(August 8th, 2013) The conference ended. My colleagues flew away. And I was left with a day in Portland before Kim was able to come out for the weekend. So, I decided to meet up with some of my good friends from Albuquerque that were visiting family in Oregon that week. Up until this point, all of Portland, and Oregon really, that I had been exposed to was fueled by internet searches and recommendations. Having two good friends act as tour guides for the day promised to show me a new side of the city. But, all of that would have to wait until after a run and lunch.
Lunch was at one of my favorite restaurants from my last visit, which Chris and TJ had never been to before and were curious to try. Pok Pok lived up to all of my memories and the expectations that I had built for it. I don't have notes or a receipt from it, but I can relive the meal as if it was yesterday:
To start, a drinking vinegar and the green papaya salad. As I raved last time, the drinking vinegars are just superb here. A little tart, a little sweet, and a little fizzy. It seems that every time I go back the variety of flavors just explodes. This time I went with a tamarind flavored drinking vinegar. And the green papaya salad...before I ever went to Pok Pok for the first time, I would've been like...'green papaya?' so what? Well, I've since learned the error in my thinking. Green papaya has a wonderful spiciness to it that, when put in the above salad with sweet tomatoes and crunchy tamarind, mixed with long beans, Thai chili, lime juice, dried shrimp, peanuts, and so many other wonderful touches, is just heavenly in my mouth.
My main course was the Kaeng Hang Leh, a Northern Thai sweet pork belly curry. I love pork belly, and I love curry, and this Thai combination of the two was just phenomenal, making me momentarily forget how wonderful the green papaya salad was. Once again, Pok Pok proved that it more than deserves its James Beard Award!
Following lunch, Chris and TJ took me to McMenamin's Kennedy School. This uniquely Oregonian institution is really like nothing I've ever been to before. The company, McMenamin's, takes dilapidated or otherwise unused buildings, such as schools, mental institutes, movie theaters, etc., and turns them into giant brewery/pub/restaurant/place to hang out, etc. The Kennedy School, in my brief introduction to it, had multiple bars, a gift shop, movie theater, and even lodging for those that don't want to have to drive home after last call. And inside, instead of the sterile academic atmosphere that once filled the halls of the Kennedy School, an eclectic mix of art and steam punk trappings was woven through the fabric of the building.
After another expensive trip to the Meadow (my favorite shop in all of the Pacific Northwest), Chris and TJ bid me adieu and left me on my own for the evening. Dinner found me wandering through the Pearl district to Andina, which, despite how fancy it is, is a Peruvian restaurant. The expectations that I had for Peruvian cuisine, owing to the few home cooked Peruvian dishes that I had during my time in Pittsburgh, left me ill prepared for the feast that I sat down to that night.
Unfortunately, not a single picture that I took was in focus, so please squint at the following:
The special of the day was "Russian Roulette Peppers" as one in twelve of the peppers is very hot. These had been prepared like shishitos: slightly fried. Having been fresh off my visit to The Meadow, I was disappointed that neither Bamboo Salt or Pyrimades Flake was used to accentuate the flavor, but otherwise they were very good as fried shishitos is one of my favorite dishes. Top left of the above photo is a causa, a traditional timbale of lime-scented potato purée, layered with assorted fillings, served chilled with avocado. This particular causa is the mixta nikkei, which has Yukon gold potatoes, with crab and spicy tuna sashimi on top. Nice flavors and very creative, certainly nothing that I've ever tried before. On the top right in the above photo is the piquille relleno. Instead of the traditional chile rellenos that we have in the southwest that are made with massive poblano peppers, these were made out of large strawberry sized piquille peppers that were fire roasted until the skins came off. Inside was a delicious mixture of quinoa, cheese, ham, some carrots, onions, etc., with cilantro around the base. Simply fantastic, even better than the Russian Roulette Peppers! As I was finishing all of that, the chef sent out a small tasting of grilled salmon, topped with fresh blossoms and a tomato-pepper sauce. I'm perplexed that that dish isn't on the menu yet as it was simple yet well rounded and delectable.
