Travel – Page 116

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: