127. Portland - Breakfast at Bijou Café (Portland: Southwest/Old Town/Chinatown)

Good morning, Portland.  It's time for breakfast.  Still in the Southwest quadrant of Portland, Allison and I took a brisk stroll to Bijou Café to check out some of the interesting selections on their brunch menu.  Despite pondering over cowboy steak with chimichurri, pumpkin seed molé quesadilla, and their buckwheat noodle salad, Allie and I settled on some more basic choices.

Having dined at Olympic Provisions the night before, our infatuation with the restaurant led us to order the Olympic Provisions breakfast sausage & eggs.  Hooray for ground meat in an edible casing that was not bought frozen from the supermarket.  I mean... yay for fresh sausage.

We also ordered the French toast made with fresh brioche from Portland's very own Pearl Bakery.  See a recurring theme here? Fresh and local.  I like.  The house made berry jam was not too sweet and just tart enough to bring out the natural sweetness from the bread.  The toast itself was lusciously soft.  It actually didn't need any butter at all... but I love butter, and I love watching it melt and drip down the triangles of beautifully browned brioche.  If that isn't live food porn then I don't know what is.

Allie chose the cauliflower & black kale hash, which had a bit of a Mediterranean feel with harissa, sheep milk feta and olives.  We loved the potatoes, the bright colors of the vegetables and that they weren't overcooked.  And of course, the best part was the runny yolk.  That's morning sunshine in liquid form for you right there.

There were so many choices that called to us from their menu that we had to take some time to narrow the list down.  Good thing our server at Bijou Café spent a good amount of time with us to hash out our final selections based on our tastes.  I must say that there was great service from Portland restaurant staff once again.  Bellies full, it was now time for a walk to Powell's to examine the wide selection of books there.  Until then, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20130623

Post 113: Portland - Kenny & Zuke's Hipster Pastrami and Cookies Galore (Portland: North Portland/Northeast/Boise)

After finishing a pre-breakfast snack and then our actual breakfast at Tasty N Sons, we thought we should digest our food by walking around a little bit.  However, upon exiting the restaurant we noticed a Kenny & Zuke's across the street.  So we hopped across the street to check out their pastrami, which Angela had on her list of things to eat in Portland.

This K&Z location had opened just that week, and since it was still new, Kenny himself was on hand to help welcome customers.  He said hello to many of the guests and even dropped by to take a picture with me and Angela.

Back to the food.  Angela was dying to have some of their ever popular pastrami slider, sandwiched in between toasted rye and wedged in with melted Swiss, kraut and Russian dressing.

It was a very neatly formed sandwich very different from the layered pile from Langer's in LA or the mile high heap from Katz's Delicatessen in NY.  It looked minimalistic and modern.  Like a sandwich that a hipster made.  Well, it was a sandwich that a hipster made.

While Angela munched on the sandwich, I ate cookies.  Lots of lots of cookies.  And I brought more cookies back with me.  Cookies, unlike the meats from Chop Charcuterie, could be easily taken aboard the flight home.  Unfortunately, they did not make it back to LA.  Half of them did make it back to the hotel though.  My absolute favorite was the walnut lime cookie.  The gritty crushed walnut atop the circular wonder added a welcoming crunchy texture to the otherwise simplistic cookie.  The slight tart from the lime allowed me to continue chomping away when I was already full from eating so much.

I also really liked the peanut butter cookie with strawberry jam.  It was a mini version of a childhood classic, complete with the raised ridges and sweet yet salty flavor.  I loved the jam that was sandwiched in between the two peanut butter discs.  Sweet, fresh, delicious.  Yum.

Other favorites were the pistachio ring and the caramel sablé.  The pistachio ring was fun to eat just because it reminded me of a doughnut but in cookie form.  I like doughnuts, but I would pick cookies over doughnuts any day.

Sable, meaning sand in French, is an appropriate name for these cookies because they are crumbly and have an gleaming golden color.  These tasted almost like shortbread because the cookie almost melted in my mouth. 

