Baking pastries at Yesenia’s in Hillsboro. See video below.
There’s something wonderful about the aroma of bread baking. Even Franz with its Wonder-soft loaves smells good when the ovens are on. But Mexican bakeries—panaderias—are a whole other world. They use cinnamon, anise and orange in their fragrant pastries, called pan de dulce or pan dulce, filling them with guava, pineapple, coconut and vanilla cream. Savory breads are often stuffed with ham. Cookies even come in the shape of a pig. While every Mexican market in PDX carries these kind of goods, a smaller number make their own breads and pastries. Of these, two are a step above the rest: Yesenia’s and La Espiga Dorada. Don’t be shy. Just follow the grandmother with toddlers in tow, or the day laborer picking up some quick fuel, or the professional getting a box of sweets for the office. Grab a tray and some tongs and load up from the bakery case or the racks. (Hint: Items from the rack are fresher.)
A Trio of Salads from Eastmoreland Market
In the wake of IACP, Eat Mobile, and Taste of the Nation, all within a week of each other, I almost missed the publication of Devour, Willamette Week’s annual shopping guide for foodies. Glad I didn’t.
This year’s Devour has to be the most comprehensive guide to markets, bakeries, coffee roasters, kitchen supply stores, and the like ever printed in Portland. And it’s broken down by dozens of categories from “Open Sunday” to “Meat Market” to “Japanese”. And it’s not just a directory; each store gets a small review with recommendations. And it’s free.
There are some places missing here and there (one of which is included below), but I plan to keep it in my car at all times, a cheat sheet to exploring places I haven’t been or finding hard-to-find foods wherever I am. However, I suspect a lot of people will just use it for the markets and shops closest to their homes or offices. Following are 5 reasons to do a little exploring of your own.
Torta Ahogada from 7 Estrellas
Forced to choose, I would rather eat the rest of my days in the suburbs and outskirts of Portland, than in Portland’s core. No, I’m no fan of sprawl and McMansions. And yes, I realize that means giving up favorites like Toro Bravo, Apizza Scholls, Le Pigeon, Wildwood, and even the restaurants I own part of. But I’d gain places like Yuzu, La Guanaquita, Nakwon, Pho Oregon, Ocean City, El Inka, and Puerto Marquez. These small ethnic restaurants are the ones with the foods that I constantly crave — the ones I go to week after week. If nothing else, I’d certainly save money. There’s also not a single great ethnic market in downtown or inner-east.
As further evidence, I submit Tigard Plaza. In one strip mall are an Indonesian restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, and a Lebanese restaurant serving some of the best dishes of their kind in the metro area — many that you can’t find anywhere else. There’s another restaurant serving solid fish & chips and another serving decent Vietnamese food. Add to that a Mexican market, an Indian market, an Asian seafood market, a cake decorating shop, and a homebrewing supply store and you’ve got a lot of foodie fun per square mile.
Version 2.0 of Extramsg.com’s dining guide and tip sheet for the Portland metro area is finally finished. You can visit it here or by clicking the link at the left under Portland Food News.
The tip sheet has been greatly overhauled. Categories, such as Indian and Sushi/Japanese have been added, but also many of the entries in each category have been updated or completely changed. There’s also a new listing of “Quick Picks” by neighborhood in descending order by price.
Hopefully this tip sheet will help visitors and new residents of Portland — or those looking to expand their culinary horizons. If you would like to criticize or comment on the tip sheet, please follow the link in the dining guide itself.
Plaza Latina’s Bulk Chiles
I grew up just outside of Eugene, OR, home of the University of Oregon Ducks, although I always rooted for my dad’s alma mater, the UCLA Bruins. I still have family and friends in the area and visit at least a couple times a month. When I was a kid, Taco Time was probably my favorite cheap eat. Mexi fries, veggie burritos, and taco Tuesday — hey, it’s a lot better than Taco Hell.
That was before Thai food had caught on in the U.S. I hadn’t even tried Indian food and I doubt there was an Indian restaurant in all of Lane County. It was a decade, however, when Izzy’s still made all their pizza from scratch with quality ingredients and Pietro’s made a zesty and crunchy pie with a crust that actually had a chewy, airy texture like Italian bread, not spongy Wonderbread.
Despite the local government’s efforts to stifle change in Eugene, the town has grown up a lot since I left for college. It’s more cosmopolitan with all the expected international restaurants — Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, etc. As a result, the cheap eats options have gone far beyond pizza and fast food. The following is a quick overview of some of my favorites, some places to avoid, and some places that have unfortunately disappeared or changed hands. I’ve also included a list of known blogs in the area that at least regularly post on food.
Scents sink to the ground. That’s why dogs sniff along the earth when tracking. Walking up the stairs from the Merced Metro station, before you see the food, you smell it. Ripe fruit mixes with sizzling chile sauces and charring meats. It’s a battle for the ol’ factory.
Next are the sounds, bustling and clanging and the call of “Tacos! Quesadillas! Huaraches!” As I reach the top, from the left of the stairs I hear someone announce that mangos are only four pesos.
