Note: The Pearl District location has closed.
To list the Blossoming Lotus as a breakfast place seems to demean it. Even calling it a place that serves breakfast doesn’t remotely do it justice. How about this? On its Web site, the Lotus calls itself “a vortex of positive and loving vibrations for all to experience.” Seriously.
Portland’s Blossoming Lotus (there’s one on Kauai, also) is in the lobby of Yoga in the Pearl, and from the fountains, the healthy-happy staff, the bamboo, and the sunshine to the stylish hard-body Pearlites, it’s just about the healthiest damn place in town. And there’s not one ounce of snootiness about it.
And, yes, the Lotus does serve breakfast — only five breakfast-specific options — but the larger lunch menu is also available starting at 7:30 a.m. Of the food, the Web site says, “Our cuisine is prepared and served with mindfulness, gratitude and the intention to heal and nurture. . . . Respect for the earth and the principles of nonviolence guide us to utilize the abundance of the plant kingdom in all of our recipes.”
If you’ll allow me to cut through the New-Agey stuff, everything served is organic and vegan — even the beer. Ditto the “soft serve,” which is made with soy milk. And then there’s the word live. It kind of jumps out at you from the menu, like when my dessert-oriented eye wandered to an offering called “Live Pecan Pie.”
Although it’s fun to think of a pecan pie hopping around, refusing to be eaten like the lobster on the old “Muppet Show,” at the Lotus live means “raw,” and many of the selections, including two on the breakfast menu, are raw. And lest you think vegan means “veggie burgers” and raw means “salad,” how does this sound for breakfast? Breakfast Parfait with live granola, fresh fruit, and cashew nut creme. Buckwheat and Walnut Granola with fresh and dried fruit and nut milk. A breakfast burrito (tofu, black beans, and veggies), a Tofu Scramble with carrots, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes, and good ol’ hot oatmeal with maple syrup, fresh fruit, raisins, and Brazil nut milk.
Since the lunch menu is available all day, you should wander off into the world of wraps and bowls and sandwiches; there’s only one non-dinner entree above $7, and everything will leave you glowing with health — even if you feel like only a visitor in the world of health, yoga, and raw food. I think of trips to the Lotus not just as a cheap, healthy meal with some great people-watching, but rather as time spent among folks who usually keep guys like me at bay. Facing the young, smile-adorned staff, I feel guilty asking for coffee — as if I should promise not to scratch myself or talk about football while I’m there.
I exaggerate to make a point: The Blossoming Lotus isn’t just about nutrition; the cafe refers to itself as a “model” and the official slogan is “Bringing peace to life.” Sitting in the sunny, relaxing cafe, you can see it’s meant both ways: bringing a little peace to your life and trying to give life to a larger peace.
New/Veggie
“Bringing Peace to Life”
Phone: 503-228-0048
Address: 1713 NE 15th St. Portland, OR 97212
Hours: Mon-Sat 11:00 a.m – 4:00, Sun-Thurs 5:00 p.m. – 9 p.m. Fri-Sat 4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Sunday Brunch Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Website: blpdx.com
$7–11 (Visa, MasterCard, no checks)
Wait: You order at a counter, but it can be tough to get a seat at times.
Seating: About 20 at tables, a few outside.
Large groups? Wouldn’t work.
Portion size: Smaller than most.
Changes: Fine.
Coffee: Sleepy Monk Fair Trade.
Other drinks: Teas, chai, rice/soy/Brazil nut milk, smoothies, fresh juices, beer, wine, sake.
Feel-goods: Everything is organic and vegan; most of it is local.
Health options: Bountiful; many dishes are raw.
WiFi? Yes.
pdxyogi says
I’ve eaten there twice. Just so you know: I’m an avid yogi sometimes vegan who doesn’t study there. I go elsewhere to a teacher who charges half as much and has far far more to offer in the way of artistry, creativity, heart, dedication, originality, and rigor.
Last time I ate there the guy behind me in line was topless, shoeless, hairy, stinky and sweaty. Needless to say, I nearly lost my appetite. Health code? What…me worry? Guess not at this place.
pederson says
I also like Blossoming Lotus, but ate a sandwich there yesterday on stale bread–not acceptable for a to-go item that cost $7.50.
Ian says
Is this review a joke?
mczlaw says
I’d rather drink paint.
–mcz
sidemeat says
I recommend rust-oleum high gloss. Goes down easy and has a smooth finish.