Although we only had a small slider and some cookies, everything was made to perfection.  I would return for more cookies for sure, but I would also come back for the half a dozen desserts, the beer selection and the wide variety of cocktails for happy hour.  But another time... because we just ate four meals in approximately four hours.  We were stuffed, and it was due time for a nap.  Oh man.  Until the next meal in Portland, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20120914

Post 108: Jammin' in the Kitchen with D-Lish Jams

Elizabeth Sinanyan of D-Lish Jams in Pasadena approached me recently with a business proposal.  You blog about my jams.  You get free jams.  That was simple enough... done deal.  Well, rather than boast and gloat about the plethroa of unique jams flavors and combinations that Liz has been making for over 20 years, I thought it was a better idea to come up with some interesting uses for the jams.  After all, it is pretty easy to spread this classic condiment on our morning toast.

.

Liz provided me with five flavors of fruity fun: lavender strawberry, mango japaleño, mixed berries, low calorie strawberry margarita, and a classic orange marmalade.  I used the five flavors in various ways to show how dynamic this spreadable sweetner can be.  These jams got layered into a yogurt parfait, mixed in with a meat marinade, spread over crostini, drizzled over ice cream, and stirred into hot tea.

Brunch - lavender strawberry jam in Greek yogurt parfait

This is an affordable way to make your own morning parfait rather than buying the yogurt and jam combination at the store.  And it definitely beats the packaged stuff that can be bought from drive-thru windows at the fast food chains.  The floral scent of the lavender goes great with the slightly acidic Greek style yogurt, and the sweetness from the strawberry smooths the flavors out.  Don't forget the cereal or granola for a much needed crunch.

Mealtime - mango jalapeño in marinade for seared pork belly and fresh mango jalapeño salsa

The mango jalapeño jam is both sweet and spicy, which are two smart flavors to add to any meat marinade.  I added that to a Ziploc bag of light soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, crushed red pepper, green onions stalks, sliced jalapeños, and a bit squeeze of Sriracha hot sauce.  I also added a few spoonfuls of jam to freshly chopped mango and jalapeños to help bind the salsa together.

Cocktails - lo cal strawberry margarita jam over toasted crostini with goat cheese

The happy hour platter only gets more interesting with this alcohol infused fruit spread.  Goat cheese is an ideal base for the jam because it is also sweet and tart at the same time.  A medium bodied red wine pairs great with the buttery toasted crostini.

Dessert - mixed berries jam over vanilla bean ice cream sundae

Instead of adding syrups, chocolate, or other sauces that are high in sugar, why not top off your ice cream with a healthier option instead? Granted the jam does contain sugar, but the D-Lish Jams are all natural and made without adding any perservatives.  Garnish with some toasted almond slices, a cookie, and mint for presentation.

Nightcap - orange marmalade in Earl Grey tea

The Brits have a habit of adding sugar and milk into their afternoon tea to enhance the flavor, but Asian cultures such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean refrain from doing so in order to retain the original essence of the tea.  Well, as an alternative option to both the Western and Eastern habits, may I suggest the essence of orange mamalade to naturally sweeten the tea? Koreans already have a type of tea based on mixing sweetened orange peel and pulp wih hot water, which gives a soothing feeling, especially during the cold winter season.

Ever think about how to finish that Costco sized behemoth jar of Smuckers in the pantry? Well, here are five ideas.  And when that jar is finally finished, think about visiting the D-Lish website to place a few orders of the handmade, artisan jams.  They are freshly made in small batches, come in a variety of solidly unique flavors, and are much more conveniently sized for quick consumption.  They are also sold at your local Greater LA farmers market.

