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 79: By Invitation - The Edison New Food and Cocktail Menu (LA: Downtown)

Earlier this year I was invited by The Edison to partake in their new food and cocktail menu.  I have visited this venue enough times previously that I had almost taken the Prohibition era feel and the cool foggy glow of the basement space for granted.  With special care given by Arpi of Sunshine Sachs and Barbara Jacobs of The Edison during the tasting experience, all the feelings of awe and inspiration that I felt during my first visit years ago returned as I descended the steps of the historic Higgins Building.

After meeting fellow bloggers and foodies while munching on bacon-maple beer nuts, we were presented with the charcuterie & cheese platter paired with the Pig's Tale Ale.  The smorgasbord included salami, savory paté, and a creamy Brie, all of which are my favorite items on their own.  The Pig's Tale Ale was a white ale, usually not my favorite of brews, but this was surprisingly refreshing.  It was a blessed blend of something light yet flavorful, slightly sweet with a mild bitter aftertaste.  Many sips and silent nods later, we agreed that the Pig's Tale Ale was a new favorite for our palates.

Next up was an albondigas soup graced with Kobe beef meatballs.  Plopped in the midst of the tomato and chicken broth were carrots and potatoes as well as ground Kobe blended with cumin, paprika, cilantro and rice.  The meatballs were tender and moist, and the broth itself was more than comforting.  This soup could warm my hands on a rainy winter day, and it could just as easily serve as a shoulder of consolation at the end of a long day at work.

Our first cocktail of the night was the Eye of the Beholder, a creative concoction made with mescal and tequila blended with pineapple gum syrup, and a duo of red and green jalapeños.  A lemon wheel danced atop the foam of citrus and cayenne pepper.  The drink itself was peppery but not spicy at all... the cayenne pepper further enhanced the naturally smoky mescal.  Vida, the most sought after Oaxacan mescal used in the Eye of the Beholder, mixed with the pepper and chile helped paint the ancient culinary taste of Mexican natives.  The sweet and sour notes from the lemon and pineapple gum syrup brought friendly reminders of last summer's hard lemonade.

The soup was quickly followed by A Simple Salad.  Small mixed greens with shrimp, corn, tomatoes and avocado was as simple as it could've gotten, but simple was by no means an indication that it was lacking in taste.  The harvest was glossed with a dressing of Meyer lemon and balsamic vinaigrette.  It was light enough to keep the featherweight greens propped up in three dimensional fashion.  The plump, jumbo shrimp was cooked to seafood al dente.  Everything tasted so fresh I could have sworn that it was summer, and the vegetables were picked straight from the backyard of the Higgins Building.

Paired with the sensational salad was the Brass Flower, a glowing grandeur of gin and grapefruit that was as beautiful to look at as it was to drink.  The color made it radiant.  The finishing touch of Prosecco made it sweet.  Had all the electricity gone out in The Edison's basement, the Brass Flower would have been the only light fixtures that shined.  Simply beautiful.

Following the salad was a bouquet of balance.  Not only did this basket of 50-50 fries balance out the healthiness of the mixed greens by adding a fried presence to the meal, it also mixed potatoes and sweet potatoes together in a fusion of harmony.  The age old question used to be... fries or onion rings? Nowadays, we have the luxury of debating between the classic French fry or the more avant garde sweet potato fry.   Lucky for us, The Edison solves the dilemma in just one basket.  Amazing.

Up next was a trio of protein in the form of beef, pork, and a chicken egg.  The beef was a remarkably rare Kobe slider with tender beef, onion marmalade and Maytag bleu cheese.  The pork was formed into what The Edison calls the Boiler Room, a sandwich with the texture reminiscent of Vietnamese banh mi... soft, savory swine and crunchy cucumber wrapped with a crunchy shroud of freshly toasted bread.  The Angel Egg was a classic deviled egg adorned with shiny black caviar.  The smoothness of the creamy yolk gave way to the salty crunch of the caviar for a texture contrast that was very much appreciated.  The trio was served with the Secretariat, a cocktail fused with Kentucky bourbon, pistachio honey, walnut liquor, and rumored hints of all spice and cloves.

If that wasn't enough to fill us up, along came the Downtowner, a plate of jumbo prawns on a bed of stone ground grits with spinach and a poached egg.  Grits, although typically thought of as Southern food, didn't taste like Southern food at all.  Maybe it was the setting.  Maybe it was coarse ground texture.  Maybe it was the velvety egg yolk and silky spinach that I incorporated into the grits and crunchy bacon.  Whether it had the essence of the South or the feel of the Prohibition didn't matter... it was good.

On the same plate as the shrimp and grits was the Cabernet braised short ribs with mashed potatoes & creamed leeks.  The red wine permeated deep down into the sinews of the center, and its juice made for a natural gravy to be expunged onto the mashed potatoes.  For a little extra color and garnish, a floral swirl of roasted heirloom carrot sat above the braised ribs.  The Mistress, a vodka drink shaken with pomegranate and hibiscus liqueur, was served with this plate.  The freshly squeezed lemon juice in the beverage provided a cleansing finish to the main course of the meal.

