Dirty Lettuce is a Black-owned vegan restaurant serving Southern, Cajun, and Creole cuisine in Portland, Oregon.[1] Alkebulan Moroski began operating as a food cart in 2020 and opened a brick and mortar restaurant in 2021.

Dirty Lettuce
The restaurant's exterior in 2022
Map
Restaurant information
Established2020 (2020)
Owner(s)Alkebulan Moroski
Food type
Street address4727 Northeast Fremont Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97213
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°32′54″N 122°36′52″W / 45.5484°N 122.6144°W / 45.5484; -122.6144
Websitedirtylettuce.square.site

Description

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Dirty Lettuce serves vegan Southern,[2] Cajun,[3] and Creole cuisine,[4] including plant-based "meats" such as seitan barbecue ribs and Ota tofu fried "chicken".[5] Sides include fried okra,[6] jambalaya, macaroni and cheese,[7] sour cream and onion mashed potatoes, Southern-style leaf vegetables, a Nachitoches meat pie, bowls similar to KFC's Famous Bowl,[8][9] shrimp-and-grit fritters, candied yams, and corn muffins.[3]

History

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With assistance from his mother Kim,[10] Alkebulan Moroski began operating Dirty Lettuce as a food cart in northeast Portland's Shady Pines pod (5240 Northeast 42nd Avenue)[8][11] in early 2020.[12] He opened a brick and mortar restaurant on Northeast Fremont in the Cully neighborhood (at the Rose City Park border) in May 2021,[12] and planned to continue operating the food cart as of March.[13] However, Shady Pines closed in late 2021.[14]

Reception

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According to The Oregonian's Michael Russell, Dirty Lettuce was among the "new generation" of vegan restaurants which saw a "pandemic-era explosion".[15][16] He called the restaurant a "rising star" of Shady Pines.[17] Similarly, Willamette Week's Shannon Gormley called Dirty Lettuce the "biggest breakout success" of Shady Pines, Portland's only vegan food pod until closing.[14][18] She also described restaurant as one of several local "breakout" vegan establishments opened in 2020.[19]

Waz Wu included Dirty Lettuce in Eater Portland's 2021 lists of the city's 15 "essential" vegan and vegetarian restaurants and "13 Vegan Food Carts to Visit in Portland and Beyond".[6][20] The website's Ron Scott and Nathan Williams included the restaurant in a 2022 list of "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond".[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Robert, Ham (June 3, 2020). "Help Support Portland's Black-Owned Restaurants". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  2. ^ "Is Portland America's most vegan-friendly city? Our travel writer wandered down to find out". The Seattle Times. 2021-11-11. Archived from the original on 2021-11-22. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  3. ^ a b Blair, Stenvick (February 24, 2020). "Shady Pines Is The Vegan Food Court Portland's Been Waiting For". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  4. ^ Robert, Ham (June 3, 2020). "Help Support Portland's Black-Owned Restaurants". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  5. ^ Russell, Michael (2021-12-10). "Miami Nice makes the case: Portland's best Cuban restaurant might be plant-based (restaurant review)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-12-10. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  6. ^ a b Wu, Waz (2015-09-15). "15 Essential Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  7. ^ "5 Portland Chefs on the Recipes They Learned to Cook from Their Moms and Grandmas". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  8. ^ a b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-03-25). "Vegan Sensation Dirty Lettuce Will Open a New Restaurant on NE Fremont". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  9. ^ "Portland's Best New Vegan Restaurants, Food Carts, and Pop-Ups". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  10. ^ Bergen, Teresa (2020-03-03). "What to Know About the New All-Vegan Food Cart Pod Opening This Month". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-03-07. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  11. ^ "Where to Eat in Portland This Week". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-09-26. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  12. ^ a b Garcia, Isabella. "These Chefs of Color Are Decolonizing Portland's Vegan Food Scene". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  13. ^ "Vegan Southern Comfort Food Cart Dirty Lettuce Is Opening a Brick-and-Mortar". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  14. ^ a b Wu, Waz (2021-12-03). "Shady Pines, Portland's All-Vegan Food Cart Pod, Has Closed Permanently". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  15. ^ Russell, Michael (2021-10-20). "The Sudra is headed to The Pearl, replacing Aviv". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  16. ^ Michael, Russell (2021-11-23). "These 40 new Portland restaurants survived — and thrived — through the pandemic". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  17. ^ Russell, Michael (2021-06-19). "10 new food cart pods to explore or anticipate from Southeast Portland to Forest Grove". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  18. ^ "Shady Pines Is Portland's Only All-Vegan Food Cart Pod". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  19. ^ "A Beloved Vegan Sushi Pop-Up Is Opening a Food Cart and Has Plans to Open a Brick-and-Mortar". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  20. ^ Wu, Waz (2018-09-04). "13 Vegan Food Carts To Visit in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  21. ^ Scott, Ron (2021-10-05). "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
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