restaurant review Archives - Page 13 of 13 - Pechluck's Food Adventures

Burgers… and burgers

October 23, 2008 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

Recently, I was able to enjoy two burgers. One, was at Deschutes Brewery in the Pearl District. After attending the first of a series of photography classes that had come free with my new Nikon camera (and where I learned the tricks for composing shots, taking advantage of telephoto to bring scenic backgrounds closer in shots with people, and focus holding), we went looking for Rogue Brewery. Instead, we ran into Deschutes and just stopped there. I loved the look inside that retreats from the modernity of the Pearl with nod to the natural character of Oregon thanks to incredible wood carved into forest creatures and mountains and valleys of river, just like Oregon itself.

Besides the great beer, they had a really great pub menu. I really liked the appetizer of wild mushroom bruschetta, which was seasonal Northwest Wild Mushrooms sautéed in a Mirror Pond Wort Sauce with roasted garlic topped with Juniper Grove Farms goat cheese and served with fresh artisan bread. That bread was really good. In fact, when the burger was taken home for leftovers, I just ate each half of the bun on its own, leaving a naked veggie burger. The veggie burger here is made in house with Black Beans, Vegetables, Spent Grain from the brewery and fresh spices with avocado-tomatillo salsa, with a brewery-baked wheat bun. The burger patty had great taste, and the buns was great, but really it would have been better topped with a bbq sauce to play up the spice instead of creamy avocado which flattened the complexity with mediocrity. The other entree, an arugula, grilled pear, hazelnut, Juniper Grove goat cheese and housemade duck prosciutto pizza using spent grain dough, was good but unfortunately couldn't quite compare up to great wood-burning oven pizzas at various places in Chicago (Pizza DOC, Spacca Napoli, Crust, etc). The duck confit was too salty, the pears sliced too thin so that they dried out, and the cheese too overwhelming and should have been added less heavy handedly instead of making the pizza soggy and overpowering the subtler taste of the dough. I'd definitely go again though- the menu still had lots of other options I was interested in trying.

You may think I am such a picky eater because I always critique the things I eat and don't seem happy with them. But, I'm actually not picky! I like to eat a lot of food! I just have an opinion on how the food could have been at a higher level. Today I went with two co-workers to a new place that just opened by my work… Five Guys Burgers and Fries. We got there when the line was not quite at the door yet (and there were more then five guys back in the open kitchen- more like a dozen), making burger patties and fries fresh before our very eyes while peanuts in the shell were offered to help with the wait. They are raved about in other places in the US for having best burgers and best fries, and even written on some index cards on a bulletin board along the wall were handwritten comments from customers attesting great affection for the burger and fries (including illustrations- one of a burger saying "I see you!" which was a little freaky) and notes saying they were better than In and Out! What!

They are! Well, just the burger. I have to say, the burger patty itself is better tasting then In and Out's. The bun was soft and doughy and fresh too, and though I wasn't so sure about the lettuce and tomato being as fresh as what I had from Cali In and Out's, the rest of the "everything" toppings of fried onions, sauteed mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, mayo and pickles I think is a better combo than Animal Sauce. Maybe the fried onions could have been cooked a bit more (some of them were a little raw), but that burger was so juicy and hand formed that when part of the burger fell apart and I was just holding some meat, I had just that and was in heaven. Of course, I just also had a large portion of my calorie intake for the day with just the burger- I guess I should at least hold the mayo.

The fries are offered regular or cajun, and cajun is definitely the better choice. I didn't like that they were serving the fries in styrofoam cup- isn't there a more eco-friendly way? But, I like my fries crispy and well done, and these were not, and that's my personal preference.

