14651 Fri Aug 05 12:44:39 -0700 2005 15 4 Pacific Northwest 0 35326 Whenever I meet someone new at my restaurant (Ken’s Place), or do a demonstration or teach a class, two of the first questions are invariably: Who cooks at home and where do you like to eat out? The answer to the first is this: No one very much. I cook probably one meal per week, which is usually something fairly simple, like steak or a roast chicken. My family eats at the restaurant 3 or 4 nights per week. The rest of the time is usually take-out or a dinner out. Which leads to the second question: Chefs are often asked for recommendations, the theory being that if we’re in the business we must have the inside scoop. Sometimes true, but I think the recommendation is only as good as the taste of the chef, and I’ll leave that judgement to the eye, or tastebuds, of the beholder. I tend to take most recommendations with a grain of salt - sometimes quite literally - unless I know the person or their history. These food boards are a nice way of developing that trust in history. And most chefs don’t get out all that often - we work a lot of nights. Still...one has to eat, so here is my “by no means comprehensive and feel free to take it with a grain of salt” list of where I like to take my meals, and a few where I don’ts: Nice meals out: Not something I get to do too often, and invariable Asian in nature, since that’s the food I both enjoy and don’t cook very much. Haven’t been to Genoa, mostly for fear of committment to that extensive a meal. New Chef Robert Reynolds is a friend and a good guy - not to mention a helluva chef - so I expect I’ll get over there before too long. No desire to go to Gotham or clarklewis or whichever new Ripe group’s restaurant has opened this week. Despite reports of often good food I just can’t get into all their hype. Reinventing the restaurant indeed - with their snooty VIP lists, exclusive dining cocoons and press agents, they sound like the worst excesses of New York restaurants in the 80’s and 90’s. Been there...done that. Yawn! Been to Higgins and Paley’s twice each and wasn’t impressed with the food and their a bit too serious about it for not being that impressive. Go to Wildwood’s bar once in awhile, which I like better than the dining room...especially the Fried Oyster and Pancetta Salad, which I invariably order every time, and the Mussels. Haven’t been to Hurley’s, but admit that I’m not that interested in chefs making tall architectural food towers with very expensive ingredients. I tend to like cooking instead. Andina is very popular and very mediocre. I like Castagna Cafe; their main restaurant’s a bit austere for me, though the food is good. Haven’t been to that many other fine dining restaurants, but here’s where I tend to go: Syun Izukaya - The only reason I’d ever make a trip out to Hillsboro, and well worth it. I’d eat here twice a week if it was closer. A Sake Bar - a large variety by the galss or bottle (you can buy a bttle and leave it there with your name on it) - with really nice atmosphere and warm, helpful service. Wonderful food - good sushi, but the real reason to go is their menu of perhaps 60-80 small, appetizer-sized plates ranging from $3-8 (careful, they add up). Delicacies such as Pumpkin Tempura, Grilled Nori-wrapped Sea Scallps, Seared Beef with Ginger and Sweet Onions, Grilled Monkfish Liver, etc, etc. My two favorites: Grilled Mackeral, and Sauteed Fresh Spinach with Chunks of Bacon. Always terrific and two people can stuff themselves, with beer, for about $50-60. Murata - Easily the most authentic, and I think best, Japanese restaurant in Portland. Fabulous sushi - their eel is amazing..literaly melts in your mout. Great crab, unusual specials, terrific oysters. Eating at the bar is a revelation, especially watching the 70-80 something owner at work, but for perhaps the best dinner in Portland, get the Kaiseki dinner. You’ll need to order 2 days in advance, and they’ll quiz you about what you’ll eat and not eat and prefer to eat. The menu is designed for you and is different depending on the season. 8 courses for $45 or $65. Get the $45 dinner - it’s more than enough and amazing. Heavy protein shock, absolutely breathtakingly beautiful food, and as delicious as it loks. I’ve done this 5 times and it’s always different and incredible. Pho Van - Either the Pearl location or 82nd, very consistent and always delicious. Great place for either a $7.00 meal in a bowl pho or a shoot the wad elegant dinner. Great Tamarind Clams, Fish in Caramel and Duck with Green Papaya Salad. Golden Horse - Usually a once a week take-out destination, though the food is better there, as anywhere. Good Chinese for Portland (note the qualification) with terrific vegetable dishes (try something called Ong Choy when in season - like a combination of spinach and chinese broccoli), good fish dishes - Whole Steamed with Ginger and Green Onions and Salt-Pepper Squid are favorites - and try the Steamed Chicken with Ginger and Green Onions and especially the Sizzling Short Ribs with Black Pepper. Great value. Wong’s King - Okay...I’m going to give this place one more chance because so many people have sworn by it. Been there once for Dim Sum and, admittedly, it was late (about 2:00), but still... Saw the same 6 carts again and again and again. What we had was okay, not great, and little variety (which should pretty much be the hallmark of good dim-sum). As for dinner, I think their menu is too ambitious, and they should cut the scope of it. Really good Squid, the rest of the dishes we had both times we were there were simply good, not great or even very good. For the prices and the hoopla, expect better. New York, New York: Pedigree and Predjudices: Having been raised in the city and having cut my professional teeth there and owned my first restaurant there, I’m quite naturally infused with a realistic sense of the glories of New York, and the inbred knowledge of the things that are done well there. And sometimes only there. And no matter where one lives after, there’s always that qualifier - a