hollow Max stop, is affectionately referred to, is not really the best place to go if you are vegan and hungry. Go instead for friendly service, a comfy, warm atmosphere with charming wooden table-tops etched with numerous initials, reasonably priced beer on draught, and the significance of the place in local history.

Even though I knew it was a long shot, I wanted to try to veganize the reuben here not just because it's a nice place to hang out for the aforementioned reasons, but because they already have a vegetarian reuben, the "Rachel's Reuben" on the menu. The Rachel's Reuben is sauteed veggies, mostly mushrooms, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Bud's own Reuben sauce, which is so highly prized you can get it with any sandwich as an extra, on a dark rye bread. This is typically served with carrot sticks, potato salad and a pickle, as well as local Beaver brand yellow mustard and horseradish.

Our middle-aged waitress proudly informed me that the Reuben sauce was indeed concocted using real mayonnaise -- which was no surprise. I had expected to rely on the mustard and horseradish that I knew would be brought to the table when my order arrived. I ordered the Rachel's Reuben, no cheese, no sauce, and requested to replace the potato salad with extra carrot sticks, as I figured the salad couldn't possibly be vegan. To her credit, the waitress took my substitutions warmly without batting an eye, though ultimately there was a miscommunication and I was brought simply extra carrots, and still potato salad. But I still feel grateful that they were so willing to substitute and there was no upcharge for the extra carrot sticks. By the way, there is something superb about those carrot sticks -- inexplicably juicy jullienned carrots, and they were very generous with them. If you do order this, just be very clear you want no potato salad at all. They were more than willing to accommodate.

The Goose was packed on this sunny Sunday afternoon. They have fairly ample deck seating as well as numerous booths and tables inside. I was hoping to get deck seating so I could get some nicely lit pictures, but it wasn't in the cards. The food took awhile, which I think isn't standard, but a risk you take with any place that serves toasted or grilled sandwiches. The sandwiches, and I think their pizzas, too, are run through a big version of one of those conveyor belt toaster ovens you may have seen in your college cafeteria. B. ordered the regular Rachel's Reuben, no substitutions or omissions. He probably anticipated the pattern that seems to be forming after all, that veganizing a vegetarian reuben rarely results in something better, at least flavor and composition wise, than what the cook originally intended. Though I should note that, if it seemed relevant, he would have rated the cheesy, saucy, non-vegan reuben lower than vegan reubens we've tried.

It wasn't that the sandwich was bad, or a big let down, it just wasn't really worth the effort. I added mustard and horseradish, but I'm not sure it made any improvement. A fancier mustard, like dijion or stone-ground, would have helped. My sandwich was warm and toasty and easy to eat. It was probably one of the healthier reubens I've had, simply because it was essentially a sauerkraut and veggie sandwich on rye. (B. dispatched the potato salad I had tried to leave off). The sauteed mixture consisted of green onions, mushrooms and green pepper. I wasn't sure how I felt about such a variety of veggies. The sandwich also included a slice of tomato, thinly sliced red onion and green lettuce leaf. The sauerkraut was fine, not very memorable. There was a strange off-taste, maybe the kind of thing you only notice when a sandwich has been stripped of its more flavorful components. I felt it may have been the toaster, like maybe the old school contraption is gas-flame and some of that aroma is imparted to the bread.

Somewhat sadly, I give this sandwich a 2 out of 5. Though I'll say again, the service was great and as a vegan who frequently finds herself trying to tweak menu items, I really appreciate places that let you switch things up or substitute items without giving you attitude or charging you extra (or both). I highly recommend the Goose if you are looking for a cozy, relaxed place to hole up with a pint. But if you're vegan, I wouldn't go for the sandwiches. Though considering the kindness of the ladies there, I would feel no trepidation trying to veganize anything on the menu -- maybe one of their pizzas, without cheese? And according to the menu on their website, they do have one item that is vegan as is -- a sort of vegan chili called "cowboy beans" with salsa and soy protein.

