PDX Dumpling Week 2016 So Far…

February 11, 2016 by 11 Comments

Right now until Saturday February 13 is PDX Dumpling Week 2016. Essentially, Dumpling Week has a list of 12 Portland restaurants and food carts offering dumplings and for each place you visit and enjoy their dumplings, you receive a sticker to add to a Dumpling Passport (you might have to ask for it after you order as they may not remember to hand it out automatically). Based on how many stickers you collect, you are entered for different levels of prizes.

I listed the participating 2016 Dumpling Week restaurants and the dumplings they are offering last week (I also participated in Dumpling Week last year and wrote a 2015 Dumpling Week Recap). Here’s where I’ve been so far for 2016:

  • Imperial: Beef and pork khinkali with melted butter, black pepper and dill served with a bit of yogurt. I recommend ordering a Parker House roll because although you can drink up the juice and spoonful of yogurt at the end if you’d like, I prefer dunking a Parker House roll into it and using that as my sponge. The bar is packed during happy hour, so if you are mainly going for dumplings I suggest arriving after Happy Hour is over (the dumplings are not a happy hour special) so you don’t have to wait for a space at the bar – unless of course you are planning on having more of a meal then make dinner table reservations.
    Portland Dumpling Week 2016 Imperial offering: Beef and pork khinkali with melted butter, black pepper and dill served with a bit of yogurt Portland Dumpling Week 2016 Imperial offering: Beef and pork khinkali with melted butter, black pepper and dill served with a bit of yogurt
  • Kachka: Mushroom and potato vareniki with porcini pumpernickel breadcrumbs, French onion smetana and scallions. I enjoyed these with 30 grams of Matsutake Vodka (a seasonal one to emphasize the mushroom) and 30 grams of Horseradish Vodka (a usual favorite of mine).
    Dumpling Week 2016 offering from Kachka: Mushroom and potato vareniki with porcini pumpernickel breadcrumbs, French onion smetana and scallions. Dumpling Week 2016 offering from Kachka: Mushroom and potato vareniki with porcini pumpernickel breadcrumbs, French onion smetana and scallions.
  • Grassa: Italian soup dumplings. I recommend ordering these with garlic bread to wipe up the sauce, and be generous in adding the Calabrian Chili Oil or Mama’s Lil Chili Oil to your dumplings that come with your order. I also recommend downloading the Chew Dining Club app so that you can input the code at the bottom of your receipt and start racking up credit to earning goodies by dining at various ChefStable restaurants
    Dumpling Week 2015 offering from Grassa: Italian soup dumplings. I recommend ordering these with garlic bread to wipe up the sauce, and be generous in adding the Calabrian Chili Oil or Mama's Lil Chili Oil to your dumplings that come with your order.editDelete caption Dumpling Week 2015 offering from Grassa: Italian soup dumplings. I recommend ordering these with garlic bread to wipe up the sauce, and be generous in adding the Calabrian Chili Oil or Mama's Lil Chili Oil to your dumplings that come with your order.editDelete caption
  • Sizzle Pie: A team-up of Sizzle Pie and Korean BBQ food cart Kim Jong Grillin’ are offering Korean BBQ-inspired pizza mini calzones. The three options are either Meat, Vegetarian, or Vegan ONLY be available at the West Burnside location at 926 W Burnside and each order comes with three stone oven-baked dumplings. I thought there was too much dough to filling here for my taste, and more gochujang sauce is needed.
    • Meat pizza dumplings: Jjajang smoked pork, Sizzle Pie cheese blend, scallions, fermented black bean paste with pickled yellow daikon and gochujang sauce.
      Portland Dumpling Week 2016 from Sizzle Pie: Meat pizza dumplings collaboration with Kim Jong Grillin' of Jjajang smoked pork, Sizzle Pie cheese blend, scallions, fermented black bean paste with pickled yellow daikon and gochujang sauce. Portland Dumpling Week 2016 from Sizzle Pie: Meat pizza dumplings collaboration with Kim Jong Grillin' of Jjajang smoked pork, Sizzle Pie cheese blend, scallions, fermented black bean paste with pickled yellow daikon and gochujang sauce.
    • Vegan pizza dumplings: Kim Jong Grillin’ housemade vegan kimchi and “Follow Your Heart” vegan mozzarella with Sizzle Pie’s housemade vegan ranch dip.
    • Vegetarian pizza dumplings: shiitake mushroom, Sizzle Pie cheese blend, spicy tofu, scallions with soy plum drizzle and dipping sauce.

Are you participating in Portland Dumpling Week 2016, which is ending in only a few days? Which dumplings sound appealing to you or have you already had?

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Dumpling Week 2015 Recap

February 5, 2015 by 22 Comments

The Oregonian declared February 1-7 2015 to be dumpling week, and who am I to disagree? It’s been so full of food porn photos and articles, ranging from dumpling recipes you can make at home to how to eat around the world with 14 dumplings at various restaurants in Portland to even Gluten Free Dumplings.
Feb 1-7 2015 First Annual Dumpling Week

And of course, there are also for this one special week, a Dumpling Passport you can fill out, collecting stickers from various restaurants in Portland who are offering dumpling specials for this week. Besides the eating of the dumplings themselves of course, some of the fun of Dumpling Week has also been running into other dumpling questers, as we compare notes on the dumplings we have eaten and our routes of dumpling eatings. Here is the list of the 19 Portland Restaurants and their Dumpling Dish.

And here’s my Dumpling Week Recap so far of where I’ve been:

Kachka offered a Lamb Pelmeni with adjika butter, smetana, cilantro and mint for $13. So melt in your mouth, I tried to savor each and every buttery dumpling and not inhale these all like Russian dumpling addict. I already love the normal dumplings on their menu (of all dumplings from around the world, I would pick Eastern European ones as my favorite- pierogi, varenky, pelmeni-, even over Asian dumplings) and these were the first ones I had to make sure I get because I knew they would be excellent.
Dumpling Week - Kachka offered a Lamb Pelmeni with adjika butter, smetana, cilantro and mint Dumpling Week - Kachka offered a Lamb Pelmeni with adjika butter, smetana, cilantro and mint Dumpling Week - Kachka offered a Lamb Pelmeni with adjika butter, smetana, cilantro and mint Dumpling Week - Kachka offered a Lamb Pelmeni with adjika butter, smetana, cilantro and mint

Boxer Ramen‘s $5 dumpling week dish was Potstickers boiled in their mushroom broth and they are filled with pork, ginger and chives served with sprouts and pulverized kimchee and a garlic ponzu sauce. I went on Day 2 of these and more recent photos on social media swap the sprouts for pickled carrots. Be aware that Boxer is cash only and only the SW Stark location downtown, not the Alberta branch, is participating in Dumpling Week.
Boxer Ramen's $5 dumpling week dish was Potstickers boiled in their mushroom broth and they are filled with pork, ginger and chives served with sprouts and pulverized kimchee and a garlic ponzu sauce. Boxer Ramen's $5 dumpling week dish was Potstickers boiled in their mushroom broth and they are filled with pork, ginger and chives served with sprouts and pulverized kimchee and a garlic ponzu sauce.

Mama Chow’s Kitchen, a food cart, is only open Monday – Friday for lunch and even arriving when they first opened there was a line 12 deep. Everyone was ordering dumplings, so try to get there early for the $7 pan seared version of the wontons that are usually in their wonton soup. Jeff Chow is thinking of keeping it as a regular offering on the menu though, if you want those chubby meaty dumplings but don’t want to deal with the extra crowd right now because of Dumpling Week. The wontons are Chicken and Taiwan Cabbage dumplings on a bed of baby green bok choy served with a spicy dipping sauce. This was one of the few dumpling offerings that came with vegetables, and combined with me also ordering their garlic noodles was a really satisfying lunch worth waiting for it to be made fresh right when I ordered it!
For dumpling week $7 Mama Chow Kitchen offered a pan seared version of their wontons from their standard wonton soup, these are Chicken and Taiwan Cabbage dumplings on a bed of baby green bok choy served with a spicy dipping sauce

Here’s the Dumpling week entry by Grassa for $12 of Crispy Semolina dumplings with Dungeness Crab, Porcinis, Mint, and House Pancetta. I’m glad that Grassa was concerned I may not be getting enough vegetables with Dumpling Week going on, so seemingly supplied a complimentary salad to go with these dumplings. They make them throughout the day, so even if they may run out during the lunch rush, go back during dinner because they may have made more by then.
Dumpling week entry by Grassa for $12 of Crispy Semolina dumplings with Dungeness Crab, Porcinis, Mint, and House Pancetta Dumpling week entry by Grassa for $12 of Crispy Semolina dumplings with Dungeness Crab, Porcinis, Mint, and House Pancetta

