portland Archives - Page 11 of 15 - Pechluck's Food Adventures

Roe – a seafood dining adventure of Pech and Amy

March 9, 2013 by Pechluck 2 Comments

Although we live in different cities (Seattle and Portland), Amy and I like to “date” once in a while where we meet up for dinner, just the two of us, and chat non stop like we are still in our first few months of a relationship. The time always flies for us, and before I know it we have to part and return to our husbands and different workholes (we used to be coworkers). This date, we went to Roe, a restaurant hidden in the back of Wafu that is an Asian inspired seafood restaurant with a modernist perspective.
Inside of Roe Restaurant

We didn’t know that to get the Chef’s Tasting Menu we had to make arrangements beforehand to sit at the counter. But, on the advice of our waiter, who also was wonderful at recommending wine pairings, we ordered the whole menu since each of us ordering the four course guest choice would already give us most of the dishes… we only needed to add 3 more dishes. Just.

I started out with a cocktail recommended by the bartender (well to Amy, but she passed it on to me, and I dutifully volunteered) called the Confounded Swede with Krogstad Aquavit, Cocchi Torino, Campari, and Beet Salt. The star anise and caraway seed from the aquavit gave it herbaceous hint of spice at the end and the body that was smooth and full with an undercurrent throughout of citrus balanced with bitterness made this drink a sipper to savor.
Roe restaurant PDX Confounded Swede with Krogstad Aquavit, Cocchi Torino, Campari, and Beet Salt

The bread service was among the best I have ever experienced, which included softened butter and three flavored salts to further add, ranging from (left to right) beet, anise, and cocoa. Since I was still having the cocktail at this time, I was really drawn to the beet salt. The amuse bouch of pho with some bean sprouts was the palate cleanser as we then began our elegant culinary seafood dinner journey.
Roe restaurant bread service softened butter and three flavored salts beet, anise, and cocoa

These photos are ordered in my preference, in which whatever dish I liked most in each course being shown last in the post for that course. Everything was presented beautifully like a work of art, as you can see.

Course 1

Big Eye Tuna
carpaccio of akami big eye tuna, white soy ponzu, olio nuovo, shaved frozen torchon of foie gras
Roe Restaurant Big Eye Tuna carpaccio of akami big eye tuna, white soy ponzu, olio nuovo, shaved frozen torchon of foie gras

Ora Salmon
sliced cured salmon, creme fraiche, rye crisp, smoked steelhead roe, beet gazpacho
Roe Restaurant Ora Salmon sliced cured salmon, creme fraiche, rye crisp, smoked steelhead roe, beet gazpacho

Ono
ceviche of ono sashimi, smoked nuoc cham, lime sugar crisp, freeze dried corn, thai herbs, olive oil
Roe restaurant Ono ceviche of ono sashimi, smoked nuoc cham, lime sugar crisp, freeze dried corn, thai herbs, olive oil

Course 2

Oysters
flash poached oysters, smoked turnip and seaweed puree, potato gnocchi, trout roe, beer sabayon sauce
Roe restaurant flash poached oysters, smoked turnip and seaweed puree, potato gnocchi, trout roe, beer sabayon sauce

Surf & Turf
confit scallop, cuttlefish ‘noodles’, braised short rib, sweet potato hoisin, lime, pho beef demi
Roe restaurant confit scallop, cuttlefish noodles, braised short rib, sweet potato hoisin, lime, pho beef demi

Halibut Cheek – Prawn
confit halibut cheek, poached blue prawn, truffled glazed kraut and cauliflower, puree, prawn head and citrus sauce
Roe Restaurant confit halibut cheek, poached blue prawn, truffled glazed kraut and cauliflower, puree, prawn head and citrus sauce

Course 3

Nairagi – Lobster
olive oil poached pacific striped marlin, lobster-mango and lemon grass salad, hearts of palm, curry lobster nage
Roe Restaurant olive oil poached pacific striped marlin, lobster-mango and lemon grass salad, hearts of palm, curry lobster nage

Butterfish
seared porcini dusted butterfish, parmesan dashi, truffle ponzu, hedgehog mushrooms, porcini espurna
Roe restaurant Butterfish seared porcini dusted butterfish, parmesan dashi, truffle ponzu, hedgehog mushrooms, porcini espurna

Course 4

Cheese
cremeux de bourgogne, quince sorbet, hazelnut crumble
Roe Restaurant Cheese cremeux de bourgogne, quince sorbet, hazelnut crumble

Chocolate
dehydrated chocolate mousse, coffee ganache, whiskey caramel, marshmallow gelato
Roe Restaurant dehydrated chocolate mousse, coffee ganache, whiskey caramel, marshmallow gelato

Sponge Cake
30 second brown butter sponge cake, roasted pineapple, pistachio streusal, miso dulce de leche, coconut cream
Roe Restaurant Sponge Cake 30 second brown butter sponge cake, roasted pineapple, pistachio streusal, miso dulce de leche, coconut cream

Some of the creativity really wowed us- such as the so many flavors and textures in the Ono that just brightened in our mouth. On the other hand, the delicate textures and flavors of the Ora Salmon and Halibut Cheek with Prawns were subtle and tender but in an original way. I may have taken the bread (a new piece would magically appear whenever my bread plate was empty) and wiped up that plate.

