Bun Rieu at Pho An Sandy
Whether you want to avoid seeing people making googly eyes and kissie faces at each other while you try to eat or whether you just want to avoid paying double for a meal served by a frazzled waiter, here are 10 options to escape the trappings of dining out on Valentine’s Day. They’re un-hip and non-trendy. And most are inexpensive and casual, too. Also, because most of these places are rarely slammed, it’s a good list to keep around for a Friday or Saturday night when waiting 45 minutes for a table sounds especially miserable.
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.
Pizza in the oven at Depokos
Food carts, of course, are the awesome right now, and nowhere moreso than Portland where we have a higher number per capita than any other city in the country. Fine with me. When I travel I eat on the street more than in restaurants.
However, a cart with a wood-burning or gas oven running at 800 degrees slinging out freshly made pizzas with ingredients like fresh mozz and doughs allowed to ferment for 24 hours? Now that’s the real awesome. And Portland has three of them: Pizza Depokos, Pyro Pizza, and Wy’East Pizza. While I had tried two — Pyro and Wy’East — with the opening of the third, Depokos, a crawl was in order to judge their relative merits. The obvious partner in pizza-gorging to invite was Adam Lindsley.
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.
Aladdin’s Mezza Platter
Lebanese and Middle Eastern food is a great fit for Portland. It’s simple, but flavorful, vegetarian-friendly, and inexpensive.
Puebla was almost an afterthought on our trip. We were travelling through it anyway, so we decided to stay a couple days. The guidebooks didn’t give much reason to visit the city and online recommendations were primarily to skip it and spend more time in Oaxaca. My wife, who planned our itinerary, was suggesting we pass it by as well. Puebla, though, is the home of mole poblano and chiles en nogada, two dishes considered integral to the Mexican culinary identity. They’re also the home of tinga, al pastor, tacos arabes, and a range of sweets including camote, rompope, and dulces de Santa Clara. So I knew I was stopping (chiles en nogada and tinga poblana are two of my favorite dishes), but I figured I could get my fill in two days.
I was wrong. I’m not sure I could ever tire of Puebla. Not only was the food terrific, but I fell in love with the town itself — the architecture, the relaxing yet vibrant Zocolo, the college town atmosphere. I could live there and be happy. I know I could eat there and be happy. I’ve done that.
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.
Like a Thai curry without the spices, this muqueca supposedly only feeds two.
Like America, Brazil is a mish-mash of cultures and cuisines. There are the ingredients of the native peoples, the dishes of the European conquerors and immigrants, and the techniques and tastes of the slaves they brought with them. It’s hearty food. Think about those stick-to-your-ribs dishes your grandma made when you were a kid. Think soul food. Think BBQ. Add in a little African love for coconut milk and a nose for spices. Think mild Cajun with Portuguese influences rather than French. Mouth watering yet?
Since Brasilia went out of business a couple years ago, two restaurants offering food from the fifth largest country in the world have emerged in Portland: Brazil Butikim and La Villa. Each is good and each offers a different set of Brazilian comfort foods.