Kevin says
What’s the food like? There’s not a word about its taste or quality here. Peace and good vibrations are lovely, but you can’t eat ’em.
mczlaw says
Make mine a Miller.
–mcz
cupsncakes says
I love the food, and I’m not even vegetarian, let alone vegan or raw-gan or whatever. Less than half the menu is “live,” they always have some tasty chef special, and their brownies are very delish.
Hunter says
I tend to agree with Kevin. What’s the point of this “review”? I know absolutely nothing about the food other than they serve some. This was an absolutely useless piece (though the comments are pretty damn funny). If we’re talking about breakfast places, let’s talk about, oh I don’t know…..food.
reflexblue says
As an omnivore, I find that Blossoming Lotus is a nice counterpoint to Podnah’s.
sidemeat says
Eggshell with breakfast
Matte at lunch
Gloss for dinner
trompe l’oeil for dates
Jackson Pollock weekends
Can you paint me a sandwich?
Paul Gerald says
The review is not a joke, though that question and some of the paint responses were good for a chuckle.
Actually, the review is not even really a review, as that word is used on this website. I am not — in experience, passion, skill or practice — a restaurant critic. I am a travel writer at heart, writing a book about places to eat breakfast in Portland. These “reviews’ are draft chapters from that book. I don’t include a lot of my opinions of the food or the place, because there are places in town that I can’t stand which nonetheless have lines around the block. So who cares whether I like it?
As you can tell from reading my other pieces here, I write less about the food than other writers here. I think many people (but perhaps few readers of this site) base their dining decisions on a combination of the food, the atmosphere, the neighborhood, and a vast array of other impossible-to-quantify preferences, with food quality not being the dominant factor. The goal of my book is to describe breakfast places across that continuum, and also to paint a profile of Portland through its breakfast restaurants.
But some of your responses have reminded me of two important things: 1, that I can always stand to put some effort into describing the food in more detail, and 2, if I write a chapter that has a little less of that than the others, maybe this isn’t the forum to share it in.
Happy painting,
Paul
vespabelle says
I got very sick after eating at Blossoming Lotus. I think they snuck avocado into my brownie (I figured this out weeks later after someone said they’d seen a vegan brownie recipe with avocado in it.) It’s not nice sneaking tropical fruits like that into brownies!
My food was pretty good, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t make a home. (And the sweaty yogis sitting near by didn’t improve the atmosphere!)
)
Hunter says
No disrespect Paul, but there just was no coherent theme here. I can’t call this “food writing”. Frankly, I don’t know what to call it. However, it was a piece about a restaurant on a food blog website. There are going to be expectations.
Paul Gerald says
You’re absolutely correct. That’s why I’ll pay greater attention to which pieces I share on this site. Sorry if I wasted your time.
sidemeat says
Don’t be too thin skinned Paul, writing about food on this site takes,
excuse me a second,
HEY!You PARKING THERE OR ARE YOU GOING TO MOVE YOUR ASS!?!?
MOVE IT or I’LL MOOVE IT FOR YOU!
Anyway, focus.
Food Dude says
I like Paul’s writing a lot. We’ve never called them reviews. As I’ve said before, I think they are more ‘portraits’. They give an idea of the feel of a place. Like everything else on the site, not everything is necessarily going to be your cup of tea. However, that doesn’t mean you should bash the writer. If you don’t like something, just skip it. I keep track of exactly what everyone reads, heck, I can even see where you click on a page. Things that aren’t popular go away. Paul’s writing seems to make lots of people happy.
Ya’ll are welcome to submit your own stuff ;>)
Sandra says
I’ve eaten at Blossoming Lotus many times and love it for what it is -an ambitious sandwich and juice bar. This is not meant as an insult. After all, as Paul notes in his portrait, it is in the lobby of a yoga studio. In what used to be a real hippie town, now over-run with ‘best pizza in America’ restaurants (where a meal for two comes with a $60 tab), an organic avo/sprout sandwich with your weatgrass is a welcome bit of nostalgia. And as far as I know, it’s also the only place in Portland that I know of that serves raw/living dishes.
Hunter says
Great, I’m the bad guy. Eventually I’ll learn to keep my mouth shut (or fingers clenched).
Paul didn’t “waste my time”, and shouldn’t take it so personally. I just truly did not get the piece. I didn’t get the “feel of the place” or understand the place at all. I just didn’t get it. That’s it.
Dude, you can put anything on the site you wish – editorial privilege. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be criticized.
sidemeat says
Your a very bad man Hunter,
yes, a very bad man.
