Cully Central Beer Bar with Lao Food in PDX

It’s been a little over a year now that Cully Central opened with its unique premise of a beer bar with Lao Food. Nothing fancy – there aren’t even real plates and silverware. But I’ve always adored Nam Khao, a fried rice dish that combines the flavors of fried rice with extra crispy portions of rice balls, all wrapped up in a lettuce like a taco you make yourself. You’ll find Nam Khao is the famous dish of the menu here.
Cully Central Beer Bar with Lao Food, such as Nam Khao, a crispy rice salad Cully Central Beer Bar with Lao Food, such as Nam Khao, a crispy rice salad

My secret though is that although I so like the Nam Khao, I like the housemade Lao sausages with sticky rice the most on the menu. The sausage is a pork sausage seasoned with herbs and spices then grilled and served with a Lao tomato sauce. This is the perfect food for beer my friends. I can eat multiple plates of these… and still want to take another order home for breakfast the next day too. Look at how moist and spiced these are once you cut inside.They serve the marinated grilled beef brisket with the same rice and tomato sauce accompaniments, but these sausage just fit that beer so much more perfectly. GET THESE.
Cully Central Beer Bar with Lao Food, such as Lao sausage with sticky rice Cully Central Beer Bar with Lao Food, such as Lao sausage with sticky rice

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Brunch at St. Jack’s

New to Portland since mid-March is a decadant brunch in NW Portland/Slabtown area – and they take reservations! Head on over to Brunch at St. Jack’s. I have tried a lot of the menu thanks to a couple brunch dates with friends – and so I’m sharing with you my recommendations.

One thing I should note is that brunch is only available Sundays, and from 10 AM – 2 PM.

The menu offers several Pâtisserie options like croissant and cinnamon roll that look like buttery perfection. There’s also a yogurt parfait with cashew coconut granola, so I suppose if you are looking for a light breakfast you can go with a pastry and yogurt.

I’d rather if I had to go light (which I won’t…) order the Avocado Toast myself – it comes with a poached egg, arugula, and curry hollandaise and option to add crab.

A side of butter lettuce salad with avocado, radish, and dijon vinaigrette is a nice counterpoint to a lot of the rich dishes.

Brunch at St. Jack's: A side of butter lettuce salad with avocado, radish, and dijon vinaigrette is a nice counterpoint to a lot of the rich dishes.

You’ll possibly be tempted by the Crepes Suzette with orange, Grand Marnier, and whipped ricotta, they are sweet if you want a sweet entree instead of savory. They were initially conceptualized as Flaming Crepes Suzette but dialed down now to no flames and no caramelization, which I think would have helped the dish. If you are someone that likes french toast, or somehow have room for dessert, maybe this dish is for you.

Brunch at St. Jack's: Crepes Suzette with orange, Grand Marnier, and whipped ricotta

You’ll notice two meat egg cheese carb options tempting you on the menu: the egg sandwich with foie gras boudin, cheddar, braised greens, bearnaise on an english muffin, versus the fried chicken croque madame with brioche, gruyere, mornay, and fried egg:. Between the two I vote for the egg sandwich as the braised greens combination with the sausage are better balanced then the fried chicken croque madame.

Brunch at St. Jack's: egg sandwich with foie gras boudin, cheddar, braised greens, bearnaise on an english muffin. Brunch at St. Jack's: egg sandwich with foie gras boudin, cheddar, braised greens, bearnaise on an english muffin. Brunch at St. Jack's: egg sandwich with foie gras boudin, cheddar, braised greens, bearnaise on an english muffin.

Be prepared to want to nap after finishing either dish. Here’s a look at the Fried Chicken Croque Madame.

Brunch at St. Jack's: fried chicken croque madame with brioche, gruyere, mornay, and fried egg. Brunch at St. Jack's: fried chicken croque madame with brioche, gruyere, mornay, and fried egg.

My favorite part of the St Jack’s Brunch were their cocktail offerings. They of course have a bloody mary that is decent though didn’t stand out to me as special. They also offer a light and fluffy cocktail called Up & Atom that is a nod towards an Orange Julius with its mix of aperol, orange juice, egg white, Perre Ferrand dry curacao, and soda water.

Brunch at St. Jack's, St. Jack Mary with Ketael One Vodka, housemade mix, lemon, Montreal Salt rim Brunch at St. Jack's brunch cocktail of Up & Atom that is a nod towards an Orange Julius with its mix of aperol, orange juice, egg white, Perre Ferrand dry curacao, and soda water.

