June 2006 – mmm-yoso

Point Point Joint Restaurant

June 29, 2006 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

** Point Point Joint has closed

Yes, that's the name of this Turo-Turo( literally "point-point" in Tagalog) "joint" in National City. Why "point-point"? Well these type of restaurants, serve up steam-table fare, and you can order by just pointing at what you want.

On this afternoon, I happen to be in National City, and my stomach was rumbling away. I also hadn't had rice for almost 10 days!!! I thought about driving up to Tita's Kitchenette, but since it was already past 2pm, and I was just a few blocks away; Point-Point was an easy choice. The spartan, dark, and simple interior of the restaurant was quite crowded, and the television eternally tuned to TFC(The Filipino Channel), was playing some Karaoke All-Star program.

I simply walked up to the counter, did my "point-point" duty, and got my usual 2 item combination($5.50). Lechon Kawali and BBQ Chicken:

For those who don't know what Lechon Kawali is; it's pork belly that has been boiled in water and seasonings, then drained and dried. And finally deep fried until the skin (Chicharon) becomes golden and crisp. When done to perfection, each bite of lechon kawali is an amazing combination of textures; crisp cracklins', rich gelatinous fat, and moist meat flavored by the seasonings and the two-step cooking process. Needless to say, it should be eaten soon after cooking. When I had mentioned the food at Point-Point to my Buddy Jack; he was quick to point out that, "with Point-Point, you either have to get there early; or luck out and be there when fresh batches of food comes out." A perfect assessment of Point-Point timing. On this visit, some of the pieces of lechon were excellent, while other were not very good. A few pieces were extremely hard, and the meat had become very dry. I enjoy the BBQ Chicken at Point-Point, it is very different from it's counter-part at Tita's, it has a sweeter flavor, more reminiscent of Teriyaki. Today the chicken skewers were very good; still hot, moist, and with nice "charry" bits.

I finished my meal(except for a few pieces of lechon that were too dried out) while watching the Karaoke All-Stars, and before leaving, got some take-out for the Missus. 2 BBQ Chicken skewers($1.50/each), and a "medium" Chicken Sinigang (Chicken Sour Soup – $2.50). The portion of soup turned to be quite generous as it filled one of our soup bowls.

The Missus enjoyed Her bowl of soup, which She found to be refreshingly sour and tangy, and though a bit on the salty side, not oily in the least bit. There was a generous amount of chicken and eggplant in the soup as well.

Though the portions at Point-Point are not as massive as those at Tita's, I sometimes enjoy the nicer Staff at Point-Point. I also usually never have to deal with the psycho parking lot, crazy Plaza Boulevard, and the mass of Humanity at Tita's. Point-Point serves up all the usual suspects, Tapa, Dinuguan, Adobo, and other favorites, all you have to do is point….point.

Here's a photo of another recent take-out from Point-Point. On this occasion the lechon was very good.

Point-point Restaurant
916 E 8TH St Ste 1
National City, CA 91950

Emerald Part II: Repeat or Redemption???

June 27, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

About eight months ago we visited Emerald, our then favorite Dim Sum house, and were very disappointed. At that time I dubbed the post Emerald Part I, so there had to be a part 2, correct? But it took us nearly eight months to recover from our lousy Dim Sum experience.

Now prior to our last visit Emerald had been re-opened for a month after a vent fire; and we figured that any service and food issues would have been resolved. We were badly mistaken. But since we’ve had a history of good fairly good meals(by San Diego standards) at Emerald, we were drawn back on a recent weekday lunch hour. We got to Emerald at about 1115, and the place was empty except for one table.

But, those Dim Sum carts were ready to go. And as soon as we were seated they zoomed over to our table. We started with one of my old favorites here; the tripe. On my last visit, it lacked the rich flavor and the "zip" that the chilies added. But here was my old favorite back to form(you can compare with our previous visit).

The flavor was still not as rich as I remember, but this was so much better.

The Steamed Bean Curd Roll was quite good. The broth was full of flavor, and there was lots of tasty pork in the roll. Not enough bamboo shoots and cloud ears for my taste. But the broth was so very good.

Har Gow. We usually don’t order these, but the Har Gow were very good. The wrappers had just the right amount of "pull". The shrimp had a nice flavor as well.

The Shrimp Dumplings suffered from brittle wrapper syndrome, but the filling had a good balanced shrimp and green onion flavor. We enjoyed these.

Woo Gok, the Deep Fried Taro Balls. And this time the filling was more balanced, and without a strong bitter flavor from using too much taro.

Still, they leave a bit too be desired. Too cold, and too mushy, but at least not oily.

