February 14, 2011: Valentine’s Day

February 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Last year, we celebrated with champagne fondue and tiramisu fondue (although technically it is sparkling wine, not champagne). This year we decided to keep the bubbles and hearts theme. For the bubbles, I picked out one from the very dependable Iron Horse Vineyards, though I'm also a fan of Domaine Chandon and Schramsberg. This year it was a 2006 Iron Horse Vineyards Classic Vintage Brut, a brut blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The result is a lot of yeasty bubbles but a very traditional taste that makes it as classic as they label and can go with anything and anytime, although its traditional taste also doesn't make it necessarily stand out as particularly memorable. But bubbles are always fun- especially when within a week I get to enjoy bubbles twice (there was a Bubbles theme to a monthly women's wine locker get-together 4 days before that I had attended). Although many people seem to associate having champagne or sparkling wine with special occasions, I think it should be enjoyed whenever you want some cheer. Something about bubbles is always uplifting in mood, so why hoard it for rare occasions when just popping the cork already starts something fun and special?

Brie my valentine!

The cheese is a P'tit Basque that is a semi-soft French sheep milk cheese that is produced in the Pyrenees Mountains that form the border with Spain and is basically Basque people. The cheese is aged for seventy days and has a mild nutty flavor similar to a Spanish Manchego but with a little bit more olive oil on the skin texture and smoother. The brie is a St Andres triple cream brie that is a basically like butter. The crusty bread loaf you see if from Di Prima Dolci.

You want a piz za me?

We made this using rosemary pizza dough, portobello mushroom marinara, a mix of Tillamook's mozzarella parmesan and smoked provolone with veggie pepperoni and italian sausage, shown here before and after the heat. I liked the Italian sausage's peppery taste but thought the veggie pepperoni was a poor substitute, while he felt the exact opposite. Clearly this pizza, besides the heart shape, is more his taste then mine. He kept wondering when I was going to stop sprinkling on so much cheese so I made myself stop… but he's Jack Spratt after all and also likes to dip his pizza in more marinara. A generous dusting of more parmesan and red pepper always helps me, but I refrained from adding garlic oil or truffle oil since I already had included the cheese plate earlier… I can eat lean!

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Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

February 13, 2011 by 1 Comment

A coworker had a birthday this past week. His pick was a birthday treat for our team from Ken's but that the cakes Ken's had were passed over instead for macarons. He got two kinds, the sweeter orange ones as well as the spicy chocolate ones. I sampled both (even though each was probably 2 inches wide so these are nice big macarons) and the spicy chocolate are far superior by balancing rich chocolate with that dusting of pepper. I think the orange ones would be much better as part of a high tea but in the regular macaron size, they were a bit too creamy sweet for my taste anyway, though I think many in the team chose that over the idea of the heat in the chocolate. After a discussion of how macarons vs macaroons suddenly we were talking about other bakery goodies, and out came the word "cannoli" and the famous quote from the Godfather.

So of course this weekend I had an urge for some cannoli. I was hoping to find a place that would offer a version that would fulfill my craving without having to resort to asking my sister to ship them from her current hometown Boston from Mike's Pastry. But, as luck would have it, there is a bakery that is well reviewed for them in North Portland, only a few blocks from a yellow Max line stop. The cannoli I got are size small (they have small and large ones available but I think the small is  the perfect sweet 4 bites) at Di Prima Dolci on Killingsworth. I could not resist also buying some bread (I'm almost always a wuss for getting bread from a bakery- that aroma is too intoxicating to not take a bit with me) and well as pignoli cookies. The pignoli cookies are made with almond dough that then is rolled in pine nut, resulting in a cookie that is soft and chewy while having a light nutty flavor.

The take home from my errand run


This bakery stop worked out perfectly because they are just a door down from Hop & Vine’s release party with Block 15 of  bottled Pappy's Dark, one of the highlights IMHO of the recent Bailey's Cellarfest. Unfortunately they were only allowing one bottle per customer, so I only was able to snag one for our beer cellar. Hop and Vine had Pappy's Dark on tap, and I also got to try their Super Nebula, a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Imperial Stout which I actually decided I liked better then Pappy's Dark. The oatmeal gives it a bit more creaminess to the malty bourbon flavor profile of the beer. I can't wait until next year, as Nick said they might try to get more in the bottle next year of Pappy's, but also release both Pappy's and Super Nebula as their February bottles. Since he is also dropping off a keg and a case at Bailey's though, I might be able to get a second bottle so I am not torn between savoring and sharing its goodness versus saving and investing the beer. I know Block 15 is pretty new to the brewery scene, but they are definitely creating a unique impression with their barrel fermentation and mixing palate, keep the liquid deliciousness coming!

