Tasty N Sons: Happy Hour and Dinner Visits

July 1, 2011 by 1 Comment

I haven’t been to Tasty N Sons for brunch yet. But, I have been then for happy hour and for dinner.

Happy hour is busy, so be prepared to rub elbows at the bar or communal dining table and possibly wait for a seat. After all, you can get their famous (and justifiably so) super tasty Griddled Bacon Wrapped Dates with maple syrup & almond. At happy hour these are $1 but but normally they are $2 a piece. Instead of bread they give a salted nuts at the bar, but I wish they had given me bread so I could have mopped up that plate.

Tasty N Sons, happy hour, Griddled Bacon Wrapped Dates with maple syrup and almond

You can also get 30% off at their happy hour prices on their also well reviewed Radicchio with parmesan reggiano vinaigrette. It is really good with its crunch of the radicchio with slight bitterness, tamed with the creamyness of the parmesan and the slight acid tang of the vinaigrette- and the portion is enough for two people.

Tasty N Sons, happy hour, Radicchio with parmesan reggiano vinaigrette

Also wonderful is their Tasty Mary, concocted from monopolowa vodka, tomato, worcestershire, horseradish, lemon, sriracha, celery salt rim, plus house pickles (pickled carrots, mushroom one visit, pickled carrots and green bean and beet on another visit as per photo), along with the traditional celery. I also had a delightful apricot fizz while sitting at the bar. I’ve never had a bad drink that had prosecco as one of the ingredients: bubbles makes everything better.

Tasty N Sons, happy hour, Tasty Mary, concocted from monopolowa vodka, tomato, worcestershire, horseradish, lemon, sriracha, celery salt rim, plus house pickles Tasty N Sons, happy hour, Apricot Fizz

On the other hand, I was very disappointed by the Potatoes Bravas with over easy egg. Although they also own the well loved tapas restaurant Toro Bravo, these potatoes bravas were not anything special- essentially potatoes with some thin spicy sauce stirred in and that’s it.

Also, the Tasty N Son’s happy hour dish of Pretty Damn Good Chicken Strips spent too much time in the deep fryer so the outside had absorbed the oil taste, though the insides were still soft and tender. Chicken strips are about quality meat and good execution but the latter didn’t work out in this instance- so even though this small plate was 45% off dinner price it still wasn’t a value. They definitely did not live up to its advertisement when I had them and could have been any chicken strips at any random corner bar.

Tasty N Sons, happy hour, Potatoes Bravas with over easy egg Tasty N Sons, happy hour, Pretty Damn Good Chicken Strips

I came for dinner specifically for “The Toro Burger” with bacon, manchego and romesco. Local blogger Nick Zukin (known as Extra MSG– his list of restaurants was the basis for my eating tour before moving to Portland that finally convinced me I could live in what was at the time very granola-ly hippie Portland even after a couple other visits which were just meh) and restaurateur (of Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen) went on a Burgerquest last year and this was ranked #3 of those 72 burgers he had in Portland.

Tasty N Sons The Toro Burger with bacon, manchego and romesco Tasty N Sons The Toro Burger with bacon, manchego and romesco

This burger definitely deserves its ranking among the top 5 in Portland. The fries were nothing special but were adequate. But the burger- it is an incredible burger- it has the right balance of a sweet soft but not too soft bun to hold it together, really juicy flavorful burger meat, and toppings that add richness and contrast to give you a good balance so it never tasted greasy.

They use their same housemade pickles from the Mary here, that gives the burger a great undercurrent of sourness without being too sour and a bit of crispness along with the slightly palate cleaner of lettuce. And then there’s the sharp buttery ness of the manchego cheese and then romesco adding more intensity then the average cheese or ketchup/mustard/aioli/whatever accompaniment (romesco is a sauce originating from Spain that mixes nuts, olive oil, and a kind of Spanish sweet roasted pepper). I even liked the fact that the bacon was placed in an “X” like marking a treasure so I can nibble at the crispy ends sticking out.

Tasty N Sons The Toro Burger with bacon, manchego and romesco

This burger is available at both Toro Bravo and at Tasty N Sons- but with all those delicious little tapas plates to choose from at Toro Bravo, it seems a shame to pass up that opportunity to order 2 more plates in order to have this burger (and also stray from the tapas theme). If you just want the burger, or the dates, I would recommend Tasty N Sons over Toro- though both offer some great food that doesn’t shy away from bold flavor that more than make up for some of the dishes that might miss.

