Portland Drink and a Bite Highlight: Imperial

January 8, 2016 by 10 Comments

For Foodie Friday today, I wanted to start a series highlighting a Portland Drink and a Bite of food that I think not only is best in class within Portland, but is a classic representation of the character of Portland. Of course, that Portland Drink and a Bite Highlight is also delicious, and unique.

For the first highlight, I go to the first duo I craved when I returned from being away for 3 weeks or so – the A Radish Walks Into A Bar… cocktail at Imperial.

A Radish Walks into a Bar cocktail, ransom old tom gin, carpano antica vermouth, radish gastrique, lemon, and cracked peppercorns, Imperial PDX, Vitaly Paley

Crafted with Carpano Antica vermouth, Ransom Old Tom gin, lemon, radish gastrique, cracked pepper and salt, and served with a beautiful cube of ice (sourced from PDX ice) that they hand carve from an ice block. This unique cocktail is savory and sour and sweet (it’s name is a nod towards Chef Vitaly Paley’s win in Iron Chef with radish as the secret ingredient). And this cocktail is one of my top 5 favorites in Portland. It’s the best radish cocktail I’ve ever had, and I keep going back to it.

Apparently Portland Monthly agrees with me – it listed it among the Top 10 Cocktails in PDX in March 2015.

I don’t even have to look at the menu – as soon as I sit down (usually maybe once a month or so) at Imperial, I order this cocktail right off the bat, along with a Parker House Roll.
Parker House roll with whipped butter and sea salt, Imperial PDX, Vitaly Paley Parker House roll with whipped butter and sea salt, Imperial PDX, Vitaly Paley

This is the best Parker House Roll I’ve ever had – larger then your fist, served warm with whipped butter and Jacobson sea salt, it’s buttery delicate softness with a hint of sweet is a perfect match for the slight peppery bite of the Radish Walks Into A Bar cocktail, making it a great starter. Every time I go into Imperial, I order the cocktail and roll. I’ve even done this when I was on my way walking to meet others for drinks and dinner – I stopped and got this first!

The rest of the Imperial kitchen and bar is firing on all cylinders, so feel free to add to your meal with a grilled salad, Dougie’s fried chicken, or many other items on the menu. This particular Portland Drink and a Bite feels like it really embodies Portland to me in it’s celebration of Chef Paley with that creative cocktail, paired with a nod towards James Beard with those Parker House rolls, and it gets you into the door of Imperial with it’s Northwest cuisine.

Have you tried this cocktail and/or Imperial’s Parker House Roll before? Do you have a favorite drink and a bite someplace that you think really represents Portland that you’d like to nominate?

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Portland Hot Dogs – Food Carts

July 31, 2015 by 8 Comments

This post has been a long time in a making, usually because after having one of these I feel like I need to take 5 exercise classes. But, it’s finally time to share some of the hot dogs I’ve been tasting around town.

Hot Dogs, or at least a new gourmet/all in with toppings trend, has emerged recently this 2015. It seemed like it was only just a couple months ago where on a panel Dougie Adams (of Imperial, and also Top Chef,  which is what the panel was celebrating) confessed his love for simple hot dogs.

But then in the past couple months, fancy hot dogs have been a trend. There was the opening on NE Alberta of Donnie Vegas, the Beaverton and roaming truck of Clutch Prime Sausagery, Stray Dog PDX Pop up that specialized in appearing once a week with fancy dogs (and even traveled to New York to pop up), and more on the way thanks to upcoming Micah Camden venture of Hop Dog (which popped up earlier at Boxer Ramen this month and gave out free hot dogs for  National  Hot Dog Day).

I want to do individual reports of the hot dog brick and mortars, but I did try and wanted to share a few other doggies in town that come via the traditional hot dog vendor way: a food cart.

In summer heat wave weather you may not think to visit a food cart, but bad weather days be it too hot, too cold, rainy are days you should especially patronize the food carts. Inside the little kitchen of their cart, it sucks a lot more for them and your visit can be the difference between them even breaking even that day because of lower foot traffic. So visit them, they’ll appreciate you!

We Be Weiners

First, we have the start of my hot dog journey with We Be Weiners . We Be Weiners has been serving up hot dogs since 2005, and the food cart has re-located from the cart pod A la Carts at SE Division to now SW 5th and Harrison by PSU. There are 15 other dogs on the menu (outside biscuits and gravy, meatball sandwiches, Frito Chili Pie and more), ranging from breakfast dogs with gravy to spicy dogs with salsa or one with jalapenos and chilies or even Sambal Oelek, as well as Chicago of, Reuben Dog, Corn Dog, Tofurky Italian Sausage and more.

Of all the food carts offering fancy hot dogs, We Be Weiners has the most variety to choose from. At most dogs hovering at $3-5 it is also the most value for your fancy dog.
We Be Weiners where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard We Be Weiners where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard

This is where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard.
We Be Weiners where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard We Be Weiners where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard

We Be Weiners on Zomato

Dog town

Next, I wanted to highlight the hot dogs available at the Tidbit food cart pod on SE Division and Division, at Dog Town. Their list of about a dozen impressive dogs varies from LaLa Land with bacon and more bacon to a veggie sausage (Farmer’s Daughter, with romesco sauce, grilled leeks, shaved fennel, arugula to go with the veggie sausage so even a vegetarian won’t feel left out), 6 hour pulled pork a la Memphis Pulled Pork dog, to Fricken Chicken with fried chicken and bourbon bread or Lamborghini with Australian Lamb Sausage cuddled in naan bread, or a Sonoran bacon wrapped hot dog with salsa verde and avocado creme nestled in a made to order fry bread. The Friday Night Lights chili dog of course comes topped with Fritos too – they think of everything here to take it to the top and a little past that.

I don’t think it’s possible to neatly eat any of their insanely generously topped hot dogs. What makes them stand out to me is how the hot dog menu options are so bold, while still being thoughtfully composed to balance a fun range of flavors and textures to go all out in meeting the dramatic names of the hot dog option. At around $6 these hot dogs deliver upgraded flavor that more than justifies the price. This is more of a sandwich that happens to also have a sausage in it than just a hot dog.
Dog Town, located at Tidbit Food cart at SE 28th and Division offers an impressive heavily topped hot dog menu selection in Portland
Return of the Mac, a hot dog smothered in gooey mac and cheese, crispy bacon, and garlic bread crumbs on a fresh baked bun
Return of the Mac at Dog Town food cart, a hot dog smothered in gooey mac and cheese, crispy bacon, and garlic bread crumbs on a fresh baked bun Return of the Mac at Dog Town food cart, a hot dog smothered in gooey mac and cheese, crispy bacon, and garlic bread crumbs on a fresh baked bun

You’d think with the mac and cheese that would be my favorite, but at Dog Town my favorite is the Rocky Balboa, which is a Philly Cheesesteak Dog that includes All Beef coney Dog split and grilled topped with thinly sliced beef, grilled onions and peppers, and melted provolone.
Dogtown Rocky Balboa hot dog, which is a Philly Cheesesteak Dog that includes All Beef coney Dog split and grilled topped with thinly sliced beef, grilled onions and peppers, and melted provolone Dogtown Rocky Balboa hot dog, which is a Philly Cheesesteak Dog that includes All Beef coney Dog split and grilled topped with thinly sliced beef, grilled onions and peppers, and melted provolone

Dog Town Food Cart on Zomato

Bro-Dogs and Burgers

Finally, we have the super messy but delish offering from Bro-Dogs food truck (roaming food truck so check their social media, and also located at PDX Airport pre-security) of the “Dude!!!” The Dude!!! Bro-dog includes a Zenger smoked bacon and cheddar sausage with bacon, cheddar, mushroom, onion, garlic, cream cheese and two kinds of BBQ sauce, all on a handcrafted Alessio Bakery bun.

Bro-Dogs and Burgers menu also has a regular Bro Dog, Bratwurst, Polish, and Vegan dog as well as a Dirty Burger and Dirty Veggie Burger,  and special sausages like jalapeño cheddar or chicken apple,  all on the Alessio Bakery sandwich bun.

It’s hard not to be drawn to The Dude!!! in really being bad for you in a good way. I would almost expect this to show up on an episode highlighting over the top hot dogs in the US. I mean the size of this thing is veering into burrito territory,  thus the higher $7 price that’s the same price as their Dirty Burger. The rest of the menu is priced a couple bucks less.
Bro-Dogs and Burgers Bro-Dogs and Burgers menu famously includes their Dude!!! dog, as well as Bro Dog, Bratwurst, Polish, and Vegan dog as well as a Dirty Burger and Dirty Veggie burger. Bro-Dogs and Burgers menu famously includes their Dude!!! dog, as well as Bro Dog, Bratwurst, Polish, and Vegan dog as well as a Dirty Burger and Dirty Veggie burger. The Dude!!! Bro-dog from Bro-Dogs and Burgers food cart/truck includes a Zenger smoked bacon and cheddar sausage with bacon, cheddar, mushroom, onion, garlic, cream cheese and two kinds of BBQ sauce, all on a handcrafted Alesio Bakery bun The Dude!!! Bro-dog from Bro-Dogs and Burgers food cart/truck includes a Zenger smoked bacon and cheddar sausage with bacon, cheddar, mushroom, onion, garlic, cream cheese and two kinds of BBQ sauce, all on a handcrafted Alesio Bakery bun

What are your thoughts on the fancy hot dog trend? What’s the fanciest hot dig topping you’ve seen?

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National Chicken Wing Day PDX

July 29, 2015 by 2 Comments

Today is apparently National Chicken Wing Day. I know this because my sister told me so, and I’m still looking for the all-encompassing food holiday calendar out there. Here are my picks for some places in Portland to get your National Chicken Wing Day fix on…

Pok Pok’s (various Pok Pok locations throughout Portland, New York and LA) Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings

Pok Pok Wing at the PDX airport offers Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings which you can get normal or spicy. You can get a half dozen in a full order, or just 3 wings in a half order of these fresh whole natural chicken wings marinated in fish sauce and sugar, deep fried, and tossed in caramlized Phu Quoo fish sauce and garlic

Mama Chow’s Kitchen Lollipop Wings with the bone exposed nicely to give you a place to hold

Mama Chow's Kitchen justifiably raved about lollipop wings with honey soy garlic glaze with jasmine rice and baby bok choy

Fire On The Mountain classic selection of buckets of wings and a dozen possible sauces plus rotating new sauces that they will add… and they even have vegetarian wings. Some people complain the wings can be a little skinny, but I always point out that FOTM uses free range chicken, not doped up chicken.

My favorite in town, PaaDee Thai Peek gai tod, fried wings glazed in Sriracha fish sauce. If you come here, you must get this, happy hour or not.

PaaDee Thai comfort food พาดี, Peek gai tod, fried wings glazed in Sriracha fish sauce. If you come here, you must get this, happy hour or not.

Happy Wings Wednesday!

What/where are your favorite chicken wings?

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Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser on Wednesday, May 20th

May 13, 2015 by 8 Comments

Wednesday, May 20th is the 6th annual Restaurants for Raphael House dine-out fundraiser. This event is one day only where many delicious restaurants, and you as diners, can show your support for families escaping domestic violence simply by dining out at one (or more!) of a list of 25+ establishments throughout Portland and Lake Oswego. All of the eateries are donating a percentage of the proceeds (10-25% of their day’s proceeds) to Raphael House of Portland.

Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser

Founded in 1977, Raphael House of Portland is a domestic violence agency dedicated to fighting the causes and effects of domestic violence. They offer emergency shelter in a confidential location, a 24-hour in-house crisis line, transitional housing and advocacy programs, non-residential advocacy in partnership with the Portland Police Bureau, and also work to bring an end to violence through community outreach and education. Raphael House is the largest domestic violence shelter in Multnomah County. Annually, Raphael House provides 10,000 safe nights for women and children in their emergency shelter and support as many as 5,000 callers on their 24/7 crisis line.

It’s so easy for you to help this valuable cause and support this local agency. Just find a participating restaurant that is convenient to you and dine out! With so many on the list with different cuisines, you will probably find a place that can fit your food preferences. Keep in mind that every $100 that the fundraiser is able to raise during the event will provide one night in our shelter for someone.

