Food sovereignty means stopping violence against women.

Fifth International Conference, La Vía Campesina

Off the Griddle

When I suggested to a friend we eat at Off the Griddle, she said ‘Their menu looks bomb!’ My first time there, I asked to look at the menu after I had ordered because, well, their menu is bomb. I ordered the Blue Plate my first day there, to taste traditional brunch choices, hashbrowns, tofu (or eggs) and biscuits and gravy. The Mushroom Melt waffle was next, and delicious describes every bite. The people are friendly, helpful and even knew what type of flour was used to make the waffles.The only question about Off the Griddle is what’s next!

Sharks Cove

One of the food trucks at CORE, Sharks Cove is deliciously deadly. Served with an edible orchid, the breakfast crunchwrap is scrumptious. The balance of housemade flavors and habanero flame tasted excellent! The wrap was as crunchy as the tots, and each satisfying. The question of how housemade items can show as out of stock on the online menu is curious, yet the mystery may be solved by a second visit. The food court is pleasant and quiet considering how close the location is to SE 82nd Ave and Powell.

Grace

August 20th 2021. Meeting a friend for dinner turned into a pleasant surprise, as we discovered Grace. Refined sugar free, gluten free, and (fortunately) pretense free, Grace has the hallmarks of health and happiness. Their menu is primarily vegetarian, (animal protein is offered) and each entree suggested savory satiation. I had the gimme a beet, and the golden beets, with the avocado, pepitas and orchids were delicious. The presentation was excellent, and my friend enjoyed her Nood, which is a homemade noodle dish. The Watermelon juice was great. I am looking forward to returning to Grace, if only for the chance to say, good bread, good greens, good g>d, let’s eat!

Harlow

August 21st, 2021. Each time I’ve eaten at Harlow, I’ve been impressed with the food, the atmosphere, and the compostable dishes. The Pesto Garden Scramble almost had me believing that first taste is with the eyes, the colors were so vibrant. The actual taste was even better! (Basil Pesto is my personal ambrosia.) On my second visit, the wild mushrooms called to me and dialed in delicious. I’ve yet to have a juice, though I am sure Harlow will live up to my tastepectation.

Paradox Cafe

Ahh, the joys of duality! The atmosphere of the Paradox Cafe is old school diner, the counter, the tables and marquee all seem made on earth. As a friend noted, the font of the menu is old school as well, almost indiscernable from hand written. Our server offered his honest opinion about the difference between the house made ‘burger’ and the sub-contracted sandwich filling, and the Brickhouse Burger brought it! One diner in our group commented on how his plate brought back memories, the visual representation of chicken a là king his mother made. Another friend remarked on the fritters: corn, green chilles and black bean were great with hot sauce! I’m glad I will be working a few blocks away, for a change now and then.

Vegan Junk Food

Talk about living up to your name! Diner feel with earth friendly carbs! Vegan Junk Food is well placed in regards to other fast food chains on Powell and Foster. With friendly servers and low key atmosphere, vegans can eat here with regular folk, and except for the name, they might not even notice the lack of actual death on their plate.

Virtuous Pie

Sigh. It was foolish really, to stop at a pizza place the day after I had pizza, however: Virtuous Pie is virtually perfect. I was slightly confused by seeing fake bacon spelt as bacon, yet confusion vanished with a question. I’m really going to enjoy their pie, as the Mac and Cheese skillet I had was scrumptous. The foray into fountain drinks is well founded, the Cran – Mary was delicious, full of flavor. Well, their web site still says fall menu, (which as a recovering techie is a plus – after all it’s about the food Pie!) though, I know I wished I was famished when browsing the current selection. And, as it’s a perfect halfway point when going downtown, I’m sure I will be at some point.

Mirisata

I’ve wanted to go to Mirisata ever since I found out about it. Not only Vegan!! Sri Lankan food, collectively run! My friend Rachel Mulder, who drew the cover for my next book, Poetic Phontics: Sophiscophony, and I each had the Hot Chili Pol Roti Meal, and the word phenomenal describes each bite. I’m going to find out how to make coconut roti. The potato curry tasted exactly as it looked, or as I hoped, which is to say, amazing. Lentils are always a delicious addition, and here, the perfect amount. The pol sambol was my first, and yet another dish I’d like to know how to make. The prices included inflation, and tips were excluded, by the collective’s decision. Delicious, democratic, and definitely worth a return trip.