The atmosphere of Toro Bravo is louder and busier and crowded like being at a cool bar, while Tasty N Sons is definitely more relaxed with more air and space around its tables and could even be suitable for a family and conversation where you don’t have to strain your voice through the meal to talk to your dining companions- so it depends on what kind of energy you are looking for.

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Another try at H5O, and another burger for Burger Month of May

June 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

In the mail I've been receiving sometimes an advertising packet that includes a 50% off a meal at H5O Bistro and Bar. I have been recycling most of them, but I had a group of coworkers who I had been at H50 before (their free valet parking for two hours for diners is great for bringing people together for a meal here), and there is something nice about being able to look out the restaurant windows and gaze upon the river and the people there. Although my last visit I thought they were confused and trying too hard, I thought since it's been a year, I had one of these flyers, maybe they have sorted themselves out. Let's give them a chance.

One of the things that worked in the past for H50 were their interesting specialty drinks that I had enjoyed last year. The list has become more tame now- much to the disappointment of everyone at the table, and even when asking about the previous drinks it became clear they were dead history- not able to be remade by request. This time, it was hard to find something I wanted from their list of 7 specialty cocktails.. I ended up selecting a jalsico horchada, composed of el relingo tequila, rice milk, chai spice simply syrup, cinnamon. When everyone else at the table had their drinks arrive, the waitress explained mine was still in progress because they had to search around for the recipe to make it. Honest to tell me that's why my drink wasn't there yet but I'm not sure as a waitress I would tell your guest that you don't know how to make it… When I did receive it, it was only so so. I think even a normal horchata would have had more flavor.

As we waited for all the guests of the table to arrive, we asked for a side of fries for us to nibble on. The best part of the meal at H50 Bistro and Bar were their "fancy fries", which offer "Parmesan, chive, truffle, hint of spice". I don't know what they were talking about spicewise… I didn't detect any. Also, these are not as good as the fabulous truffle fries at Violetta in terms of flavor, although these are obviously shoestring fries instead of the thicker cut fries at Violetta. I wish they had been a bit more generous with sprinkling the parmesan, as it was more truffle oil with chives.

For my starter, I went with the Wild Mushroom Fondue sauteed mushrooms, bleu cheese and provolone mornay with crispy bread. In terms of an appetizer offering, this is a great idea and the fondue itself had great depth in flavor. But that little pot was really really hot and couldn't really be eaten until after the entrees already arrived. Although the serving pot is cute, it wasn't conducive to cooling it off to actually eat and enjoy this offering – the presentation idea is overtaking the dish concept.

This was the third burger of Burger Month (May), and the most mediocre. The previous H50 burger had been a blue cheese burger  with mushrooms, smoky bleu cheese, and caramelized onion… now tuned down to a definition of Painted Hills beef, brioche bun, tillamook cheddar, lettuce, tomato, red onion, aioli, along with more truffle parmesan chive fries. The melted cheese looks sexy, but why so skimpy on the lettuce? The meat is medium and as you can see, ok in terms of juicyness but nothing special either, and the bun could have been fresher or toasted. I didn't taste anything of the aioli. Although the meat was decent, with so many burger offerings in Portland, it's not enough to have good beef cooked well- the accompaniments all have to contribute and not just be there as window dressing. Here, it seems only the fries were as thoughtfully conceived as the burger patty.

The excellent soups of last year are still on the menu… as well as their continued weird insistence of sushi as well somehow fitting in with their "Bistro and Bar" menu. The atmosphere of the restaurant itself is still fantastic, although also mostly empty…. and in that same vein, I can't argue that each dish was plated to be very pleasing to the eye…. but tastewise not bad but also coming up a bit empty too. I expect both at the same level- even and especially with these dishes that don't go past the $20 mark, you aren't going to earn my trust to go for those more expensive entrees or the chef multicourse menu if I'm not feasting at the basic mouthfeel level of these simple staples. It seems like H50 is still figuring itself out in its teen years of putting on the makeup and wearing the designer labels, hoping to only have to use its smarts only when it has to for those in the right group, not everybody at school.

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In honor of National Burger Weekend: Burgers @ Violetta

May 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Update: Violetta restaurant has closed since my visit, but their burgers and fries continue on at their food truck 

Did you know that this weekend (Memorial Day weekend) is also National Burger Weekend (as part of May being Burger Month)? I knew there was a reason I was craving cheeseburgers this week. Groupon is running various local deals on burgers (one of them is even for Skyline, which made Food Network’s cut for best burger for the state: check out 50 States 50 Burgers). Violetta isn’t one of them unfortunately (though they were a Groupon deal before…) but I would highly recommend stopping by for their cheeseburger anyway.

