Fratelli for Portland Dining Month

June 10, 2013 by 6 Comments

A friend had recommended this Italian restaurant Fratelli just earlier this week, which I realized I had always passed by and been intrigued but then forgotten about! So when I looked at the list of Portland Dining Month restaurants and saw it on the list as well, I was happy to finally visit. Fratelli is right next to the more boisterous Oba, but I wanted to enjoy a more peaceful atmosphere and although tempted by the outside tables with sangria as I walked by, I stayed firm- and was well rewarded.

This intimate Pearl District restaurant has been serving regionally inspired Italian cuisine since 1998 and  features a simple and regional approach to Italian home cooking, with dishes that use seasonal and local ingredients from area farmers. I sat inside to enjoy the rustic atmosphere, but there were also some tables on the sidewalk which were a bit more lively as they were enjoying their happy hour.
Fratelli restaurant, simple Italian, Pearl district, rustic Italian

It was a warm 80 degree day, so I needed some refreshment first. They were great at refilling my pint sized water glass that I kept draining so I was never thirsty, and I also really was refreshed by their version of a Lemon Drop that uses Limoncello.
Fratelli restaurant, simple Italian, Pearl district, rustic Italian, Lemon Drop that uses Limoncello Fratelli restaurant, simple Italian, Pearl district, rustic Italian, Lemon Drop that uses Limoncello

The 3 courses they are offering for $29 for Portland Dining Month include

    • First Course
      Board of chicken liver mousse and seasonal pickled vegetables
      Fratelli restaurant, simple Italian, Pearl district, rustic Italian, Board of chicken liver mousse and seasonal pickled vegetables Fratelli restaurant, simple Italian, Pearl district, rustic Italian, Board of chicken liver mousse and seasonal pickled vegetables
      I know not everyone is a fan of terrines and pates, but I love this stuff, and ever since I have been enjoying it in Portland I have thought Portland is fortunate in that it offers the best charcuterie in the world
    • Second Course
      Smoked Mt. Shadow pork loin – French green lentils, preserved lemon
      Fratelli restaurant, simple Italian, Pearl district, rustic Italian, Portland, smoky rich Smoked Mt. Shadow pork loin with French green lentils, preserved lemon
      Fratelli restaurant, simple Italian, Pearl district, rustic Italian,Portland, smoky rich Smoked Mt. Shadow pork loin with French green lentils, preserved lemon
      I cannot emphasize how good this dish was, where there was a perfect balance between the taste of the perfectly cooked pork, the smoky flavor, and subtle seasonings and flavors and textures that were contributed with those lentils that were earthy but as comforting as a carb like rice or pasta.
  • Third Course
    Ginger shortbread cake – strawberry mousse, wild plum coulis
    Fratelli restaurant, simple Italian, Pearl district, rustic Italian, Ginger shortbread cake – strawberry mousse, wild plum coulis
    After that large second course, this was the perfect light bite to finish off the meal

Make your Portland Dining Month reservations via OpenTable so that Downtown Portland will also make a donation to the Oregon Food Bank!

Check out my other Portland Dining Month escapades: I ate at Quartet, Accanto, Urban Fondue, Fratelli, H50 out of my initial list!

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H50 for Portland Dining Month

June 7, 2013 by 5 Comments

H50 Bistro Bar, located the waterfront hotel of Hotel 50, was the first restaurant I’ve taken advantage of for the Portland Dining Month special of a 3 course dinner for $29. I haven’t been back for a couple years, and since then the executive chef (Nicholas Yanes) left and now a new executive chef Ron Baker is at the helms. I do like the location and hip modern atmosphere, so I gave it a try as my first Portland Dining month dinner.

If you happen to drive here, H50 and Hotel 50 generously offer FREE valet covered parking in the Hotel Fifty lot for up to two hours for H50 diners.

H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

Here, the options for the meals for Dining Month included

First course

  • chilled strawberry soup served with champagne ice, pistachios and mint OR
  • green salad served with basil, mint, shallots, balsamic vinaigrette and a ricotta crostini

Second course

  • braised brisket crepenette served with seasonal smoked vegetables, tellagio cheese and pickled breakfast radishes OR
  • fire brick-roasted half chicken served with moroccan spices, saffron hummus, grilled rapini and olive tapenade

Third course

  • frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup

So I picked this out especially for the first and third course. And, here’s what I got…

I started out with the Cinnamon Blood  Orange Margarita, with H5O cinnamon anise tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, orange juice, blood orange puree

cocktail, Cinnamon Blood Orange Margarita, with H5O cinnamon anise tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, orange juice, blood orange pureeH50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

And then, the Portland Dining Month menu dinner. This was quite a meal, including the amuse bouche of Salt Cod Fritters with pickled pepper aioli, and even a sweet goodbye bite with the check.