good bagel for Chicago, good rye bread for Boston. There are, in fact, some things that are just better in New York than anywhere else, to the point where those “other” place’s versions become, well, reasonable facsimilies. Bagels, for instance, barely exist in Portland. I get around this by calling our versions rolls, let them go stale a bit, then toast them. Closer. Corned Beef or Pastrami. Okay, rest of the country, here’s rule #1 - you don’t cut these meats on a slicer. Hand cut in thick slices with some of the fat still attached, straight off the steam table. That’s just how it’s done, Kornblatt’s. And hero sandwiches, or subs, or hoagies, or grinders or whatever else you want to call them. They need good bread - crusty, but not hard, chewy, but not jaw-breaking - not air-filled toothless-crusted reshaped Wonder Bread. Let’s not even get started on decent meatballs to fill them. And what about Chinese food delivery? Which leads me to pizza. New Yorkers so take for granted the availability of good and great pizza on almost every other block that they’re startled when they move elsewhere and have to search for it. It’s not that there isn’t any elsewhere, it’s just that there may only be two or three good places in a city of half a million. So Apizza Scholls, which I haven’t been to but have heard great things about, qualifies as the best that Portland has to offer. But I’d probably have to wait on line for it, and the thought of doing that for good pizza is a bit anathema to a New Yorker. But I’ll probably get over it. Tried Kustom Pizza at Glisan and NE 28th the other day and really liked it. Vincente’s is often good, sometimes not. Flying Pie, same thing. Escape from NY, same. I’ve had good pies at Bridgeport Brewpub. Pizzicato isn’t really Pizza, more of a concept. Pizza Schmizza is disgusting. That’s about it. Guilty Pleasures and Innocent Obsessions: Everything else I tend to put into the category of informal, quick eating, whether snack or take-out or sit-down, and some define categorization. BBQ: Not really a barbecue town, though neither is New York. Haven’t been to LOW on Mondays, but have had their Q at the market and at their little shack (late of Hawthorne) and thought it was great, so I’ll be their one Monday. Cannons is sometimes good, especially their Ribtips Bucket. Not too much else I’d recommend - haven’t tried Reo’s though I’ve heard good things, and Russell St. serves babyback ribs, which are really cocktail food, not ribs. Taquerias: Best tacos in town are from the little truck on Division and about 32nd (thanks Robert!) - wife makes the tortillas by hand and Husband fills them and they’re terrific! And at $1.25 beats the heck out of Tacqueria Nueva’s at $3.50 or so, and I’m not impressed with their overpriced food anyway, except their Tres Leches cake, which is almost worth going there for. Nuestro Cucina is often quite good and reasonable, especially the prawn appetizer. Coffee: I don’t go to Starbucks on principle - I only support local businesses - not to mention their coffee isn’t so great. Crema, at 28th and Ash, has the best coffee around - it’s Stumptown and they brew it French-press style for their house coffees and they’re true artistes with their espresso drinks. Plus they’re a bakery, so they have terrific cookies and pastries and good sandwiches made with their own bread. Plus, they’re nice people and it’s a great place to hang and read or people watch. I’m usually there Weds-Fri middays for a couple of hours, so find me and we’ll chat. I love Cali Sandwiches on Glisan around 61st. Great Vietnamese sandwiches at around $2.75 each...I can put away 2, barely, but most will eat one. Same thing with Fred diCarlo’s Sausages at the downtown farmer’s market. I’ve been exploring the menu a lot lately at Pambiche. Used to not like them as much, but then started trying their main dishes such as Arroz con Pollo and Oxtail Stew and like them mucho better now. And a good Cubano sandwich, though again (sorry!) not as good as any of a hundred corner bodegas in Manhatten and Queens. Fire on the Mountain - in my neighborhood and good chicken wings, very good fries, and great sweet potato fries. Can’t eat there more than once every 3 months, though or I’ll get a coronary. But good food, just the same. That’s about it, for now. Not a comprehensive list - just where I go and like eating. Fri Aug 05 12:44:39 -0700 2005 0 chefken 1 35330 Thanks Ken. I love the opinions, some of which I disagree with, but that's what makes boards like this so vital and vibrant. Thanks for taking the time. Looking forward to trying some of the heretofore unknown (to me) joints -- and your place as well. Fri Aug 05 13:25:58 -0700 2005 35326 0 MichaelG 2 35331 Thanks, Michael. Hey, if we all agreed on everything there would only be about 9 restaurants and really long lines. I enjoy this reviewing stuff, though I'm far from objective (I've never met a chef yet who could be objective about anything!) and it's really time consuming if you put your heart into it. I don't know how nick does it...but he does it really well! Fri Aug 05 13:30:42 -0700 2005 35330 0 chefken 1 35332 Thanks, Ken. It's always interesting to hear opinions from the pros. Regarding the taco truck on Division, I don't know if you're talking about the old one (Tres Hermanos) or the new one (La Michoaca, or something like that?), but in my one visit to the new one I found they were not as good as Tres Hermanos. I believe Tres Hermanos has moved to North Portland somewhere? Marshall Fri Aug 05 13:46:32 -0700 2005 35326 0 Marshall Manning 2 35335 If the place pictured below is the same 3 Hermanos that used to be over on Division, then it has indeed moved to NoPo, across from Di Prima on Killingsworth. Best cart in Portland, imo, though there are some in Washington County that can give it a run. It is better than La Michoacana, but Michoacana is decent and the fact that they do (like 3 Hermanos) make tortillas by hand goes a *long* ways. Ken: As I read your mini-reviews I kept thinking, well, duh, you created the restaurant you like. