Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Portland, VegNews Party, CA Humane fundraiser, & a new family member!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

Once again time has slipped away & the posts I've been meaning to make, just haven't made their way here. As I mentioned in my previous post, I went to Portland to check out the so-called "vegan mecca". Watch out kids, you have another convert on your hands, Portland is downright lovely! There's so many places to go & see, it was hard to narrow it all down, but I think I covered the city pretty well & even stayed in two different areas while there.

One of the places I knew I had to try was Flavour Spot, the hot new waffle cart serving up a few vegan options. I was a bit skeptical of the maple butter & vegan sausage combination everyone has been raving about, but HOT DAMN, they weren't lying! I found myself savoring each bite & Ryan had taken only 3 bites when he asked for another!


Of course, I also checked out the vegan mini mall, home of Herbivore, Scapegoat Tattoo, Food Fight, & Sweetpea Baking Company who's various goods I tried over my time there. I seemed to find myself at the mini mall every day, whether as a meet up point, a place to grab a treat, or a way to blow a bunch of money on vegan wares. I almost added a tattoo as well, but it didn't work out this time.


I was lucky enough to spend time with Jess from Get Sconed! as she let me crash at her place for a few nights. We went out to dinner at Blossoming Lotus one night & had delicious raw food, much like when she came to San Francisco & we ate at Cafe Gratitude. Of course, I ended the night with this Chocolate Mint soft serve & on another occasion I had Mocha, both were delicious!


Another blogger I met up with was Webly from Fueled By Popcorn who took me to No Fish, Go Fish, a food cart with delicious stuffed sandwich pockets shaped like fish! How can you resist this adorableness?! We finished up at Voodoo Doughnut where the vanilla Chick O Stick was my favorite of what I tried.

Overall, it was such an eventful trip! From bike riding to jumping on trampolines, meeting bloggers & attending a potluck at Isa's house, it's hard to cram all the places I went in to one post! In addition to the places I've mentioned above, I also ate at the very creative & delicious Nutshell, Hungry Tiger Too (with ShannieCakes), Backspace, & Papa G's Deli, plus I checked out the People's Co Op & New Seasons for snacks & supplies. All in all, I loved Portland & I'm happy Ryan & I will be back there at the end of the month for a camping trip & to celebrate 10 years of dating!

Shortly after Ryan & I returned home, an incredible (& strange) thing happened to us. While taking a walk to our co-op, we did our usual routine of fawning over every dog we see. As we approached a man holding a tiny dog, I couldn't help but comment on how adorable his puppy was! Next thing I know, I am being offered this dog for free & find myself walking down the street with a shivering, hungry puppy in my hands itching from fleas. Introducing STRUMMER, our new little chihuahua baby girl. She's about 11 weeks old, 1 3/4 pounds, & has been determined to be completely healthy by our veterinarian. She's already started getting her shots, going to puppy class, & is on her way to being (even more of) a well manner little bundle of joy!

As expected, the VegNews party was a success. I had a great night chatting it up with vegans from all over the country, including Amanda from Walking the Vegan Line who came all the way from Houston, as well as long time friends from the PPK. Food was provided by local restaurants & chefs, desserts were provided by Sugar Beat Sweets, & there were gals walking around with baskets of mini Clif Bars, Sjaaks Organic Chocolates, & Tofurkey jerky for the taking! Not bad, right?


Now for another important party I'm urging people to attend in the San Francisco Bay Area. On Saturday, July 12th please come Spread Your Wings for the animals at a benefit for Prop 2- the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act at the A.Muse gallery (614 Alabama St. SF) from 6-10 pm. There will be wine, beer, and vegan appetizers, desserts courtesy of Sugar Beat Sweets, comedy by Johnny Steele, plus door prizes & an awesome silent auction which includes items like original artwork by Dan Piraro, spa packages, and a Nintendo WII! It's a $15-20 sliding scale at the door & all proceeds go to the animals! I'll be there with mini cupcakes, please don't miss it!

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

I still can't get over how adorable your new baby is. give her a kiss for me!

Anonymous said...

