Monday, January 19, 2009
sad times
Hey, I haven't updated in so long because I haven't been going out to eat much. I found out I have a bunch of food allergies, so it kind of cancels out most fun eating adventures. I think I will start posting some of my tasty recipes for you to try out though!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Kinta
This was on my restaurant list for about 2 weeks. It sounded awesome since Spence is a vegatarian and I am always looking out for things that appeal to both of us. Plus, it was still chilly outside and soup sounded awesome.
The atmosphere was kind of weird in a cafeteria with art and cheap track lighting sort of way. The way you order is pretty cool, you coose your soup base, your protein, noodles and four veggies. They have some local organic options as well. I ordered the spicy miso lemongrass soup with tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, chicken, and chow fun noodles. Spence got the Tomato curry with tofu and i forget what veggies. His was way better than mine. Mine was this weird sweet salty butt mix. The first bite was okay, then it settled in that I had to live with this decision. I had also gotten the tamarind limeade which was sort of nasty. Our waiter was kind of clumsy and lacked any sense of humor. The portions were really big, be ready to get down with some serious soup eating.
Spence took his home and said it was awesome...too bad his leftovers stunk up the whole apartment and made me want to gag.
The atmosphere was kind of weird in a cafeteria with art and cheap track lighting sort of way. The way you order is pretty cool, you coose your soup base, your protein, noodles and four veggies. They have some local organic options as well. I ordered the spicy miso lemongrass soup with tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, chicken, and chow fun noodles. Spence got the Tomato curry with tofu and i forget what veggies. His was way better than mine. Mine was this weird sweet salty butt mix. The first bite was okay, then it settled in that I had to live with this decision. I had also gotten the tamarind limeade which was sort of nasty. Our waiter was kind of clumsy and lacked any sense of humor. The portions were really big, be ready to get down with some serious soup eating.
Spence took his home and said it was awesome...too bad his leftovers stunk up the whole apartment and made me want to gag.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Arleta Library Cafe
We went here on Mother's Day for brunch, everyone groan with me. I was thinking about it and thought that maybe it wouldn't be too busy since it is small and not in a busier neighborhood. Even though there was only one name before us, it took 45 minutes to be seated. I had been wanting to try this place because a review I recently read said that they had the best brunch in Portland. I want to see what kind of cut the person writing that review got...
I am biscuits and gravy obsessed, I am just throwing that out there. For awhile I made it my mission to find the best in town, so far it's Beaterville. I am trying Pine State this week, I'll let you know how that goes.
The space was cute and quaint. The selections sounded amazing on paper. I got the "Best Biscuits in Portland" for breakfast. It sounded pretty damn good....sliced pork and rosemary sausage gravy on top of sweet potato biscuits with Portland fries. The gravy was tops, but the biscuits could have made holes in the wall. They were not flaky, moist or anything my mind had imagined. They made their own ketchup and preserves which seemed cool, until I tried a dollop of the overly sweet tomato paste with my potatoes. Sidenote: Please don't fuck with my ketchup. Spence said the preserves were awesome though. He was also a fan of their french press coffee. He referred to his pick (the Hawthorne with eggs) as a grease bomb. He said it lingered for the rest of the day.
Although I'm happy that we drove all the way out there to try it, I don't think we will be headed out there again.
I am biscuits and gravy obsessed, I am just throwing that out there. For awhile I made it my mission to find the best in town, so far it's Beaterville. I am trying Pine State this week, I'll let you know how that goes.
The space was cute and quaint. The selections sounded amazing on paper. I got the "Best Biscuits in Portland" for breakfast. It sounded pretty damn good....sliced pork and rosemary sausage gravy on top of sweet potato biscuits with Portland fries. The gravy was tops, but the biscuits could have made holes in the wall. They were not flaky, moist or anything my mind had imagined. They made their own ketchup and preserves which seemed cool, until I tried a dollop of the overly sweet tomato paste with my potatoes. Sidenote: Please don't fuck with my ketchup. Spence said the preserves were awesome though. He was also a fan of their french press coffee. He referred to his pick (the Hawthorne with eggs) as a grease bomb. He said it lingered for the rest of the day.
Although I'm happy that we drove all the way out there to try it, I don't think we will be headed out there again.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Nutshell
Let me preface this by saying that at different points in my life I have been vegan and vegetarian. I am not at this time, although I am not opposed to the idea in the future. I am a pretty adventurous eater and was really excited about trying out some dishes at this newer vegan restaurant in North Portland off of Williams. I had heard that they had a salt bar and a good selection of olive oil. That came to be the only positive part of our dining experience.