My pick if you like mezcal is the smoke and coffee flavors of the cocktail called Boomtown that brings together Union mezcal, Liquor 43, cold brew, maple, Lolita coffee liqueur, and cream.

Brunch at St. Jack's brunch cocktail of Boomtown that brings together Union mezcal, Liquor 43, cold brew, maple, Lolita coffee liqueur, and cream

Do any of these make you interested in going to brunch – which dish or drinks?

Disclosure: I tried some of these dishes and drinks gratis thanks to being a +1 to the first day, but I also have gone back on my own and purchased my own items to try and decided to share this because I genuinely do love it. St. Jack’s is definitely one of my top 5 restaurants that I like to recommend in Portland anyway! As always, I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

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Chef’s Menu at Roe PDX

One of the biggest bargains in fine dining with can be found at Roe Portland. Two dining experiences are available, and I have tried both. In the spring (unfortunately the day just after I cracked my camera phone lens) I enjoyed the Tasting Menu. For this menu, it is prix fixe but you have a certain list of dishes to choose between for your four courses for the huge value price of $68 per person – you can easily run that up per person for four courses any restaurant, but you get the extra experience of the fine dining service at Roe. Recently, I went back and tried the Chef’s Menu at Roe PDX for the price of $138, and you get seven courses plus some surprises. Here’s look at what the experience was like for me in the first of October 2019.

Finding the restaurant is a bit of an adventure to start with. Located in downtown Portland, only a few blocks away from Pioneer Square, you have to enter a building called Morgan’s Alley- there isn’t even a sign for Roe visible. Look for the Oregon Wines on Broadway and go through the doors just to the left of this wine bar and bottle shop. Keep pressing through the hallways to the back until you see stairs, and follow those up to a very subtle restaurant entrance.
Roe Portland, located in Morgan's Alley in the back - finding the restaurant so I can enjoy the Chef's Menu at Roe PDX Roe Portland, located in Morgan's Alley in the back - finding the restaurant so I can enjoy the Chef's Menu at Roe PDX

When you enter, you are transported away from the busyness of Portland and your day into the dimly lit entrance foyer of Roe PDX. There is a card with your last name waiting for you, and once the host returns to the cart, he or she will take your coats, pour you a libation to greet you. In my visits to Roe, this has varied from some hot dashi in the winter to sparkling to in this visit, a chamomile tea infused vermouth aperitif.
Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, initial entrance foyer Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, initial entrance foyer

Shortly after, you will be led to your seats at your table or the chef’s counter (which has it’s own reservations). There are no walk-ins at Roe – but it’s easy to make reservations online and check the available times lots on Tock. Most seats have a view of the open kitchen, and I appreciate that the tables are spaced well enough that you can enjoy private conversation – this is not a noisy restaurant so you can really enjoy the food and drink and your dining companions.
interior of restaurant as I prepare to enjoy the Chef's Menu at Roe PDX interior of restaurant as I prepare to enjoy the Chef's Menu at Roe PDX

You can select to purchase beverages by the glass, or bottle, or have a pairing. We opted for the beverage pairing. The initial menu showing you the courses is only a teaser, with only a noun to designate one of the main ingredients for each course. If you have any food allergies or such, they do check with you by sending you a message the day before your reservation, and they check one more time in person here. You also have an option of caviar add on if you so choose. Ok, we’re ready, game on – and we so choose to enjoy some caviar service please.
Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial menu showing you the courses is only a teaser, with only a noun to designate one of the main ingredients for each course Roe PDX Caviar Service Menu, an optional add on to the Tasting Menu or Chef's Menu

Amuse Bouches and (optional) Caviar

Before the dinner courses, we are treated to some complimentary snacks, or amuse bouches. The first set of amuse bouches included Housemade dashi, Hamachi crudo with walnut pecan and concord grape, and Albacore tartare in buckwheat crepe with wasabi. These amuse bouches and the caviar were paired with one of my favorite pairings of the evening, a Quince fruit wine from Art + Science.
Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial amuse bouches and caviar service were paired with  delicious Quince fruit wine from Art + Science Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial amuse bouches and caviar service were paired with  delicious Quince fruit wine from Art + Science Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial amuse bouches and caviar service were paired with  delicious Quince fruit wine from Art + Science Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial amuse bouches and caviar service were paired with  delicious Quince fruit wine from Art + Science Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial amuse bouches and caviar service were paired with  delicious Quince fruit wine from Art + Science

Then, the next amuse bouches arrived almost at the same time as the caviar. I was fine with the pan fried salt cod with caviar but honestly the excitement of the caviar made me forget to note what was exactly the second snack here besides that it was in a roasted peanut topping.
Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial amuse bouches and caviar service were paired with  delicious Quince fruit wine from Art + Science Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial amuse bouches and caviar service were paired with  delicious Quince fruit wine from Art + Science Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial amuse bouches and caviar service were paired with  delicious Quince fruit wine from Art + Science Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial amuse bouches and caviar service were paired with  delicious Quince fruit wine from Art + Science

The caviar service ranges from some individual caviar selections from the low end of $45 up to a trio of caviar for $175. The caviar is served with warm potato blini, whipped creme fraiche, and sieved egg. It’s simple and perfect – I would always get this add on from now on if I visit Roe.
Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial menu showing you the courses is only a teaser, with only a noun to designate one of the main ingredients for each course Roe PDX Caviar Service Menu, an optional add on to the Tasting Menu or Chef's Menu Chef's Menu at Roe PDX, The initial menu showing you the courses is only a teaser, with only a noun to designate one of the main ingredients for each course Roe PDX Caviar Service Menu, an optional add on to the Tasting Menu or Chef's Menu

How about we finally get down to seeing the courses of the dinner for the Chef’s Menu at Roe PDX now? We haven’t even started on the first listing yet!

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Recommendations at Bistro Agnes

I’ve been on a French Bistro craving recently, and been satisfied multiple times with visits to Bistro Agnes. Here are my favorite recommendations at Bistro Agnes for you to try if you visit.

For starters, the decadent Escargot and Button Mushrooms Gratin with herb and garlic butter, almond parmigiano cream, puff pastry are available at lunch and dinner.
Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: the decadant Escargot and Button Mushrooms Gratin with herb and garlic butter, almond parmigiano cream, puff pastry

Do you like pate and mousses? I hear that people are usually totally for or totally against. Count me in for team pate – and here at Bistro Agnes I can eat one of these Chicken Liver Mousse starters by myself, and they are available on all their menus. Don’t miss out on the specials menu either – during the summer I adored this cantelope melon with prosciutto and aleppo pepper.
Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: Chicken Liver Mousse starters Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: Chicken Liver Mousse starters

For lunch and breakfast or brunch, the generously portioned Croque Madame with ham, gruyere, and mornay on griddled brioche with a sunny side egg is enough for two.
Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: Croque Madame with ham, gruyere, and mornay on griddled brioche with a sunny side egg Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: Croque Madame with ham, gruyere, and mornay on griddled brioche with a sunny side egg

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Master Kong’s Breakfast

Now that the weather is cooling off, just a friendly reminder that there is more to breakfast and brunch options then fried chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, and the like. There is also Asian breakfast! One hole in the wall spot which has already gotten much media love and foodie love last year (including WW’s newcomer of the year for 2018) is Master Kong’s. Have you been recently? Here’s a look at some of the items I recommend to warm you up at a Master Kong’s Breakfast.

The location of Master Kong’s is where most of the homey Chinese restaurants are now – SE 82nd, specifically at 8435 SE Division St, 9:30 AM – 9 PM Tuesday-Sunday. You’ll find parking along the streets. Keep your eyes out – the Mr. Kong in the sign name is not that big and there is more emphasis listing some of the food they offer instead on the signage.
Master Kong's Breakfast - Chinese breakfast in Portland

Nothing fancy looking inside in terms of decor, you may even find yourself at communal seatings. Because of the press despite the non-descript exterior Master Kong’s has a reputation so there may be small wait during peak hours. Service can sometimes be a bit languid and require you to flag someone down, but once you put your order in the food is appears quickly, steaming, fresh, comforting.
Master Kong's Breakfast - Chinese breakfast in Portland with steaming dumplings

I’m a fan of wonton noodle soup – it has the best of all worlds, soup, noodles, and dumplings right?
Master Kong's Breakfast - Chinese breakfast in Portland with wonton noodle soup

Don’t miss out on the sauces on the counter by the kitchen to add a few layers of flavors to the soups and dumplings, and especially the congee (like this salted rib congee). Congee is an Asian rice porridge which like oatmeal or grits, benefits from additions. I like additionally ordering the youtiao or fried dough bars to dip into the congee.
Master Kong's Breakfast - Chinese breakfast in Portland with salted rib congee

If you want to eat something with something other then a spoon, get the jianbing – generally like a stuffed crepe but crispier, and here filled generously almost like an Asian burrito.
Master Kong's Breakfast - Chinese breakfast in Portland with jianbing

Have you had Asian breakfast or brunch before?

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