Dirty Lettuce

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
Restaurant information
Established2020 (2020)
Owner(s)Alkebulan Moroski
Food type
Street address4727 Northeast Fremont Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97213
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45.5484°N 122.6144°W / 45.5484; -122.6144
Websitedirtylettuce.square.site

Description

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

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,[13] and planned to continue operating the food cart as of March.[14] However, Shady Pines closed in late 2021.[15]

Reception

According to The Oregonian's Michael Russell, Dirty Lettuce was among the "new generation" of vegan restaurants which saw a "pandemic-era explosion".[16][17] He called the restaurant a "rising star" of Shady Pines.[18] Similarly, Willamette Week's Shannon Gormley called Dirty Lettuce the "biggest breakout success" of Shady Pines, Portland's only vegan food pod until closing.[15][19] She also described restaurant as one of several local "breakout" vegan establishments opened in 2020.[20]

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][21] 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".[22]

See also

References
  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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
  14. "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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. "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.
  20. "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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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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