Post 111: Portland - A First Meal at Tasty N Sons (Portland: North Portland/Northeast/Boise)

Last September I visited Portland for the first time.  My friend Angela and I took an early morning flight out from Long Beach headed to the mecca of modern and inventive hipster cuisine.  Right after touching down at PDX, we dropped our bags off at the hotel and hailed a cab straight for Tasty N Sons, a self-titled neighborhood restaurant that has made itself into a Portland institution.

We settled down to a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and a cup of local Stumptown brew, which was served with a very cheeky carafe of milk.  There's nothing like a good cup of acidic liquid to start your morning right.

Under the advisement of our welcoming and friendly server, we ordered the renowned Breakfast Board, which arrived complete with various proteins, an assortment of breads, fresh blackberries and pickled beets, and even a duo of supple spreads that pulled the smorgasbord together.

The strips of house made beef jerky were more moist than expected, and the hard-boiled eggs were more tender than expected.  But the double smoked applewood bacon was delicious just as expected.  It is hard for me to remember another time when I had bacon as good as this.  With a crisp crostini of chicken liver mousse spread over the top, I was in absolute heaven.  The only thing that may have been better than the luxurious chicken liver mousse was the Lebneh, the creamy yogurt cheese drizzled with olive oil.  Whether it's spread over crostini or encircling the fresh blackberries, the opulent tasting dairy spread cannot be beat.

For some heartier fare, we ordered the BBQ Chicken Hash.  It was topped off with some onion sour cream and an over easy egg.  I immediately popped the runny yolk so that it ran down the sweet and savory shredded chicken.  Ah, isn't that the best part of every egg done over easy?

We saw all of this being prepared on the spot while seated at the bar counter.  The chickens were pulled out of the oven, cooled and shredded, and blended with the barbecue sauce by hand.  Heart and soul was being injected into our fresh food live in front of us.  Very cool.

I was mesmerized by all the happenings of the open kitchen.  Everyone worked at a quick but steady pace without the frenzy and chaos of other kitchens I've seen.  No drama here... just genuine cooking.  It must have been the Portland air.

Our last taste at Tasty N Sons was the Chocolate Potato Doughnut with crème anglaise.  This was a must because it was prominently featured on the menu twice.  It was literally the first item on the menu, and it was on the desserts list as well.

It was densely packed with chocolate, and although I love chocolate, the granulated sugar coating on the exterior of the decadent doughnut and the pool of crème anglaise really made the dessert what it was.

Our first meal at Tasty N Sons gave us a solid first impression that this supposedly quirky city has to offer.  And now, next door to Chop Charcuterie and Eat: An Oyster Bar for a little taste of what they have to offer.  Let's get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20120914

Post 39.1: International Potluck

I work in a section of the office that has people from all different ethnic backgrounds... from Afghan to American to Pakistani to Polish.  We used this to our advantage by holding an international potluck at work.  Here are some of the dishes that my co-workers brought to the potluck... along with the five words they would use to describe food from their culture.

Sambosas and chutney
Afghanistan

No typo there.  Sambosas are from Afghanistan, and samosas are from India.  Difference? Other than the extra letter, Indian samosas are pyramid-shaped and primarily filled with potatoes, while Afghan sambosas are flatter and are filled with seasoned ground beef.  

The ground beef filling is folded over with wonton wrappers and then fried in a wok... a wok? That doesn't seem very Afghan! The wok is used by Afghan-Americans... but what if you're Afghan in Afghanistan? You make your own wrappers with flour and water, and grab a deep kettle to fry these fantastic fried finger foods up.  Clear out the space in your stomach for Afghan sambosas.  They're ridiculously addicting.

Sambosa filling: ground beef, cabbage, onions, peas, carrots
Spices: ground coriander seed, cumin, paprika, garlic, garlic powder, salt, pepper
Chutney blend: cilantro, murch (Afghan chili) or jalapeño, apple cider vinegar, avocado

Marya's 5 words to describe Afghan food: Persian style cooking, Indian spices

Pork fried rice
Cambodia

Bai cha, or fried rice in Cambodian, is surprisingly similar to Chinese style fried rice.  But the rice that Cambodians use is different.  While the best Chinese fried rice is made with day-old, long grain rice, my co-worker informed me that Cambodians use a mixture of new rice and old rice.  Many claim Cambodian rice is a higher quality version of the rice from Thailand or Vietnam.  I can't tell the difference just yet, but hey, at least I know it's good.

