Friday, September 9, 2011

Blossoming Lotus, Portland

Since Blossoming Lotus was the only place I visited twice on my trip to Portland, I think it's high time I told you about it! I've been to BL before, but not in its current location. This slightly fancier incarnation still has a homey vibe and friendly service, as well as some delicious food. Here's a portion of what we had.

I highly recommend this starter of fried artichokes if you're into these thistles. Crispy outside and creamy inside, these polenta-breaded bites are crazy tasty, especially when paired with the smoky BBQ sauce. A great start to your meal.

This Thai BBQ salad I had on my first visit was also a fave. The combination of the BBQ soy curls and the sweet and tangy ginger dressing is really nice. Same can be said for the difference in textures between the chewy golden raisins and crispy rice sticks. Just an all around great salad/meal.

My dining companion had the lasagna and LOVED it. I would tell you more but I didn't even get a bite. Looks good though, right?

On that trip we also has the chocolate cake. Not the richest chocolate flavor in the world, but moist as all get out and still terribly yummy. Mmmmm..... cake. :)

If there is soft serve somewhere I must have it. Blossoming Lotus only does one flavor a day and they have no toppings. Fail in my book. It was still decent, but this type of vanilla is exactly why the word now has the negative connotation of "bland and boring." Vanilla should sing... this one merely hummed.

On my second visit, I decided to see what else they could do with salad and I got the house salad with tempeh. I think this was even better than the other one. The mounds of savory tempeh (some of the best I've had) really make the dish but set against the crisp fresh veggies and creamy house dressing it is divine. I love a good salad, and this is up there with the best.

That's it from Blossoming Lotus. Up next, I finish up the Portland eats and get us back on down to Texas. I'm also heading to L.A. soon so stay tuned for some SoCal eats soon. Hope you had a great weekend, everyone. Enjoy the week!

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