Lee and I trekked down to Portland on Friday  night to help our longtime friend Micky, a new Portland resident, celebrate her birthday. On Saturday morning, we met up with another Portlander friend Shannon for brunch at Vita Cafe.

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Vita is in the Alberta Arts district and they've been around since 1999. Their menu is comprised largely of vegetarian and vegan fare, but they also made my carnivorous companions happy with free range eggs and hormone-free meats. One look at the menu and I knew this was THE perfect brunch spot for our group. Their social agenda makes them even more appealing to me, as they adhere to sustainable business practices and seek to protect the earth as well as our bodies.

And, by the way, the place smells AMAZING and that's how you know when you're really in breakfast heaven.

Lee and I had been warned by our Portland friends that brunch is a big fat deal in town and that we might have a long wait for a table. We arrived at Vita around 11am, expecting to circle the block for parking and pace the sidewalk while we waited for a table. Not so! We scored a sweet parking space right across the street and waltzed right in and sat down. The place was hopping, but the line didn't start forming at the door until about 11:30am. Take note, folks!

The Vita menu is literally to die for. I had to comment to my fellow brunchers, "I wish I was hungrier because I want to order half the menu!" I already knew what I wanted though: vegan french toast. It had been calling to me since I read Vita's menu on their website on Friday and there are few things better in this world than french toast, in my completely unhumble opinion. Based on the sights and smells of this cafe, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed, so I ordered up.

Another "must note" item on the menu: almond gravy. I'm not really a gravy girl, if there is such a thing - or at least I wasn't until I met Vita's fanfreakingtabulous vegan almond gravy. Shannon gave us the heads up that the gravy at Vita was incredible so I was a little sad that I hadn't ordered something that would be gravy-worthy. Fear not, because my foodie partner in crime Lee ordered the Country Comfort platter which included a hefty portion of vegan biscuits and that wonderful almond gravy. Everyone at the table had a bite - and I had more than a few - and it was decided that we need to crack their recipe code and make that gravy at home. Somehow. Isa has a pretty great Smoke Almond Gravy recipe in her book but, no offense, girl, it doesn't hold a candle to Vita's gravy.

So, yes, the food at Vita is absolutely amazing. The coffee is damn good, too. Service was quick and attentive, without being overbearing. Although we were brunching, nobody at our table ordered an adult beverage so I can't comment on them except to say that their drink menu is mouth-watering, if a little pricey. The food, however, came at fair prices with huge but not too huge portions, and we all left stuffed and happy.

We'll be returning to Vita Cafe on our next Portland trip, no questions asked.