Food I Did Not Know Existed + Vita Cafe Restaurant Review

This past week, one of my friends took me to a vegetarian restaurant (how sweet) and I was amazed at the options available to vegetarians. The restaurant is called Vita Cafe, and is in the Lloyd District of Portland on NW Alberta Street. This particular street is fun to walk down on any day. It has adorable little shops, and there is a Salt & Straw which is reason all on its own to go there!

Anyways, I ordered the Seitan Cheese Steak. When I got my food I was first not convinced that it wasn't meat so I had take a few bites because it looked pretty convincing. But it was so soft and tender and had the same texture as shredded tofu.

Here is where the new "vegetarian vocabulary" begins.

The steak was not steak, nor was it tofu, it was a product called Seitan. I had never heard of it before so when I was ordering I figured it was maybe a style of cooking, or a way that they sandwich is put together. When I learned what it is (thanks to the mini dictionary on the back of the menu) I was like "where have you been all my life and where can I find you more often". Quoting the menu "Seitan (pronounced SAY-tan) is derived from the gluten in wheat. It is used as a "mock meat" alternative in vegetarian and vegan diets. It has virtually no carbohydrates or fat in it, just lots of protein". The sandwich was delicious, I prefer it over normal steak because it was much easier to consume.

Take a look at their website here

Not only is it worth it to go back because of the delicious food but Vita Cafe is committed to giving back to the community and reducing their impact on the environment by using locally produced, organic foods. In addition, they have created a building that composts (like most of Portland), uses biodegradable and recyclable containers, and they purchase 100% of their power from renewable energy sources.

I know I will be eating here more often to support everything they work for!