As punishment you must cook for a living!
BWAA HA HA A HA HA!
uh, what? You cook for a living now?
Well, crap.
I’m fresh out of punishments.
Hunter says
I can do you one better meat, I used to cook for a living but now am an attorney. There’s a special place for me in hell.
sidemeat says
May be hell,
but how’s the food?
Mike T. says
I didn’t see anything gravely wrong with this piece, and can think of much worse examples of writing. I’m also familiar with Paul’s writing from other publications and I’ve always enjoyed it. This would be a tough place to write about as it’s decent but not all that inspired…so kudos to Paul. I look forward to your next piece.
sameolesameole says
Blossoming lotus is a fantastic place to find yourself at lunchtime. They do serve dinner but the price hike for table service is just not worth it. Go a little before or after the standard noon rush and you might get yourself out of there in decent time. Most of the time however the wait is a yogic exercise in and of itself. While the food is delicious (more on that later) the staff leaves much to be desired – Especially those working behind the counter. Orders come out erratically and often they just sit them on the counter barely saying the name on the order out loud. Everyone kind of huddles around and customers usually help each other figure out when their orders are up. I get that everything is made to order, and I don’t expect them to fling food at me in less than five min. I am willing to wait, but, there is something maddening about having 6 or more people standing behind a counter all seemingly munching on whatever is in front of them, staring at the order slips, and chatting with each other and not rolling their live wraps, ladling out a simple cup or soup or artfully arranging flax seed crackers. I used to have a lot of patience, figuring this little yoga joint’s café just got more popular than anyone imagined. The more I go however (sometimes 4 times a week!) the more aggravated I get. Still don’t let it stop you from finding out what all of the fuss is about.
When you do get your food, prepare to be shocked. Its simple, healthy, incredibly tasty, and so addictive that you almost forget the torturous wait or zoned out service.
First timers could stay safe with the monks bowl – usually a simple grain, greens and sauce option (vegan and warm), or the Thai bowl Vegan and “live”(raw and cold), or the spicy avocado sandwich. Once you have gotten the taste for it all – graduate to the live pasta, live wrap and live pizza. The live pasta is basically spiral sliced zucchini a simple herb pesto, a “cheese” made from ground nuts, and sun dried tomatoes. The live wrap is simple greens with pumpkin seed spread, avocado and veggies on the inside and a tahini like sauce on the outside. The live pizza changes daily, with a standard base of flax and grain crackers, and a generous pile of veggies.
The live fudge a coco- nutty confection is scrumptious, the lavender lemonade when available is sometimes overly sweet- but most of the time something special. The soy soft serve is a great thing to order while you wait – a small is very small but just right- memorable flavors are chocolate mint and cherry vanilla, blueberry was basically grey – but tasted amazing. Friends of mine swear by the tempeh offerings. And I like to try the live soups – the veggies ones that is- I have had a few melon soups there that are more bizarre and flavorless than inspired.
I love food, I am a total carnivore, but- there is something about Blossoming Lotus that might win me over to the cultish dark side of raw food. And as for energy and positive vibes, the food is kind of electric- but the place and its staff need to ramp it up a litte if they want to put their philosophy into action.
mczlaw says
If my self-discovery journey ever hits high gear at the noon hour, I will rush right over for a bit of meditation. ;-)
–mcz
Simone deMontfort says
Blossoming Lotus – bad food, bad service, bad attitude.
I was very disappointed in Blossoming Lotus. Today, I ordered the Thai bowl. It was terrible. It had too much cilantro, but the menu did not say it had cilantro. I couldn’t eat it, so I asked them to change it to Thai bowl without cilantro, and to just use normal peanut sauce. Well, I don’t know what they did, but it was worse than before – it was pretty disgusting, actually. I asked them to just give me a refund, and the waitress gave me major attitude. I don’t think they should charge $9 for inedible food. I took one bite of each, then returned it. Anyway, the waitress finally gave me a refund after I told her she should just give me my money back and avoid the negative publicity. Well, I guess Blossoming Lotus is getting it anyway.
I will never go back there. Yuck! :-(
whatthef says
Just so I get this right, you went to a restaurant took one bite of a dish you ordered – sent it back – took one bite of the dish you custom ordered and again sent it back, this time threatening them with “negative publicity” if they didn’t give you your money back, which they did AND THEN you hop onto a food blog and bitch about it?
This is a perfect example of why I am ever so grateful to NOT be in the restaurant business.