Good Taste

Good Taste (Old Town - Chinatown location)
18 NW 4th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
Yelp

After a few miles hiking through the evergreen forests of Portland, we definitely worked up a appetite for something comforting.  The noodles at Good Taste really hit the spot.  The place is your typical fobby Chinese joint.  Their mastery of cleanliness is only slightly outshined by their mastery of the English language.  Though, one could argue the opposite depending on which server you get.  Just kidding.  There was no hair in my food or bugs in my water.  Ok, I'm really just kidding now.  Good Taste is known for their rice and egg noodle dishes.  Their portions are generous.  Their prices are right.  It's not crowded.  The MSG is not terribly obvious.  What is there to hate about this place?

Chinese Brocolli oyster sauce
I love extra side dishes to my main course.  Pretty standard fare.

Steamed Chicken, Roasted Duck over Rice

Zhu Zhu Hamster went for the rice.  I think she rather liked the ginger scallion sauce.

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Pip's Original Doughnut

Pip's Original Doughnuts

4759 NE Fremont St., Ste C

Portland, OR 97213

Yelp

When traveling, I grapple with this horrible first world problem.  There's just not enough meals and time in a day to eat everything I want to eat.  With some thoughtful planning, we were able to squeeze in a visit to Pip's for some fresh-from-the-fryer mini doughnuts.  Like everything else Portland, the shop is a charming little place with hipsters taking your orders using iPads and Square.  Actual inked signatures and paper receipts are becoming a thing of the past.  So Zhu Zhu Hamster and Little Pet finally rolled out of bed to meet us here before our hike.

While the doughnuts are the main attraction here, the chai is not to be missed.  I don't usually like chai.  All those spices in a hot beverage is not something I'm used to, but I quite enjoyed the offerings here.  You have the option of whole, skim, soy, hemp, or almond milk.

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Olympia Provisions

Olympia Provisions

107 SE Washington St.

Portland, OR 97214

olympiaprovisions.com

Yelp

My first visit to Olympia Provisions was 4 years ago, at a time when it was still known as Olympic Provisions (please refer to this link for the utterly ridiculous drama surrounding its name change).  But despite the name change, the place still remains the meat/charcuterie/savory centric dining destination that I've always been meaning to revisit.  I mean, how can you NOT come back to a place that welcomes you with this type of signage.  

I was a bit disappointed that Zhu Zhu Hamster and Little Pet didn't join Decidedly Undecided and me for brunch.  Sure I tried to lay down a guilt trip like I missed their company, but really I wanted a bigger dining party so I could order and try more food.  Alas, between just two people, we could not do much damage.

I'm totally on this ginger beer kick, but this was just ok.

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Khao San

Khao San
1435 NW Flanders St.
Portland, OR 97209
khaosanpdx.com
Yelp

I love Asian food more than any other food on this planet.  After a couple non Asian meals, I will usually crave something Asian.  So I was happy to squeeze in some Thai food during my Portland trip.  The Thai food is noticeable solid in Portland.  Of course there are your average joints, but on the whole I've always been pleased with my options here.  After a long day out and about checking out parts of Portland unknown to me with Decidedly Undecided, Zhu Zhu Hamster, and Little Pet, we settled on Khao San which had pretty good Yelp reviews and wasn't too far off the beaten path.  Big Spoon was able to get away from a rough day on call to feast with us.

Blue Crab and Rice Noodle Stir Fry rice noodle, blue crab meat, egg, bean sprout, chives, garlic, chili, fried soft shell crab
Kind of like a less sweet/sour and more savory version of pad Thai.  There was great crabby flavor and the fried soft shell crab was a delicious crunchy addition.

Khao San Holy Basil minced chicken, holy basil, fried egg

I think this was like pad ka prao.  The fried egg and bit of fish sauce for dipping were snazzy touches.

