offroad vegan top 5 | Off-road Vegan

OFFROAD VEGAN TOP 5!

There is a small, obscure, sea-foam green food cart tucked into the corner of the Mississippi cart pod. To the untrained eye, it is yet another cart slinging hipster chow. To the vegans of Portland, it is a shining beacon of real-deal, home-smoked, vegan BBQ.

And it is amazing.

I have been a fan of Homegrown Smoker (HGS) since they had a spot down in SW Portland. Ever since those early days, Homegrown has been a pinnacle of the vegan scene in Portland and is one of my Top 5 spots in the US.

My favorite used to be the Loafaroni, a “meat”loaf sandwich made up of a slathering of BBQ sauce, a heaping scoop of mac no cheese, meatloaf, and two buttered, crispy buns. It is still my favorite, but I accidentally read the fat content of the Field Roast meat loaf they use, and well….the nutrition facts were a little startling. Even for vegan food, it was a little “rich.”

HGS also revised their menu and the Loafaroni took a bit of a sabbatical. During that time I became pretty enamored with the SlowSmoMoFo, a BBQ sandwich of seasoned soy c urls, cole slaw and maple bourbon BBQ sauce. Order it with a side of Mac no Cheese and you have a winner.

The menu at HGS is a collection of southern-esque BBQ fare; with offerings such as the Carolina Chicken Sandwich (BBQ and Beyond Meat together in a sammy), Smoked Tempeh Burger, Sweet Potato Fries, and a Combo Platter.

The menu has a decent variety of food for the regulars, but the specials are really where the tough decisions need to be made.

With specials like “Another Good Burrito” (A grilled wheat tortilla filled with psstrami, sweet potato fries, Daiya, Mac No Cheese, Broccoli, Grilled Peppers, onions and mellow yellow sauce) and the “Buff Burrito” (Tempeh Facon, smoked Beyond Meat, Buff Sauce, Mac no Cheese, french fries, tomato, raw greens, and creamy ranch), it can often be hard to choose your lunch.

There really aren’t any complaints with HGS. Their food is top notch, vegan BBQ comfort food. Their hours can be a bit flimsy, but that is to be expected with a food cart operation. If you are traveling in from a distance, be sure they are open (the cart life seems to be plagued with closures for many issues).

My personal goal is to try more of their options, and not the same ol’ slow smo mo fo. Honestly, though it is really hard when you have an absolute favorite!

Homegrown Smoker is a pillar of the vegan food scene in Portland. I hope one day to see them mature out of the cart and into something more permanent…so I can sleep better at night.

OFFROAD VEGAN TOP 5!

When vegans die, they decide to skip heaven and go straight to Sublime.

Tonight my wife and I took our terrestrial selves into this South Florida vegan mecca for a special evening of drinks and dinner. We have been to Sublime before (in years past) but every time we go it just seems to get better and better. The happy hour is awesome (BOGO on cocktails and half off apps when you buy one full price).

First, I ordered the Tangito (a tangerine infused Mojito) and Melanie went with the classic Mojito. Both were very well prepared and just about perfect. For apps, you can’t go wrong with the Frito Miso (we’ve had this staple before) – which despite the name is anything but Fritos. It is a bowl of crispy/tempura-like cauliflower in a seductive sweet chili sauce that will blow your mind. We also went with something new for us – the Sliders…which, also blew our mind with their cheddary, Gardein-y, awesomeness.

The Frito Misto. You need to eat this now.

But enough of the chit chat about the little stuff. Let’s talk entrees.

The choices were very hard. I ended up with the enchiladas – a gamble for someone like me who is a total baby with spicy food. It was warm, for sure….just on the upper end of my spice-o-meter. But, it was still crazy awesome and just enough food to fill me up without needing a wheelchair and a linebacker to roll me out. Melanie ordered the Mushroom Ravioli, which she loved and I tried a bite – but I am also a mushroom baby and wasn’t a super fan. Not a dig on Sublime, but a dig on my needlessly picky self.

It’s also cool that Nancy – the owner- makes it a point to chat with customers.

Gardein sliders. Who says vegans can’t have awesome stuff?

Dessert was definitely to go (how could we NOT order something?). Melanie went with the Chocolate Nirvana and I ordered the Strawberry Cheesecake. We tossed them in the car for the long drive along A1A back to Miami Beach. But, the floor heat might have been too warm for them as they both experienced a degree of meltage and, would have been MUCH better if eaten back at Sublime. I won’t review them since we totally messed them up.

Bottom line, when I think of a top shelf Vegan experience in the US, I think of Sublime. Our annual(ish) visits here keep reaffirming that this is totally one of (if not, *the*) best places in the country.