You people are killing me with Portland coolness! Seriously, it sounds damn fun, and I so love the not-fish fish sandwich!
Your little puppy is just the most adorable thing ever! What a neat thing to happen!

Jess said...

Strummer is too damn cute. She is so lucky to have ended up with you guys!

Still jealous about your Portland trip. It really sounds amazing, and like the true "vegan mecca" people claim it is. I thought Isa lived in Brooklyn! Is she in Portland now?? It really *is* becoming vegan central...

Glad the VegNews party went well! It sounds fabulous!

Anonymous said...

Yeah for Strummer! So cute!!! Yes, FlavorSpot was awesome. I too could have had another!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I always look forward to your updates, Melisser :0) Strummer is too adorable for words; your Portland trip sounds like it was a whirlwind success; and how fun that you got to meet Amanda from the "Walking The Vegan Line" blog!!

Pink Theory said...

Awww, what a great addition to the family. so cute!

Unknown said...

The sandwich pocket shaped like a fish is adorable! Looks like Portland was a blast; we're trying to decide whether to go there for our anniversary in October or San Francisco. Tough choice! I remember seeing photos of Strummer on the PPK, she's a total doll!!

Anonymous said...

Your new baby is adorable. Chihuahua's are the best dogs in the world. I'm currently trying to convince my hubby that one would be a perfect addition to our family. He's pretty close to agreeing. I always look forward to your posts. I'm glad your trip to "vegan mecca" went well. I am looking forward to going there one day.

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

I'm happy to see your Portland post! Glad to see we didn't disappoint you ; )

Anonymous said...

OH. MY. GOSH.


Strummer is the cutest thing i've ever seen!!!
I used to have a chihuahua but had to give her up after a year because she needed to much and I went to school. =(


But I'm so glad you had a great time in Portland! I've been dying to go check it out.

Anonymous said...

Welcome, Strummer! You are too cute. Thanks for all of the great Portland info. I would love to plan a vacation to visit both San Francisco and Portland and do nothing but eat great vegan food all day.

Erin said...

You've been such a socialite! I can't wait till I move out there in a month so I can try to attend some of these benefits and parties! And Strummer is too, too cute.

Amey said...

oh wow! what a post.
First of all, I LOVE little Strummer. What a cute cutie. Dogs are so rad. Maybe we could have a dog party at the beach!

I've got family in Portland, and I keep meaning to go up there. I'll use this post as a reference. I'd like to try Blossoming Lotus, because I really like their cookbook. Plus, that waffle looks pretty freaking great. And the fish sandwich?? That's just ridiculous!

I'm still bummin' on missing the VegNews party. I want free Sjaaks chocolates!! Those are the BEST!

:)

Katy said...

That mint chocolate ice cream looks so good.
And your new little puppy is adorable! I look forward to more pics of Strummer (great name, btw!)

WPZ - Sandy said...

OMG PWUPPWEEEE!!!!!!
So cool that it was so spontaneous!

And it's good to see Ryan for a peep, especially enjoying his foods!

Rose said...

Your new Chihuahua is adorable!

Bianca said...

Strummer is precious!!!! And I've so got to plan a trip to Portland. Seriously. Vegan food carts?! That's unbelievable! I need one of those waffles!

Animal-Friendly said...

Portland looks amazing! I especially love the vegan sandwich shaped like a fish :)

Strummer is unbelievably adorable! I can't wait to hear more about her as she grows.

Anonymous said...

What co-op do you go to? I'm new to the city and I am looking for a co-op to support.

Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

What a story about Strummer! I'm sure she's thrilled with her new people.

karaxcupcake said...

your trip sounds amazing..i have to make it out there one day!
also your new baby is SOOO cute..i can't believe some guy just gave up his dog like that....better for strummer that she is with you though!!

xoxox

Meghan said...

i could hardly make it through your post, those things look so delicious!
and yeah, your dog is so cute it hurts.

bjorkedoff said...

see you in a couple weeks!
and what,no ratings on what you ate like nyc?

The Voracious Vegan said...

ARghgh! When do I get to go to Portland? Vegans vegans everywhere! I loved this post, although I must say all the pics of delicious food really have made me hungry.