Stir-fry ingredients: Chinese sausage, eggs, corn, peas, carrots, garlic, soy sauce

Holly's 5 words to describe Cambodian/Khmer food: simple in a complicated way

Chicken qorma with matar pulao
Pakistan

Mmmmm... now this is some good stuff.  Spicy food always makes me happy.  Although I was ensured that the heat on the qorma was toned down just for us non-Pakistani, non-Indian folk, it was spicy enough for some perspiration to form on my forehead... but not too much.

Vegetable oil was used instead of ghee (clarified butter) in the qorma... oil is healthier, and it doesn't congeal when it cools off the way ghee does.  The pulao, another word for pilaf, was a tasty way to soak up all the gravy from the qorma.  I liked the added touch of the peas (matar) to the rice.

Qorma ingredients: yogurt, fried onions, coriander, powdered cumin, peppercorn
Pulao ingredients: Basmati rice, peas, fried onions, cumin seed

Zeeshan's 5 words to describe Pakistani food: Just use the Wikipedia words
Wikipedia's 5 words to describe Pakistani food: refined blend of various cuisines

Pancit bihon
Phillippines

Ah... Taiwanese stir-fried rice noodles? 米粉? That's what I thought when I first noticed the rice noodles.  Not only are the Taiwanese and Filipino rice noodles similar in appearance, the name is similar as well... bifen in Taiwanese and bihon in Tagalog.  But the big difference, at least for me, was not just the choice of meat (Taiwanese generally use pork to make rice noodles) but the last minute squeeze of lemon right before eating.  Usually, calamansi is used for its more sour flavor (as compared to the typical American lemon)... it adds a burst of flavor that's unseen to the naked eye. 

The burst of flavor, especially the sour taste, is something that Filipinos like, and I understand why.  The squeeze of lemon at the end is like icing on the cake... it makes something already good that much better.  With this eye-opening experience with bihon, I think slices of lemon will forever accompany my bifen.

Main ingredients: bihon rice noodles, cabbage, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, scallions, lemon

Peter and Lisa's 5 words to describe Filipino food: porky, vinegary, Spanish-Asian fusion

Cabbage rolls stuffed with beef
Ireland, Poland

Oooooh... how interesting.  Traditionally, cabbage rolls were a way to consume leftover food in old Eastern Europe.  It's something I've never had before, so I was quite intrigued to discover what was inside.  As I broke the cabbage leaves apart, I was surprised to discover not just beef within but grains of fluffy white rice as well.    The stuffing can be any kind of meat mixed with grains, eggs, vegetables and even the leftover bits of cabbage too small to wrap around the filling.  Covered in tomato sauce and cooked for 45 minutes in either an oven or over the stove, the cabbage rolls stuffed with beef makes a very hearty meal.  Meat, veggies and carbs are rolled into one... literally.  All that's missing now is beer.

Stuffing ingredients: ground beef, white rice, onions, tomato sauce, salt, pepper

Christina's 5 words to describe Irish food: meat and fat and beer

Texas BBQ beef
USA

Phil's in San Diego and Lucille's in the LA area both make great barbeque, but Jon's wife Tammy barbequed up the best batch of beef today.  The meat was sweet and tangy and ever-so-tender.  I didn't even need the rolls to enjoy the shredded deliciousness.  Meat and sauce is as simple as it gets.  It may be the reason why Jon describes American food as basic... just grown on a farm.

BBQ ingredients: beef and sauce

Jon's 5 words to describe American food: heavy, filling, basic, farm food

Not featured: 
Antipasto salad (Italy) and Three cup chicken lettuce wraps (Taiwan)

ML - 20101117/20101028

Post 22: Moove Over for Moo Dae Po! (LA: Koreatown)

On my last romp through Koreatown up and down Vermont (filled to the brim with Beverly Soon Tofu), Rose pointed Moo Dae Po out to me and mentioned that it was one of the better Korean barbeque places in LA.  That mere statement jump-started my salivary glands and kicked my anxious nerves into overdrive.  The shakes.  I got the shakes.  I had to have a taste of some grilled meats at Moo Dae Po.