The first thing we noticed was the temperature. It was freezing in there. It mas very minimally decorated. I only noticed some artwork depicting Sasquatch. The server was ok, and told us a little bit more about the menu. I was a little shocked by the prices of the food (around $14 a plate). I don't recall the name of the dish I got, but I do remember that it was supposed to be hominy and vegetables. It was pulped up with vegetables sticking up out of it that I have never seen. I was impressed until I tasted it. There were no stand out flavors, it was kind of this ominous sort of salty-onion flavor. The consistency was like baby food. Spence got the Jamaican BBQ plate. It was essentially a hash brown with some onion sauce and an orange that had been hollowed out with mash sweet potatoes inside. He offered up his dinner to me after he expressed some interest in mine. It was the same thing. Other than the sweet potato mash everything was kind of oily and tasted like onion. I just stopped eating. Spence will eat anything you put in front of him so he forged ahead. He even wanted to take it home. I dished out the $40 dollars and sulked back to the car. I would rather go to Blossoming Lotus and get some amazing vegan food for half the price.
Spence called me the next day to tell me that he heated up the leftovers and realized that in fact, it was horrible.
The first thing we noticed was the temperature. It was freezing in there. It mas very minimally decorated. I only noticed some artwork depicting Sasquatch. The server was ok, and told us a little bit more about the menu. I was a little shocked by the prices of the food (around $14 a plate). I don't recall the name of the dish I got, but I do remember that it was supposed to be hominy and vegetables. It was pulped up with vegetables sticking up out of it that I have never seen. I was impressed until I tasted it. There were no stand out flavors, it was kind of this ominous sort of salty-onion flavor. The consistency was like baby food. Spence got the Jamaican BBQ plate. It was essentially a hash brown with some onion sauce and an orange that had been hollowed out with mash sweet potatoes inside. He offered up his dinner to me after he expressed some interest in mine. It was the same thing. Other than the sweet potato mash everything was kind of oily and tasted like onion. I just stopped eating. Spence will eat anything you put in front of him so he forged ahead. He even wanted to take it home. I dished out the $40 dollars and sulked back to the car. I would rather go to Blossoming Lotus and get some amazing vegan food for half the price.
Spence called me the next day to tell me that he heated up the leftovers and realized that in fact, it was horrible.
The Country Cat
I was looking for a place I hadn't tried one Sunday morning and came across The Country Cat. I went to their website and it said that their menu changed frequently and to email them and they would send the daily menu back. I took this as a good sign and just headed over there with Spence, Emily and Paula. It is essentially off of Stark and 82nd near the creepy hot tubs by the hour place. It is very modern looking inside and the servers were all notably attractive. Our waitress was really informative and friendly.
I ordered the Fried Chicken with Pecan Spoonbread (FUCKING SPOONBREAD!!) I was torn between that and something else I don't recall. I asked the waitress her opinion and she said the perfect thing, "Where else can you get spoonbread?" The chicken was perfect and it wasn't a huge serving like Screen Door, where you are too overwhelmed to touch it for 5 minutes. It was lightly coated and seemed pan fried, not deep fried. The spoonbread was amazing! It also came with a small salad. Spence said the food was really awesome and that their biscuits were the best he has ever had. He was bummed because the waitress forgot the cinnamon rolls he ordered though. Everyone at the table agreed that the coffee was amazing too. I think we will be making a repeat trip here soon.
I ordered the Fried Chicken with Pecan Spoonbread (FUCKING SPOONBREAD!!) I was torn between that and something else I don't recall. I asked the waitress her opinion and she said the perfect thing, "Where else can you get spoonbread?" The chicken was perfect and it wasn't a huge serving like Screen Door, where you are too overwhelmed to touch it for 5 minutes. It was lightly coated and seemed pan fried, not deep fried. The spoonbread was amazing! It also came with a small salad. Spence said the food was really awesome and that their biscuits were the best he has ever had. He was bummed because the waitress forgot the cinnamon rolls he ordered though. Everyone at the table agreed that the coffee was amazing too. I think we will be making a repeat trip here soon.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Two Tarts Bakery
I went to my first Farmer's Market of the season today and it was pretty great. It was cold and about to rain but I wanted some strawberries and to check out some local bakery offerings (since I have been toying with the idea). I had read about Two Tarts in the best of 2007 edition of the Willamette Week. They had talked about their tiny and delicious cookies. I was lucky enough to find Anna there today behind a case of adorable treats. She was telling me that they were soon going to have a store front on 23rd and Kearney in the space that La Buca occupied.