Jenn Louis at Lincoln Restaurant went very upscale with her offering of Malloreddus tossed in sea urchin butter with mint and preserved lemon at $18. Malloreddus is a Sardinian word for gnocchi, and these dumplings are a cross between gnocchi and cavatelli pasta, but made with semolina that’s been steeped in saffron water, thus the color you see. While I was here I also had this INSANE dessert special of a Popcorn Panna Cotta with layers of popcorn panna cotta, creme fraiche, and caramel that just freaking incredible. I know some people are filling out their Dumpling Passports by doing a progressive meal with multiple dumpling restaurants (I certainly did that myself), but if you go to Lincoln you should just make it a one stop night because this is so rich that you won’t want to muddle the experience with other stops.
For dumpling week at $18 Lincoln Restaurant offered Malloreddus tossed in sea urchin butter with mint and preserved lemon. For dumpling week at $18 Lincoln Restaurant offered Malloreddus tossed in sea urchin butter with mint and preserved lemon.

For dumpling week Bollywood Theater‘s two locations offered a chicken/pork version or vegetarian momos, steamed Nepalese dumplings found in Northern India. What you see below are the vegetarian momos because I needed a meat break – they are not vegan because they do have paneer in them with the veggies. Either choice is $8 and is served with radish slaw and spicy tomato chili sauce.
For dumpling week Bollywood Theater's two locations offered a chicken or vegetarian momos, steamed Nepalese dumplings found in Northern India. These are the vegetarian momos For dumpling week Bollywood Theater's two locations offered a chicken or vegetarian momos, steamed Nepalese dumplings found in Northern India. These are the vegetarian momos For dumpling week Bollywood Theater's two locations offered a chicken or vegetarian momos, steamed Nepalese dumplings found in Northern India. These are the vegetarian momos For dumpling week Bollywood Theater's two locations offered a chicken or vegetarian momos, steamed Nepalese dumplings found in Northern India. These are the vegetarian momos For dumpling week Bollywood Theater's two locations offered a chicken or vegetarian momos, steamed Nepalese dumplings found in Northern India. These are the vegetarian momos

Imperial went back to Chef Paley’s roots in offering Khinkali for Dumpling Week. The $8 dish were 2 palm sized Georgian pork and beef dumplings with herb yogurt. They are served with a little bowl so you can put a dollop of the yogurt in there and make sure to catch the drippings from this soupy meaty dumpling when you bite into/drink from it and eat that with a spoon so nothing is wasted. I turned them upside down in my hand to eat them so they were like a little cup and spooned the yogurt onto my bites as well. Messy but so homey and delicious.
Imperial went back to Chef Paley's roots in offering Khinkali for Dumpling Week. The $8 dish were 2 palm sized Georgian pork and beef dumplings with herb yogurt Imperial went back to Chef Paley's roots in offering Khinkali for Dumpling Week. The $8 dish were 2 palm sized Georgian pork and beef dumplings with herb yogurt Imperial went back to Chef Paley's roots in offering Khinkali for Dumpling Week. The $8 dish were 2 palm sized Georgian pork and beef dumplings with herb yogurt

Chef Gregory Gourdet’s winning shrimp dumplings from Top Chef are now at Departure for Dumpling Week, steamed and made with palm sugar, ginger and crispy shallot and those spicy Thai chilis were 3 for $11
Chef Gregory Gourdet's winning shrimp dumplings from Top Chef now at Departure for Dumpling Week, steamed and made with palm sugar, ginger and crispy shallot and those Spicy Thai chilis at $11 Chef Gregory Gourdet's winning shrimp dumplings from Top Chef now at Departure for Dumpling Week, steamed and made with palm sugar, ginger and crispy shallot and those Spicy Thai chilis at $11

Next on my list (Updated 2/6/2015) is Kenny and Zuke’s to try dumplings from a different part of the world: Fried kreplach, a traditional Jewish dumpling, filled with choice of pastrami beef or wild mushroom-leeks. They are served with sauteed onions and sour cream. Between the meat or vegetarian ones, I would recommend the vegetarian ones as the filling has more flavors. You get six dumplings for the $8.75 price, and remember Kenny and Zuke’s is open from breakfast to dinner, unlike some of the other locations which are dinner only.
From Kenny and Zuke's for Dumpling Week are Fried kreplach, a traditional Jewish dumpling, filled with choice of beef or wild mushroom-leeks. They are served with sauteed onions and sour cream. You get six dumplings for the $8.75 price From Kenny and Zuke's for Dumpling Week are Fried kreplach, a traditional Jewish dumpling, filled with choice of beef or wild mushroom-leeks. They are served with sauteed onions and sour cream. You get six dumplings for the $8.75 price From Kenny and Zuke's for Dumpling Week are Fried kreplach, a traditional Jewish dumpling, filled with choice of beef or wild mushroom-leeks. They are served with sauteed onions and sour cream. You get six dumplings for the $8.75 price