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Recent Eats: Pok Pok lunch, a cheese + beer at Bailey’s Taproom Cellarfest 2

January 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I recently went with friends to lunch at Pok Pok. Whatever meal you visit here for, I always recommend getting an order of the Vietnamese Fish Sauce wings, ask for it spicy. The half a dozen natural chicken wings include the leg along with it as you can see for a good amount of meat, and after beeing marinated in fish sauce and palm sugar are fried and further tossed in caramelized Phu Quoc fish sauce and garlic. It comes with Vietnamese table salad on the side, but I recommend two orders of sticky rice to go with.

Pok Pok, Ike's Wings, Vietnamese Fish Sauce wings, Andy Ricker, Thai restaurant

The recipe comes from daytime cook Ike, and was named one of the top ten restaurant dishes in America 2007 by Food & Wine magazine. It is as a sticky mess to eat as it appears in the photo (they do give you little wipes)- and also just as full of intense flavor as you might imagine from the photo.
Pok Pok, Ike's Wings, Vietnamese Fish Sauce wings, Andy Ricker, Thai restaurant

Since they don’t have Kaeng hung leh (a pork belly and pork shoulder curry that I adore from my mom’s Chiang Mai/Northern Thai area) at lunch, and I was a bit too chilled for their namesake som dtum (they call it the “papaya pok pok”) I opted for the one dish meal of khao muu daeng/muu krob. This is a pork dish done two ways- the top slices you see are the muu daeng, which is their housemade chinese bbq red pork, and the bottom is a crispy pork belly. The whole dish is then doused with a sesame sauce and on the left is a steamed gailan.

Pok Pok, Andy Ricker, Portland, Thai restaurant, khao muu daeng and muu krob

The gailan was a nice break from the sesame sauce which I thought they put too much on the dish. Their housemade version of chinese bbq red pork could not stand up to any bbq pork you can get from any random Chinese place- and although the Thai interpretation is a little more thin and bland the taste is made up for using a red sweet and salty sauce which didn’t have a presence here.  The crispy pork belly was ok but not quite what I was expecting- there was only a little bit of crispness to it, although I do recognize they gave better pork meat along with it.

I think I’m a harsher judge because what Pok Pok excels in is making street- style Thai food, no holding back the flavors that you would get if you were really there in Thailand- but I’ve had street food in Thailand. Most Thai restaurants have compromised on the homeland taste in order to survive normal consumer demands when Thai food started becoming acceptable take-out and because taste buds here are just different, understandably, then the home country. Also, ingredients that compose the dish are hard to find or just don’t taste the same as if fresh from the Thai markets there. Many times, the kitchen in Thai restaurants are also turning out home cooking, and don’t have the recipe or even intend to compete with the flavor profiles coming from food cart style expertise. Just like here in Portland, in Thailand, certain stalls are famous and followed to inconvenient locations because of their signature take on a dish. Pok Pok has been rewarded for holding true to Thai strong flavors even on American soil- but it also means that if you’ve had the real thing in Thailand and remember it well, as I have- sometimes Pok Pok can’t win the inevitable comparison. IMHO, their khao muu daeng/muu krob wasn’t bad, but just can’t compare to the real thing on the other side of the world- if you’ve had that experience. Otherwise, you might find this wonderful- and you wouldn’t be wrong either.

Whatever you do- don’t forget to get the chicken wings. And, order items off the menu that you haven’t seen before in other Thai restaurants- there’s more to Thai food than the 20 kinds of standard Thai dishes that you see on most Thai restaurant menus; here especially try the Northern and Eastern Thailand regional speciality dishes. Also, try to overlook the prices- sorry they are in dollars not baht (if you don’t know the costof these dishes in Thailand in Thai currency, you may not even think about the prices given the intensity of flavor it buys)… remember it’s saving you airfare! Besides, I have to admire the guts of a chef who is willing to dish out pretty much the real thing to the general public, not just in secret “in the know” to Thais only via secret menus or hole in the wall word by mouth only locations. To get the recipes they do use, he has to have the charisma to learn cooking in Thailand, so extra heart points.