Others, such as the oysters, really didn’t work for me- or in the case of the Nairagi Lobster didn’t seem like anything special. Each of the dessert courses had one star part that we liked (the cheese, dehydrated chocolate mousse, or roasted pineapple), but didn’t seem to all marry together with everything else on the plate. But I appreciated the exploration- and reading the ingredients I agree they sound intriguing to put together so I understand where they were coming from.

The butterfish was mind-boggling good, almost steak-y in its texture as you cut into the seared porcini dusted butterfish. I think every time they seared that butterfish the aroma filled the room, and the it smelled so incredible that I wanted to eat it every time and each time I detected it, even when I was stuffed during the dessert course.

The service was really good- so polished it really stood out among all the more casual service that you usually experience. The waiter was incredibly knowledgeable and articulate in describing the dishes and possible wine pairing options, he seemed to love what the restaurant was doing, and the timing of dishes brought and cleared from the table was always perfect. If I get a chance to return again I really want those counter seats. But, I would also miss the waiter too.

It is hard to believe the two chefs who were working behind a small counter with that limited kitchen equipment and space are able to produce this for the room, which I think it can accommodate 24 so guests I think and is reservation only, and it open Thursday Friday Saturday only. Stepping out as we were leaving into the louder, bustling and very hip Wafu, I became aware just how much of an exquisite escape Roe is, and the innovativeness of offering that fine dining right behind just a curtain and door from an izakaya atmosphere.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: asian, creative, modern, portland, roe, seafood, trent pierce, wafu

Smoothies at Local Choice Market

January 27, 2013 by Pechluck 1 Comment

I had some time to kill before attending I Love to Eat, so I decided to visit the just opened Local Choice Produce Market in the Pearl district. They specialize in really focusing on local produce, hence the name. It is still winter and cold (hovering just above freezing), so all the glass garage doors that I’m sure they will throw up during warmer weather were down but I can imagine it will seem even more like an open air market once the season changes.

One of the things I noticed immediately is that it seems like half the store is devoted to being able to enjoy the foods immediately- there is a section as soon as you walk in where there is a “Farmatherapy” area that offers juices and smoothies and shares the space with coffees as well. It also has various baked goods, including gluten free. It has its own register and so it gives it an independent feel almost as if you were at one of the stands at Pike Place Market on a much smaller scale: limited and specialized to focus itself. They even have two different register areas that just have a couple registers each in order to pay for your groceries, rather than the normal layout where there is a “checkout” row. I also don’t remember seeing any carts that I would have to navigate through- just baskets- and no traditional aisles, just “areas” in the store.

In particular, I was drawn to the Farmatherapy and its wide combination of juices and smoothies offerings- with ingredients also able to be combined into your own desired blend. Base drinks included a parsley carrot green apple cabbage ginger one, or a pear pineapple wheatgrass green apple mint in the Fresh Juice Blends section. In the smoothies section I was particularly curious about a rice milk, banana, cocoa, fig, lecethin, espresso, cacao nib, hazelnut, and bacon smoothie, but I went with the oatmeal, hazelnut, cinnamon, flax seed oil, and date sugar smoothie.

So as you can imagine, you can add whatever ingredients they have to one of the drinks. Their juices include apple, grapefruit, orange, carrot, and also wheatgrass. Their extras include whey protein, hemp protein, flax seed oil, bee pollen, cacao nibs, hazelnuts, dates, date sugar, figs, oatmeal, bacon, and a ginger shot.

If I lived closer I would stop by every morning for a smoothie. In fact, I found out later that the Farmatherapy section is actually “doctor designed”… though I’m not sure yet on what this means when a Naturopath and Nutrition Therapist contribute to creating the menu. Everything you can add into it (ok, maybe not the bacon) sounds healthy- but I’m not sure what each option offers.

Farmatherapy smoothie menu at Local Choice Market

I’m guessing that the intent of having such a large amount of space devoted for easy and more immediate eating is to support the farmers market, but in a prepared convenient way (aka using the stuff from the grocery side of the store directly into the prepared food offerings). For instance there is also an area where you can get rotisserie chicken, and a beer and wine bar also offers happy hour and you can order local cheese plates and charcuterie plates. In the deli section, they had a variety of food options that were more along the level of Whole Foods and Zupan’s, such as vegan meatloaf and wine marinated mushrooms and roasted beets and a blue cheese potato gratin, the latter of which I asked for two pieces and they heated it up on a white glass plate for me to enjoy with my smoothie.

The deli in the back also supports you ordering a build of your own sandwich. The sheet to build your own dream sandwich includes

what kind of bread (three kinds of Grand Central Bakery and three kinds from Gabriel’s Bakery),
meats (8 different kinds, including mortadella and Painted hills pastrami),
cheeses (8 different kinds including herbed goat cheese),
lettuce (yes, 5 choices in lettuces, from butter lettuce to arugula to micro herb greens!),
9 veggies and condiments (roasted red pepper! mama’s lil peppers! avocado! and 6 more!) and
7 sauces (including herbed aioli, romesco sauce, or basil sauce).

The sheet listed $8.50 as a base price with additional meats and additional cheeses beyond the initial one as extra, so I wonder if the other options you could just stack on like you’re Dagwood Bumstead. But, as a bonus, you could eat your sandwich right there and probably even get one of the local brews or local glass of wine to wash it down with.

beer and wine bar at Local Choice Market

I was impressed with how selective they are in what they offer. As a specific example, their cheese section for instance isn’t as large as what you would typically find at your local Fred Meyer or Whole Foods or Safeway (the latter two being also in walking distance away from Local Choice). None of their sections will be as large- even City Market Northwest and Food Front Cooperative have more honestly. But what they do carry is of high quality, such as Rivers Edge Chevres’ tortes and rounds and crottins, and Mt Townsend Creamery cheeses such as the Off Kilter that is washed in Pike Brewing’s Kiltlifter scotch ale, or their creamy decadent Trufflestack with Italian black truffles…

Essentially really artisanal premium stuff that I would have had to go to a specialty cheese shop like Steve’s Cheese on the other side of the river to find. I spent a lot of time gazing at the cheese section (I love cheese, what can I say), but I recall the same was true of their pickles, granola, crackers, jam, chocolate, meat and seafood, even the salts. And these are all made in Oregon or Washington, fulfilling their promise of local focus in their name.

Everything here is thoughtfully curated, obviously looking to fulfill the needs of a sophisticated foodie shopper who is also savvy enough to recognize what is being offered here. The consumer also is one financially comfortable enough and conscious enough to vote with their dollar for organic sustainability and supporting local businesses versus just the lip service and still wanting cheap prices. Local Choice is not about cheap prices, that’s for sure. The intended audience is also this actively eco-conscious foodie who would be glad to have something finally on the west side of the river and not just the area on the east side of the river and the suburbs.

But, you won’t be able to get everything you need here- clearly you’ll still need to get to your larger chain grocery for other needs such as household and toiletry products. This is a specialty stop. It’ll be interesting to see if this will work- will people appreciate the quality here and be willing to go to more than one place rather than a get it all single big box store? That model does seem to have some success- you can’t necessarily get all you need at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or Zupan’s either. Trader Joe’s is actually very similar to Target in a way in that you generally know that everything is good there (and TJ even mimic’s with the grocery circular a chatty “local” newsletter recommending a product like a neighbor), and their customer is willing to accept less choice in order to trust that it has been selected based on proof of quality. Local Choice is attempting this same niche, more so at a very local curated farmers market scale- though I didn’t quite see any information promoting that connection from farm to fork beyond just hoping the consumers recognize the products and know the story behind the producers.

Particularly, I wonder how the parking situation is going to work out too for Local Choice, I am not sure just the neighborhood population will necessarily be enough, even if it is the Pearl. Still, when i was there on a nice sunny though chilly Sunday early afternoon, I definitely saw quite a few people wandering in out of curiosity to check out what Local Choice has to offer- at one point there was a sudden, surprising rush at Farmatherapy and a line 10 people long. But, I didn’t see anyone doing any real shopping- just browsing and then any purchases were more in the prepared food side.

