Portland, OR Restaurant Review: Veggie Grill in SW Portland, Lunch

Plotted along some kind of mathematical equation, I’m sure the chart that documents the flavor development and overall availability of vegan cuisine from the 70s to now is a slow-building, upward-trending line that begins in the lower left and rises to the upper right hand corner of the graph. And deservedly so. These days, in many major cities, you can throw a rock (they’re vegan) and hit a vegan or vegetarian establishment; or at the very least, you can find specifically noted menu items that are vegetarian and not just a side of “steamed veggies” on a steakhouse menu.

Once upon a time, there were tiny little health food stores full of somewhat nasty-tasting or flavorless products that were supposed to be healthy for you. You could get regular produce in the market, and whatever else you managed to find in a restaurant. Now, there are entire establishments that are not only dedicated to creating healthy vegan or vegetarian dishes, but they’re also really, really good at it. Enter The Veggie Grill, who after several successful additions to the healthy fast-casual L.A. restaurant landscape, have just opened the doors to their first (of a planned few) Portland-area locations.

Let it be known that we are not vegans here at Portland Restaurant Review, however, we are considerate, thoughtful people who value carefully made cuisine of all stripes. So maybe that makes us the perfect judges of a vegan restaurant that does not push its vegan-ness on anyone, by virtue of their menu or the interior spaces. In fact, you’ll hear plenty of stories like this one, from die-hard Veggie Grill fans and the owners alike: “A vegetarian woman came in to the restaurant with her non-vegetarian boyfriend. He had the ‘burger,’ and commented that he was able to have a great piece of meat while his girlfriend had her salad. And the joke is on him — there’s no meat on the menu!” I’m a big fan of stories like this, because in my opinion, vegan and healthy food options have to go beyond merely mimicking similar dishes on non-vegan menus. As in, a vegan cheeseburger might just as well have been a totally new sandwich, so that consumers don’t go into the experience thinking of a meaty burger and inevitably leveling their comparison at how the vegan version falls short or otherwise fails to approximate the “original.” Of course, besides calling the sandwich something entirely new, restaurants and vegan chefs could always just make something vegan that tastes amazing. Wouldn’t that be enough to convince non-vegans that eating in this healthy way can be just as satisfying as any other? Guess what? That’s the position that The Veggie Grill takes on vegan dining. They’re not going to push the food politics or lifestyle/diet combo down your throats. They believe what they believe, and they want to run a successful restaurant that provides diners with a healthy option. So they make it easy on diners and privilege quality, tasty food above all else. So simple and yet I can’t think of very many versions of vegan cuisine that are so wonderfully prepared and delivered under such terms.

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