H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant amuse bouche of Salt Cod Fritters with pickled pepper aioli, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant amuse bouche of Salt Cod Fritters with pickled pepper aioli, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

The first course was even better than I had hoped, with the chilled strawberry soup served with champagne ice, pistachios and mint being such intense strawberry puree.
chilled strawberry soup served with champagne ice, pistachios and mint, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant chilled strawberry soup served with champagne ice, pistachios and mint, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

I was blown away by the second course of the braised brisket crepenette, all that richness of the beef topped with pork belly and roasted cauliflower and tellagio cheese balanced by the slight bitterness of the greens and pickled radishes. It was much more than the menu description had promised. Usually you might expect a crepenette to be the size of a burger patty, or come as multiple meatballs, but this was serious – steak sized!
braised brisket crepenette served with seasonal smoked vegetables, tellagio cheese and pickled breakfast radishes, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant braised brisket crepenette served with seasonal smoked vegetables, tellagio cheese and pickled breakfast radishes, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant braised brisket crepenette served with seasonal smoked vegetables, tellagio cheese and pickled breakfast radishes, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

Meanwhile that frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup, and bonus! also chocolate wafer, pistachio crumbles definitely had a strong current of whiskey flavor, but I appreciated all the various textures on the plate to play along with.
frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup, chocolate tulle, pistachio crumbles, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup, chocolate tulle, pistachio crumbles, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup, chocolate tulle, pistachio crumbles, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant extra sweet bite with the check, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

Make your Portland Dining Month reservations via OpenTable so that Downtown Portland will also make a donation to the Oregon Food Bank!

Check out my other Portland Dining Month escapades: I ate at Quartet, Accanto, Urban Fondue, Fratelli, H50 out of my initial list!

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Pulehu Pizza

June 5, 2013 by 2 Comments

I’ve already raved about Pulehu Pizza and their delicious grilled pizzas in a previous post, so here are just some photos so you can see the awesomeness I procured from their food cart truck at 4th and Stark… Here’s a photo of their very cool truck.

Pulehu Pizza, Portland food truck grilled pizza Pulehu Pizza, Portland food truck grilled pizza

Pulehu Pizza Truffle Oil Mushroom pizza, with Freshly sautéed baby bella Mushrooms, fresh Garlic, Ricotta cheese, White Truffle Oil & fresh cracked Black Pepper
Pulehu Pizza Truffle Oil Mushroom pizza, with Freshly sautéed baby bella Mushrooms, fresh Garlic, Ricotta cheese, White Truffle Oil & fresh cracked Black Pepper, Portland food truck grilled pizza

Pulehu Pizza Alsatian Pizza inspired by an Eastern French Favoritr, with a sour cream base topped by shaved onions, bacon & St Nectaire Cheese
Pulehu Pizza Alsatian Pizza inspired by an Eastern French Favoritr, with a sour cream base topped by shaved onions, bacon, St Nectaire Cheese, Portland food truck grilled pizza Pulehu Pizza Alsatian Pizza inspired by an Eastern French Favoritr, with a sour cream base topped by shaved onions, bacon, St Nectaire Cheese, Portland food truck grilled pizza

Pulehu Pizza Strawberries & Crème Flamee Fresh Strawberries, Lemon Zest & Fresh Mint on a creamy base. LOVE. L O V E
Pulehu Pizza Strawberries and Crème Flamee Fresh Strawberries, Lemon Zest & Fresh Mint on a creamy base, Portland food truck grilled pizza Pulehu Pizza Strawberries and Crème Flamee Fresh Strawberries, Lemon Zest & Fresh Mint on a creamy base, Portland food truck grilled pizza

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Manao Thai Review

June 3, 2013 by 8 Comments

While making a run at Portland U Brew in order to get some supplies for brewing a summer beer, I figured that while I had a car rented for the day and we were already on SE Milwaukie, how about having lunch in the area as well? My sisters just went to Thailand for a short stay and a visit to the rest of my family on both sides (my immediate family is in the US, but extended fam is all in Thailand, divided among Bangkok in central Thailand, Chiang Mai with their Northern cuisine, and my dad’s hometown of Nakhon Ratchasima also known as Korat in the Northeast). Thinking of them, I also have had lots of Thai food on my mind as I think about the deliciousness they are enjoying, as it’s been so long (since 2008) since my last experience in Thailand.