The Shark Fin Dumpling was not so great. The filling was very hard and tough, and I swear I bit into a toenail!!!!

Overall, overcooked, dry, and lacking in flavor.

The Shrimp and Scallop Dumpling.

No complaints, other then the top of the wrapper being too thick. Just average in flavor.

The Shrimp and Chive Fried Dumplings. Well, when I took a look at these mis-shapen and broken dumplings, the first thought that entered my mind was, "what kind of Chef would allow something like this to leave His kitchen?"

The wrappers were lousy, the filling very good; lots of pungent chive, and just the right amount of shrimp. Does it make up for the horrendously bad wrappers….

It looks like Emerald is back on our "list", and it’s a heck of alot closer then Pearl; though still not quite as good. But still, much improved over our last visit.

Emerald Seafood Restaurant
3709 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Portland: Land of a Thousand….Food Carts???

June 26, 2006 mmm-yoso Portland, Oregon, Travel, yoso-silly

Growing up in Hawaii, I’ve developed a real fondness for Lunch Wagon grub. And I miss those no frills, inexpensive meals. So imagine my surprise as I turned the corner SW 10th and SW Alder to find this.

An entire street lined with what I’m told are called "Food Carts" in Portland. At this point in time, I had just completed checking in, taken a shower, and headed out for a quick bite when I ran into this informal food court lining a public parking lot. Sounded like a nice option for a fast meal. But now I had to make a decision……..

Would it be the Bratwurst Wagon, which I dubbed the "Brat-Mobile"?

Or maybe something else?

I finally settled on something from this cart, Aybla Grill, after the wonderful smells drew me in:

I decided on a Lamb Shawarma "Super Gyro"($6.00):

This was a personal pan pizza sized pita, with quite a bit of tender Lamb Shawarma meat, onions, diced tomatoes, and tzatziki. I didn’t care the flavor of the tzatziki, but the lamb sure was good, very tender and full of flavor.

The very next day, I happened to be passing the same food carts on my way back to the hotel. Hungry and need of a break, I decided to grab some food from from the Food Cart selling Thai Food, Sawasdee.

I just decided to go with the "special", Pad Kaw Gai with Chicken. Only 5 bucks. I waited while my dish was being stir fried, while watching a group of students from the Western Culinary Institute, smoke, eat, and chat, all the while wearing their Whites and Chef’s Toques, looking strange and out of place in this jerry-rigged food court. A few minutes later my noodles were ready and I headed back to the hotel and ate:

There was quite a large amount of food in the container. But right off I knew I should have chosen the tofu version of the dish. Chewing the chicken was like chewing on an inner tube. On the positive side, the noodles were flavored well, nice touches of garlic and soy. Didn’t quite know what to make of the bed of iceberg lettuce the noodles rested on. But for 5 bucks, you really can’t complain much.

I had an inkling of how pervasive Food Carts were after my visit to Restaurant Murata. As I was crossing the street to get to the Portland State University street car stop; I spied two more Food Carts.

Right after I snapped this photo, a group of 5 people mobbed the New Taste of India Food Cart; and you could smell the curry all the way down to the street car stop.

Now I’ve had many Lunch Wagons Meals, visited my share of Taco Trucks in LA, not to mention the really good ones in Yuma. But nothing matches the size and scope of the group of Food Carts I saw on my way to breakfast at Mother’s Bistro & Bar.

This collection of Food Carts lined SW 5th Avenue, from SW Oak Street, to SW Stark Street. The variety was impressive. Everything from Barbecue:

To Borscht:

Which had the "best sign".

To Burritos:

I’m not quite sure what tie in the Elephants have to Mexican Food…..

From the sleek:

To places that might give me a bit of a pause.

There’s even what looks like a little rivalry going on. This Cart, The Real Taste of India:

Was just a few carts over from this Cart, the New Taste of India.

How ’bout we open one up a few carts over called the New Real Taste of India?

Short on cash? There’s even a portable ATM!

Here are 2 carts, right across the Police Station on SW 2nd Avenue:

On my way to dinner at Pok Pok, I passed a Taco Truck:

Here are a few more for good measure. Some of them could even qualify for street art.

Portland Food Carts….they’re everywhere!

Thien Thanh

June 25, 2006 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Update Thien Thanh has since closed, sigh…..

I've still got 2 more posts on Portland, but I thought I'd take a short break and return "home" to San Diego. I've passed Thien Thanh Vietnamese Restaurant on El Cajon Boulevard hundreds of times. I thought it would be a good idea to finally have a meal there.