I opted for a baker's dozen ($7.50) to sample a multitude of their sweets. The came in a nice little box with a brown bow, which would make the perfect gift for a cookie aficionado. I thought that out of what I got the stand out items were the Cappuccino Creme sandwich cookies and the Baci cookies. The Cappuccino cookies we very small, but packed in wonderful flavor and I loved that the shortbread was softer so that the filling didn't immediately ooze out of the sides. The Baci cookie was similar to what I associate with the looks of a walnut cookie that has filling inside. It was made with hazelnut meal and a not too sweet dark chocolate filling. I also got the Not too Thin Mint bar, the Roo Bar, the Double Chocolate cookie, and the Peanut Butter sandwich cookie. I thought the mint bar was a little too sweet and the mint overpowered the chocolate. The Roo Bar was very moist and had a lot of spring rhubarb filling. The Double chocolate cookie was a little too crisp for my taste, even the center was pretty hard. If you know me, you know I love squishy cookie centers! I opted to give away my Peanut Butter cookies to very deserving friends because I am not a huge fan of peanut butter and I knew that they would be much appreciated.
I did not get the exact date of their shop opening, but their website may have some updates in the near future. http://www.twotartsbakery.com/
I opted for a baker's dozen ($7.50) to sample a multitude of their sweets. The came in a nice little box with a brown bow, which would make the perfect gift for a cookie aficionado. I thought that out of what I got the stand out items were the Cappuccino Creme sandwich cookies and the Baci cookies. The Cappuccino cookies we very small, but packed in wonderful flavor and I loved that the shortbread was softer so that the filling didn't immediately ooze out of the sides. The Baci cookie was similar to what I associate with the looks of a walnut cookie that has filling inside. It was made with hazelnut meal and a not too sweet dark chocolate filling. I also got the Not too Thin Mint bar, the Roo Bar, the Double Chocolate cookie, and the Peanut Butter sandwich cookie. I thought the mint bar was a little too sweet and the mint overpowered the chocolate. The Roo Bar was very moist and had a lot of spring rhubarb filling. The Double chocolate cookie was a little too crisp for my taste, even the center was pretty hard. If you know me, you know I love squishy cookie centers! I opted to give away my Peanut Butter cookies to very deserving friends because I am not a huge fan of peanut butter and I knew that they would be much appreciated.
I did not get the exact date of their shop opening, but their website may have some updates in the near future. http://www.twotartsbakery.com/
First Post! (Kenny & Zukes)
I have lived in Portland, OR for over four years now and I find that one of my favorite things about the city are it's restaurants. I find that it is a wonderful land of foodies and for good reason. We have access to some of the best food in the world and most people seem to have such consciousness about buying locally, supporting small farms, and eating seasonally. I find that eating out can be a challenge sometimes as well. I find that a lot of people only comment on Citysearch, LivePDX, etc... when they have had a bad experience or when the owners decide to use a pseudonym to boost their ratings. I want to create an honest, humorous, and mostly constructive resource for dining out in the city I love. I want to talk about the amazing discoveries, the best and worst food, and the snarky baristas as well. So I hope you enjoy my little project.
My first review will be of Kenny & Zukes. This deli is very new and has taken over a spot where a local gay bar once was on Stark and 11th. I was joking with one of the employees about not waving a black light around in there. She said running joke is "So is the pastrami better the second time around?" My own waitress didn't have much personality to spare.
I was a little early to order a sandwich so I decided on the Pastrami and Swiss Omelet. I ordered a decaf coffee, which was old and cold...but was charmed by the re purposed glass yogurt cups as cream dispensers. My food came pretty quickly. I instantly noticed that the potatoes were greasy and my omelet was overcooked. The potatoes had a bit of peppers mixed in, which I'm not a great fan of. I also got a bite of something that was very spicy. The omelet lacked much flavor and was very tough. I would think that the pastrami would have at least been outstanding seeing as how they handle their own charcuterie, but it was pretty bland. I did hear one of the other servers mention Birch Beer to a table, so i did stop at their to-go counter to pick up two of those (one for myself and one for Spence as I have been telling him of this East Coast favorite) and two sesame bagels. I haven't tried the bagels yet, but the Birch Beer was a welcomed taste of home.
My first review will be of Kenny & Zukes. This deli is very new and has taken over a spot where a local gay bar once was on Stark and 11th. I was joking with one of the employees about not waving a black light around in there. She said running joke is "So is the pastrami better the second time around?" My own waitress didn't have much personality to spare.
I was a little early to order a sandwich so I decided on the Pastrami and Swiss Omelet. I ordered a decaf coffee, which was old and cold...but was charmed by the re purposed glass yogurt cups as cream dispensers. My food came pretty quickly. I instantly noticed that the potatoes were greasy and my omelet was overcooked. The potatoes had a bit of peppers mixed in, which I'm not a great fan of. I also got a bite of something that was very spicy. The omelet lacked much flavor and was very tough. I would think that the pastrami would have at least been outstanding seeing as how they handle their own charcuterie, but it was pretty bland. I did hear one of the other servers mention Birch Beer to a table, so i did stop at their to-go counter to pick up two of those (one for myself and one for Spence as I have been telling him of this East Coast favorite) and two sesame bagels. I haven't tried the bagels yet, but the Birch Beer was a welcomed taste of home.
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