I haven’t actually eaten a lot of Thai food here in PDX because F often eats Thai already from the food carts during his workday, so having Thai for dinner or on the weekends isn’t the first thing we think of, and I should correct that. So far, of the Thai I’ve had, my experiences at Pok Pok, my visit to the food cart Nong’s Khao Man Gai for the Khao Man Gai specialty (and only) dish she offers, and E-San Thai where I loved their Nam Khao are standouts (and as I’ve written about before- click the links to read those entries). But I have quite the Thai To Do List- the wishlist includes PaaDee, Red Onion, Chiang Mai, Mee-Sen, Cha Ba Thai, and Manao, the latter of which is just down the street from P.U.B. Let’s see if I can work this list this summer.

Manao Thai was started by Ekkachai “Chef Chew” Sakkayasukkalawon, an alum from Andy Ricker’s empire including Pok Pok and Ping about a year and a half ago. Manao means lime by the way in Thai. Chef Chew has some staple Thai offerings, but also quite a few more unique Thai dishes that you won’t find as commonly on most Thai menus. Inside, you can tell this is a small family owned business who has kept the décor very minimal and functional.
Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew

We started with Manao’s Tao Huu Tod appetizer, a dish of fried tofu caramelized with sweet and sour sauce. A special on the board also listed Sai Ua, which is a Northern Thai sausage dish.
Tao Huu Tod appetizer, a dish of fried tofu caramelized with sweet and sour sauce Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew Sai Ua Northern Thai sausage Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew

For mains, the vegetarian got the very passable Mussamun Curry with potato, carrot, onion and peanuts (here shown with tofu), I enjoyed both my dishes of the decent Kao Pad Kun Chiang, a dish of fried rice with egg, Chinese sausage, onion, tomato and Chinese broccoli, and then a more unique offering of Thai Chicken Wings, deep‐fried marinated chicken wings caramelized with sweet fish sauce. Are they as good as the Ike Vietnamese Chicken Wings at Pok Pok? Well, they are not as spicy, but still enjoyable and without the wait you would have otherwise had. This seems like a more casual, homey version that is more Thai than Vietnamese, and as noted is more sweet than spicy and good crispyness.

Mussamun Curry with potato, carrot, onion and peanuts Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew Kao Pad Kun Chiang, a dish of fried rice with egg, Chinese sausage, onion, tomato and Chinese broccoli Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew Chicken Wings, deep‐fried marinated chicken wings caramelized with sweet fish sauce Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew

I was also excited to see a Thai dessert you don’t always see on menus here: Sweet Roti, an Indian‐style flat bread top with sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup. This is a very sweet dessert. But, I thought this was much better than what our usual stop would have been after P.U.B.- Dairy Queen!
Sweet Roti, an Indian‐style flat bread top with sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew

I will probably be back again when we make another run to P.U.B., as there are other special Thai dishes that caught my eye, such as Kaa Muu Tod, a stewed pork leg dish stew with mustard greens; Kaeng hung lay, a funky Northern Thai pork shoulder curry; the labor intensive spicy Som Tum or papaya salad (get it with sticky rice) of which the mashing of the chilis gave Pok Pok its name; and Pad Wuun Sen Kai Kem dish with stir-fried salted duck egg with glass noodles and ground pork. There is a lot right in front of the restaurant for convenient parking. If you visit, please, take the opportunity to try out some dishes that are not the standard fare you will normally see. Make sure to check out the specials board too for more authentic flavors.

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Portland Dining Month 2013

June 1, 2013 by 4 Comments

Welcome to June, and the start of Dining Month, where you can go to 90 various restaurants in Portland and enjoy 3 courses for $29. You can check out the official Downtown Portland Dining Month website here to see those restaurants and sort by location, cuisine, or view the details of the 3 courses that will be offered. They will always have their regular menu as well, so not everyone at the table has to eat the $29 prix fixe.

Also keep in mind that if you make reservations using the online restaurant reservation system OpenTable (click the link to see the 68  participating restaurants that are also on OpenTable), not only can you earn points that you can eventually use to get restaurant gift certificates (good for any OpenTable participating restaurants), but a donation will also be made to the Oregon Food Bank so you can feed yourself and others.