Pok Pok, Andy Ricker, Portland, Thai restaurant, khao muu daeng and muu krob

Our regular beer bar, Bailey’s Taproom, was having their second Cellarfest. Our friends brought their liquid crack brie, while I brought the cheese board and utensils as well as (counter clockwise from the brie) a Beecher’s No Woman, a sharp cheddar, and Port Salut.

We also had two kinds of local bread: Franz’s Palouse Plateau all natural steel cut oat, and Great Harvest‘s 9 Grain (loaves baked fresh daily all day!). The usual bread, Portland French Bakery‘s asiago bread, was missed since it wasn’t at the Fred Meyer’s during the grocery run, but Great Harvest was a fine tasty (in a different way- sweet rather than the chunks of cheese) and much healthier substitute. I’m thrilled to be able to be a supporter of so many local bakeries- and that there are so many to choose from (I am also a fan of Dave’s Killer Bread and Gabriel’s Bakery).

Our plate went great with all the beers we tried at the Cellarfest- and we tried all 18 of them that were available- and our seconds (and thirds) of tastings of the Block 15 2009’s Pappy Dark, though the sweet when emerging from the cellar Dogfish Head 2009 120 Minute IPA was a strong 2nd place favorite of ours. Last year this event is what convinced me that I wanted to start cellaring beers along with wines. Thank you Baileys.

bailey's taproom festival event, bring your own cheese plate

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Karam Lebanese Restaurant

January 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I’ve heard good things about Karam from a reliable foodie friend, but it was only relatively recently that I finally was able to visit this Middle Eastern cuisine restaurant. It is located not far from Al Amir, the home of my favorite baba ghanouj. I wondered going in how Karam would stack up, including to my Chicago standby Reza‘s.

To be fair, Reza’s is Persian, while Karam is specifically described as Lebanese. So I forgive them for not having dill rice, and my interest was peaked by their offering of kibbee, a national Lebanese dish made with ground meat, onion, and bulgar.

Our dinner entrees came with a fresh side salad, and we were excited to see some interesting beverages, especially the fruit infusion one I had that was made with homemade yogurt. I could see myself craving those drinks during the summer.

Karam Lebanese Restaurant Karam Lebanese Restaurant

I passed on specifically ordering the the kibbee this time to try their Baleela, their take on hummus served hot, steamed garbanzo beans mixed with garlic, cumin, olive oil and tahini sauce. Really really good, definitely would recommend it. I did get to try the kibbee as well- more in a moment.

Karam Lebanese Restaurant

I ate almost that whole plate on my own, because he got the huuuge Veggie Mazawat, which is a sampler of, from left to right and back to front row, taboule, baleela, falafel with tahini sauce and grape leaves (on the same plate), baba gahanouj, veggie kibbee nayee, hummus, and labne their homemade Lebanese cheese and the wrapper is from the basket of fresh oven baked pita bread! If you are coming in for your first time, this is a good way to try a little bit of everything, obviously.

Karam Lebanese Restaurant

After the full Veggie Mazawat shot, you can see closeups of what made up the sampler. First photo is a look at the taboule, baleela, and baba gahanouj. I don’t think the baba gahanouj is as good as Al Amir, but that baleela still is awesome and unique. Following that is the closer look at the baleela, falafel with tahini sauce and grape leaves (on the same plate), veggie kibbee nayee, hummus. Very filling sampler that filled our table with 7 plates of goodies to try

Karam Lebanese Restaurant Karam Lebanese Restaurant

For my entree, since I would get to sample the kibbee from the Veggie Mazawat, I decided to try something else. Based on a foursquare suggestion, I went with Lamb Couscous, a dish of tender lamb shawarma topped with feta cheese and tahini sauce. I think I only ate 1/4 of that lamb, it was good but this was a really big plate. When we asked for a box, they brought us boxes for *everything* so we didn’t waste any food by throwing it away… and it did still taste delicious the next day. Despite the lack of dill rice, this place is the closest to giving Reza’s a run for my money, and is my pick for Portland for Mediterranean food right now.

Karam Lebanese Restaurant

The restaurant is a family business with the men greeting and serving while the wife gives you a taste of her incredible (probably literally) home cooking based on recipes that have been passed down. They take great pride in their food- giving you lots of choice including ones that are unique, lots of it on a plate to make sure you don’t go home hungry, all executed well, they check to make sure you are enjoying your meal and heap new fresh in house pitas onto your table. Whether you are someone who already enjoys Middle Eastern food and is looking for a new take on it or someone trying to expand their ethnic cuisine palette, Karam is going to pleasantly surprise you with flavors – look past the simple traditional plating and indeterminate mush look and put it in your mouth and enjoy.

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Vegetarian House

January 13, 2011 by 2 Comments

One of F’s favorite places and conveniently located by his work is Vegetarian House. Actually, the restaurant is vegan, with all their dishes, which are Chinese style, using substitute meat products for the chicken, ham, beef, fish, shrimp, even squid. F usually goes for the lunch buffet, but recently we stopped by for a dinner on our way back from the convention center.

We started off by sharing the veggie chicken salad. It smells great when it arrived at the table, and the warm chicken was a nice contrast to the cool crisp salad that was dressed in a light tangy oil based dressing

His choice of entree was the veggie sesame chicken. The veggie chicken tastes just as good as it looks, though it was done extra spicy here, with the simplicity of the steamed broccoli giving you a break from the well sauced fake chicken which was cooked perfectly just like meat- it had the same texture with the crisp deep fried outside but moist inside.

Meanwhile, I went with the house special pan fried noodle. Look at that closer shot of some of the ingredients with the noodles- broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, fake chicken, fake shrimp in all its detail. Not shown- the fake ham (its the perfectly box shaped piece of meat in the previous picture of the dish). When the dish comes, it is presented on a sizzling plate with the noodles very crispy before the sauce begins to race you in absorbing the noodles, and then making this dish soggy. This probably would have been better if there had been more people sharing it to scoop out their crispy noodles immediately- and this platter is truly enough to feed a family. The fake chicken didn’t fare as well in the pan fried noodle dish as it did crisped up in the other two dishes. I couldn’t stop admiring the fake shrimp. The chef works pretty hard to make that fake shrimp look as shrimpy as it does… and it has the exact right texture, I actually was digging around looking for all the shrimp.

The interior of this place may not look like much, as the atmosphere is functional and simple. You may have mixed feelings about what is playing on the large screen TV against one wall of the room with its peace/vegetarian/Buddhist propaganda agenda. Do the vegan takes of the standard dishes stand up in terms of the flavors of an actual meat dish? Not from a good authentic restaurant, but from the average takeout place in the neighborhood when you have that craving for somewhat Americanized Chinese, yes it does, minus the grease and MSG and meat from who knows where from who knows when. A lot is depending on the dish- from my few visits, I thought the gluten fake meat works better in some preparations more than others. Crispy preparations of the fake meat in a dish generally fare better. Also, some dishes are better fresh from the kitchen because of the sauce ruining the texture or the steam in the box softening the dish. Although we made the mistake of taking the salt and pepper faux shrimp home so it was no longer fresh in terms of the breading, the taste itself was spot on.

Mostly, I admire this small business’s ethic and effort. The chef there really is a hard worker- they are open 365 days a year, 11-9, working through all holidays. The waitress even admired it- said they have only closed when the chef wanted to take off to see his daughter graduate. Same thing with the guy who usually runs the front of the house- everyday but Sunday, year round. Otherwise there they are, every day, all day, passionate about providing a full Chinese menu of all the expected options, but in an vegetarian way to save animals and encourage good health, making what difference he can in this lifetime, one dish at a time. When I first enter and leave, Vegetarian House is right next door (even sharing the same stairs) to another Chinese hole in the wall Good Taste- but this one is the type that has the Chinese duck hanging on a hook right in the front window, and maybe a crispy roast pork and bbq pork hanging right behind it… the type that in Asia would be an open air restaurant along the street…and I admit my steps slow down a bit as I feast with the eyes.

But every time I keep on walking into Vegetarian House. If you’re going to have Chinese, Vegetarian House offers the typical dishes but with extra care and concern- it’s better for your heart in more ways than one.

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