Those fish pocket sandwiches ar adorable, almost as cute as Strummer!

JennAndChloe said...

Hey Melisser! I met you at the VegNews party a couple weeks ago while serving drinks, and hot damn - those were some good cuppies! I just had to say that your new baby is adorable and thank Dog she found her way into a good home. And yikes - now I'm gonna have to get back up to Portland for those waffles!

Anonymous said...

I HAD to comment on this post as soon as I saw the name Isa. My daughter's name is Isa and other than on Dora the Explorer Ive never come across it. Also, your new puppy looks EXACTLY like my dog Chief. Okay, Im a dork but it cracked me up.

Anonymous said...

Strummer is absolutely adorable :) That soft serve looks really tasty!

Chelsea said...

Ack, what a cute doggy! Glad you got to have some fun in my hometown :)

P.S. If anyone doesn't know about the situation with Nutshell, the owner also owns Ten01, which serves foie gras. Many Portland vegans will not go to Nutshell because of it.

Anonymous said...

I am so sad I didn't have more time when I was in Portland! At least now I have plenty of excuses to go back for a non-day-job related visit (and an excuse to start hunting for something that will make me fish-shaped sammies.)

Anonymous said...

Wow, I think you must have hit every foodie destination out there! But the more importantly- Oh my god, that dog!!!! It's the cutest thing ever and I want one too!! (excuse me while I hyperventilate)

Webly said...

The story about your pup-pup is SO cute. As is stummer!
I am craving a waffle cart waffle!

KitteeBee said...

Take a rest, you must be absolutely exhausted from all that fun! What the hell was IN the fish pocket? I am quite intrigued by the field trip you and weebles had. Love to strum-strum.

xo
kittee

shannie cakes said...

come back soon. oregon misses you i'm sure!

congrats on the new family member!

Rural Vegan said...

I am completely entranced with that fish shaped sandwich thing - how cool is that?! Also, congrats on your new addition! Strummer is beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Was the potluck at Isa's as bad as she says on the PPK blog?

Hannah said...

Strummer is so precious! Do you think she'll help you cook?

VEGAN TICKLES said...

Thanks for the recommendations.
We went to Millenium twice, Cafe Gratitude 3 times ( 3 different locations), Ubuntu had awesome presentation, but we wish they had more vegan options.We're still in SF and we don't want to leave. We might try Cha-ya tonight or tomorrow night.
Thank you again.

VEGAN TICKLES said...

We have also been going to Herbivore for breakfast.
We've been going almost everyday.
We love it!!!

urban vegan said...

Little cutie pie!

Portland is calling all of us vegans...but SOME of us have to live in other cities to show the world how much fun veganism is, right?

(Yeah, right. Portland is nirvana!)

Girl said...

Strummer is the cutest dog ever. Sooo tiny!
And such a strange and beautiful story, she's so lucky to have been passed along to you.
Good wishes and vegan dog treats!
X Girl

jessy said...

WOW! sounds like you've been busy enjoying all the tasty foods, fun sites & stores, vegnews awesomeness, meeting fellow bloggers, pot lucking - and oh my goodness, ms. strummer is soooo adorable! i just want to squeeze her, although not too hard of course!

ice cream, donuts, fish shaped pocket sammies, oh man - it all sounds, and looks, freak'n glorious! glad you had a rock'n time, and welcome back! :D

Vegan_Noodle said...

Aw! I wish I could have had the chance to meet Strummer as well! So cute.

Your trip to Portland looks like it was filled with fabulousness. I need to get back there very soon.

It was sooo great meeting you! Hopefully we can get together again when I'm in Frisco in October! Hope the benefit went well this past weekend!

Leslie Richman said...

That unfishy snack looks so fun and yummy!

Erin said...

Thank you so much for the Bay Area welcome!!! My bf went to Berkeley, so he has basic knowledge of the area, but I may very well be hitting you up for advice.

robotslingshot said...

What a cutie! I love the serendipity of getting a dog when you weren't expecting it.

Paula

Diz Rivera said...

Awesome post, and Strummer is to die for. Precious!