Opening Alert: Veg-Focused Harvest at the Bindery Now Open on NE Sandy

At last, rocker-turned-restaurateur Jon Steuer has opened the doors to his don't-call-it-vegan vegan restaurant. Harvest at the Bindery quietly opened on March 17 with new chef Sean Sigmon at the helm. The super-seasonal menu is plant based and free of animal products, but Steuer and Sigmon say the menu isn't so much about being vegan as it is about celebrating the versatility of vegetables.

Sigmon, a North Carolina native who grew up cooking in his parents' barbecue joints, has two decades of vegan cooking behind him, most recently at Dig Foods in Jacksonville, Florida. His lunch menu is stocked with salads, grilled vegetable plates meant for sharing, and hearty sandwiches like smoked trumpet mushrooms doused in sherry bbq sauce and topped with slaw. Dinner brings entrees like spaghetti squash carbonara with charred cauliflower confit; and farro porridge with maitake mushrooms, squash, chicories, and hazelnut milk.

Sigmon has said the menu will change constantly, depending on what's freshest. And though he'll employ grains, he won't use processed meat substitutes like tofu or seitan. In the near future, he hopes to launch weekend brunch.

Harvest at the Bindery Dinner Menu

Harvest at the Bindery: 3101 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-894-9172. Hours: lunch Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m-2 p.m.; dinner 5 p.m.-10 p.m.