Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Vita Cafe

Vita Cafe is a vegetarian/vegan cafe located on NE Alberta St. in Portland, Oregon.





I liked the decor...quite simple here (a few tables and a bar counter), although I would have liked it to have a much brighter, uplifting atmosphere. They smartly (and evilly) put the shelves of cakes at the front of the house, so when you walk in, you're just blindsided by its awesomeness.

Anyone on a diet entering Vita Cafe may need to summon extra willpower upon entering
Working on my third lunch (yes, third) of my all-out "eat-everything-in-record-time-by-speed-eating" day, I ordered the Seitan Cheese Steak ($7.50): sliced seitan (meat substitute) with sauteed peppers, sauteed onions, sauteed mushrooms, and melted pepper jack cheese on a baguette.

Part of the lunch menu
Seitan Cheese Steak
All in all, a very good "cheesesteak" that I inhaled in minutes. The seitan was moist and tender, a lovely substitute for the usual ribeye or top-round meat that a traditional cheesesteak would have. The sauteed vegetables were cooked perfectly, retaining a little crunch for a nice texture contrast. The pepper jack cheese provided the must-have gooey awesomeness in this sandwich. Nice flavors all around.

For me, though, I felt this sandwich did not have enough filling...more seitan, cheese, and sauteed veggies, please! I also did not see a hot sauce option on Vita Cafe's menu, which could have added more dimension here. A good meal with good service, just not a mind-blowing experience. 6.75/10

No comments:

Post a Comment