Since I had the I Love to Eat show to attend I wasn’t ready to do any shopping, but I hope to come back to try their beer and wine bar soon, and see if things have picked up since their opening week. I also hope they can help form a base of community like you would have had at the local neighborhood grocery store back in our parents and grandparents time… we’ll have to see. Let’s see if Portlanders are willing to really spend the money to walk the walk of supporting all the principles and causes that Local Choice Market embodies.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Weblogs Tagged With: Local Choice Market, Pearl, portland

Nakwon- A Homey Korean Restaurant in Beaverton

January 8, 2010 by Pechluck 1 Comment

The intention was to go to Du Kuh Bee to try their famous fresh noodles, but when we found they were closed, Nakwon was right next door so made that our impromptu lunch destination. I rationalized, if this restaurant can survive next door to Du Kuh Bee in a pretty non-busy non-descript part of a Beaverton, it must have something to offer. I don't know why some people thought this area was sketchy, or why it wasn't clean. There is so much worse out there. The description of service getting slow because they are not staffed adequately is right on though.

As soon as we walked in, I saw we were fortunate enough to only be the second table for lunch. The only server by the register had a bubbling bowl of soup, and let us pick whatever table we wanted and handed us the menus. He was young and cheery, but got overwhelmed as all the tables filled up. Just as some reviews on the internet had noted, the menu is a bit of a mess to read- but oddly this doesn't bother me because Korean menus are often very mysterious with their mix of English and Korean letters, and then the English often including romanization of the korean words mixed with descriptive English of what the dish is. And then add special color coding and icons sometimes to try to show spice level and vegetarian, and there's a lot going on the page. Ironically, I had just mentioned in my previous post that Pho Hoa Hung is one of the few Korean places I've ever seen that has made their menu more accessible.

My tip here for reading these type of Asian restaurant menus is to first do a scan of the categories and for any key themes of ingredients. If you're fortunate enough to find a theme, you probably have hit upon the specialities of the restaurant. These establishments are usually family run with dad or mom or grandpa in the back, and they are going to naturally offer some of the key dishes they are good at in multiple formats, rather then just a dish that has a choice of beef, chicken, or pork- instead these three options will be presented as three different entrees you could order. But, the key is the dish- which I saw from Nakwon's menu were their soup broths, their dumplings, and rice cake with spicy sauce. Sure, they offer the usual bulgogi and kalbi and spicy pork, but it's at the way back of the menu, and this is not even set up as a bbq joint- the grills are not already on the table with vents installed above, so don't bother with korean bbq as a choice. It's on the menu probably as an obligation, not because it's good. This also explains some of the other ratings people gave- just look at what dish they ordered, and their experience with Korean cuisine in general.

Ordering soup, dumplings, and a dish with rice cake was way more then my stomach could handle, so I settled for two appetizers. The first thing to arrive was the panchan, all the little side dishes. Man, I love panchan. How can you not get excited when your meal starts with all these little tastes arrayed before you like a little buffet?

I downgraded my usual seafood pancake choice to a kimchee pancake since I fortunately found out early on that my dining companion eats seafood but not squid. The pancake was mixed- I think if I had simplified it to just green onion (which is used I think in all three versions of the pancake on their menu), or gone all out with seafood but had to eat it alone, they would have tasted better. The execution of cooking the pancake was perfect- crispy edges and outside- but the kimchee didn't have either the spicy or sour pickle tinge I was expecting. It could be an unfortunate helping of the kimchee ingredient I received on this visit, or the frying of kimchee as part of the pancake leeched out that flavoring. I tend to believe the latter, because the kimchee in the pan-chan was fine. The menu has the font in red to indicate spicyness, but this wasn't spicy.

On the other hand, the other appetizer I ordered, pan fried rice cake with spicy sauce with dumplings and ramen, in the same red font, is super spicy. Some might wonder what is going on with the little tupperware jug of water being put on the table, but don't question it- you will need that water. The hot rice water is nice, but is not enough relief in those little teacups for the hotness here. The ramen are soft tasty noodles cooked to the right chewy texture, and the rice cake slices are thin slices that have the same impact as slivers of umami. The dumplings are thick round tubes in this case, very firm and definitely not what I was expecting for a dumpling. I was thinking the kind that look like stuffed bags, not a combo of gnocchi and rigatoni. In the end, it all added up to an interesting mouthful of different kinds of chewyness- I think some additional ingredients like veggies besides the few sprigs of green onion or seafood would really finish the potential of this dish.

My dining friend has the shrimp curry. It was an ok curry- thick and stewy, almost like a gravy- and would have benefited from more rice. It was brimming full of chunks of potatoes, peas, carrots, like you would imagine your Asian mom would throw in to make sure you get all your veggies. On the other hand, look at how the portion is so large it's in a big casserole dish! It was still steaming a bit even when we put it into the to-go containers. It would be easy to ask for more rice and make this a shared dish, or take it home for a second meal. Seriously, portions are huge here if it's not obvious from the pictures already.

