Cultured Caveman of Portland, Oregon, Provides Allergy-Friendly Food to Satisfy the Entire Family
“How about we visit Portland?” I asked my husband, “Just for the day.”
As many of you know, Timothy and I do not often get the opportunity for dates, with our busy schedules between work and school and then four kiddos, we generally cannot seem to fit in frequent dates.
So, when we do, we take what we like to call “Day Dates.” For us, a day date means just that, a day, usually 12 to 16 hours to spend just the two of us. We arrange sitters for the kiddos, usually multiple ones, (insert shout out to my Grandma and Mother-in-law here.) and then we leave early in the day. It’s our way to make up for the lost non-dating time if it were. It allows us the chance to explore together. On top of it, we use the days to look up new places to take the kids as a family and find locations they would enjoy, because, well let’s face it, even when it’s just the two of us we are never really “just us.” #parentproblems
The entire premise of this belly friendly eatery revolves around providing allergy-friendly meals the entire family can enjoy. (Summer Mincks)
About a month ago, jeez has it really been that long? I am SOOO late to the game here, we decided to take one of our usual day dates, and leave extra early, 5:00am to be precise, and take the just about four-hour drive up to Portland for the day.
I’ve been an Oregonian for the majority of my life, not including time spent in Nevada and Minnesota (*Go Vikings!) and I never really had gotten the opportunity to explore Portland. This was a travesty to me and I needed to make amends with all of the other Oregonians in my life by marking it off of my to-do list.
Both my hubby and I, being the foodies we are, instantly brought up thoughts of “where do we eat?”
For the majority of couples, barring any sort of argument eating ‘what sounds good’ or ‘I don’t care,’ this is much simpler than it is for myself. Because of my Hemiplegic Migraines and other autoimmune-related conditions, I eat a relatively limited diet. No gluten, no non-cultured dairy, limited corn, and absolutely no soy. I also limit grains as much as possible and tend to follow a relatively ketogenic lifestyle. Generally speaking, I can always find something on the menu, but more often than not it involves salad, with no croutons, and chicken or a bunless burger, with limited condiments. Even steakhouses can occasionally pose risk because usually steaks are coated in soybean oil before grilling.
What’s a girl like me to do?
The rustic-industrial design of this place had me drooling as much as the food did. Exposed beams, hints of greens and minimalist themes, Oh My! (Summer Mincks)
Well, I call up my good friends yelp and google, and we have a little chit-chat. This time it involved me asking,
“Hey, bros,” both Google and Yelp seem like they’d be like ‘bros’ to me, maybe yelp on the campier side, but bros none the less. “Where can a girl like me get some food around the Portland area?”
Ok, so obviously I didn’t ask it like that, and if you try, you probably will not find the answer you’re looking for. Instead google “Ketogenic restaurants in Portland, Oregon.”
Ah yes. This is the magic text-based ticket right there.
Those framed images on the wall serve both beauty and function as the actual recipes are showcased for all to see. (Summer Mincks)
A north star lit up on my MacBook shining its golden light all the way to the Cultured Caveman’s door.
An entire restaurant, with a complete menu all catering to those on limited diets due to food allergies and sensitivities. I looked over the menu and felt the heavens were singing praises as I read through the delicious treats and eats. All Paleo. All Natural and Organic whenever possible. All sounding like a party of pixies raving on my tongue.
So, we scheduled it.
We arrived at Cultured Caveman around 1:00pm, and the atmosphere was steady. Both big tables and small tables were available. And how is that relevant you may ask? Well if you have a larger family like ours, you are always looking for places where your family could potentially fit. Usually, we require two tables, and sometimes multiple high chairs. For a family like ours, this can pose quite a challenge. But no, this place surpassed my expectations and we could easily fit our family of seven with elbow room.
This quad of dips was the perfect way to prepare your taste buds for the experience to come. The veggies were perfectly crisp and pared fantastically with all four of these scratch made condiments. (Summer Mincks)
The atmosphere is warm and inviting, making you want to spend hours catching up with friends, curling up with a newspaper or book and more importantly, noshing on some non-inflammatory foods. With a vibe that blends Viking longhouse with new age hipster with its beautiful exposed dark wood beams and hints of vibrant green plants lining the window sills, the eatery makes you feel more like visiting an old college friend and less like “just going out to eat.”