Bud Clark's Goose Hollow Inn Pub
1927 SW Jefferson
Rachel's Reuben, omit the cheese and Reuben sauce, and potato salad side (no fries or chips here, sorry). Also comes with carrot sticks and pickle spear. Waitress that reminds you of your favorite aunt will bring you extra carrot sticks upon request and apologize when your food takes awhile. $7.50.

I love you like a 100% vegan pay-by-the pound buffet (or, veganism in British Columbia)

B. and I spent most of the past week hanging out in British Columbia, and though I pride myself on keeping this blog very focused, I feel the need to blog a bit about the vegan meals we checked out while traveling around.

Really, this was the excuse and the springboard...




A vegan reuben in a serious piece of history (a piece of history that is open twenty-four hours, and though you'd expect it to be as crunchy as a raw flax cracker, manages to have the warm and pleasant atmosphere that reminds you more of a classy tea-house than the place where Greenpeace was founded back when the street was called "Rainbow Road").

I was thoroughly pleased with the Naam, even though it was a little crowded, slow, expensive (but so is everything in Vancouver, B.C.) and they managed to add completely unnecessary dairy to everything. (A Dragon Bowl of tofu, perfectly cooked veggies and...a slice of jack cheese, really?). So the tempeh reuben of course came with Swiss, you could sub for Tofurella but our friendly and helpful server informed us that Tofurella has casein. I thought the reuben was perfectly good ultimately, with tempeh, sauerkraut, sauteed mushrooms, tomato and sprouts on a whole wheat bun. Sure, it was more like a tempeh burger with sauerkraut (I slathered it with mustard), but it was tasty. B. didn't think it was a real reuben because it didn't have any kind of dressing or special sauce. I guess Portland has spoiled us. Though the pie made from pureed dates and bananas with no added sweetener in a flaky crust blew my mind.

As for eating vegan in B.C. in general, it ran the gamut from being surprisingly easy (more on that later) to somewhat annoying (the "vegetarian cafe" with the tiny pile of tofu scramble that wouldn't let me sub something I actually wanted to eat for the non-vegan English muffin).

For the sake of public knowledge, some definite highlights (read: if you are vegan and find yourself in Victoria, B.C., you must go here) include Green Cuisine, an extensive salad and hot bar that is entirely vegan where you pay by weight. They also have some awesome vegan desserts, including in-house ice cream and baked goods. The other great find was Lotus Pond Chinese Restaurant, just a few blocks up Johnson from Green Cuisine. I felt incredibly lucky to find this place, and to be able to get lunch there on a weekday, when they have their pay-by-weight buffet, which includes, wait for it, vegan DIM SUM! The ginger broccoli was delicious and perfectly cooked, they had a couple other veggie-heavy dishes that included some soy-based meat but the meat didn't dominate, which I appreciated personally, and of course I was super-hyped to try the turnip cakes, potstickers and red bean pastry. In general I found both these joints to be way better than the equivalents in Portland -- in that the food was reasonably priced (and this in a city where it is typically very expensive to eat out), and unlike some buffets that are "all-you-can-eat," these places stock the bar with stuff you actually are excited about eating (unlike that vegan lunch buffet in Chinatown that shall go unnamed).

Even though I used to shy away from buffets where you actually paid based on quantity, the above restaurants (as well as a co-op in Corvallis called First Alternative that also has an awesome salad and hot bar) have turned me around. I've realized it's great, as a health-conscious vegan, to be able to pick exactly what you want to eat in the quantity that you want.

See you soon, when we'll have another post on vegan reubens in Portland!

P.S. Another restaurant we visited that's probably worth mentioning was a 100% vegan sandwich shop with locations in both Seattle and Tacoma called Hillside Quickie's. I wasn't too excited with what I ended up with, the Jamacian Jerk tofu, but the chili was epic, and they did have a "Tofustrami" sandwich that included pickles and raw onions, among other condiments, making it almost a reuben...