Joe was in town for a business project recently, and he got a craving for all-you-can-eat KBBQ. (I wasn't the one with the Korean food craving... what a shocker.) So to Moo Dae Po we went.  I was starving like mad... partly because it was dinner time and partly because I was put through some very intense reverse crunches (which I haven't done since this first time) at the gym earlier in the day.  Perfect time for KBBQ!

Okay, so official announcement: I fell in love at Moo Dae Po... with the kimchi.  At first, it looked like any ordinary restaurant kimchi... but after one bite, I knew this kimchi was different.  The gleaming red chili sauce retained a strong oyster essence.  It was almost as if the oysters had just been pulled out of the kimchi jar.  (Korean culinary conoisseurs tell me that the essence of oyster is a sign of authentic kimchi.)  The cabbage leaves made me fall even deeper in love with the kimchi.  The leaves were whole and in tact... far from being bite-sized, which means each bite of the kimchi made me feel like I was folding oceanwaves in my mouth.  This kimchi was the one.  It was love at first bite.

Completely enamored with the kimchi, I had almost forgotten about the rest of the banchan.  In stark contrast to the spiciness of the kimchi was this glowing yellow ball of yam mashed potato.  Although it looked like a sulfuric meteor of minute proportions that Venus perhaps tossed over to Earth, the taste was far from poisonous.  This mashed yam ball captured an unexpected sweet taste with a hint of ginger.  (This might be something I want to try making at home.)  I just couldn't get over its sulfuric look.

Another favorite is this gonyak (CN: konjac, JP: konnyaku) salad with bits of sesame and shredded cucumber.  The rest of the banchan were pretty typical of Korean restaurants (bean sprouts and the like), but this gonyak salad captured my attention because it was prepared differently from the gonyak I've had at other restaurants.  This dish provided another contrasting flavor and texture to the kimchi and mashed yam.  It was so light and refreshing and almost acted as a neutral palate cleanser in between the meats and heavier flavors.

While the grilled meats and spicy kimchi were more savage to the taste, the steamed egg was more mild and comforting.  (I think I've found a new favorite dish to eat with a spoon.)  Watching the amount of steam rising from the stone pot was like watching love evaporate into the air.  (Did I just compare steam to love? I think I've officially gone crazy.)  Maybe it stems from my childhood, but whenever my parents, aunts, or Ah Ma made me a big bowl of chawanmushi, the warmth of the steam made me feel loved.  I can see my married life now... my wife says, "I love you," and I reply with, "here, honey, have some steamed egg." (Potential miscommunication and slap in the face? Boy, I hope my future wife reads this post...)

By the end of the full-fledged consumption of steamed egg, the meats and lettuce (no rice paper here!) had arrived.  The server placed a garden of lettuces before us.  Hidden amongst the romaine and the butter leaves were a few sesame seed leaves (shiso).  Shiso is so ridiculously aromatic and fragrant.  The smell of shiso casts a spell on me the same way that jasmine, lavender, or freshly brewed coffee mesmerizes others.  Mmmmm...

As I began to create my lettuce wrap, I dropped a large spoonful of the fermented bean paste onto my lettuce to hold everything in place.  (Has anyone noticed that Taco Bell smears a bit of refried beans on the wax paper wrapper to hold the taco in place?) The bean paste is chock full of garlic, green onions, and red chilies, and it has a strong, pungent smell.  Funny how a simple, fermented soybean can create this pungent paste and oh-so-tantalizing taste. 

After a plop of the bean paste, I dropped two cubes of beef onto the mat of kimchi.  The beef looked like it was chillin' in a lettuce hammock.  Too bad I was about to tear it apart with my teeth.  Muahahaha... good food brings out the predator in me.

I was so busy building wraps and engrossed in conversing about how wonderful the kimchi was that I failed to take more pictures of the meat.  Super fail.  Buuutt... the Cheju pork belly is awesome; the beef tongue is tender; and the shrimp is fresh and flavorful from the olive oil marinade.  And if you're up for a bit of excitement, order the baby octopus and you can watch their bodies burst when the grill gets super hot.  (I recently came back with oolong-milktea and co. after a 10K race, and the bursting baby octopi were definitely a source of amusement.)  Oh, but the best part? They're quite delicious too.  Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20100608/20100427+0516