Finally, the spectacle. Little ladies, tias and abuelitas, with bags of this and that hurry down the narrow walkways, passing eager vendors offering tastes of their goods. Senoritas press and sling masa onto griddles, feeding hungry workers and shoppers. Stepping into a wide aisle and looking down the length of the market, the massiveness is awe-inspiring.
The main market building is literally an airplane hangar. I can barely see from one end to the next. I don’t think I could hit the ceiling with a baseball. There are at least four other buildings about half the size of the main market building that constitute the rest of the market. A Walmart Supercenter could probably fit in any one of them. La Merced takes days to explore adequately. I only had hours. A food lover who visits Mexico and skips La Merced is like an art lover who visits Paris and skips the Louvre.
The lamb “popsicles” from Vij’s.
Salad bowl, melting pot — whatever food-related metaphor you want to use, Vancouver is it. Holding a strong kinship with the UK and the Continent, there are, of course, numerous English, Scottish, Irish, French, Germans, and other Europeans. But over a third of Vancouver’s population is Asian. Most of these are Chinese and Indian.
Driving the streets from one part of town to the next, for long stretches — up Granville, down Main, across Robson, name another and it will probably be true — there seem to be nothing but Asian restaurants. And that’s not even including the transplanted Asian suburb of Richmond, where we stayed, that I’ll touch on in a future report.
It was so terrific to see so many mixed-race couples. I wondered if the only non-mixed-race couples were tourists. I imagine this has something to do with the proliferation of great Asian restaurants in the city. When you have Chinese girlfriends taking their Scottish boyfriends to dim sum, or Japanese husbands taking their English wives to a ramen house, or Indian mothers cooking curries for their French-Canadian son-in-laws, the expectations, the knowledge, the passion for great Asian food will flourish. It helps, too, that Vancouver is right on the Pacific Ocean with a bounty of seafood.
The exchange of culinary traditions must work both ways because there certainly were more than round eyes and white faces ordering fish and chips, Belgian waffles, and stinky dairy products.
Clockwise from top left: Desserts at Pix; Margherita from Apizza Scholls; Cherries and blackberries from the Portland Farmer’s Market; Burger and fries from Cafe Castagna.
Version 1.0 of Extramsg.com’s dining guide and tip sheet for the Portland metro area is finally finished. You can visit it here or in the future by clicking the link at the left under Portland Food News.
The tip sheet suggests quality restaurants in a variety of categories and cuisines, plus places to shop for food. Following these recommendations are a list of dining options on Sundays and Mondays, links to online discussions of Portland eateries, and other dining guides. Finally, there is a list of over-rated restaurants to avoid.
Hopefully this tip sheet will help visitors and new residents of Portland — or those looking to expand their culinary horizons. If you would like to criticize or comment on the tip sheet, please follow the link in the dining guide itself.
Whole goat and lamb, or cuts to order, available at most Halal markets.
Muslims, like Jews, have restrictions on which foods they can eat and have standards those foods must achieve to be Halal, a term analogous to the Jewish term “Kosher”. The rules for which meats can be eaten are the most restrictive and prohibit the following:
· Pigs and boars.
· Dogs, snakes and monkeys.
· Carnivorous animals with claws and fangs such as lions, tigers, bears and other similar animals.
· Birds of prey with claws such as eagles, vultures, and other similar birds.
· Pests such as rats, centipedes, scorpions and other similar animals.
· Animals forbidden to be killed in Islam, i.e., ants, bees and woodpecker birds.
· Animals which are considered repulsive generally like lice, flies, maggots and other similar animals.
· Animals that live both on land and in water such frogs, crocodiles and other similar animals.
· Mules and domestic donkeys.
· All poisonous and hazardous aquatic animals.
· Any other animals not slaughtered according to Islamic Law.
· Blood.
Meats must also be prepared properly, which includes the method of slaughter and a small blessing. I’m not Muslim. I’m not even Jewish (except genetically). But I don’t see lice or scorpions at the local Safeway. What interests me about Halal meats is the emphasis on lamb and goat, two flavorful meats that are a welcome change from beef, and great in stews and dishes from India, Mexico, and, of course, the Middle East.
Middle Eastern markets also generally have excellent selections of olive oil, olives, nuts, dried fruit, beans, pita bread, and other pantry favorites — at much better prices than the average supermarket. Following is a survey of Portland’s Middle East/Halal markets.
Hanging salumi at International Meat is only a portion of their large selection.
I never thought much about billboards (those large signs on the interstate telling you to “Think Different” or asking “Got Milk?” or encouraging to you to buy beer with the promise of twins if you do) until my dad got a job in the industry. Afterwards, it was a game on roadtrips between me and my sisters to point them out. We’d excitedly shout, “Billboard!” each time one showed up on the horizon.
Driving around Portland after my previous report on Russian Markets I felt the same way. Dyslexia? No, Cyrillic — Russian Market! I quickly found two more great little shops offering Russian and other former Soviet state delicacies: Good Neighbor European Deli and Internation Meat & Sausage. To complete my exploration, I also decided to visit Russian Cuisine, the only Russian restaurant I have found in Portland, for lunch buffet.
To help me out, I picked up a fantastic resource, Culinaria: European Specialties, now out of print and on clearance at Powell’s for Cooks at half its normal price. Hopefully my reports will be a little better informed and informative.
