i love hungry tiger too so freakin’ much. it looks and feels like a typical bar with a great beer selection, but it’s also got an absolutely massive vegan menu and some of the best food i’ve ever eaten.

we hit up hungry tiger too on our first trip to portland, and were so blown away that we new we had to return on our next. let’s just say, i’m glad we did…because it was just as good the second time around.

portobello scramble: fresh portobello mushrooms with tofu, garlic, spinach, onion and nutritional yeast. with a house made biscuit and vegan gravy. $6.75

the vegan biscuits and gravy at this place are unmatched as far as i’m concerned, so i knew i had to work them into my meal somehow. i spotted a tasty-sounding portobello scramble on the menu, and noticed that for an extra buck, i could get a biscuit and gravy on the side. the biscuits are so enormous and the gravy is so thick, that eating 2 of them is enough to send me into a food coma, so i knew one would be plenty. the scramble came in 2 sizes (large and small), so i got the little one with a side of biscuit for $6.75…and boy, it was a lot of food!

the scramble was simple but quite delicious—fresh portobello mushrooms with tofu and vegetables, all stirred up with nutritional yeast. as you can see, hungry tiger too’s idea of “one biscuit” is HUGE. this was definitely the highlight of the meal; the biscuits and gravy here are so good that no words do them justice. the biscuits are big and fluffy, like pieces of cake and the gravy all kinds of creamy, rich, and clumpy. i could seriously drink a vat of this stuff. honestly, if you ever go to hungry tiger too, you MUST at least try the biscuits and gravy. your tummy will thank you forever.

next up, we got the southeast club. the menu is filled with appetizing vegan sandwiches (including a reuben!), but we walked in knowing we had to try the club, after reading on vegtastic voyage that it was so big it had to be “dismantled” to be eaten. yep, it lived up to its reputation—the sandwich was gigantic.

southeast club: 3 slices of sour dough piled high with tofurky, tempeh bacon, tomato, lettuce, avocado and vegenaise. $10.50

the southeast club was awesome, layer after layer of hearty fake meatiness. every thing about it rocked from the soft bread, to the fresh vegetables, to the crispy bacon and creamy vegenaise. one of the best vegan clubs i’ve ever tasted. we ordered it with a side of potato chips, which were top notch as well. i’m talking thick, warm, and FRESHLY MADE. yes!

in addition to having an epic vegan menu, hungry tiger too has a damn good beer selection. local brews like rogue and deschutes are lined up next to classics like pbr.

i have never been to portland on a wednesday, which is unfortunate because hungry tiger too celebrates the middle of the week with $1.25 VEGAN CORN DOGS! i just may have to plan my next trip around that one.

next time you are in pdx, don’t miss your chance to visit hungry tiger too. great beer, amazing food, and biscuits & gravy that will blow your mind.

hungry tiger too
207 SE 12th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 238-4321

PS: they also play great music at this place. when we were there it was smiths and t. rex album cuts. yeaaaaaah!

so the economy sucks and lots of people are out of work. that’s a fact. businesses are closing, personal savings are being depleted, and the unemployment rate is skyrocketing. we all know and love people who have been laid off…maybe we even are those people in some cases. but wtf mate, the tragedy has officially now come home for all los angeles herbivores and started to affect local vegan/vegan-friendly restaurants. within 2 short months we saw the shutting of the vegan spot and of doomie’s home cookin’, arguably the best 2 places to get a meat-free sandwich in la. both closures were untimely and undeserved…so vegans, please, let’s go throw our moneys at some of the local restaurants that need our help, starting with mani’s bakery on fairfax.

the long-standing los angeles institution is nearly as old as i am, and is still being threatened by the crappy economic climate. in a recent plea on their blog (which i saw via eater la), mani’s tells its customers,“Unfortunately, we face the very real possibility of not making it through 2009, unless we can modify our business to function more efficiently in today’s environment.” they go on to add, “December was the weakest sales Mäni’s has ever had. At this level we will not be able to continue.” ummm…i dunno what you make of that, but to me that sounds like some fatal-apocalyptic-scary shit meaning, buy our food if you want us to be here in the morning. well, it worked on me. i hit up mani’s as soon as i read this, and i gotta say, i will feel pretty bad and dead inside if they do go out of business. their vegan food is really, really, really good. i’ve posted before about mani’s ENORMOUS VEGAN SELECTION…and let’s just say on this return visit, i was even more impressed.

chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie. $3.50

i’m gonna work in reverse on this post because the dessert is the best thing that mani’s offers. the menu is absolutely huge, and all the vegan/veganizable items are clearly marked. almost everything can be made animal-free, and this is extremely handy when it comes to the desserts. vegan truffles, breakfast bars, almond rocas, cakes and pies are just some of the decadent treats that mani’s has in store. my husband and i split a chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie on our last visit, and we could barely finish it. it was so rich and tasty, i think any vegetarian would be fooled by it.

but not just the dessert items at mani’s are awesome…there are also tons of vegan-friendly appetizers and entrees. on our recent visit and attempt to save mani’s from bankruptcy and decline, i ordered the pesto sandwich.

the pesto: vegan pesto spread on rosemary bread with fresh mixed greens, avocado, tomato and marinated tofu. with a vegan caesar salad. $11

of course i got the vegan version (with tofu instead of meat) and everything was divine. the pesto was thick, oily, and slightly greasy in a really good way. the tofu was grilled but still soft in the middle, and it was all stacked with fresh vegetables on really soft and spongy bread.

my husband got the california club, which was also excellent. the sandwich came in neatly chopped pieces, all stacked high with vegan cheese, vegetables, crispy tempeh bacon and crunchy breaded seitan. there was nothing to complain about. i mean seriously, with the vegan spot and doomie’s both totally gone, i don’t know where else to obtain such a hearty and satisfying vegan sandwich in this town.

the california club: layered bread, breaded seitan with tempeh bacon, vegan cheddar, lettuce and tomato. $12

yeah, yeah, yeah, mani’s is a bit expensive. but so fucking what?!?! where isn’t at this point? it’s as good a deal as pure luck or m cafe, plus the menu is like 90x bigger. they also have the best vegan bakery and pastry selection in town. if they do shut, i know i will feel the same way as if a beloved relative has died—totally wracked with guilt, torturing myself over every lunchtime or coffee break i could have spent in mani’s company.

in my opinion, the vegan scene will suck a lot more hardcore if mani’s goes away. let’s ensure that doesn’t happen. please go eat there as soon as possible…um, it may be your last chance. 🙁

mani’s bakery
519 S. fairfax avenue
los angeles, ca 90036
(323) 938-8800