But that burger was great! I would just eat that burger patty plain without the toppings and even without the bun! What I have pictured is actually not the regular, which comes with TWO patties- I had the "little cheeseburger with everything". This outpost (the only one in Oregon) is still new and my team members and I naturally observed and critiqued their process and roles of the assembly team, but they are still brand new, they just need to figure out how to still serve things fresh but without such a long wait for the food (took us 20 minutes between ordering and getting our sack to go). I can't help it, I'm a natural critique of process and design.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: deschutes brewery, five guys burgers and fries, restaurant review

Happy Birthday Steven! Dragonfish and Belly

October 11, 2008 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

For Steven's Portland branch of his birthday celebration, we went to Dragonfish Asian Cafe for happy hour sushi and sake. We started off with a glass of Momokawa Ruby Tokubetsu Jummai , a sake with a taste that is soft and lightly sweet with hints of honeydew, as well as a Lemongrass Lime Rickey, a cocktail with vodka infused with lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves, lemon and lime juice, and a splash of soda. It was like a Sprite really. I grabbed a sheet and started filling in circles of the happy hour menu (sort of like filling in the circles of an SAT or ACT test that I actually want to take) with cheap bites, such as Inari, Tuna, Salmon, and Spicy Tuna sushi for $1.95 each, cucumber rolls and crunchy crab rolls for $2.85 each, and edamame ($2.85), caramel ginger chicken ($3.85) and my favorite of the evening, salmon katsu ($3.85). Since they made the mistake of putting the vegetarian sushi on the plate as the fish, F couldn't eat it so he additionally ordered off the dinner menu a green curry dish with tofu. We ordered a flight of sake and a bottle of the house warm sake.

They have a sake club at the restaurant- each time you visit and order a glass, flight, or bottle you get a punch to earn you free sushi or dinner. This is really a fun place to unwind after work, and it's on the way home. Definitely want to take Steven here for some sake when he comes into town!

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Another good meal I've had recently is when I went with my dining group (my first meeting with them) to go to a restaurant in Portland called Belly. I loved the appetizer of a smoked pork rillette which spread so well on the toasted bread, and was countered well by the pickled asparagus (although there was a bit too much asparagus given- too generous!). The mustard was not needed.

The entree of the "loaded potato" gnocchi with bacon, scallions, creme fraiche, and shaved white cheddar was good, but I was expecting something special besides making it taste like a baked potato. Yes, they seared the gnocchi for an interesting texture when you found a crunch, but I think adding another ingredient to counterbalance the heaviness with something spicy or tart would have improved it by a lot. I know traditionally baked potatoes are pretty rich, but some places do throw in a touch of curry powder or something reminiscent of sour cream to add to the cheese and bacon richness. I guess I was looking for innovation because it seems like they want to try it: also on the menu, but I didn't order because I wanted the smoked pork more, was an appetizer called "pb & j – crisp pork belly, toasted baguette, apple butter". Other entree choices also included chicken fried duck leg and braised rabbit pot pie, so they seemed like they wanted to take known traditional comfort food and put a twist on it. It just didn't happen to the extent I wanted it to for the loaded potato gnocchi, and after the perfect balance of that appetizer, I felt a bit disappointed by the gnocchi because it wasn't at the same level, though it was still pretty good.

Dessert was aa-maa-zing and so I ended on a happy note: dark chocolate cake with hazelnut bavarian cream and chocolate sauce. I ate that thing in minutes, and I don't usually like chocolate. I still think about that dessert when I think of chocolate- it is the new chocolate cake by which I will measure other chocolate cakes.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: belly restaurant, dragonfish, restaurant review

What has Pech been eating?

July 19, 2008 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

Aw, what a crappy summer day. I woke up in the very early hours because there was so much thunder. It is still wet and grey and gloomy and humid out there. I was going to see Batman (and walk all the way over there), but I will skip that and just go straight to my tea meeting.

Tea meeting? That's right, there's a group of a few girls meeting for tea at the W. I thought it sounded intriguing: "Think afternoon tea is only complete with miniature watercress sandwiches and white-gloved service for dainty ladies? Think again! WAVE restaurant is redefining afternoon tea by tempting both girls and guys to partake in a "Uni-Tea" experience beginning April 30th, 2008. Sure you'll find tea, but you'll also find tea-infused vodka elixirs (Mar-TEA-nis), plenty of bubbly and a selection of hand-crafted brews in the form of beer for the boys.WAVE's resident "Spice Girl"" Executive Chef Kristine Subido, has created The Teatotaler, a selection of savory and sweet bites to satisfy any appetite.