So take your family, or go on a friend date. Order generously anything you want from the menu, all food and drink, and any time the participating restaurants are open (so all DAY in many cases), it all counts!

A full list of businesses participating Restaurants for Raphael House can be found online here at the Raphael House website, organized by quadrant of Portland. The list that I saw includes

Southeast

  • Accanto | Serving Italian fare like handmade pasta, and making the most of lots of local seasonal ingredients for lunch and dinner. Everything here is good!
    Accanto: potato gnocchi, lamb bolognese, mint and pecorino Accanto: capellini with samphire, garlic, chili, and fennel seed
  • Bread and Ink Cafe | Roomy, long-lived American restaurant with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.
  • Chiang Mai | Dishing up traditional specialties from Northern Thailand for lunch and dinner,  look for dishes you haven’t seen at a typical Thai food menu
  • Oaks Bottom Public House | Pub located in the heart of Sellwood offering food for lunch and dinner along with craft brew Lompoc beers and a full bar in relaxed atmosphere including a covered private patio out back.
  • PaaDee | Amazing Thai food that is among the top 3 best Thai in Portland right now with craft cocktails along with some Thai menu options you don’t normally see. Don’t miss the Peek gai tod, fried wings glazed in Sriracha fish sauce, which was among several highlights in my previous Paadee visit post when you come visit for lunch or dinner.
    PaaDee Thai comfort food พาดี, Peek gai tod, fried wings glazed in Sriracha fish sauce. If you come here, you must get this, happy hour or not. PaaDee Thai comfort food พาดี The Waterfall cocktail, with Jinro shochu, shrub, muddled cucumber, lemon and thyme
  • Pacific Pie Co. | Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more),  plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner. I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
    Pacific Pie Food Blogger Event - mini pies! Pacific Pie NW 23rd, Polenta with mushroom sauce, baked polenta with creamy organic crimini mushroom sauce Pacific Pie NW 23rd, Chicken Schnitzel that is skillet fried, seasoned and crumbed chicken breast served with your choice of potato and with a small green salad. I upped it by adding ham and melted Tillamook Cheddar
  • ¿Por Que No? | Hole-in-the wall taqueria that uses sustainable meats and line caught fish in their tacos they serve for lunch and dinner.
  • REDWOOD | American restaurant & lounge offering brunch everyday along with lunch and dinner that is a mix of classic (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, fried brussels sprouts, cheddar and corn fritters) and new (grilled eggplant sandwich, braised tongue sandwich, mussels in house curry).
  • Stickers Asian Cafe | Pan-Asian street fare that offers small dishes, snacks and street foods of Asia: Chinese, Thai, East Indian, Korean, Malaysian and Vietnamese for lunch and dinner.
  • The Country Cat | Southern food serving brunch (including classic cast iron fried chicken, or chicken fried steak or smoked bbq brisket sandwich) and dinner (from that fried chicken again to a fish fry, duck leg, lamb meatloaf or a dish of whole hog) every day.
    The Country Cat, Portland Oregon, Grilled peaches with Lamb Bacon
  • Ya Hala | Family owned restaurant specializing in the homey traditional Lebanese cuisine for lunch and dinner. They are getting a big buzz right now for their brunch (which is only on weekends) but their lunch and dinner menus are several times larger than their brunch one!

Northeast

  • Bella Faccia Pizzeria | Funky neighborhood pizza with New York style pizza, including vegan pizza options for lunch and dinner.
  • Beulahland | Coffee and Alehouse offering breakfast, and then beer alongside American eats such as sandwiches & games including pinball or on the TVs (particularly futball/soccer from Europe, as well as local Timbers) during lunch and dinner.
  • Cocotte Bistro | French food in an intimate bistro atmosphere by amazing chef  Kat LeSueur. Dinner only.
  • Dove Vivi Pizza | Pizza with a cornmeal-crust pizzas, there are also vegan pizza options from 4 PM on.
  • NePo42 | A dog-friendly hangout that offers draft microbrews & American pub food, plus weekly trivia night on Wednesday at 7, pool table, and patio from lunch through dinner.
  • Smallwares | Asian fusion restaurant from chef Johanna Ware who herself calls it “inauthentic asian” for for dinner.
    Grilled shrimp, aji amarillo, lychee, pink peppercorn, chive + Smallwares Saison made with lychee, pink peppercorn and aji amarillo, was inspired by another dish at Smallwares, Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner
  • The Alameda Cafe | Brunch and dinner everyday that is a neighborhood lil restaurant.