Line up at the counter to order and you are greeted with a smiling and patient face ready and willing to answer any questions you may have regarding the menu or ingredients. Curious if your allergen is in one of the tasty looking entrées’? Just ask and not only will they provide you with an ingredient list, but they’ll also point you to one of the many framed recipes lining the walls.
This was like an epiphany for me. It felt like for the first time since getting my allergen lists figured out someone actually gave a damn about my food concerns. And beyond that, they wanted to provide me with something other than just a salad to graze on. Our hostess at the counter was the sweetest of gems and just smiled when my eyes widened at the menu and I repeated “Oh my god! I can eat that?!?” over and over again.
For the fact that Cultured Caveman blessed my life with Asian themed foods again, I will be forever grateful. *insert moment of silence here* (Summer Mincks)
Eventually, my eyes landed on something I had been craving for months, but with a severe soy allergy had been deprived of unless I would have gone through the process of making it myself, sweet and sour chicken. I read off the list and just about went to heaven at the sheer velocity of the words. Timothy settled on the meatballs with zoodles and pesto sauce and just had to have a Nectar Creek Session Mead to complete his meal. For our sides, I chose the broccoli coleslaw and Timothy chose the bacon wrapped dates. And for an appetizer, we grabbed the veggie platter with four types of dip including, guacamole, pate’, almond butter and olive tapenade’.
The veggies were beyond fresh, the almond butter the best I had ever had in my life, and the guac, well let’s just say it made a believer out of this avocado hater. The pate’ and olive spread were just as fresh and delish and made us even more excited for our meal. Then came the meal. Portions were perfectly sized, with enough to fill your tummy and a little bit extra. The food was piping hot and bursting with flavor.
The bacon wrapped dates were the perfect blend of sweet and salty and paired wonderfully with the meatballs and zoodles with pesto sauce. I have never tasted better meatballs before...Shhh, don't tell my Swedish family. (Summer Mincks)
I took one bite of my sweet and sour chicken and could have literally died happy right then and there. The flavors of the peppers and the nutty crunch of the crusted chicken married perfectly for my taste buds and gave me the feeling of completion. Knowing I would ask anyway Timothy beat me to the punch and handing me a meatball and a bacon wrapped date. The meatballs were soft and tender with just the perfect amount of spices without being anywhere near dry and the bacon wrapped dates, well all I could do was just smile as the words escaped me of just how delicious they were.
Feeling of being on an all-time high from my foodie drugs of choice I was daring enough to ask for dessert. One look at the Chocolate Pots du’ Crème had me sold while Timothy told me to surprise him. I walked up to the counter and was informed that on top of the currently listed desserts they were also including a toasted coconut cake. There was the answer to Timothy’s dessert decision.
My camera refused to focus on the actual creamy magic within this cup because the sheer velocity of its deliciousness was too much to handle. It's science. (Summer Mincks)
Loyal readers of old and new, this is where I just want to get real for a minute about the Pots du crème. It comes in the most darling of little mugs and looks like a mysterious pudding that has a flattened top that seems as though it has been pressed by little angel hands. The spoon breaks the surface of this calm chocolate sea with precise ease and when it hits your tongue it instantly melts into a full-on experience in chocolate.
This is where I get real, real quick. This is America’s greatest weapon in the war on terror because the incredible concoction within this teeny tiny mug could end the war. Just line this up on the front lines of battle with a gentle smile and a clever “here guys, take a few bites and then talk all of this over like old friends.”
And just like that, the weapons would be laid down. This dessert is the stuff that John Lennon could only dream of.
The crumbs are not sprinkled along the plate due to an error in serving it, but because Timothy could not wait even a moment for me to snap a pic before digging in. (Summer Mincks)
Timothy’s coconut cake was just as moist and rich as I could have hoped and no, he did not bring any home. Not a crumb was left to bless the plate with its encounter further.
The time had come to head out and I was already planning my future visit and what I would be ordering next time and picking out the perfect allergen friendly foods for my little ones. The Cultured Caveman was one of the biggest highlights of my day and managed to make all my foodie dreams come true.
Food allergens or not, you have to make The Cultured Cavemen a must stop location on your next trip to Portland, Oregon. And if you would be so kind, bring back a Pots Du Crème, just for me.