I don't ever recall hearing anything on Thien Thanh, so I thought it would be at the least an interesting visit. Thien Thanh is located in a strip mall on the corner of El Cajon Blvd and Menlo Avenue, just East and across the street from the strip mall that houses A Chau and Minh Ky.

The interior of Thien Thanh is quite clean, and bright. The menu is quite varied, and even has a section titled Dac Biet(Specials) which was almost all in Vietnamese(except the Steak & French Fries!!!):

Not quite sure what most of these are, I'm pretty sure the first 5 items are salads, but does anyone see anything interesting…..except the sashimi.

We started off with the Banh Xeo($6.00 – Vietnamese Crepe). A plate of very fresh lettuce, mint, and Tiet To(Purple Perilla), along with two small bowls of Nuoc Mam Cham.

Honestly, some of the freshest garnishes I've ever encountered in a Vietnamese Restaurant.

The very rich looking crepe arrived soon after. The Missus took a lettuce leaf, some garnishes, a large piece of the crepe, dipped her "bite" into the nuoc mam, bit into it, and made a face……. "What, is that taste….too rich!" I put together my crepe, and took a bite. It was very clear, to me. "There's alot of coconut milk in this."

Those that enjoy the taste of coconut milk will love this. I thought the strong coconut flavor detracted from the excellent ingredients. In the crepe were large plump shrimp, strips of pork(instead of the usual ground pork), and the crepe was fried to perfection.

The Missus ordered her remedy to the hot weather; Bun Cha Gio(Vermicelli with Egg Rolls – $5.95):

The Missus declared this Her favorite version of this dish. What set this apart, was the generous amount of Mint and Tiet To cut into a chiffonade. The Nuoc Mama Cham also went well with the dish, as it wasn't too sweet. Sounds like we'll be having a few more of these in the future.

I ordered the Com Tam Dac Biet(Special Broken Rice – $6.50):

As with the Dac Biet Com Tam dishes, a mixed bag. The Grilled Pork was tasteless and dry, and the Fried Bean Curd Skin with Shrimp was fried perfectly but bland. The Shredded Pork, which on a bad day can be like chewing on rubberbands, except rubberbands have more flavor, was surprisingly moist, and there was a little surprise, little pieces of garlic gave the pork flavor. I still haven't met a Steamed Egg(except one) that I didn't like.

And this was no exception. The broken rice was very moist as well. A pretty good dish on the whole.

I think we'll be making another visit to Thien Thanh in the near future. The service was very nice, and there are other interesting dish on the menu, like Bun Bo Hue, Bun Rieu(Northern style crab flavored broth with vermicelli), Bun Rieu Oc(the above with snails), Curry Lamb, and other items from the Vietnamese Menu. I found prices to be on the high side, but the quality and freshness of the ingredients explain why. No Pho Bo' on the menu, though Pho Ga' (Chicken Noodle Soup) is.

Thien Thanh Vietnamese Restaurant
4658 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Sun-Thurs 8am-9pm
Fri-Sat 8am-10pm

Portland: Pok Pok

June 22, 2006 mmm-yoso Portland, Oregon, Thai Restaurants, Travel

*** Pok Pok has Closed

What if I told you there's some really good Isaan-style Thai food to be had in Portland. And that it can be found not in Downtown, but in Southeast Portland, served out of what is either a dressed up shed or converted garage. Wait it gets better, it's a White Dude making the food! Not just any food, but Thai street food. And not just any ordinary "Chef", but an honest to God, Bass playing Rock-n-Roller! I'm sure you think that this is a product of one too many Bridgeport IPA's, but it's true, cross my Kanom Krok!

The place goes by the catchy name of Pok Pok; and is located in Southeast Portland on SE Division.

The Bass playing Chef is Andy Ricker, who plays in a local band called The Quags. According to what I gleaned from posts in Portland Food and Drink, and the message boards on Portlandfood.org, Andy was a Sous-Chef at a popular restaurant called Zefiro's, but His true love is Southeast Asian Cuisine; specifically the cuisine of Chiang Mai. So what's a Bass playing sous-chef, who loves Isaan food to do? Well, open a little hole in the wall serving Thai street food in Southeast Portland.

The story's so fascinating, that I could just stop right now, and I'm sure this post would still be interesting. But one must eat, right? In spite of the larger than life story; doubts were still swirling through my head as I made the 20 minute bus ride (#4 Division), from Downtown Portland, sitting next to an older gentleman who kept muttering "Timmy, Timmy, get over here, get over here" during the duration of my ride. I got off at my stop, well not really, I missed the stop, and got off down the street and walked a few blocks to Pok Pok. And yes, it was true, next to a house being renovated(I later learned that Andy lives there, and hopes to move Pok Pok into the basement)there was a small shed with a window.

The menu is small, just 6 items, along with a grease board with a "special" and a dessert written on it.

To term the few patio furniture tables, and covered shed with a few tables a dining area, would be a stretch. But on this mild, sunny Portland evening, it's heaven. Don't fall into the ditch, though!

I decided to order the Pok Pok Special($8.50):

It consists of a half of Charcoal Rotisserie Game Hen, called Kai Yaang. The Game Hen was flavorful, slightly garlicky, and very moist. Saffron wishes it could do it so well. I understand that Andy brought back a special rotisserie from Chiang Mai to make his game hen, which is stuffed with lemongrass and garlic for additional flavor. Andy, learned how to modify the rotisserie while "hanging out" at a Restaurant in Chiang Mai. A mild sweet chili sauce was served with the game hen, I really didn't need it though. The game hen had that much flavor. That stuff in the plastic wrap is kao neuw; sticky rice which went pretty well with chicken, though I've had better sticky rice.

The special came with a Papaya Salad. Man was this good! The best Thai style Papaya Salad I've had since our visit to the Wat Thai Temple in North Hollywood in January. The papaya was fresh and crisp, the shredded shrimp added a nice salty-oceany flavor, the green beans added a nice crunch. The sauce was a near perfect balance of sweet, sour, and salty. The heat was bit on the mild side, but of course I'm used to pretty spicy stuff. I thought there was one thing "missing" from this papaya salad.

So after devouring all of that food, I opened up my belt a notch, hiked up my pants and walked on over to the window. I had a short chat with Andy, a really nice Guy. And when I mentioned how I really enjoy my Papaya Salad with salted blue crab, and perhaps a little spicier, he said; "No problem, I'll make that".

So here's the Papaya Pok Pok with Salted Blue Crab(salad $4.95 + $1 for crab):

The best salted crab I've ever had in a papaya salad. Salty, sweet, and mildly fishy, so delici-yoso!!! In most instances I'll not order my salad with salted crab, mainly because it's a terribly fishy, gummy, off flavored mess. But in this case, an excellent Papaya Salad with perfect Salted Blue Crab.

So it's true, here on SE Division is a taste of good Isaan style Thai Street food. Pok Pok has instantly become a "must visit" restaurant for me. I'm hoping that on my next visit to Portland, that the Restaurant in the basement of the House will be ready. I know I will. Run, don't wok, to Pok Pok……..

Pok Pok
3226 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97202

BTW, "Pok Pok" is a little play on words mimicking the sound that a mortar and pestle makes while preparing papaya salad.

So how did I work up an appetite? Earlier in the afternoon I made an abbreviated trip to Washington Park, a 129.5 acre city park that hold the Oregon Zoo, The Portland Japanese Garden, Hoyt Arboretum, World Forestry Center, and The Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I had intended spending most of the day on Friday at Washington Park, but the rain nixed that plan. So I just decided to make one stop at Washington Park.

Washington Park is also home to the Deepest Underground Transit Station in North America(260 ft):

My destination? The International Rose Test Garden. After all, I'm in the City of Roses, right?

The are over 400 varieties of roses in this fragrant 4 1/2 acre garden.

Without a doubt an obligatory stop in Portland.

Portland: Park Kitchen

June 21, 2006 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Portland, Oregon, Travel

*** Park Kitchen has closed

I really didn't do much "research" for my trip to Portland. I usually have my face in guides, and read my eyes red looking over various websites. This time, I decided to minimize my anal retentive research. But that doesn't mean that I just decided to forgo any planning whatsoever. I did purchase a book; Best Places Portland, just so I could have some points of reference. And I also read through two Food Blogs; ExtraMsg.com and Portland Food and Drink, along with the requisite checks on Chowhound and eGullet. There was one entry on Portland Food and Drink that jumped out at me; the review of Park Kitchen. I read through the menu sampling, with dishes such as:

Pork belly mole with pumpkin seeds and oranges
Batter fried green beans with tarragon and bacon
Prosciutto of duck breast with fromage blanc and figs
Duck with root beer spices and cornbread pudding

And I was very intrigued. But still, I put off calling in reservations until the very last minute, which was the Thursday I arrived in Portland. So Thursday night, I decided to call and make reservations for Friday. And when I called I mentioned that I'd like to make reservations for Friday, there was a pause……a breath, and a "what time are you looking at?" When I said I could be there right at first service at 5pm, I could hear Her smiling when the very nice Gal said: "Just come on down, if it's for one, and around opening, we'll find room for you!"

When I entered Park Kitchen, the first thing I noticed was how very tiny this little restaurant was. There were just a few tables squeezed together, along with a bar area in the restaurant. Later I discovered a few more tables to the rear of restaurant near the kitchen.

This makes for a quite "intimate" seating situation, one that my Asian sensibilities sometimes feels uncomfortable with. But that all ended with my Server, Kevin. He made me feel so very welcome, and had such an intimate knowledge of the dishes on the menu, that just having Him to explain and guide me heightened the entire dining experience. If you ever read this; "thanks Kevin, I wish I had someone like you at every restaurant I eat at!" I had decided to order several small plates, and Kevin explained that 4 small plates are equal to an app and an entree. As I perused dishes such as Crisp Duck Blini, Peas, and Lavender; Kevin poured me a pint of Roots Organic IPA. This IPA, was very "hoppy", on the bitter side, and woke me up!!!

I started with the Chickpea Fries with Pumpkin Ketchup($8.50):

Served in the manner of pomme frites, these were wonderful. What was explained to me was that chickpeas are mashed, spread on a tray and baked. They are then formed, breaded and deep fried. Yum! At the beginning of my meal, I asked Kevin what the food at Park Kitchen was all about. I was told that the combinations are innovative, but always pull in the flavor of the "familiar". Chickpea Fries? Yeah, right! But as I ate them, there it was, the familiar, falafel like flavor, the caraway seeds adding character; the pumpkin ketchup acting as a fine tahini. So good, I really didn't need the ketchup….Good stuff!!!

At this point, I needed another brew. I asked Kevin what he recommended to go with the meal, and he got me a Siletz Spruce Ale:

Spruce Ale!!! Never had it. But it did work, the ale did have the scent of spruce(just like Christmas…), but was quite light and refreshing. In fact, the Spruce Ale did a fine job of palate cleansing between bites of food. I now understand that Spruce cuttings and other flavorings are added instead of Hops to offset the sweetness of the malt.

Being the big time lamb lover, I ordered the Lamb Tartar, spiced chickpeas, and mint($10.50):

My favorite of the night. Minced lamb and mint, served with a chickpea puree, topped with a quail egg. The lamb was moist, and though I could have done with the lamb being a bit wilder in flavor, this was good. The flavor of the mint reeled you back into the realm of the familiar, and cut the richness. The pseudo-hummus did the same.

Duck Ham, Preserved Strawberries, and Goat Cheese Fondue($9.50):

The preserved strawberries were fabulous with a nice anise flavor to balance out the sweetness, the mild goat cheese added a creamy texture. The weakness of the dish was the very tame duck ham, which I thought was quite flavorless. Still those strawberries……..

I asked Kevin for a recommendation for my last small plate. He recommended the Sherry Soused Spinach, 8 Minute Eggs, and Hazelnuts($9.50):

This earthy dish, had so many components(the Spruce Ale didn't help), the slight bitter tastes aided by nutty flavors. I do think that some "salty" component would have made the rich dish shine more, but it's very hard to complain about perfectly boiled eggs.

I even ordered dessert! Strawberry Panna Cotta with Verbena and Pistachio Amaretti($7.00):

Other then the over chewy Amaretti(macaroons), I enjoyed this dessert. I'm not a fan of the overly sweet and rich, so this filled the bill.

The damage? $57. Not bad for a splurge dinner. I'd recommend Park Kitchen for the adventurous eater, who is willing to take chances, just as Park Kitchen does, with the realization that not everything will be a "hit". But when it's good, it's very good! I'd also advise to go early for Dinner, and hopefully you'll find someone as knowledgeable and professional as Kevin to help guide you. Sometimes it's good to trust your Chef!

Park Kitchen
422 Nw 8th Ave
Portland, OR 97209

(503) 223-7275

Lunch: Mon-Fri 1130am-230pm
Dinner: Mon-Sat 500pm-"Close"

Still not quite adjusted to the efficiency of mass transit(when trimet says 4 minutes, it won't go past 8 minutes), and how small the blocks are; I arrived at my destination very early. Like 1 hour early! Fine with me. I was able to walk around the "North Park Blocks", and even got some shopping done for Da' Boyz here:

A combination Pet Boutique, Doggie Daycare, and Groomer; Urban Fauna had a nice selection of toys and treats for Sammy and Frankie. I also had the chance to relax and take a walk around the park blocks and admire the artwork:

Oh, and by the way, Powell's Technical Books is located here as well.

While I was reading, waiting for Park Kitchen to open, the most interesting thing happened:

A Fire Engine drove on up, and the Ladder Truck proceeded to extend it's ladder to one of the Lofts.

And two Firefighters scurried up the ladder.