North

  • Las Primas | Peruvian eatery serving sandwiches, empanadas & other traditional street food & cocktails for lunch and dinner. I love their happy hour with their pisco sours (the national Peruvian cocktail) and I can’t resist getting the appetizer of Tequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks), a queso blanco filled fried wonton snack served with avocado-lime dip. It’s a popular street food and I see why because they go down very fast. Though it comes with a dip already, I also endorse getting all the little sauces and using this as your vehicle for all of them. Also try the empanada, and a main dish.
    Las Primas Happy Hour, pisco sour (the national Peruvian cocktail) Las Primas addictive appetizer ofTequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks), a queso blanco filled fried wonton snack served with avocado-lime dip. Las Primas addictive appetizer ofTequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks), a queso blanco filled fried wonton snack served with avocado-lime dip. I also endorse getting all the little sauces and using this as your vehicle for all of them
  • ¿Por Que No? | Hole-in-the wall taqueria that uses sustainable meats and line caught fish in their tacos they serve for lunch and dinner.
  • TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforce | Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs on Swan Island. Get a Biscuit or Burger to fill your tummy and share a side of fries. Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.

Southwest

  • Bento Box | A downtown food cart offering chicken with with vegetables, rice, and sauce (teriyaki, grilled onions, sriracha, and/or sweet chili sauce) for a simple and effectively filling lunch from 11-4.
  • Cheryl’s on 12th | Cute cafe, bakery & market offering American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have simple but good salads and wraps and burgers and pasta, but also a stuffed meatloaf stuffed with ham and cheese, and an affordable homey prime rib. They are generously donating 25% of the day’s proceeds, so a great choice for dining and doing good at the same time!
  • Masu Sushi | Japanese sushi served on the 2nd-floor spot of the Indigo building with validated parking in the Indigo Garage, for lunch and dinner.
  • Mother’s Bistro & Bar | Cafe and bar with homey decor made a bit more fancy with beautiful chandeliers specializes in hearty comfort-food by moms (traditional, homey, comforting, made from scratch), if your mom really knew how to cook, serving breakfast lunch and dinner. They also serve great Cocktails at the bar, and fabulous French pressed coffee.
    California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with an Entree of Grilled Chicken Breast with sauteed onions and peppers topped with avocado and salsa, served with a Macaroni and Cheese with bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and topped with cotija cheese and green onions

Northwest

  • Justa Pasta | Hidden secret with handmade pastas and other Italian classics (mmm their mushroom lasagana) for lunch and dinner.
  • Pacific Pie Co. | Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more),  plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner.  I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
    Pacific Pie, Classic Chicken Pot Pie
  • TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforce | Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs in the Pearl. The Burgers and Fries are monstrous and sooo good Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.
    Tilt Restaurant, burger Island Trucker includes their fresh ground, 100% natural, local chuck patty, topped then with house baked honey cured ham, beer battered onion rings, grilled pineapple, house recipe teriyaki sauce, swiss cheese, lettuce, mayo on their house recipe bun. Also their beer battered house fries in large

Lake Oswego and Happy Valley

  • Chuckie Pies | Neighborhood pizzeria offers classic Neapolitan-style pies in Lake Oswego.
  • Chuck’s Place | Neighborhood cafe with coffee, tea, and baked goods (particularly the scones) in Lake Oswego.
  • Petite Patisserie |  Bakery & coffee shop offering European-inspired baked goods, plus crêpes & sandwiches in Happy Valley.

I hope if you do plan to dine out on Wednesday May 20th, you will choose from that list. Eat well while also supporting an important and worthy cause.

You can post on social media about your support and encourage others to also dine out for the Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser using the hashtag #R4RH. I will definitely be out, though I still haven’t quite decided where to go yet. Will you be dining out on Wednesday, and where do you think you’ll go?