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Sweedeedee

Sweedeedee
5202 N. Albina Ave.
Portland, OR 97217
sweedeedeepdx.tumblr.com
Yelp

Decidedly Undecided and I attempted to brunch it at one of my favorite spots, Tasty & Alder, but of course the wait was ridiculous so we skedaddled from the shiny part of Downtown Portland over to the more grungy Northwest Portland.  I had never heard of Sweedeedee, but Zhu Zhu Hamster suggested it and Decidedly Undecided gave it two thumbs up.  My friends are wary of sending bad food recommendations my way because they know about my discerning palate and high standards.  The restaurant itself is so typically Portland.  It basically looks like a shack from the outside and very quaint on the inside.  When I lived here, I would have turned my nose at this place or at least rolled my eyes and sighed "Oh, Portland..."  Now, I can really see the charm.  The place is just simple, and that is reflected in the food.  I wish I had taken a picture of the kitchen.  It didn't really look like a kitchen, more like a room with people cooking in it.  It was more wood than stainless steel.

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Cacao

Cacao
414 SW 13th Ave
Portland, OR 9720
cacaodrinkchocolate.com
Yelp

When I lived in Portland, the perpetual doom and gloom would get to me on certain days, especially so when I had a stressful day at work.  I'm definitely a stress eater.  I feel like indulging in something deliciously sinful soothes my woes away.  Living above this fancy schmancy chocolate shop made it easy to drown my sorrows in vats of high quality premium chocolate from all over the world.

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Ava Gene

Ava Gene was one of the few restaurants that impressed Perpetually Underwhelmed during her time in Portland.  Obviously, that is saying something given her name.  Zhu Zhu Hamster sang the restaurant's praises.  It was the first restaurant I wanted to try during my summer visit to my old city.  The weather left much to be desired, what with the normally hot sunny summer temps replaced by the standard Portlandian doom and gloom.  On the flip side, the experience at Ava Gene was more than we expected.  First of all, we did not have reservations but were able to walk in during prime dinner hours on a Friday and snag a table due to a last minute cancellation.  We were pretty stoked at our luck because it probably would have been over an hour wait otherwise.

Pane fresh sheep cheese, tomatoes, basil
Our waitress recommended this from the bread selection.  So simple, so balanced, so delectable.  Bravo!

Gnocco Fritto prosciutto, parmigiano, saba
I had this another time at Tasting Kitchen.  The more I eat it, the more I liked it.  My dining companions, Zhu Zhu Hamster, Little Pet, and Decidedly Undecided didn't speak one way or the other on this dish.  I imagine it was strange to them, as it was to me when I first tried it.  Hard to go wrong with fried dough and meat.  I liked the light drizzle of balsamic vinegar, which added a subtle sweet sour note.

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Screendoor

Southern food is not really my favorite food.  The food is just too heavy and low on the vegetable/high fiber component.  I'm not a healthnut really, but I prefer balance in my diet and Southern food represents everything wrong with the American diet in this country.  So you'll rarely see my seek out Southern food, which might explain why Screendoor was never high on my priority list in Portland.  It also did not help that the wait for weekend brunch can easily exceed an hour.  Big Spoon joined The Gunner and I for a delightful brunch on an unsurprisingly grey Saturday morning when the wait was less than 30 minutes.  Score!

Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich house smoked pork shoulder, creamy coleslaw, toasted bun
People go crazy for pulled pork, and now I know why.  This sh*t was BOMB.  The coleslaw and pork were a perfect combination of sweet, salt, tang, crunch.  Our waiter said he's worked at the restaurant for 8 years and he ate this everyday for the first couple years.  It was that good.  Between the 3 of us, I ate half.  My only ding was that the bottom bun got soaked with grease pretty fast.

Does anybody notice anything wrong with this picture??

If you guessed that half the diners in the party were busy on their phones or taking pics, then you have valid point.  But the common denominator is this bad boy.

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Holdfast

The Gunner and Perpetually Underwhelmed spoke very highly of Holdfast, a pop up dining experience to recently enter the culinary scene in Portland.  Pop ups are fun, but they can be unpredictable.  There's a lot of experimentation that goes into any given night's menu.  Sometimes items are being served for the first time, which can result in something spectacular or something poorly executed.  Holdfast has been holding steady in KitchenCru, which is a rentable kitchen space near the Pearl District.  It does not make for the best dining ambiance, but the pop up is more about the food than service or experience.  For $90 we had a 9 course meal with 5 wines. 