You can go fancy with the Little Bird Goat cheese gnocchi with mashed English peas, lamb tongue, pea tendrils and fresh Oregon truffles. You can make it vegetarian by asking to hold the lamb tongue if you really need to. A little stingy with the truffles on my plate, but I’ve seen pics that have had twice or three times as many truffle shavings. They have this on their lunch as well as dinner menu, and it is priced at $17.
You can go fancy with the Little Bird Dumpling Week dish of Goat cheese gnocchi with mashed English peas, lamb tongue, pea tendrils and fresh Oregon truffles You can go fancy with the Little Bird Dumpling Week dish of Goat cheese gnocchi with mashed English peas, lamb tongue, pea tendrils and fresh Oregon truffles

Where have you eaten for Dumpling Week so far, if you have participated, and what has been your favorite dumpling? In general what are your favorite type of dumplings?

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Kargi Gogo – Food from Georgia from a Food Cart

April 26, 2013 by 4 Comments

I always like to support local businesses, and after returning a library book I had borrowed to read during my flights to/from Baltimore, I decided to take an extra few blocks of walking to circle the food carts at SW Alder and Washington and SW 9th/10th. During that little stroll, I discovered a new food cart has just recently opened, Kargi Gogo, showcasing food from Georgia. No, I know you went naturally to southern food from Georgia, USA, but actually this cart specializes in the Republic of Georgia, the country in Eastern Europe.

Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food

That face of that cartoony wide eyed girl made this cart hard to miss, and endearing to me immediately. I had to give them a try, and as I was reading their menu I found them very reasonably priced and liked their attention to detail in descriptions of the food, and the helpful photos as well on the cart, and the ALSO endearing illustrations of the food next to each menu item. What great design!

So feeling not very hungry, but very adventurous, I went with the #8, the Supra Feast of a sampler of all of the 5 items on their menu:

Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food

  • Khachapuri: Georgian Cheese Bread. Melted cheeses wrapped in crust and cut in a triangle. I was tempted to go back and just get a whole order of this to have for dinner, and even after walking 2 blocks away after eating it I was still thinking about it. Yes it is reminiscent of a quesadilla and a grilled cheese sandwich, with the bread is more like a doughy pizza or foccacia bread. I went back later and just got an order of these and had all 4 pieces for lunch and dinner 🙂
    Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food
  • Lobiani: Stuffed Bean and Onion Bread. Ground red beans and caramelized onions and Georgian spices stuffed inside crust
    Lobiani Stuffed Bean and Onion Bread Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food
  • Khinkali: Not Your Average Dumplings. More like gigantic dumplings the size of my palm that are full of a soupy filling that includes beef pork and herbs, like a supersized Chinese soup dumpling but with a Georgian take, and the dough here of the dumpling is thicker which reminded me a bit more of pierogi.
    Khinkali soup dumplings Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food
  • Badrijani: Eggplant, Garlic and Walnut rolls. Small strips of eggplant rolled in a mixture that includes ground walnuts, garlic, and Georgian spices, topped with a pomegranate seed… Looking lovely like a fancy appetizer, and this seemed to have a bit more of a Mediterranean feel to the flavors.
    Badrijani Eggplant, Garlic and Walnut rolls Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food
  • Peasant’s Salad: a light acidic salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and parsley in a walnut garlic dressing: walnuts are very abundant in Georgia

As a tidbit I found out while still thinking about that deliciously savory and cheesy Khachapuri, I learned that per Wikipedia’s article on Khachapuri, since is a Georgian staple food, the price of making a Khachapuri is used as a measure of inflation in different Georgian cities by the Khachapuri index! I did go back a week later just to get the Khachapuri.

Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread Kargi Gogo food cart portland Georgia food

Speaking of food carts, tomorrow is the Willamette Week’s Sixth Annual Eat Mobile Food Cart Festival, boasting a single price admission ticket (no food tickets needed) and then small tastings from almost 50 food carts from all round Portland until 9pm (starts at 5:30 for general admission, 4pm for pre-tasting early admission which is the ticket I have).  Just as last year, it will be held in the parking lot area of Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), and this year OMSI is going to partner with Eat Mobile to also include food demonstrations and a Whole Foods Eat Mobile Culinary Science Stage. I’ve been going since 2010- see my blogs/photos there from my first time, and then my visits for 2011 and 2012, and enjoyed every single one.

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