Travel – Page 113

Maui: Home Maid Bakery

October 28, 2006 mmm-yoso Bakery, Desserts, Maui, Travel

There is a Japanese tradition of giving gifts when returning from a trip, these gifts are called Omiyage. In Hawaii, the tradition is deeply rooted, and goes beyond ethnic and cultural differences. In fact, when making a trip from say, Honolulu, to Hilo, your mind automatically starts ticking off what you need to bring back for Omiyage…., Mochi from Two Ladies Kitchen, or something from Big Island Candies. The tradition even works in reverse; when taking trips to Lanai, Manapua(sort of a steamed Char Siu Bao, but bigger), Pork Hash(Siu Mai), and Pepiao from Char Hung Sut was a required gift. Maui seems to have more than it’s share of Omiyage items, though the list seems to be getting shorter(of the stuff I know) as time goes by. Long gone are the Maui Hot Dogs and Shishido Manju. But several sources of Omiyage are going strong. One of those sources is located in Wailuku on Lower Main street, Home Maid Bakery.

The bakery is not that hard to find, but parking can be. Though it might not be a long wait since cars are always leaving as quickly as they are entering the hilly, uneven, slightly pot-holed parking lot. And Home Maid’s hours are very convenient, they are open from 5am to 10pm daily.

Once in the bakery, you’ll notice all of the bags lined up on the back counter; those are the orders waiting for pick-up, mostly for people on the way to the airport. There are a variety of various pastries available, and most of it is self-serve. But on this trip to the airport to pick-up the Missus’s parents, we decided to try the malasadas, those wonderful Portuguese fried donut like pastries. I’d been warned of the sometimes surly service at Home Maid, but on this day, the Older Lady working the counter was very nice. And we got a dozen to go($6.60):

You’ll notice only eleven malasadas in the box. That’s because, in order to stop a certain someone with a growling tummy from salivating all over the box(not me…), I had to open it up, and that malasada was inhaled. Overall, these were not too bad, they lacked the yeasty goodness of the malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery, but were not a bad substitute for someone who had not had a decent malasada in 5 years. The confections were slightly crisp, very hot, and sugary. Please note that malasadas are only available from 530am to 930am, and 4pm to 10pm daily. When I kiddingly asked the Lady why that was…She looked up with a total deadpan expression and said, "cause no mo’ malasada man!" And proceeded to crack up…….

But what Home Maid Bakery really is known for are the Crispy Manju, which unlike traditional Japanese Manju, has a crisp pastry crust (Think pie crust). So I had to make sure to buy a couple for snacking pleasure.

I picked up the Imo (sweet potato) and Crispy Manju Deluxe(lot’s of azuki). The Missus really didn’t care much for them, She’s much more of a traditionalist, and while I still enjoy the buttery sweetness, I thought these seem to be much more greasy than I remember.

My Mother In Law on the other hand, who obviously eats this much more often than we do(living in Honolulu) loved them. And we made a stop on the way to the Airport so they could grab a good selection as Omiyage for their friends and the people at work. The MIL says, the Coconut is really good.

So on your way to the airport, don’t forget the Crispy Manju from Home Maid Bakery.

Home Maid Bakery
1005 Lower Main Street
Wailuku, HI 96793
Open 5 a.m.-10 p.m
7 days a week,

Malasadas Available
530am – 930am
4pm – 10pm

Maui: Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar

October 26, 2006 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Maui, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel

For our one "big" dinner, we decided to stick close to Kapalua, and have dinner at Sansei. I’d always wanted to check out Sansei, I just never thought that it would be at the Kapalua location. Sansei had recently moved up the road, and now was right next to the Honolua Store. In fact, there was still a minimum of signage to identify the restaurant.

For those that don’t know, the word "Sansei", is Japanese, and literally means "Third Generation". And is the creation of D.K. Kodama, a Third Generation(hence the Sansei) AJA Chef and Restauranteur. The cuisine is a called Japanese-inspired Pacific Rim Cuisine, aka "fusion". Pacific Rim fusion when done well, is eye(and palate) opening, and innovative. But when done poorly, as with most restaurants jumping on the Pacific Rim band wagon, the food is gimmicky, the flavors confusing (what I call, con-fusion cuisine), and is just plain terrible.

As we walked toward the restaurant, I was really glad that I had made reservations; there was a pretty long line out the door. It was 630 pm on Thursday, and all three dining areas, the sushi bar, and the lounge was packed. The Hostess was informing people walking in hoping to score a table, or a seat at the sushi bar that there was a 45 minute wait. We had a short wait and was shown to a nice little table. Over on the next table were a tourist couple. The matching His and Her Big Flower Aloha attire, and the very, very, bad (think lobsterville) sunburn was a real giveaway. During the evening, this young couple provided us with some amusement. We could hear them asking the Server, "what is this shish-shimi", and "ewww, that’s goose liver!" he-he-he.

Our Server was named Todd, actually it was Todd #1, I’ll explain later. We decided to go the "small plates" route and placed our order. I need to apologize, we had so much stuff, that I didn’t really keep track of the prices, but I’ll let you know the total later. Also, the photos aren’t the best, and because everybody was taking photos in this really dark restaurant, we really didn’t feel bad.

The Panko Crusted Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll, the menu said that this was a "must try" item.

This "roll" is Ahi, wrapped with Arugula, and Nori, crusted with panko and deep fried. Apparently this roll had been lying around for a bit, it arrived in less than 5 minutes, the panko crust was cold, the fish over cooked, though I loved the flavor that the arugula brought to the dish. It was served with a very tasty Soy Wasabi Butter Sauce that I could have eaten with a whole bowl of rice.

The Seared Foie Gras Nigiri Sushi($17), when this arrived, I started salivating…..

And this did not disappoint; it was by far my favorite dish of the night. 2 Nigiri style rice balls, with seared Foie Gras(remember "Ewww goose liver"). The Foie Gras had that nice slightly crusted, buttery texture; with a bit of the caramelized onions to add sweetness, and a bit of the reduced Nitsume Tare(Eel Sauce), this was delici-yoso!! I was really tempted to order more…..

Sansei’s Ahi Poke and Sweet Maui Onion($11), I was really looking forward to this. Just the thought of sushi grade fish combined with Maui onions!

The unfortunate truth was…..train wreck. First off, there was way too much Togarashi, so the dish was so very lip burning spicy, that you really had a problem tasting anything. The Wakame was too tough, like eating rubber, and all the cucumber pseudo-Kimchi added was to make it sour.

Matsuhisa Style Miso Butterfish:

This is a "baseline " dish for the Missus, since I’ve been making Misoyaki for years using my Mom’s modified recipe. So whenever we visit a restaurant, the Missus will go for the Miso Black Cod. I once sat in amusement, while the Missus told the Uber-Yuppified Server at Matsuhisa, "my Husband’s Miso Black Cod tastes better than this"!

When this arrived at the table, I was a bit apprehensive. It looked under marinated. But one taste erased all doubts. The fish was super fresh and moist, the flavor, a combination of sweet-salty-umami, was in perfect harmony. The Missus cleaned it up, skin and all, and it was all I could do to stop Her from licking the Mirin based sauce off the plate. Her favorite dish of the night.

Dungeness Crab Ramen with Asian Truffle Broth($14):

Too much going on, the heat from the red chilies and the strong basil flavor nullified any possible Truffle flavor. The broth was nothing special, and the noodles were mushy. The Dungeness Crab had no taste.

The Kenny G, slices of Onaga(Ruby Snapper), in Ponzu Sauce, over a bed of grated Daikon(oroshi), topped with Masago(Smelt Roe), and a fine julienne of Thai Basil.

Like hearing a constant loop of a Elevator-Muzak version of Songbird, this was a very uninspired dish. The snapper was dry and tough, the oroshi just made the dish bitter, too little ponzu sauce didn’t help matters, and the combination of "all of the above" with the Thai Basil, gave the dish a medicinal taste.

At this time, we decided to order a few more items, but had no clue. Todd #1 to the rescue. Todd made two recommendations, and I found something interesting to order. Todd recommended the Chinese Style Snapper Sashimi:

Hot oil is drizzled on thin slices of Opakapaka(Hawaiian Pink Snapper) with soy sauce and a touch of sesame oil. This is a good example of how good fusion can be when it works. The only gripe would be that I’d like my fish to be more rare.

Todd’s second recommendation was the Lobster & Blue Crab Ravioli, served in a Truffled Shiitake Mushroom and Madiera Cream Sauce…whew, what a mouthful!

The Ravioli were good, the crab meat sweet, and the lobster meat adding a great texture to the ravioli. The sauce was a bit over the top and rich, but pretty good overall.

I couldn’t help myself and ordered the Tako Shiokara($5). As the dish arrived Todd told me; "You’re lucky, this is the last order we have……..the rest is being used as bait tomorrow!" Ba-Dum-Dum.

As Shiokara is concerned, this was very tame, lacking the heavy fermented-fishy flavor of Shiokara. As an appetizer, this was pretty good. I was surprised at how the Kimchee sauce worked so well with the raw Octopus.

All told our meal + 1 small Sawanotsuru Zuicho Daiginjo(smooth….) the bill came to $120 without tip. We didn’t think the prices were too bad considering all the stuff we ate.

A quick word on Todd#1, he did a great job. We could tell that he was absolutely slammed, but he always had time for us, had a great sense of humor, did a great job explaining the dishes, and was very efficient while being unobtrusive. What’s in the name? Apparently at one time there were up to 6 "Todd’s" working at Sansei, so they gave each one a number….. So on this visit we got the one and only original Todd.

So would we return? I’m pretty sure we would. The food when it was good was very good, and the service was excellent. As we left there was a long line of people still waiting for tables, or maybe a seat at the Sushi Bar……….

Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar
600 Office Road
Lahaina, Hawaii 96761

Portland: The Saturday Market

July 1, 2006 mmm-yoso Portland, Oregon, Travel

For my last post on my trip to Portland, I thought I’d do The Portland Saturday Market, on a Saturday. Established in 1974, by a group of local Artisans, the Saturday Market takes place on every weekend(including Sundays) from the end of March, through Christmas Eve. The listing of Artisans is quite staggering at over 350. I took the Max light rail, which stopped right under the Burnside Bridge, and what was an empty parking the previous day(I rode Max around, just to check out "da’ haps…."), was now buzzing….

As was the area across the tracks.

I took a walk up the steps to take a photo of the famous "Made in Oregon" sign, but the Burnside Bridge was closed for repairs, so this is what I got:

Back at the market, there seemed to be everything from Neon…..

To calligraphy.

To Tie-Die.

Needless to say; I managed to get quite a bit of shopping done for "Da’ Boyz", and the Missus. But in the end it always comes down to…..

Yep….food. The food offerings at the Saturday Market Food Court are quite varied.

Even Plate Lunch…well sort of. Mostly Yakisoba and "stuff".

Some really fun signs.

One sign that caught my eye was this:

Okay, I give….what the heck is a Himalayan food booth going to serve?

So having been reeled in, I ordered the "Tour of Asia"($6.00):

Quite a bit of food here. Most of it was kind of "daal"…… Most of the dishes seem to borrow heavily from Indian Cuisine, from the mild Chicken Vindaloo(the potatoes where much better tasting then the chicken), to the Curried Vegetables, to the "dull" daal. The best item on the plate were the 2 dumplings, called "Momo", which had a nice amount of flavor, think of a Jiaozhi with some Middle Eastern spices. I ate most of what was on my plate, but was somewhat unsatisfied, and looked for something else.

Which turned out to be an order of Garlic Fries from the Wing-N-It booth. (I didn’t keep track, I think it was like $3.50) Could have used a bit more garlic, but the fries were made from potatoes freshly cut to order. So I grabbed my fries and sat across the Rogue Brewery booth. I think the description "Food Court" is pretty accurate, though I think the food is maybe a step better than the usual, "same chicken, with a different sauce" that is the norm at most food courts.

And listened to some Jazz.

Though I kinda enjoyed this Guy alot more:

By this time, there was a pretty large mass of humanity in the market area, so it was time for me to leave. All in all, a nice, relaxing morning.

Before I wrap up, just one more tidbit. You know that Oregon has no sales tax, right?

So it might be worthwhile to do some shopping.

Hope you enjoyed my posts on Portland!

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!

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: