Bon Appetit at Blossoming Lotus

Blossoming Lotus
1713 NE Fifteenth Avenue, Portland, OR 97212
503.228.0048

Price: $$

Cuisine:
Organic – Vegan - Sustainable

Atmosphere:
The scale of Blossoming Lotus is just perfect. It’s a small, elegant and beautifully designed restaurant with earth toned walls and high ceilings. Sophisticated and warm, one immediately feels comfortable and at home.

Appetizer:
To begin with, we shared the Live Sampler Platter, which consisted of an amazing assortment of incredibly delicious starters: Tahini-cilantro pate, live falafel, live pasta and Eden salad, accompanied by savory flax crackers and crudités. Impressive.

Beer / Cocktails:
The drink menu here is extensive and includes: fresh juices with booster shots, smoothies, specialty cocktails and a healthy assortment of organic wines and beers. I had a wonderful and inventive cocktail called a Ginger Fizz, and Shaun enjoyed a cold beer from a local microbrewery.
Main Course:
Our server highly recommended the Four Cheese Lasagna, so I took her recommendation. The very generous serving of lasagna arrived piping hot and heaped high on the plate. It consisted of: layers of fresh seasonal vegetable marinara, semolina noodles, herbed tofu ricotta, roasted garlic & squash mozzarella and sesame parmesan, topped with lemon-basil cashew cream. It was absolutely delicious and very satisfying, so much so, I had to take a portion home in a doggie bag…. Much too delicious to leave behind.

Shaun opted for the BBQ Tempeh Platter. This turned out to be even better than he had expected! The Tempeh was prepared with red onions sautéed in a rich smoky house-made BBQ sauce served with a mixed green salad, spicy black bean chili and an awesome house-made corn bread. Not one crumb was left on this plate.

Dessert:
After watching the table next to us devour a variety of deserts, we couldn’t resist ordering a couple for ourselves. We chose the Live Fudge and the Turtle Cheese Cake, and we were not disappointed. Both dishes were stunningly flavorful with luxurious textures. It was astounding there were no animal ingredients of any kind…we would have never guessed.

Jewelry Worn:
Necklace: Noctiluca, Circle of Life Necklace, Hammered sterling silver ring hangs from a cruelty-free, micro suede cord, sterling lobster clasp with extender for easy wearability.
Earrings: Noctiluca, hammered sterling rings with American Sleeping Beauty turquoise briolettes. Sterling shepherd hooks.
Ring: Xen, Stainless Steel ring. Classic, elegant and durable.