For dessert, I finished the meal with alfajores, which is a small cookie stuffed with dulce de leche. Very light and pleasant. After leaving the restaurant, I slowly made my way back to the trolley to head to the airport where I picked up Kim for a weekend of excitement in the Rose City. It was about time that I did more in a city other than work and eat!
Lunch was at one of my favorite restaurants from my last visit, which Chris and TJ had never been to before and were curious to try. Pok Pok lived up to all of my memories and the expectations that I had built for it. I don't have notes or a receipt from it, but I can relive the meal as if it was yesterday:
To start, a drinking vinegar and the green papaya salad. As I raved last time, the drinking vinegars are just superb here. A little tart, a little sweet, and a little fizzy. It seems that every time I go back the variety of flavors just explodes. This time I went with a tamarind flavored drinking vinegar. And the green papaya salad...before I ever went to Pok Pok for the first time, I would've been like...'green papaya?' so what? Well, I've since learned the error in my thinking. Green papaya has a wonderful spiciness to it that, when put in the above salad with sweet tomatoes and crunchy tamarind, mixed with long beans, Thai chili, lime juice, dried shrimp, peanuts, and so many other wonderful touches, is just heavenly in my mouth.
My main course was the Kaeng Hang Leh, a Northern Thai sweet pork belly curry. I love pork belly, and I love curry, and this Thai combination of the two was just phenomenal, making me momentarily forget how wonderful the green papaya salad was. Once again, Pok Pok proved that it more than deserves its James Beard Award!
Following lunch, Chris and TJ took me to McMenamin's Kennedy School. This uniquely Oregonian institution is really like nothing I've ever been to before. The company, McMenamin's, takes dilapidated or otherwise unused buildings, such as schools, mental institutes, movie theaters, etc., and turns them into giant brewery/pub/restaurant/place to hang out, etc. The Kennedy School, in my brief introduction to it, had multiple bars, a gift shop, movie theater, and even lodging for those that don't want to have to drive home after last call. And inside, instead of the sterile academic atmosphere that once filled the halls of the Kennedy School, an eclectic mix of art and steam punk trappings was woven through the fabric of the building.
After another expensive trip to the Meadow (my favorite shop in all of the Pacific Northwest), Chris and TJ bid me adieu and left me on my own for the evening. Dinner found me wandering through the Pearl district to Andina, which, despite how fancy it is, is a Peruvian restaurant. The expectations that I had for Peruvian cuisine, owing to the few home cooked Peruvian dishes that I had during my time in Pittsburgh, left me ill prepared for the feast that I sat down to that night.
Unfortunately, not a single picture that I took was in focus, so please squint at the following:
The special of the day was "Russian Roulette Peppers" as one in twelve of the peppers is very hot. These had been prepared like shishitos: slightly fried. Having been fresh off my visit to The Meadow, I was disappointed that neither Bamboo Salt or Pyrimades Flake was used to accentuate the flavor, but otherwise they were very good as fried shishitos is one of my favorite dishes. Top left of the above photo is a causa, a traditional timbale of lime-scented potato purée, layered with assorted fillings, served chilled with avocado. This particular causa is the mixta nikkei, which has Yukon gold potatoes, with crab and spicy tuna sashimi on top. Nice flavors and very creative, certainly nothing that I've ever tried before. On the top right in the above photo is the piquille relleno. Instead of the traditional chile rellenos that we have in the southwest that are made with massive poblano peppers, these were made out of large strawberry sized piquille peppers that were fire roasted until the skins came off. Inside was a delicious mixture of quinoa, cheese, ham, some carrots, onions, etc., with cilantro around the base. Simply fantastic, even better than the Russian Roulette Peppers! As I was finishing all of that, the chef sent out a small tasting of grilled salmon, topped with fresh blossoms and a tomato-pepper sauce. I'm perplexed that that dish isn't on the menu yet as it was simple yet well rounded and delectable.
For dessert, I finished the meal with alfajores, which is a small cookie stuffed with dulce de leche. Very light and pleasant. After leaving the restaurant, I slowly made my way back to the trolley to head to the airport where I picked up Kim for a weekend of excitement in the Rose City. It was about time that I did more in a city other than work and eat!
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