Next time, I'm getting the dumplings with my soup. From what I saw from other orders as the place quickly filled up for lunch, the soup bowls are pretty big, and they come bubbling and boiling so that if you drop a raw egg in it, it would cook right there at your table in less then a minute. And, it smelled and looked delicous. As you walk to this place after parking your car on the street, you'll be enjoying the aromas as you walk up to the door. Looking at the ratings you may see reviewers at various places are giving it 3 stars, but it's more like 3.5-4 out of 5- and that soup might be a 5 since that really does stand out in the menu. I just didn't want to burn my taste buds before I go to Slappy Cakes tomorrow- which I inevitably would have with my impatience- so I skipped over what is probably their best dish.

If you're look for Korean BBQ or more generic dishes like stone rice bowls and bibombop, there are plenty of other options in the area for those: aka go to a seafood restaurant for the best seafood, not a steakhouse. Your odds will be a lot better. Nakwon offers the hearty hot dishes that you would find in a Korean home during the winter, just as they would be eating them, take advantage of that.

As I have been reading through Fearless Food Critic's book on Portland, they have highlighted many Korean and a few Japanese places in Beaverton, which was surprising. It's not obvious that there is a mini Korea-town or Japan-Town embedded here- I see signs here or there all in a different language, but never so many together that it seems like a flag indicating community that would support these home-country flavor profiles in a business. At least, not that I've seen so far, but I've only been here a year and mostly in the city. But, as my discovery of Nakwon's neighborhood has shown me, it's definitely here- not obvious like a neighborhood in New York, Chicago, or LA would have, the radius might only be a few blocks a couple blocks away from the busy main streets- but that makes these hole in the wall secrets even more alluring for me- and I think a bit more accessible and less intimidating then being the only non person of that ethnicity for a mile or so around. I actually feel lucky now that I have to go out to Beaverton daily for my job- because now it won't be so out of the way to explore a little bit more out here and not just in the Portland city proper (my usual hunting grounds), and sometimes I don't want food with a Northwest spin- I want to be transported to the other side of the world. Nakwon definitely did that for me- I was only in Korea for a day during a layover, but this tasted like something I could definitely get there.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: Beaverton, korean restaurant, nakwon, portland, restaurant review

A Lunch in Beaverton

January 7, 2010 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

The first time I went to Hall Street Grill, it was when I had flown in for an interview at the company I currently work at. After a few interviews with 1 or 2 people at a time, I went out to lunch with the peers who would be part of the user experience team. Hall Street Grill is in Beaverton so is one of the few places in the suburbs I know about- after all, I don't own a car. Actually, every single place I've been to eat in Beaverton has been related to my work- either a lunch or happy hour- and I can count them on two hands. Hall Street Grill is one of the top 5.

The proof of this is that while at that lunch with my possible new co-workers, after I ordered the $10 or so lunch special of sandwich with housemade chips, when the sandwich appeared it looked so delicious that I knew it would be delicious, and I pulled out my camera. Whether or not I got this job, I was going to document this deliciousness.

So here is my top recommendation for this place: lunch. the lunch special. The crab melt: crab cakes made from regional crab with the local Tillamook cheddar cheese and a fresh tomato. I've been there a couple of other times and tried the quinoa risotto and squash ravioli, but they were not memorable. Just looking at this sandwich, you know this is one of the best thing, if not the best thing, on the menu.

But perhaps you want to go someplace that has a bit of variety of goodness to choose from, instead of only one guaranteed slam dunk. Then I would direct you to Pho Hoa Hong or Best Baguette. Simple Vietnamese- and for $5 or less at lunch (Best Baguette is always less then $5). The bread at best baguette is a fresh french bread that is the perfect merger of crunchy toast outside and soft inside, and the perfect frame around their pork in any form (grilled and marinated, shredded with pork skin, etc) and accessorized with pickled carrot, daikon, cilantro (so you feel like it's healthy although you are about to finish this huge foot long of bread because you can't help yourself) jalapeno for a kick once in a while in the tastebuds, and a little house mayo, salt, pepper, and splash of soy sauce. It sounds really simple, but it's really really good because you can tell everything is fresh. It's banh mi, but the cleanest I've ever had it.

Pho Hoa Hong next door in this strip mall is also owned by the same family. Unlike other pho places I've tried with their Americanized blander versions, this bright secret offers what I could imagine eating plastic seats and card tables in Vietnam. Maybe it doesn't have the daring complexity if I had gotten it from a food cart on the side of the road in Southeast Asia, but for the atmosphere where at least they understand and speak English well and doesn't intimidate you with everything all in Korean on the menu and walls, and for the price, I'll definitely definitely take it.