Across the country, vegan eating has taken off in recent years, thanks in part to the

movement and to people's growing desire to eat lower on the food chain out of concern for the environment, animal welfare and health.

But when you go into some Portland restaurants, you'd hardly know that this has become a dining trend. Meat and cheese dominate the menu, and the only nod to plant-based eating is a depressing bowl of Pasta Primavera or a plate of dull grilled vegetables.

When we go out to dinner, vegans want to savor our meals, not be served a consolation prize.

Fortunately, more chefs are realizing that it's good for business to create vegan entrees that have just as much creative sizzle as the rest of their menus. And with many all-vegan food carts and restaurants around town, there is an overwhelming number of great things to eat.

So many, in fact, that when we set out to name the best vegan dishes in Portland,

. It took a few months to sample all the suggestions and see how they measured up to some of our favorites.

Narrowing the list to 10 top vegan dishes wasn't easy, and there are at least a half-dozen items that might have cracked the list had our philosophical winds been blowing in a different direction when we made the final cut. And there are a few restaurants, like Natural Selection, that change their menus often, making a specific recommendation impossible.

We stuck to savory dishes for this list -- Portland's vegan desserts and sweets are worthy of their own top 10.

If we missed your favorites, let us know in the comments section here. We're always on the prowl for more good things to eat.

1. Beet Tartare at Portobello:

Chef Aaron Adams is one of Portland's most creative vegan chefs, and his Southeast Division trattoria is one of the city's best Italian kitchens, producing dishes that strike the right balance between inventiveness and comfort. Adams insists on using the best ingredients, sourced for both their ethical and organic qualities, and he's fascinated with modernist cooking techniques. You can see both approaches at work in the restaurant's signature appetizer. It's one of the most beautiful vegan dishes in town, as well as being the best-tasting. Finely chopped red beets are tossed with carrot aioli and capers, then ring-molded on top of cashew cheese, creating a balance of earthy and rich flavors. It's all dusted with chopped parsley and drizzlings of olive oil, and served with baguette slices. One order is big enough to share with the table, and makes a perfect opening volley for the meal that lies ahead.

$9, 1125 S.E. Division St., 503-754-5993, portobellopdx.com



2. Mississippi Bowl at Native Bowl:

Chef and cookbook author Julie Hasson and her husband Jay Hasson run one of the coolest carts in North Portland's Mississippi Marketplace, where they dish up all-vegan bento bowls. None of the bowls is better than the Mississippi. Strips of soy curls -- an all-organic Oregon-made plant protein with a surprisingly meat-like texture -- are sautéed on a hot griddle, then doused with two kinds of homemade barbecue sauce. They're placed in a bowl on top of jasmine rice, a slaw of cabbage and carrots, plenty of scallions, all dressed up with a peppercorn ranch dressing made from scratch. The ingredients are layered, but grab some chopsticks and mix them up to get the ultimate combination of soul-satisfying flavors.

$6.50, North Mississippi Avenue and Skidmore Street in the Mississippi Marketplace cart pod, 503-330-7616, thenativebowl.com



3. Warm Biscuits with Smoky Tempeh and Gravy at Dovetail Bakery:

Vegan baker Morgan Grundstein-Helvey is known for sweet treats like sticky cinnamon rolls, chewy cookies and fruit-filled muffins. But on weekends, her Alberta Arts District bakery becomes the place for a.m. comfort with this hearty plate of biscuits and gravy with smoky tempeh. The biscuits have the flaky texture of an old-fashioned buttermilk biscuit, with unsweetened soy milk and cider vinegar offering richness and tang. They're topped with blocks of tempeh that have been seasoned with smoked paprika and baked until their edges are crispy and dark brown. It's all covered with a sage and rosemary gravy that's thickened with raw cashews. And there's good news for fans of the dish: Dovetail has had so many requests for it that by mid-November it will be available daily.

$6, add a side of braised greens for $2.25, 3039 N.E. Alberta St., 503-288-8839, dovetailbakery.blogspot.com



4. SloSmoMoFo at Homegrown Smoker:

This all-vegan barbecue cart offers a clever adaptation of a Carolina-style pulled-pork sandwich. Taking the place of the pig are smoked soy curls, which are doused in a maple syrup-sweetened barbecue sauce, then topped with a mound of tangy cole slaw with a hint of chipotle pepper. It's served on a grilled bun and comes with a choice of side dishes, such as the comforting Mac-Nocheese, crunchy sweet potato fries or Southern-style stewed greens.

$8, Southwest Fourth Avenue and College Street; North Mississippi Avenue and Skidmore Street in the Mississippi Marketplace cart pod; homegrownsmoker.wordpress.com



5. Sopes at Taqueria Los Gorditos:

These dressed-up corn cakes are pure Mexican comfort food. Two masa patties are deep fried until they're crispy and golden, then topped with refried pinto beans and grilled soy curls or soy chorizo for a one-two protein punch. Next, the sopes are piled high with sautéed onions, slices of tomato, jalapeño and avocado, with dollops of vegan sour cream adding a crowning touch. The cakes are crisp enough to eat tostada-style, but with all the toppings -- plus drizzles of the half-dozen different homemade salsas -- it's really knife-and-fork fare.

$7, 1212 S.E. Division St., 503-445-6289; 922 N.W. Davis St., 503-805-5323; Southeast 50th Avenue and Division Street; 503-875-2615; losgorditospdx.com



6. Tofu Banh Mi at Sweet Hereafter:

This popular all-vegan bar in the Belmont district packs in late-night crowds at its communal picnic tables, with many customers digging into an all-veggie take on a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. Thin-sliced tofu cutlets have been marinated in a lemongrass sauce, then grilled until light brown. They're stacked on a warm baguette with pickled carrots and radishes, slices of jalapeño, and sprigs of cilantro. Cooling it down is a miso mayonnaise that pulls all the flavors together. The dish's only drawback: a pile of from-the-bag tortilla chips and a thimble of salsa that seem out of step with the Asian flavors.

$8, 3326 S.E. Belmont St.



7. Steak and Cheese Sub at DC Vegetarian:

Any fan of a Philly cheese steak will tell you that there's something deliciously fun about eating the messy sub sandwiches. But can they be veganized? This downtown all-vegetarian cart offers a triumphant riff on the original, with homemade seitan taking the place of the thin beef slices. Add to that grilled onions and green peppers, non-dairy cheese and vegan mayonnaise on a toasted or whole-wheat sub roll. It all comes bundled in paper that you want to attack from the end, burrito-style, keeping all the fillings intact. For 50 cents extra, they'll tuck in tomato slices or tart banana pepper, but the basic sub doesn't need the added flourish.

$6, Southwest Third Avenue between Stark and Washington streets, 503-317-4448, dcvegetarian.com



8. Vegan Nachos at El Nutri-Taco:

Some of the best Mexican food in the Portland area comes from taco trucks. These wagons, which are parked in the Lents neighborhood and the Alberta Arts District, offer a regular and vegan menu, featuring soy-based cheese and sour cream, along with chipotle-fueled tempeh and soyrizo. While the massive burritos will keep you full for the rest of the day, the menu standout is the shareable plate of nachos. A stack of crispy tortilla chips is topped with black beans, soy sour cream, jalapeños, fresh salsa, pickled carrots and Daiya vegan cheese.

$8, 8438 S.E. Woodstock Blvd., 503-788-3492; 2134 N.E. Alberta St., 503-473-8447; elnutritaco.net



9. Wok-Fried Brussels Sprouts at Departure Restaurant and Lounge:

Chef Gregory Gourdet sets the gold standard that other mainstream chefs should aspire to when it comes to vegan dining. Instead of offering one or two toss-off vegetarian dishes on Departure's Asian-themed menu, he has a full vegan menu featuring some of the kitchen's most-creative cooking, including an array of sushi and dim sum favorites. But it's the Wok-Fried Brussels Sprouts that stands out for the dish's sheer simplicity. Individual sprouts have been pulled apart, then tossed in a hot wok just long enough for the leaves to become tender and bright green. The dish is seasoned with lime juice and mint for brightness, with enough chili to make you want to reach for one of the bar's fruity cocktails.

$8, 525 S.W. Morrison St., 503-802-5370, departureportland.com



10. B-Wing Salad at Veggie Grill:

This chain restaurant that specializes in plant-based fare recently expanded into Oregon from its Southern California base. Veggie Grill is known for its hefty entree salads and its spicy faux-chicken Buffalo Wings, so making a mash-up of the two is a tasty no-brainer. Chopped romaine is tossed with chunks of avocado, chopped celery, roasted corn salsa with thin strands of shredded carrots dressing things up. To that, add five perfectly deep-fried protein fingers that have been doused in fiery red sauce, then drizzled with palate-calming ranch dressing. Trying to combine all the flavors in a forkful is challenging, and the proportion of lettuce to wings is a bit off -- the salad either needs one more wing or a little less lettuce. But the combination of heat and coolness strikes the right balance.

$9.95, 3435 S.W. Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, 503-350-2369; 508 S.W. Taylor St., 503-841-6647; veggiegrill.com



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