Recently in Business Category

Following the advice of local vegan warriors Food Fight, we spent today's lunchtime scopin' out the latest addition to Portland's veg-friendly mobile cart restaurant scene, Veggielicious. When I say "latest addition," I mean it: this spot just opened its shutters this Monday.

V-licious serves up the kind of sandwiches that vegans all over town probably already make at home: you know, maybe some cool wheat bread, veganaise, the good Trader Joe's sprouts, veggie cheese slices, a healthy slab of grilled tofu and the lettuce-tomato standards. It works, though, because it's food you already know you like -- and it's somehow more pleasant to eat it when it's handed to you in a nostalgic plastic burger basket by a really nice tattooed guy.

Some menu items are a little fancier: The "Big Mock" is a tasty veggie burger, and the "Egg" Salad Sandwich is a fluffy, cruelty-free pleasure. Steve Schroeder, Veggielicious first-timer, said, "going against my innate inclinations against mayonaisey salad sandwiches proved fruitful," adding that his "egg salad sandwich was delightful, a soft and simple lunch treat."

The cart is inexpensive, too: a sandwich, bag-o-chips, and soda combo will only set you back six bucks. We're heading back this weekend to try the "Egg" Mock Muffin.

Veggielicious is located on 3315 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR.

The waffle, with its elegant and demanding little troughs, is the brainchild of the Belgians. However, that does not prevent our home turf -- the presently sunny hamlet of Portland, Oregon -- from having its own page in the grand history of the waffle. After all, it is here that Bill Bowerman ruined his wife's waffle iron by pouring rubber into it, inventing the first lightweight Nike running shoe. It is in this state that young Steve Prefontaine set the American record for a 5000 meter race wearing waffles on the soles of his feet. A noble lineage, indeed. However, friends, Portland's association with waffle greatness does not end with Pre's violent, breakfast-unrelated, death. A new page has been written.

The only thing more luxurious than going out to an expensive restaurant is going out to an expensive restaurant and not having to think about how much anything costs. Kevin and I had received a gift certificate for Bernie’s Southern Bistro so we had a decadent evening out.

It’s a little weird because a few years ago I would come to Chez What on Alberta and get loaded on cheap beer while yelling over the Pogues on the stereo, and then there we were on the viney patio of a somewhat upscale restaurant among throngs of northwest Portland type art patrons who’d come out to enjoy Alberta’s Last Thursday quirkiness. What a difference three years can make.

So anyway, this place has a great patio, itself the size of an entire restaurant. It has lots of nice greenery – fuschias and something that could have been wisteria, but I don’t really know what wisteria looks like so maybe not. On a balmy summer afternoon, it’s an idyllic setting for supper or cocktails.

Yeah. The cocktails. Bernie’s has got to be doing something right because they somehow managed to make bright red apple martinis seem classy, not trashy. The glasses had sugared rims and were accompanied by miniature refill carafes in tiny ice baths. I would totally come here just for drinks, especially considering the awesome-looking $3 food menu for happy hour.

Dinner was satisfying Southern fare dressed up just enough to be a little interesting but not pretentious. The fried chicken was tender and mild and came with yummy greens and gravy-rich mashed potatoes. The blackened catfish was doused in a savory, herby, salty sauce and accompanied by juicy tomatoes and okra, with a side of creamy mashed sweet potatoes with a smooth nutmeg sauce. Little buttery squares of cornbread came before the meal in the place of rolls. It would have been nice if they had come with the main dish to round out the spicy flavors, but the mashed potatoes served that purpose equally well.

The service was really good. Despite a full house we didn’t have to wait very long for anything, and the waitress remained aware and considerate of what we needed throughout the meal without being overbearing. Even though we went on Last Thursday, we were able to get a reservation by calling that afternoon, and when we changed the reservation and then arrived late, they were flexible and didn’t get mad or anything. The host told people arriving at the same time we did with no reservations that there was an hour wait, so it’s something to keep in mind.

Bernie’s is a good place to take your parents or other people worth impressing, because it’s nice without being too hip, too conservative or too fancy-pants – nobody is going to feel intimidated or alienated. Dinner for two clocked in at about $50, including entrees, one drink each and the tip. Overall, it was a very tasty evening in very pretty surroundings. Between the satisfying meal and the buzz of the booze I left feeling absolutely calm and content which, to me, is the very essence of luxury.

Since I'm not getting paid, I'm going to write a shamelessly incomplete, unprofessional review, and without doing my homework to see what other urban honkers may have already said.

So, this place Wax, it's pretty cool. It's on Interstate. It's open till 2 p.m. for breakfast and stuff. I was skeptical at first because it seemed like a bunch of hipsters trying to be "down" and consequently aiding gentrification. Then I started gentrifying North Portland myself and stopped caring about that, then I learned that the place serves milkshakes and has free wifi, but I still just rode my bike past every day without going in. Then one day I was like, "I'm hungry and I need to use the internet!"

Wax has good pancakes. Wax has a big, cool interior with some modern elements and some old, funky elements and some hip hop elements and some warehouse elements, and it reminds me of Oakland. Wax reminds me alot of Yo Mama's Cafe which used to be in Rockridge but not anymore. The really great thing about Wax is there are hardly any people there so it isn't an annoying place to eat. Elisabeth says they have really good milkshakes. I will go there someday and have a milkshake. I really like milkshakes.

Subway is the smartest company in the world. Not only is the name SUBWAY a registered trademark of "Doctor's Associates, Inc.", but they are now launching a massive childhood obesity campaign. Why is this smart? Because everyone is going on and on about how fat our the kids in the US are. Where the rest of the world sees a growing epidemic Subway sees A NEW TARGET MARKET!

Subway Restaurants is taking on the childhood-obesity epidemic with a massive public-awareness campaign that will account for one-fifth of its annual advertising budget. Subway says, "We have a firm belief that we hold a position within the consumers’ consciousness that we can actually change people’s awareness and people’s understanding of eating and exercise habits," but what they really want is a slice of the 15% of people between the ages of 6 and 19 who are overweight to follow the Word of Jared and eat Subway morning, noon, and night.

Subway did their homework, surveying 2,682 children ages 5 to 12 on their attitudes about eating, physical activity and wellness as part of an ongoing study. It found that eight out of ten children said they knew someone who is "very overweight" and that children between the ages of 10 to 12 are more likely to describe themselves as overweight. That is a lot of new customers! And if you can hook 'em as kids, you can get 'em as adults!