Crab beet, horseradish, dill

We started off the meal nice and light, a little crab salad topped with thinly shaved beets, drizzled with beet sauce.  I don't believe I've had beets and crabs paired together.  More dill would have elevated the dish.  

Razor Clam fennel, apple, sauerkraut

Another refreshing combination of flavors with ingredients never tried together by myself.  Some parts of the poached razor clams were off-puttingly fishy.  Apples and fennel are always good together.  All together, I'm not sure if these ingredients really sung.

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Lauretta Jean's

I love me some pie, but only the fruity ones.  I never ate pecan pie, pumpkin pie, or banana cream pie, just to name a few, growing up.  It's a strange concept to pair a flakey pie crust with the aforementioned ingredients.  I love the contrast of a tart tangy fruit with a slightly sweet buttery pie crust.  It's a match made in heaven when in my mouth and tummy.  I never got to check out Lauretta Jean's when I lived in Portland.  After a comforting lunch at Sen Yai where I was sufficiently satisfied, though not horribly stuffed, The Gunner informed me Lauretta Jean's was but a hop skip and a jump away.  Even though I knew I only wanted a few bites of anything and the rest would be boxed up, I just had to go and order more than I could eat alone.  The Gunner didn't plan on partaking too much.

They have a varied selection of baked goods beyond pie.

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Sen Yai

Andy Ricker's fame has spread beyond the confines of grey-ass, gloomy-ass Portland.  Who would have ever thought a white man could create this burgeoning Thai food empire from one of the less Asian influenced cities in this country?  If you won't take my word for it, believe me when I say even Thai people (Verde and Perpetually Underwhelmed included) love his food and give it their seal of authenticity.  He started off with a window that sold chicken wings, to a restaurant (Pok Pok), bar (Whiskey Soda Lounge), and offshoots in NYC and soon-to-be in LA's Chinatown.  In the past year or so, Andy Ricker opened up his noodle focused venture, Sen Yai in Portland.  Perpetually Underwhelmed actually seemed unsurprisingly underwhelmed with the place calling it's dishes "too salty."  Lucky for me, The Gunner is always game for noodles.  

Singapore Curry Laksa Noodles

I had just a bite of this.  Hard to gauge flavor and quality here since I've never eaten laksa before.  I would say it was a tad underseasoned, but I think it's because you're supposed to go to town on the condiments.

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Woodsman Tavern

I had been wanting to go to Woodsman Tavern for a long long time and finally got around to it thanks to some friends.  Verde, Perpetually Underwhelmed,  The Gunner (though she's not doing much of that anymore these days), Big Spoon, joined me for some good ole grubbin'.  

Marinated Octopus pickled lemon, oregano capers
This was a big disappointment.  It had a fishiness to it that I could not overcome.  Big Spoon and Verde did not seem to mind it.  Texturally, it was meaty without being too rubbery or too soft.  I'll give this one a pass but I wouldn't order it again.  

Pacific Coast Oyster on the Half Shell Kusshi (BC), Sea Cows (WA), Shigoku (WA)

Pacific Uni grapefruit vinaigrette

I love me some oysters! I can't remember which were which, but I loved them all!  They were fresh, sweet, briny, and meaty on the whole.  I think oysters taste great with just a squeeze of lemon, no mignonette or horse radish needed usually.  I thought the uni was well done with an interesting flavor profile from the tangy vinaigrette.  Perpetually Underwhelmed seemed unimpressed (duh, look at her name!) and preferred her uni unadulterated.  

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Ox

I get a lot of foodie updates about what is new in Portland.  So even though I have a laundry list of established places I've been wanting to try, I find myself tempted by all the new stuff.  I'm a neophyte, what can I say?  Ox, an Argentinian inspired joint, peaked my interest.  The menu sounded delicious so I dragged Big Spoon, The Gunner, and Dumpling Man (of course) here to see what all the hype was about.  Unfortunately, we were a bit underwhelmed by the food and completely overwhelmed by all the heavy smoky odor from the open bbq.

Amuse Bouche
I think this was a chilled asparagus soup.  It was cool, just a bit creamy, and a nice way to start the meal.