I don't know if someone was locked in, or locked out….but it sure beats a Locksmith. Can you imagine this happening in San Diego, or Los Angeles?

After dinner I took a walk around the Pearl District. Once a Warehouse and Industrial area, it has now become Portland's SoHo. Antique Shops, Furniture Stores, and Trendy Restaurants abound. Upscale Lofts and Townhouses now share the block with auto-repair and bearing shops. Here's some really interesting street art from Jamison Square Park:

It's called Tikitotmoniki, looks sort of like a cross between Tiki and Totems.

Funny thing happened to me in The Pearl. By this time, I had assimilated to Pedestrian and other rules in Portland. I had also gotten a bit too complacent…..after all pedestrians were looked after and cared for in Portland. So while being a total bozo and entering the street to take that photo, a sportscar drove up, horn blaring, the two male passengers yelling at me and giving me the "finger", and then driving off……..sorry to say, the car had California plates. Sigh………

Portland: Breakfast at Mother’s Bistro & Bar

June 20, 2006 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Portland, Oregon, Travel

It started drizzling off and on during my first morning in Portland. This put my plans for a trip to Washington Park on the back-burner. So I decided to walk a few blocks and have breakfast at Mother's Bistro & Bar.

Mother's specializes in "Comfort Food", just like Mom used to make….well not my Mom, no Miso Soup, Sukiyaki, or Nishime here, but someones Mom. The menu features such comfort items as Matzo Ball Soup, Chopped Liver, House-Cured Lox, Chicken & Dumplings, Pot Roast, and Meatloaf & Gravy. Mother's also seems to have cornered the market on "shabby chic" furniture. I arrived at about 10 after 7 on a Friday morning, and several tables were already going strong.

I found that there are two items that Oregonians are really passionate about; beer and coffee. I ordered a cup of coffee, and went through the same drill several times; brewed or French Press, Organic, Dark roast……….and I thought those Vietnamese Restaurant menus were confusing!

To be perfectly honest, I loved the coffee(Holler Mountain Organic Blend – French Press – $2.95), provided by Stumptown Coffee Roasters. The very friendly and helpful Server; I believe Her name was Michelle, gave me directions to Stumptown.

As for the food; I decided to order "Mike's Special Scramble"($8.95):

A scramble of Prosciutto Ham, roasted garlic, fresh tomatoes, basil, and provolone cheese. Nothing wrong with the scramble, though I thought that perhaps a bit more tomato would help cut the richness of the scramble a bit, I'm really not used to such a "heavy" breakfast. The honey whole wheat toast was fine, but the breakfast potatoes were lousy. Some of the potatoes were cold, some molten hot, some pieces over slated, some not salted at all. The edges of several pieces of potato were dry and hard as rock.

The prices at Mother's are fairly reasonable, with breakfast running from Two Eggs any style at $5.95 to $10.95 for Wild Salmon Hash. Mother's also flies in H&H Bagels from New York. Most Lunch entrees run from $8.95 to $10.95, so prices for lunch seem to be fairly reasonable as well.

Mother's Bistro & Bar
409 Sw 2nd Ave

Is now at – 121 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
Portland, OR 97204

Breakfast: Tues-Fri 7am-230pm
Sat-Sun 9am-230pm
Lunch: Tues-Sun 1130am-230pm
Dinner: Tues-Thurs 530pm-9pm
Fri-Sat 5pm-10pm

After eating this, I was ready to go right back to my room. But since I was armed with my umbrella, I decided to take a walk up to Chinatown(5 Portland-sized blocks North). Here's a photo of the Chinatown Gateway:

In contrast to Chinatowns in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, Boston, and Honolulu, Portland Chinatown was very quite and sedate at this time of the morning. I later read that for a 30 year period between 1880 and 1910, Portland had the second largest Chinese community in the West.

This building for this restaurant; the House of Louie was built in 1922.

As with several "Chinatowns" in the US, like the Chinatown in Washington DC, there's not really much that is truly Chinese about "Chinatown". There was one destination, that I really did want to visit in the area…..

The Classical Chinese Garden.

This garden was completed in September of 2000, by workmen from Portland's Sister city of Suzhou.

According to what I read, from between 1000AD, and through the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644AD), Suzhou was the city where Imperial Court Officials retired to. In retirement, these officials built housing compounds that featured beautiful and opulent gardens.

These gardens take up a whole city block.

A nice relaxing break.

Portland Classical Chinese Garden
239 Northwest Everett St
Portland, OR 97209
November 1 – March 31: 10:00am – 5:00pm
April 1 – October 31: 9:00am – 6:00pm

Admission: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5.50 for students

Portland: Restaurant Murata

June 19, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Portland, Oregon, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel

In need of a short break, the Missus and I decided that yours truly should take a short vacation to recharge. The last real trip I took was a week long trip to Washington D.C. over two years ago, and other than short road trips to Mountain View, Yuma, and many trips to LA, I’ve been at home. I decided to visit a city that I’ve always wanted to visit; Portland(the Oregon version). This trip was mainly for pleasure, and I really didn’t do too much research. I did come up with a short list of places to eat, and a rather long list of places to visit. I’ll do a non-food post on those a bit later.

I arrived at the Marriott City Center at almost 3 pm, checked in, took a quick shower, and was on my way. The first thing I noticed was how very kind all the drivers were; pedestrians are treated with a great deal of respect; cars almost always stop in drive ways to let pedestrians cross. And no honking!

After reading a short description in the Willamette Week, I decided on Restaurant Murata.

Even though I was advised to take the Portland Streetcar down to SW Market Street, I decided to walk. Though the walk was about 15 blocks, the distance was only about a mile, and took a leisurely half hour. Next observation about Downtown Portland; the "blocks" are small, and Portland is a great walking town. Along with the small blocks, there are no steep hills to tax you.

When Murata opened, I entered and seated at the small(about 8-10 seats) sushi bar, by the traditionally dressed Server. The restaurant is quite small, and there are 3 Tatami Rooms located to one side of the restaurant. I haven’t seen one of those in years. As I sat Murata-san was very busy doing prep work.

As I sat I looked over the grease board "specials".

To my surprise, I was handed a sushi order sheet, even though I was seated at the bar.

So I placed my sushi order, got a Sapporo, sat back and watched Murata-san work. Murata-san did his thing with methodical speed, quick, measured, and precise. Soon, I figured the reason for the order sheet; Murata-san didn’t seem to speak much English.

On to the fish. First off the Maguro(tuna) and Hamachi(yellowtail):

The Hamachi was good, with a nice texture and good flavor. The Maguro was way too cold, a trend I’ve noticed recently. Not too bad overall, but not great. I’d also started to notice that Murata-san is sometimes very heavy-handed with the wasabi, which kills much of the flavor. If I don’t know an Itamae, I usually just use the slightest touch of shoyu with my Nigiri. Depending on initial tastes, I may end up not using any shoyu at all. I’ll use fresh wasabi, but am really not into the wasabi slurry. On the positive side; I enjoyed the way the Nigiri was put together, a nice balance of fish to rice.

The Toro:

Obviously a piece of Chu-Toro(the portion towards the rear of the tuna belly). Frankly, not a great piece of fish. The texture of the Toro was much the same as the Maguro, not velvety, melt in your mouth smooth.

When I had been seated, I had noticed Murata-san working on some good looking Aji(Spanish Mackeral), so I made sure to to order some.

Topped with some grated ginger and green onions, each piece had an entire fillet of Aji on it. Murata-san turned to me and spoke for the first time, "ponzu?", I shook my head. No, these wonderful pieces of fish needed nothing. The flavor(no wasabi this time), was a perfect balance of oceany fishiness, provided by the pieces of skin left behind, along with the oily richness of the flesh. Delici-yoso!!!

Mirugai.

I’m not sure if this was "local" Mirugai(Geoduck, Giant Clam), but it sure was good. Slightly sweet, and crunchy, but not hard. Very good.

Amaebi:

The Shrimp were fresh, both tender and sweet, though one of the pieces of Nigiri had a ton of wasabi on it. Note to self; next time order everything with no wasabi…….

The Atama(heads) arrived a few minutes later:

Nicely fried up, and crunchy. Nice way to end my meal.

The tab? All the sushi and 2 Sapporo for $57, not cheap by any means, but a pretty nice meal.

Some notes on Murata: The restaurant is very small, but the menu is interesting, it’s too bad that everyone was ordering smoked salmon, California and Rainbow Rolls. I’ve also heard that if you call in advance, you can order Kaiseki-ryori meals. I arrived right when Murata opened, when I left all the tables were filling up.

Restaurant Murata
200 SW Market St
Portland, OR 97201

I had arrived to the area where Murata is located about a half hour early(see earlier note on the size of the city blocks), so I was able to take in some of the sights, such as the Ira Keller Memorial Fountain:

And a walk in Pettygrove Park. Did you know that Portland was named based on a coin-toss?

So I could’ve easily been visiting Boston, Oregon, instead of Portland. In peaceful Pettygrove Park is an interesting sculpture called The Dreamer:

Someone told me it’s filled with urethane foam, so that when it rains, the drops don’t make much noise.

After my meal, I walked on over to the Streetcar stop on the campus of Portland State University. Here’s an earlier photo I took before dinner.

As I was sitting waiting for a Streetcar, a Gentleman came up to me and told me that the electricity was out down the line, and the Streetcars weren’t stopping at this and other nearby stops. Here’s where I come into contact with the wonderful Portland hospitality, he asked me if I’m from around here. When I replied "No, just visiting", He told me to follow Him, and we walked a few blocks to SW Clay Street and SW 10th Avenue, and caught the Streetcar there. As we were riding the Streetcar, he pointed out all the landmarks like the Portland Art Museum, and the Main Library. He also informed me of my stop, one of the main reasons I came to Portland:

And yes, it’s all true; the bookstore takes up an entire city block. And yes, you do need a map to get around. And yes…..used books are mixed in with the new. And yes, I think there are people living in Powell’s, that may have not left in years. I managed to tear myself away after 3 hours, and only spent about $50. The variety and quantity of books at Powell’s is amazing, truly a book lover’s mecca. And by the way, did you know that Ferrets have their own magazine!

Powell’s City of Books
1005 W Burnside
Portland, OR 97209 USA

What I Did for My Summer Vacation……

June 18, 2006 mmm-yoso Travel, yoso-silly

Did you ever have to stand in front of class during your first week back in school, and have to do a report on, "What I during my Summer vacation?" I dreaded this, most of the time it was summer school, and not much of anything else. So when my classmates were going to Disneyland and whatnot, I really had nothing to report on. As I got older, the kids were going to Japan, or doing exciting things during summer….but I was doing something like working or picking pineapples on Lanai! But this summer, I went on a nice short trip….but I’m not telling you right away. I just got home, so I’ll try to complete my previous post, and start doing my vacation posts.

So where did I go? Well these "guys" aren’t talking…but may give you some clues:

Maybe this guy can help you:

The city has something to do with these:

I’ll throw in a food pic, just so I can still feel I’m doing a food blog.

I know I’ve made it much too easy for you all…….

A Tale of Two Comals Part Deux – El Comal Chula Vista

June 17, 2006 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

The day after our visit to El Comal on Imperial avenue, we found ourselves in Chula Vista. Since the Missus really enjoyed the food, on our visit to the Imperial Ave location we decided to try a few more items here.

The exterior of El Comal on Broadway looked alot more like a representation of a typical San Diego Tex-Mex style Restaurant, but happily for us, the menus of both locations are the same.

The interior of the restaurant is very large, and there is a cavernous bar and dance floor in the rear of the restaurant. We were seated immediately and given our menus, after few minutes we placed our orders, and the parade of food began.

We started with Huarache Azteca, with Carne Asada and Nopal($6.00):

This version had thin very flavorful Carne Asada and perfectly prepared Nopal.

Unlike our previous Huarache, this one was perfectly grilled. Slightly charred and crisp on the edges, and slightly chewy in the center. The nopal was also well seasoned, and needed no lime or any other flavor enhancers.

I ordered the Torta de Adobada, and as in our visit to the Imperial avenue location the Adobada was beef($5.00):

In my previous experience with the Adobada at El Comal, the beef was well seasoned slightly spicy and cut into thin slices. The meat was quite dark, as if well marinated, and well caramelized. This version was a more standard version of Adobada, not as well marinated, the marinade was came right off of the meat and had a slightly grainy texture. Also, the bolillo was slathered with mayo, which I thought ruined the whole sandwich.

The Missus ordered the Caldo Tlalpeno($7.50), a spicy chicken soup:

Basically a chicken soup, with shredded vegetables, garbanzo beans, one delici-yoso whole chipotle pepper, and almost a half chicken. The garnishes provided were the usual cilantro, onion, and lime, and also a slice of avocado. The rice for the soup was provided on the side, and when the Missus tasted the rice, she insisted I have a sample. And darn if it didn’t taste like Filipino Garlic rice! There was a good amount of garlic in the rice.

The soup had an interesting flavor, slightly spicy, but quite sour(without any added lime). I thought it tasted pretty close to Tom Yum, without the fishiness. Very odd.

The chicken had alot of flavor, it was obviously a stewing hen.

We finished off with Tres Leche Cake($2.50):

So sweet it hurt my teeth.

And we did order the Albondigas($7.50) to go, and it did not resemble the version we had earlier in the least bit:

No green beans or chayote in the soup. The broth was thinner yet more oily, and the meatballs were dry and tough.

Two restaurants, same name, same menu, but the difference is the two very different kitchens.

El Comal
534 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910