June 17, 2023
Written By: J.Couch
Well, we are back in Portland again to visit family and friends. It has become a habit for Heather and I to try to a new vegan restaurant in town when we are there. This time we stopped by Dirty Lettuce located at 47th and Fremont in North East Portland. Known for its soulful and hearty dishes, this cozy eatery attracts food enthusiasts seeking a fusion of comfort and flavor. This is a Southern Style BBQ, 100% all vegan restaurant. We arrived just in time, as a few people were just finishing up, since the place it not very big inside. They do offer seating outside if the weather is nice, which in Portland can be hit or miss most of the year.
Looking at the menu again we are over whelmed with all the options that we can choose from, what do we get? We decided that we wanted to order two different meals so that we could try more options. Heather ordered the Catfish meal with a side of Southern Style Greens and a side of Cajun Mac n cheeze. I ordered the ribs with a side of fritters and a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. To top this all off we ordered a side of the corn bread.
This food was amazing, to get a good southern meal that is 100% plant based blows my mind. The catfish is made with seitan and has a crisp deep-fried breading that looks just like a piece of fish. The inside was not the same texture as fish would be but had a good taste with the accompanying vegan tartar sauce. I was wondering if they would be able to layer the seitan and then cook it, maybe it would be more flakey like a fish filet would be? Maybe something to try on my own someday. Next the Southern Style Greens and the Cajun Mac n cheeze were delicious. The Mac n cheeze did not have a big cheesy texture but the spices that they added gave it a good kick and flavor.
The ribs are legendary, and it’s easy to see why. Again, this was made with seitan and reminded me of the McRib that McDonalds has every once in a while, but much better. The ribs boast a tantalizing caramelized crust, adding an irresistible smoky touch to the seitan’s juiciness. The texture was very similar to the catfish meal and felt like a fatty rib meat. It was coated in a house-made barbecue sauce that strikes a perfect balance between tangy and sweet. The fritters were deep fried balls that also had a good spicy kick to them. Last but not least, the mashed potatoes and gravy were very good. Creamy, buttery, and with a hint of garlic, the mashed potatoes are flawlessly whipped to achieve a smooth and luxurious consistency. The gravy had a very good savory umami taste to it.
Finally, the side order of the corn bread was good as well, however I think that I liked the corn bread that we got at So Radish in Denver much better. But it was soft and had a good corn bread taste. There were no chunks of corn mixed through out which would have brought it up to match the So Radish corn bread.
My only concern is the amount of seitan that we eat in one sitting. Seitan is made with gluten and we try not to eat very much gluten if we can help it. Over all the staff was very friendly, and the food was amazing. I would say that we would go there again in the future but we have too many on our list to keep going back to the same places. Maybe it will be added back to the bottom of the list and maybe we will be back again soon.
One of the things that we always liked is the Stroopwafels from the Netherlands. But we soon found out that most of them are not vegan. Well, they have a few different kinds here that are 100% plant based. We had to try one. It was good but seemed very thin. You get 2 waffle cookies per package and a good sweet after meal snack.
Thanks for wandering with us,
The Wandering Couchs