Bruschetta kampachi sashimi, avocado mousse, radish, cucumber, shiso 
Very beautiful to look at, but the bread was way too hard and crispy.  The kampachi was nice as was all the other accoutrements, but the dish failed to wow us.

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Pok Pok

Who would have ever known that the best Asian food in Portland would be the Thai food.  I don't think there a lot of Thai people here according to my Thai friend Verde, but he's not always the most accurate source of information.  Anyways, the Thai food is very solid and easily accessible, unlike in LA where the good Thai food is only in Thai Town.

Khao Soi northern thai curry noodle soup, chicken
They do this pretty good here.  Coconutty, spicy, salty, sweet curry with egg noodles.  We always share this dish among a couple of people, but there not a whole lot of noodles to go around.  Next time I want my own!

pickled mustard greens, shallots, chili paste
Next time I'm always gonna throw all this stuff in there too.  I think it'll really kick up the flavor.

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Tasty n Sons

I have been wanting to try Tasty n Sons very a long time now.  It's an extremely popular brunch place, but the wait can be ridiculous.  There dinner service is supposed to be pretty good too, so I made this my final birthday dinner destination.

Nueve Cocktail octopus, prawns, flatbread
I guess I was imagining a ceviche, but instead found myself with shrimp and octopus doused in cocktail sauce.  I'm not sure what was "neuve" about this.  The flatbread? The saltine crackers?  Major disappointment here.

Toro Spinach
Another underwhelming plate of food.  Despite all the pretty contrasting colors, this was bland and unexciting.

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Le Pigeon

So Dumpling Man and I have tried almost all the big name fancy restaurants in Portland, but there was just one left, Le Pigeon.  I can't say I had high expectations because it's more casual sister restaurant, Little Bird, was just ok and Dumpling Man had already tried Le Pigeon and was not impressed.  However, the executive chef/owner, Gabriel Rucker was awarded the 2011 James Beard Rising Star Chef award for his work at Le Pigeon so that's saying something.

Despite being on their "I'm a Skinny Bitch" diet, Zhu Zhu Hamster and Little Pet happily joined us here for another birthday celebration dinner in my honor.  They stayed true to their diet and only ordered 1 appetizer and 1 entree TO SHARE.  I felt like a fat ass for just 2 seconds when I ordered my appetizer and entree and eagerly approved of Dumpling Man's 2 choices too.

Pigeon fava beans, spicy garlic, pecorino broth
Our dining companions seemed to enjoy this.

Beets mache, feta, peppers
Dumpling Man cannot help himself when it comes to beets.  He just has to have them, no questions asked.

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Navarre

It pains me to write this post for two reasons.  The food was not good and the pictures are pretty crappy.  Somehow, I wasn't as motivated to take good pictures because the food was so uninspiring.  I like the idea of tapas (good for sharing, more variety), but I've not been impressed with real Spanish tapas.  Spanish food in general is not high up there for me, maybe because of my dislike for olives.  Toro Bravo is probably an exception. 

Ordering at Navarre is very complicated.  They have their standard menu and another list of specials, which turns out to be a whole lot longer than the standard menu.  You can order things in small or large portions.  You can organize your orders to be served as courses or rounds.  You can also do a chef's tasting and save yourself a whole lot of trouble.  I guess I wanted trouble and Zhu Zhu Hamster, Little Pet, and Dumpling Man were just little lemmings.


Ken's Artisan Bread grassy olive oil
People make a big deal bout the bread from Ken's Artisan Bakery.  I will have to admit the bread was pretty good.  It was so soft, but dense and hearty.  The crust was a little too hard for my liking but overall pretty good.  We were stupid and ordered a large portion of this which was just WAY TOO MUCH bread.

Spicy Italian Sausage pickled beets
I'm big on the texture of sausage.  I like it to be springy and fatty, but this was really crumbly and dry.  The pickled beets were not anything to write home about.  Zhu Zhu Hamster really didn't seem to mind the offensive texture.

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Cocotte

Portland is replete with food just like what I'm about to show you: farm to table, seasonal, made to order, small batches, comforting, simple.  Cocotte takes that and just puts a French spin on it all.  Zhu Zhu Hamster and Little Pet, who are becoming quite our favorite duo to hang out with, joined us to try out some delicious French delights.