Violetta has humble origins when it started as a food cart while constructing their location- the mobile kitchen part still exists via Etta- but Violetta now exists as a casual eating stop at Director’s Park. Its look is very clean and minimalist- you might pass by thinking the clear glass walls in this little place that the location house a cafe – and they do have caffeinated beverages, but there’s also a pretty big menu considering the amount of space here. The food concept is homey casual American fare but done quickly so you can grab a quick bite and the food is made with local premium ingredients. They are most known for their burger and fries, but also offer pot pie, mac and cheese, and other seasonal items. For instance if I had more tummy room I might have tried corn dogs during the initial visit.

What I had my  initial visit was their classic Violetta Burger of 1/3 lb pasture raised black Angus beef on brioche bun with butter lettuce, red onion, their burger sauce and “10 hour tomatoes” and dill pickles, and an add on of a slice of white cheddar. You can also ask for a larger patty of meat, or add bacon, or try the burger versions with different accompaniments (such as Oregonzola with smoked bacon and caramelized onions). I was already getting a small side of their hand cut yukon gold fries with blue cheese sauce though, aka the Oregonzola fries, I held off on their Oregon Blue Burger for a future day when I could get it with their white truffle fries. I also had as a second side their mac and cheese (despite the price, it really is a more viable side item then at the same level of the other entree size sandwich offerings).

The cheeseburger and mac and cheese were ok- these were much more in line with what you might expect from a fast food but local establishment like Burgerville. As you can see from the burger, it came on a nice toasty bun with the fixings looking good but the cheese wasn’t even melted and the lettuce offered texture but no taste- though the slow roasted tomatoes and pickles definitely added. Maybe with addition of extras, the burger might go a hair closer to In and Out, but not quite there, though decent. It was a nice patty of meat, considering I got the 1/3 lb.

The mac and cheese had cheese that seemed liquefied like you would expect from a package instead of using fresh cheese, and I wouldn’t order it again. I was hoping the slow food concept would be more in play there- there are plenty of happy hours that offer a nice caramelized in the oven mac and cheese and more cheese definition that can best this take, which is how I prefer my mac and cheese though if you like liquid cheese sauce this does deliver on the creaminess.

By far the highlight were those fries- perfectly executed. You know how sometimes you pick through fries looking for that golden extra crispy one that is just right- not so hard that it is overdone and soaked up the fry oil, not soggy soft. Well, every single fry was like that in their fry serving. Every single one- even the ones I saved towards later because they were slathered with the blue cheese. Outside, a table of half a dozen men just drank a round or two of bottles of beer and ordered batches of large fries to share as they unwound from the work week. Those fries are amazing- they can turn any gloomy day or unravel any tightness in your mood with their taste and texture of comfort that there is some good in the world- such as each bite of these fries.

On a second visit, I went with the Oregon Blue Burger with their white truffle fries and a vanilla milkshake, which I then enjoyed outside in the sunshine of Director’s Park. Now this burger is one a whole level above the original Violetta burger. The lettuce was missed- it would have been nice to add that crispness to counter all the juicy messyness- but the addition of the bacon, Oregonzola, and caramelized onions added so much richness that had left the plain cheeseburger wanting more, and is just wanted this burger needs. The fries with pepper and Oregon white truffle oil that came with a side of herbed aioli (other options include harissa ketchup, ranch, honey mustard, or just burger sauce)) were just as perfectly executed and crisp as last time. The milkshake was the only one that needed help- it was so thick that I couldn’t use the straw until it melted more into liquid form.

 

As the weather warms up, this is a nice option for a quick fast food bite, but done with local food, fast but not corporate feeling as it is not done in an assembly line though there certainly have been some efficiencies designed in their food execution. Think more in line with a food cart that has room for its employees to actually breathe and work and with the ability to manage a pantry and better kitchen and prep/execute instead of stuffed in a shack on a parking lot. You go up to the counter and order what you’d like and pay then, take a number down to your table inside or outside to have your food delivered, and then you clean up your table at the end into the various containers.

It is permanently located in a modern urban park near theaters and shows and plenty of downtown offices and museums, so could be a great stop when visiting the arts or a lunch outside during the weekdays around the Portland Cultural District vicinity. It has a small amount of seating inside its main glass cafe like space. Unless you have alcohol then you can just eat anywhere outside, with alcoholic beverage in hand you need to stay underneath the outside “roof”. So substitute the choice of wine or beer with a milkshake instead, and maybe you can wander right back to the South Park blocks for a mini picnic. They are open to a decent time in the evenings so I can also see stopping here for fries and a chat after a show as well. Yeah, especially for the fries.