It was fun jammin' in the kitchen with these creative conconctions.  Thank you Liz for the jams and the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen.  Until the next jam session, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML

Post 94: Pork Belly Tacos and Much More (LA-SFV: North Hollywood)

With all this talk about pork belly, I was hankering for more.  Bow & Truss, a relative newcomer to the LA food scene.  It is self-titled as a modern Spanish taverna, and some of their most popular dishes include the empanadas, paella, and of course, pork belly tacos.  Fellow foodie Angela and I dined here before meeting up with other friends downtown.

Soon after we were seated, our server Nicole dropped by our table with castelvetrano olives on the house.  The firm, green olives were basted in none other than olive oil.  They were sweet at first, slightly salty yet savory olives were a welcoming start to our meal.

The first item on the menu we ordered was the cheese & charcuterie board.  The assortment of meats and cheeses was a playground of jamon, salchichon, chorizo, and Felino sausage.  There was also mahon, a semi-firm, cow's milk cheese and caprichevere, a soft cheese made from goat's milk. The caprichevere was smooth and easy to spread over the crostini.  Although it was made from goat's milk, it was surprisingly milder than the mahon.

Spread around the playful platter were Bow & Truss' house made jams.  The first was a pineapple banana jam with serrano and chili pepper flakes, and the other was a pumpkin peach jam with vanilla bean, all spice, and cinnamon.  Two house mustards complemented the duo of jams (the grain mustard was a favorite), and the remaining cherry tomatoes, carrots, caramelized onions, and spicy sunflower seeds dotted the charcuteriescape.  This charcuterie board was an absolute delight.  It was the one that we continued to pick at throughout the meal of inventive dishes.

We followed the charcuterie with the highly recommended empanadas.  The petite pastries were packed with button mushrooms, red peppers, and cotija cheese.  A tamarind crema and tamarind soy sauce were served alongside the empanadas.  While Angela and I tried one dip at a time, the server suggested that we taste the two sauces together at the same time.  Mushrooms, peppers, cheese.  Savory, sweet, salty.  Crema, tamarind, soy.  Savory, sweet, and salty again.  Smart suggestion, Nicole.

Our third dish was the highly anticipated pork belly tacos.  The tacos were fresh and vibrant in color... and they were stacked high with toppings like Mexican sopes.  The pork belly was shredded, a eyebrow raising change from the typical square cut.  It was a good eyebrow raising change, for the meat was tender and succulent... although I am not quite sure if using shredded pork increased the difficulty of eating the taco or not.  Atop the pork belly were shreds of carrots, cilantro, pickled jicama slaw, all of which helped give the taco a refreshing, citrus taste.  The avocado sauce was a perfect substitute for salsa, which might have overpowered the fresh feel of the tacos.  Oh, and by the way, the pork belly is really good.  Really, really good.

As we were ready to close the meal with some paella, the manager brought out some chicken confit tacos, with handmade tortillas, arugula, anchiote paste, and pickled shallots.  Dennis Christensen, one of the managers of Bow & Truss, warned us that the chicken tasted like pork.  The chicken tasted like pork? It didn't make sense.  But I took one bite, and well, yes, the chicken tasted like pork.  This extremely flavorful chicken was very substantial... like if the chicken, before it was sacrificed for our glee, was a bad ass alpha male chicken that ruled the hen house.  That was the kind of breast pounding poultry that died for these chicken confit tacos... the delicious oxymoron kind.

Next to the pair of chicken confit tacos were two mixed mushrooms tacos (the head chef must really hate odd numbers) piled with cotija cheese, pickled jalapeños, and chives.  They were very juicy.  In fact, the mushroom blood that dripped all over almost made the taco slurpable.  We really enjoyed the tickle of spiciness from the jalapeño and the hint of saltiness from the cotija.  The use of mushrooms in both the tacos and the empanadas were smart meat substitutes.  I didn't even realize the dishes were carne less.

Stuffed to the brim already, Angela and I attempted to dig into a beautiful cast iron dish of seafood paella.  Of the four choices of paella on the menu, the shelled option is cooked with clams, shrimp, mussels, scallops, chorizo, and chicken.  The shrimp was highlight of paella because it was cooked just barely through... still tender and translucent, not tough and overly white.  The clams and mussels pointed skyward so that the freshness of the shellfish was apparent on first glance.  The rice itself was flavorful from absorbing all of its surrounding tastes.  Ah, this dish was beautiful in both taste and appearance.