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Delicious Meats at Mediterranean Exploration Company

May 1, 2015 by 9 Comments

I had a big craving for some juicy succulent meat. I thought about going to a steakhouse, but what I really wanted were some small bites to satisfy my craving, and I couldn’t decide between whether I wanted steak, fried chicken, or lamb. Why not all?

Enter my stop at Mediterranean Exploration Company, also known as M.E.C. or MEC, for what I think are the best meats at Mediterranean Exploration Company’s menu. I have previously written about them during their preview party where I got to sample a lot of their dishes. I’ve since been back a few times as they’ve found their groove in the past year since opening in mid-summer. Unless you go there when the sun is up, keep in mind it’s a pretty dark, shadowed restaurant in the evenings which gives it a feel that is romantic but also a hint of old world European with its dimness and echoes of community conversation around you as part of the background of your experience.

One of my favorite cocktails I like to start off with is the Spanish Diplomat with lustau palo cortado sherry, dolin blanc vermouth, benedictine, boker’s bitters, marcona almond and orange oil. This sipper makes me feel exotic and complicated and I pretend I’m in Casablanca. The reward for finishing my glass is the almond, which is mentioned many times in the Bible, as a symbol of hope and promise and overall has a lot of ties to stories in the Mediterranean. It just seems perfect for MEC, and every time I see the cocktail I gaze at it because it seems to glow like a golden chalice.
Mediterranean Exploration Company cocktail of Spanish Diplomat with lustau palo cortado sherry. dolin blanc vermouth. benedictine. boker's bitters. marcona almond. orange oil Mediterranean Exploration Company cocktail of Spanish Diplomat with lustau palo cortado sherry. dolin blanc vermouth. benedictine. boker's bitters. marcona almond. orange oil

Another good cocktail here is the Gold Dinar cocktail, with four roses yellow bourbon, lemon, honey and aleppo pepper. Very refreshing but with a teeny bite.

So, I got a bit distracted when I ordered. I had intended to have meats, and I was thinking of ordering a tartare… but I couldn’t resist a Mezza of Hellenic Republic Saganaki with figs, olive oil, and lemon. They don’t light it on fire and shout Opa! at your table here like at many other Greek restaurants, but sharing that slightly warmed cheese doused in lemon juice is a good memory of when I used to live just a block from Greektown in Chicago, and I remember saganaki and skordalia being my first discoveries into real Greek food after fast food gyros. Sadly, on a more recent visit it seems like they took this off the menu. If you ever see it as a special of some sort, get it!
Mediterranean Exploration Company Mezza of Hellenic Republic Saganaki with figs. olive oil. lemon.

Then it was time for the reason I was here: fried chicken, lamb, steak. The fried chicken here is a nice small dish with prefect crispy skin and soft tender moist meat inside, dished up as fried chicken with aleppo pepper and honey and a few cubes of beets. Perfect for 2 people, or at most 4 (but best with 2) – if you have more in your party, do yourselves a favor and order more than 1 order.
Mediterranean Exploration Company Fried Chicken with aleppo pepper and honey

Same thing with this lamb, which I count among the best in Portland: simply grilled Greek lamb chops with oregano, garlic, and lemon, and you get 2 chops to your plate if you order the half order, which is what you see below. Very garlicky and always grilled perfectly to medium rare.
Mediterranean Exploration Company Greek Lamb Chops grilled with oregano. garlic. lemon

Then on to the Hanger Steak with caper and garlic. As a side to help with the flavors of garlic and salt and fire, the Mejadara with rice, lentils, and crispy fried onion is a great choice with its fun textures of soft and crispy. The only other thing I could think of that I would have wanted to make my proteins more complete would be an order of their grilled Octopus.
Mediterranean Exploration Company, Hanger Steak with caper. garlic Mediterranean Exploration Company, Mejadara with rice. lentils. fried onion

Finish off with this dessert of amazing Cardamom Ice Cream Affogato with turkish coffee, so good and you’ll each want your own.
Mediterranean Exploration Company dessert of Cardamom Ice Cream Affogato with turkish coffee

Have you been to Mediterranean Exploration Company? Do you have a favorite dish there? And what would be more likely your craving, fried chicken, lamb chops, or steak?

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