TRUEBEN: The Red and Black

B. was a bit miffed that I delayed sampling the Red and Black's tempeh reuben for so long. He was eager to try the sandwich, and the restaurant in general, after hearing me rave about it as pretty much the inspiration for this blog. This Southeast Portland worker-owned cafe's tempeh-mushroom reuben was the first vegan reuben I'd ever had out, and it pretty much blew me away. True, it was directly after Bridge Pedal, I was famished, and I went crazy and got a side salad and a delicious cup of their vegan chili with it, so it was nearly the perfect meal. But I was afraid to review it too early on in this blog, because I truly believed it would trump all others, and sort of what's the point of continuing on if you've already had the best?

Well, I'll say this. B. was not disappointed. And with a 4.5, the Red and Black's reuben does have the highest score we've awarded. But it's with bittersweet sentiment that I say, yes, there is room for improvement. And I'll also add, perhaps my vision is clouded with nostalgia, but it was a slight let down after the awesome experience I had that first time.

As you may know, the Red and Black Cafe for years was located near the intersection of 22nd and SE Division. That was where I had the reuben the first time, and I'll chalk it up to extremely experienced staff: the presentation was better and the construction and the balance of ingredients were better. But like I said, despite these two differences, the reuben we had recently at the Red and Black's new location on SE 12th was still pretty awesome.

I think the highlight is the vegan dressing; it's tart and creamy, probably chock full of veganaise. It's creaminess (not runny at all) contributes to a sandwich that holds together very well -- a trait B. continually appreciates. The protein component is great, too, a mixture of tempeh and mushrooms, nicely complementary flavors that B. noted wasn't too heavy on the mushroom taste. I was excited to see that the Red and Black now makes their own kraut, which in my mind gives them extra points and thus makes this a virtual 5 on the scale from 1 to 5. The kraut was great, refreshing and slightly sweet, I did wish there was more of it. The bread was a light rye with a taste of caraway. Very similar to the bread at Veganopolis--a really dark rye doesn't seem very common in this town. The bread was toasty and warm and was probably heated on a sandwich press or grill pan.

I found the tempeh filling a little too salty for my taste, though B. didn't seem to think so. Other than that, the only other thing I found lacking was that I felt the amount of dressing was disproportionate to the other two components---definitely would have liked more kraut, and it might have balanced the saltiness of the tempeh a little. And surprisingly, we both noted on the somewhat sad presentation when the sandwich arrived. I never thought I would rate a sandwich on how it looked, but I guess after Veganopolis and other attractive sandwiches we sampled, we couldn't help but notice the sort of slipshod arrangement. I, perhaps incorrectly, also attribute this to the somewhat new, though friendly and helpful, staff.

All in all, the Red and Black tempeh reuben still comes out on top. Though not as impressive as my first experience with it, this remains a sandwich I could eat again and again. A difference between the old and new locations that I appreciate is that the Red and Black seems to be going entirely vegan -- if reubens aren't your thing, check out their other sandwiches, salads, soups and their dragon noodle bowl. The daily special always seems like a great deal as well.



4.5 out of 5 (though really a 5, probably)

Red and Black Cafe
SE 12th and Oak
Tempeh mushroom reuben. About $7, I think. Comes with a pickle and corn chips, or add soup or salad for $2.
Worker-owned coffee shop and restaurant located a block from the vegan mini-mall. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many vegan options and mostly organic. A nice community gathering spot as well.

While I wouldn't recommend a week of reubens...

...there are enough vegan ones in Portland, if you wanted to go that path for Portland's Try Vegan Week.

The date has been set for June 7 - 14. According to NWVeg, this week will be "a large outreach event to support hundreds of people in our area who are interested in making a change in their diet. There will be mentorship partnerships arranged, lectures, dine-outs, store tours, a guide book, and even a vegan prom."

If anyone needs a mentor, I'm available! Vegan reuben contest a la Iron Chef? Vegan pub food crawl?

"Food porn" as they say...

It seems the reuben has long been the darling of the vegan food blogs, and no less so lately.

Melody over at MeloMeals gave it a try recently.



And Swell Vegan is at it again. She really just needs to add a "reuben" tag.