Finally, the last course of the night was a tequila lime tart that was so, so good.  The texture of the tart itself was more like a buttery, holiday shortbread cookie.  The pool of honey on the side helped the dessert be naturally sweet, and the lime helped cut the sweetness in a balance check.  The honey and lime combination just added to the perfection of the tart.  I almost lost consciousness watching the honey drizzle each time I dripped the tart into it.  It was so good that we took two extra tarts home for our friends.  And each of them agreed that the tequila lime tart was simply delicious... a great way to end the meal.

Thank you to charismatic Dennis and congenial Nicole for taking the time to explain each dish and list each ingredient and method of preparation.  Thanks also to Angela your adept services in lighting and photography.  Of course, a big thank you to Erinn of Platform Media Group for setting me up with Bow & Truss and helping me discover a new way of having pork belly.  It was an awesome from beginning to end.  The charcuterie, tacos and the tequila lime tart really sealed the deal for me.  We are definitely returning in the near future.  Until the next pork belly craving, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20121020

Post 25.4: Seattle - National Doughnut Day, Part 2

In the quest for insanely delicious doughnuts, we stopped at Lola, one of Tom Douglas' restaurants, at the end of our second night in Seattle.  But alas, the waitress informed us that the delightfully delicious doughnuts had been sold out.  She added, however, that the dainty delicacies would return in the morning... Of course, we returned.

Sweet sucrose. 

A bouquet of sugar packets bloom in the basket.

And of course, we ordered the doughnuts.  They were described to us more like beignets than just plain doughnuts.  But whether they were like beignets or like traditional doughnuts, we would order then anyway.  This really was Duke and Connie's mission... but I followed along.  I mean... how good could a donut be anyway? Well, I soon found the answer.

Shaken not stirred. 

Heather, our server with a very warm personality, shakes the doughnuts in sugar tableside.

Oh, heavenly goodness.  I took one bite, and I thought angels had landed on earth.  It was light.  It was airy.  I'm not quite sure how they made them, but they sure as hell didn't taste fried.  And even if they were fried... no grease! These baby beignets were basic, bite-sized bliss.

Baby beignets. 

Vanilla bean mascarpone and apricot jam serve well as complements.

What made these doughnuts (do these even still qualify as doughnuts?) even better was the vanilla mascarpone. The apricot jam was quite amazing in its own right, but this mascarpone... this mascarpone was something else. Four doughnuts of the way through the plate, Connie and I found ourselves clear out of mascarpone cheese. Both of us turned our heads and eyed the remaining vanilla mascarpone on Duke and Diana's plate... it was pretty apparent that we had been the only ones that had been spooning globs of the mascarpone onto our doughnuts. I wanted to take a tub of this stuff back home with us. Impossible.

Tempting tastes. 

I could hardly keep from drooling as I was taking the pictures of these babies.

I am about to make one of those grand statements that I hope I don't regret... these. are. the. best. damn. doughnuts. I. have. ever. had. EVER. No joke. EVER was bolded and italicized. That's nothing but emphasis, y'all.

Bite-sized bliss.

It's hard not to moan, "Oh my goooood," after taking a bite.

This is the first time I have ever celebrated (or even acknowledged) National Doughnut Day.  After having the Top Pot doughnuts and these beautiful, baby beignets topped with vanilla mascarpone and apricot jam... it's safe to say that I'll be celebrating National Doughnut Day from here on out.  It was Lola, though, that really sucked me in.  Oh, Lola... I never thought... of all foods... it would be a doughnut that got me.

This concludes our side-step into doughnutdome, but the next post will continue our Memorial Day weekend journey through Seattle.  Until then... let's get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20100630/20100531