I usually will pick restaurants based on food options in their 3 courses that sound good, and then look at their regular menu to see if it is a good deal. It never ends up being less than $29 to order them a la carte if available, but some dishes are special for Dining Month, or you are getting a tremendous value on the price. Some particular ones that stood out to me as a value and/or had offerings for my taste that I will see if I can visit (remember that the menus are subject to change by the restaurant at any time):

  • Clyde Common (downtown), whose main Second course is braised pork shoulder with farro, pearl onions, mushrooms. Usually their dinner entrees are already priced around $20 range so this is looking like a good deal, though beware that most of their seating is at communal tables if you are thinking of an intimate date night
  • Country Cat (SE Portland) has a Second course of Molasses- and hickory-smoked duck leg with toasted pecan and bacon spoonbread. Enough said. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Fratelli (Pearl), who starts with a First course that includes a board of chicken liver mousse and a main Second course of Smoked Mt. Shadow pork loin (which as a regular dish here usually runs $22 just by itself). Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Genoa (SE Portland), with generous offerings of Guinea hen conserva, Cappellini with pancetta and broken egg, and third course of Braised elk shin! Another bargain since usually they have a 5 course prix fixe at $65 and you are getting more than half the courses at less than half the price. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Parish (Pearl) is tempting with their Second course of Creole duck gumbo followed up by either a Third course of strawberry red velvet cake layered with brown-butter frosting or Pecan pie, and ordering those two items along off their regular menu would probably already be at $25. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Departure (downtown), offering a duo of choices for each course: First course of Beet and mizuna salad with soy-cured egg, sesame vinaigrette, crispy seed cracker OR Chili spice shrimp with asparagus, black garlic, ginger miso, a Second Course of Steamed cod with ginger, scallion, chili, lime OR Marinated flank steak and avocado, red onion, pea shoot, mint, and a Third Dessert course of Rhubarb pâte de fruit and kalamansi sorbet with white chocolate puffed rice, raspberry OR Coconut milk chocolate bar with mocha ice cream, crystallized ginger, spiced popcorn. Don’t they ALL sound good, and the atmosphere here is very trendy cool. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Gracie’s Restaurant (downtown) has a lot of choices, with 10 options for the First course appetizer, 8 options for Second course main, and 5 options to choose from for Third course dessert. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Similarly, Tabla (NE Portland) also is offering quite the bevy of choices, with 5 options for each course, with the Second choice options including their beautiful homemade pastas, either tajarin or ravioli, among others. Not surprised to see them participating because they always offer a make your own 3 courses for $30 option as part of their menu. I covet their homemade pasta so I’m listing them anyway. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • H50 (Waterfront) has an intriguing selection for their 3, including a choice for Chilled strawberry soup with Champagne ice, pistachios and mint for their First Course, two choices also for their main Second course (Braised brisket crepenette or Fire brick-roasted half chicken),  and a Third course dessert of Frozen whiskey mousse. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Lincoln Restaurant (North Portland) has a First course that includes Watercress with pickled sultanas, crispy pig ears and bacon, and a Second course of Hanger steak with blue-cheese butter. Since their entrees are normally $20 and up, this is a great value to dine here with this $29 prix fixe. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Wildwood (Northwest Portland) combines classic with modern twist- their Second course main includes an option for Green curry lamb ribs. I love Wildwood- I often will direct visitors to Portland here as one of their stops to really experience Northwest cuisine.
  • If you haven’t been to Imperial (downtown) yet to try Vitaly Paley’s latest place, go now and enjoy a well priced 3 courses that boasts Carlton Farms smoked pork loin for the Second main course. Or, hit up Paley’s Place (NW Portland) where the main is a Grilled pork loin.  Based on their regular menu prices, another great value to visit here. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Relative newcomer Quartet (Waterfront) is also participating, so you can treat yourself to the views as well as four choices for the Second main dish that covers all the categories- vegetarian, chicken, fish, or beef. Usually an entree along is going to be more than the $29 3 courses you can get for June, so come get your fancy fine dining at an affordable price while it lasts! Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • For something really different, visit Urban Fondue and have a cheese fondue, broth fondue with meat/seafood options, and a chocolate dessert fondue. Reservations available on OpenTable.

Yeah, I only picked 15 restaurants, that’s all! Other options include hot restaurants like Aviary, Biwa, Oven and Shaker, Riffle NW, Smallwares, St Jack, and classics like Ruth’s Chris, Ringside, and Salty’s. Check it out and enjoy June!

Check out my other Portland Dining Month escapades: I ate at Quartet, Accanto, Urban Fondue, Fratelli, H50 out of my initial list!

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