From Spring 2011

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Burgers x 5: Beer n Burgers Event

July 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment

On Saturday, Portland Monthly Magazine and Whole Foods partnered up to put together a block party benefiting Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. If purchased before the event, the $10 ticket for burger sampler ($15 for 5 burgers and 5 beers) was a ridiculous value- even the additional $5 cost at the door wasn't bad.

The day started out overcast and cool, but quickly warmed up as the sun came out. The picnic-like event setup with the checked tableclothes on tables and large cushioned ottomans that had a "plate" piece in the middle to balance cups of beer, Portland Monthlys liberally scattered to hold down the tablecloths, mason jars of sunflowers, a white picket fence delineating the event area, backyard bbq upbeat party music and smell of roasted peanuts was very welcoming even before the sun arrived though, so good job on that for the planners!

They also tried to set up garbage cans and recycling bins, but I don't think the recycling bins were well marked enough to separate paper, plastic, and compostable like the setup at the Farmer's Markets are, so probably wasn't quite as successful at separating based on what I was seeing in those bins. For those who weren't drinking, and even those who were, I think they missed out on easy $1 sales of bottles of water that could have also benefited the cause.

I will look beyond the irony of standing on a street in front of a Whole Foods stuffing yourself silly with 5 sample sliders in raising money for hunger and voting for best burger. Seriously, these were the size of fast food burgers (or at least the patty was the size of my palm, so I was over my quota for a serving size- don't think you can fool me because some of those pattys were also thick), so I guess they might be considered "sample/slider size" compared to the original humongous size that is probably served as a burger entree, but still! It would have been easier to have all 5 samples if most of them had been halved actually. Eventually what I ended up doing after my first burger and a half was only taking a couple bites and wrapping the rest back for later. And this is without me having any beer either I was full after 1.5 samples…

First tasting was Deschutes Brewery's entry by Executive Chef Jeff Usinowicz and Pastry Chef Jill Ramseier. They offered an "Ultimate Burger", concocted from butter-seared Panorama beef with root beer-braised pork belly, deviled egg mayonnaise and smoked paprika ketchup on a white cheddar bun. The deviled egg mayo was a great condiment, and the white cheddar bun a gougeres-like fluffy cloud for grounding the beef, belly, and ketchup. I thought the pork belly was a bit overdone though so the concept wasn't executed per the advertising, so this earned third place in my head of the five burgers submitted for this event.

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Henry's Tavern had Executive Chef Jerome Duncan's entry of a urban stuffed burger, an offering of a broiled slider topped with smoked mozzarella, pepperoncini and beer braised onions with lettuce, tomato, and Tree Hugger Porter mustard on a Brioche bun. Biting into this burger and to encounter the pepperonici and sauteed onions, and then have the smoked mozzarella ooze out, gave this IMHO the best burger patty, and it was a my second place ribbon for best burger. This was a really heavy filling burger well countered by the fresh tomato and lettuce. Here's too shots: one from each side.

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Next stop was some water. And then, Whole Foods Market Seafood Mongers Christopher Schmidt and Eric Vegas and their Grilled Salmon Slider, a red pepper and fennel salmon slider with herb aioli and organic baby greens on wheat bun. I haven't had a salmon slider before, though I do like salmon, and I also like Thai Fish Cakes which are almost like slider patties… This Grilled Salmon Slider was too fishy for me. I think if they had gone further down a Thai-style seasoning, or adding more fruit salsa-like topping like mango or pineapple, or gone a more citrusy lemon-dill way maybe it could have worked. But, it's not quite fair to judge seafood mongers equally against restaurant chefs either- couldn't someone have given them a hand? Dressed with italian seasoning a smidge of mayo and greens and that's it? Did they taste this?

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I know, it really looks like it should have been a Thai fish cake instead. Sadly, no it wasn't.

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After packing this one away for later, the next stop, and the winner of my vote for #1 burger, was Laurelwood Public House and Brewery. Executive Chef Scott Clagett created a portabella mushroom beef burger with bacon-tomato jam, arugula, crispy onions, Oregon truffle aioli on a brioche slider bun. Arugula was a genius green to include as a topping dressed just enough with the aioli, and the crispy onion a texture counterpoint to the very well seasoned beef that was juicy from the portabella mushroom. I am a cheese lover, and I didn't even miss the lack of cheese here that truly made it a burger instead of a cheeseburger.

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Final stop and sitting at #4 was Widmer Brothers Brewing Chef Ryan Day and Chef Travis Hansen's Rouladen Burger, stuffed with a chopped pickle, onion, bacon, and stone ground mustard topped with a smoked onion cheese sauce on a rye melba. All of us appreciated the choice of a rye melba and the size of this taster, enough to give you several good bites of flavor but not totally fill you. Rather then a chopped pickle which was in the right path but not quite tart enough, a cornichon or two would have been able to hold up better tot he smoked onion cheese sauce and stone ground mustard and visually fit. With cornichons or better pickles, this slider could have been higher for its contemporary take on a slider to show you can be tiny but still pack a lot of flavor punch.

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And now from the past few days, I'm suffering from indigestion.

 

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You Can Haz Cheeseburger, by Brunchbox

December 28, 2009 by Leave a Comment

The last time I had visited the food carts of Southwest 5th and Stark, this cart had not existed. However, one day while having lunch with some friends downtown, after lunch we walked by this street and lo and behold, this cart that I had heard as having the heart attack cheeseburger is right here! I vowed to come back, and after doing some cardio with a Jillian Michaels DVD in the morning and briskly walking all the way here (and then to all my errands, and back home) to make up for the calories I was about to ingest, I made my way to Brunchbox.

Their cheeseburgers have been well-reviewed, including making it to Portland Monthly’s top cheeseburger list. There are lots of good burgers in PDX, thanks to the happy hour culture here which has made a $5 housemade made with local burger pretty ubiquitous. Although I generally don’t eat beef, besides my In and Out exception I also will eat beef if it’s local, and especially if it’s organic and/or free-range. Brunchbox’s policy is to use local ingredients whenever possible, so I decided their burger would make my list. Well, especially because some of the other carts I wanted to try, like Asian Station Cafe’s soup dumplings (permanently closed! No! Just like Sidecart, another missed food cart opportunity because I got there too late!), and Euro Dish and Stella were closed by the time I got there after the lunch rush.

I was too scared for my heart and arteries to order the “redonkadonk” (Egg, ham, spam, bacon, American cheese between two Texas-toast grilled cheese sandwich “buns”), so I settled for the “youcanhascheeseburger!”:
burger between two texas-toast grilled cheese sandwich “buns”. Despite the scary looking photo in Portland Monthly, as you can see from my photo below it actually puts together into a burger you can actually fit into your mouth rather then dislocating your jaw a la Dagwood. In other photos you may find online, you may have seen the Texas toast a lot bigger- in fact, I’ve seen them make these with the bread not so thin as mine- I wonder if they did it because I look like a small young thing that needed help so they smushed down the grilled cheese more, because the bread is really Texas toast- the best bread for grilled cheese because it crunches up and doesn’t get soggy from the oily middle of cheese (or burger). Yes, its’ a great grease sponge!

The grilled cheese bun, unlike the sweet small Voodoo Doughnut bun that the Original Dinerant a couple blocks down uses for their burger, adds to the cheeseburger experience by providing a nice toasty crunch from the Texas Toast and more cheeziness (but not overwhelming), and this way the extra toppings like lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, pickles, ketchup, mayo, mustard can do their work directly with the meat without interference from any of the richness of the melted cheese. The burger meat is hand formed and juicy and was perfectly medium- I am ashamed at how fast I scarfed this warm melty burger down on that cold bench. I felt pretty good after I ate the first half, but after momentarily considering saving the other half for later, I didn’t want to lose the toastyness of the bun and was able to finish it without a struggle, amazingly, and no side effects of feeling like I just ate half a stick of butter from a greasy joint. don’t kid yourself, Brunchbox is a greasy joint, but it tastes so good you don’t notice all the grease (heh, only some of it). Isn’t that a compliment? The only room for improvement I could think of was a bit more lettuce to go with all the grease and give it a bit of a fresh crunch and not just grilled toast crunch.

You Can Haz Cheeseburger, by Brunchbox, griled cheese buns, texas toast grilled cheese, cheeseburger, Portland food cart
You Can Haz Cheeseburger, by Brunchbox, griled cheese buns, texas toast grilled cheese, cheeseburger, Portland food cart

You Can Haz Cheeseburger, by Brunchbox, griled cheese buns, texas toast grilled cheese, cheeseburger, Portland food cart
From Adventures of Pech 2009

And it’s just $5! I’m not sure how any of the fast food burger joints even get by in Portland.

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