Roasted Beets pistou, blue cheese, pea shoots, honey mustard vinaigrette

More beets!  This was better than the version at Drago Centro.  Maybe the French do it better than the Italians??  It just tasted fresher, crisper, sweeter?

Chicken Liver Mouse house pickles, whole grain mustard, port plumped cherries, baguette
I love me a big hunk of animal liver.  Classical accoutrements with the mustard, baguette, pickled veggies, and some fruity bits with the cherries.  I could have used some more baguette slices.

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Smallwares

Would you ever go to a restaurant that describes itself as "inauthentic"?  Well, we did and it was surprisingly delicious and true to its description, "inauthentic."  Smallwares is helmed by Johanna Ware, formerly of Momofuku Noodle Bar and Ssam Bar.  Having never been to Momofuku anything and only read about the food and tried recipes from the cookbook, I was eager to actually get closer to tasting the Momofuku influence.  The menu is divided into appetizers, small plates, and larger plates.  I'm actually beginning to like this new trend restaurants are taking towards small plate offerings meant for sharing.  It really gives you the chance to try more things in one sitting.


Fanny Bay Oysters fish sauce, cilantro, lime
These were some big oysters and the addition of fish sauce, slightly tempered with sugar and lime, really brought the Southeast Asian, if not Vietnamese flavors.  I could have eaten 6 of these, too bad 1 order = 1 oyster!

Scallop Sashimi den miso, shallot, puffed rice
My experience with raw scallop has been pretty hit or miss.  Sometimes it's a bit too slimy and other times it has a fresh fleshy sweetness.  This was definitely a hit.  The preparation reminded me of nasu dengaku, or miso glazed eggplant often times served at izakaya joints.  It was an ingenious creation.  I could have had the whole dish to myself.

The next dishes are good for sharing.

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Noisette

After only a short time in Portland, I feel like I've eaten at most of the big name restaurants, Beast, Andina, Paley's Place, etc.  With Valentine's Day approaching, I was worried there wasn't going to be a restaurant special or fancy enough to truly celebrate the occasion.  Dumpling Man and I don't like to repeat restaurants.  We always like new stuff, new house, new furniture, new food.  It's amazing we haven't ditched each other for new significant others.  My first choice, Le Pigeon, was all booked up.  So I went with Noisette which is a relatively new restaurant in the Portland dining scene.  It's only been open for 2 years or so and only has about 7 reviews on Yelp.  So it was definitely a gamble, but their menu looked appetizing and after my good luck with Blue Hour, I was hopeful.

It's not a great way to start off your Valentine's day being 45 minutes late, so you can't blame me for being a bit miffed when Dumpling Man asked if we could move the reservation back a bit since he was "overworked" and running late.  Fortunately, the restaurant was totally accommodating.  I can see why, because as a restaurant with only 30-40 seats, we were really part of the last seating.  So it really made no difference if we showed up at 7:45 or 8:30pm.  Once the food starting rolling in, my unhappiness quickly evaporated.  I don't think Dumpling Man could be any luckier being with someone who's mood can be so easily brightened just with good food.


For Valentine's Day, Noisette was offering a special 8 course pre fixe menu for the whopping price of $125!  Uh, yeah that's what I said, but the life we live before we have kids is too short, so better live it to the fullest before it's overrun with drooling screaming rug rats.  I'm gonna be an auntie soon, and a great one to boot, can't you tell?!  


Housemade Brioche
These were quite dry and disappointing.  Not a good start.

Shigoku Oyster sautéed sweet pea tendrils, warm lobster creme
It's rare to have cooked oysters, but these were quite delicate and still maintained the sweet brine you get when it's raw.  The lobster creme was a bit salty but it packed a ton of lobster flavor, which was wonderful.  I soaked up the creme with the dry brioche and I loved it.

Dungeness Crab avocado salad, shallots, assorted radishes, frisee, citrus vinaigrette, extra virgin olive oil
This was a wonderful next starter.  Every element was bright and refreshing.  The radishes were crunchy.  The avocado was smooth and buttery.  The crab was light but meaty.  It was all so simple but delicious.

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