For $30 per person, The Teatotaler menu includes: A selection of five savory small bites (guest choose either the "Gals" or "Guys" menu); sweets accompanied by Devonshire cream, lemon curd and jam; an individual pot of hot tea (13 varieties are offered from green, oolong and herbal blends) or an iced tea of the day. Here are my pics: I had the Gals and three pots of my Coco Truffle tea! Since it was grey it was actually a good setting for some hot tea.

Tempting bites include a choice of one savory option (Gals or Guys) and Sweets:

Gals: Brie, basil and roasted tomato grilled brioche; Smoked salmon and roasted fennel cannolli; Bleu cheese and red grape cannolli; Chilled shrimp and cucumber salad on rosemary bread; Curry deviled eggs

Guys: Beef tartar toasts with white truffle drizzle; Grilled beef tenderloin and dried fruit chutney; Mini Angus beef sliders with bread and butter pickles; Sea salt and parmesan frites with lemon aioli; and Serrano ham, quince and manchego grilled brioche

Sweets: Macaroons- sea salt and caramel, lemon, chocolate and berr; Scones- butter and orange-vanilla; Madeleine- vanilla and orange zest; Market fresh fruit tarts; Tea cakes- lemon-poppy seed and chocolate chip

And for the non-teetotaller, the following beverage additions are available to The Teatotaler experience:

– Mar-TEA-ni – Choose from Raspberry Nectar, White Ginger Pear or Citrus Mint tea-infused elixirs paired with Grey Goose Vodka for an extra $10 per person.

– Bubbly TEA – Add a little life to your tea party and enjoy a glass of Moet Chandon White Star or Schramsberg Rose for an extra $12 per person.

– Masculini-TEA – A different kind of brew for the boys! Enjoy one of a selection of four handcrafted beers like Goose Island Matilda or Chimay Triple for an extra $8 per person."

In other food news, I visited Mexique recently based on a write-up in Time Out Chicago, but was not as impressed as I had been expecting from the somewhat rave review (the writer focused on praising the Mexican flavors, even though this is supposedly Mexican French fusion). I did go there their opening week though, so maybe they have worked out some kinks since then- when I went they didn't have an online presence and two weeks later they do, and more write-ups in the local news, and the menu they list some online looks like got some tweaks. Anyway, the first weekend of July, I went for lunch, and I had some tacos (Cochinita Pibil with purple pickle onion and mango habanero couli- all I tasted with the pork and onion, and Duck Leg Confit with roasted onion and pineapple relish- again the meat, this time juicy duck was the main flavor profile and I was expecting a bit more citrus acid from the pineapple relish but this was not bad at all, I would have it again) and also the chorizo, asparagus, and cheddar cheese quiche which turned out to be more egg than kick from chorizo and I wondered where the asparagus was hiding. The chorizo was executed just as a thin layer of meat underneath the quiche crust. Yep. At least it was good exercise since I walked all the way there (a couple mile) to the restaurant, and then from there took myself to Wall E and then walked back to my apartment, which adds up.

I also took myself to brunch at Sepia, which I have been meaning to do for a few months and it's only a 5 minute walk away between my apartment and Steven's. It is not really a cheap brunch (especially considering Lou Mitchell's and Meli's are right around the corner from me), but it had two home runs. First, there's Sepia's bacon bloody mary: house made celery salt on the brim of a bloody mary, vodka is infused with bacon and the in-house smokey chunky spicy bloody mary mix. Awesome. And it has a good kick! I would have had another if I wasn't already buzzing. To go along with this, I ordered Sepia's humongous smoked salmon brioche sandwich with applewood smoked bacon, gruyere and a side of duck fat crisped potatoes. I also got an additional order of these potatoes and I was not sorry. I think I'd try something else besides the sandwich though- it was too much for me, and although I did like the bread I wanted to taste less bread and more of all the great ingredients inside. They also put in way too many raw onions

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And one more meal! I went to Joy Yee's for dinner with my parents on Friday, and then again with my parents and Steven on Sunday. We went to the updated location in new Chinatown, and I had to pose with some of the humongous new offerings this location has (Vietnamese noode bowls, rice bowls with two soft shell crabs or giant prawn, etc). Hee.