Got room for dessert? Sure.  How about three desserts? Well, if the desserts are The Edison's house chocolate chip cookie, the Elvis, and the Merry Widow sandwiches, then there's an acre of free space for these items.  The chocolate chip cookie was baked to perfection with a combination of bitter and semisweet chocolate chips.  The Elvis was Curious George's dream... a peanut butter and banana sandwich pan-fried with clarified butter.  If the monkey ever got his hands on this sandwich, he would have buttery fingers, peanut butter goo on his chin, and a belly full of bananas... and he would die happy.  The Merry Widow had a similar concept except Nutella substituted the PB.  The Elvis would fair well with those who like slightly savory desserts, while the Merry Widow would work with traditionalists who think dessert should always be sweet.  The sandwiches were served with caramel dipping sauce and fresh whipped cream.

The final cocktails of the night were a Perrier Jouet Champagne and the Natasha Mila, which whisked in flavors of lemon and raspberry.  These concluding artisan drinks were great ways to say thank you and bid adieu to Barbara, John, and the more than hospitable staff at The Edison.

A note on social responsibility: always have a designated driver, especially if half a dozen drinks are in your evening plans.  However, if your DD somehow can't resist the carefully crafted cocktails at The Edison (and who can resist), then make sure to inform the staff at the venue.  The great thing about The Edison, as told by Barbara, is that they will call a cab for whoever cannot safely drive themselves home... at their expense.  Barbara and The Edison are extremely proud that they are one of the only venues in Los Angeles that has never had a drunken driver cause an accident after leaving the premises.  Let's keep it that way.  Props to The Edison for having this policy to keep us car loving Angelenos safe.  Please don't drink and drive.

A big thank you goes out to Arpi for the invite and Barbara for hosting a wonderful evening.  The new food and cocktail menu will definitely beckon many to this beloved Downtown venue.  Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20120201

Post 17: Red Hot Kitchen (East LA)

When I first heard that Red Hot Kitchen served Korean BBQ tacos, it seemed like just another player in the recent Korean-Mexican fusion craze.  However, after I got a chance to stop by with Rose to sample their nine-item tasting menu.  With its stationary stomping ground (not a truck) and plenty of peculiarities such as the jalapeño bomb and mushroom popper,  it was clear that Red Hot Kitchen had set itself apart from the others.  

This was the bonanza in my box:

Item 1: The avocado mango salad consisted of a colorful array of fruits and vegetables.  It was pleasing to the eye as well as the stomach, for it provided a refreshing start (or end) to a not-so-light meal.

Item 2: The spicy pork and kimchee quesadilla had a smell so strong that it reminded me of foods like Taiwanese stinky tofu that pack powerful, pungent punches.  That didn't mean I didn't like it though.  My appreciation for pungent foods goes far and beyond... the smellier the kimchee, the better.

Item 3: More like a jalapeño torpedo than a jalapeño bomb, this was one of the most creative items on the tasting menu.  If you think the typical gooey, cheese-filled, breaded and fried jalapeño popper is delicious, try one that is stuffed with crab and cream cheese and topped off with not just Sriracha but the ever-popular spicy mayo. Placing it in your mouth is like a slow-mo, clock-ticking countdown to an explosion of spiciness.

Item 4: The beef chimichanga was more like a bomb or a bean flower in full bloom.  At first glance I thought it literally looked like a tub of beans held together with a deep fried tortilla.  It probably wasn't such a good idea to have the chimichanga after the jalapeño bomb because the Sriracha and spicy mayo started mixing together, so it became a bit difficult to discern the flavors.  Regardless, the outer layer was fried to a distinct crisp, and who's to refuse a crispy, deep-fried crunch?

Item 5: Upon first bite of the bulgogi slider, I knew I was in love.  It wasn't the meat that captured my attention but the bread.  It was so soft, so sweet... like biting into a pillow of bread.  I might have even closed my eyes for just a bit when as I was savoring the sweet and savory taste.  I discovered later on Yelp that the rolls were the original King's Hawaiian sweet bread.  Although it's great to know that the chef knows his bread, the King's roll may have stolen the bulgogi's thunder just a bit.

Item 6: There's no way I could have simply popped the mushroom popper into my mouth, but because of that I was given an opportunity to repeatedly crunch on the popper's ridiculously crispy shell.  I had thought that perhaps the mushroom would have been diced or somehow blended in with the crab, but surprise! Like opening a time capsule (which I've never done... horribly analogy), an entire mushroom cap tumbled out when I sliced the popper in half.

Item 7: By the time I had reached for the short rib taco, it was cold... not lukewarm or cooled off... but cold.  No matter.  The flavor of the meat was just napping, and a squirt of the lime definitely woke it up from its slumber.

Item 8: I could tell that the chicken taco would have been better had it been warm, so I took it home for a minute-nuke in the microwave.  The chicken was still tender and still moist, but the short rib had left a stronger flavor on my palate.  I may have to try it on-site again in its solitude for a better taste reference in the near future.

Item 9: The slice of Mexican pizza is not the prettiest item on the menu; I'll tell ya that right away.  But after a few bites, this petite piece of pizza begins to be a bit addicting.  This quesadilla on crack is cheese sandwiched between tortillas... topped off with beans, guacamole, onions (both green and white), and sour cream.  Did I forget the meat? Something red (perhaps tomatoes or salsa... no more Sriracha!) may help its aesthetic appeal.

The tasting menu was a great way to get a glimpse of what the little bungalow could create.  The menu is extensive, so I'm sure anyone can find at least one item to enjoy.  If it's your first time there, the japaleño bomb is a great way to whet your appetite.  Props to this local business for sprouting in this tough economic environment. 

Mentions: 

Thanks to Rose for dragging me out to get my mind away from a difficult day.

ML - 20100417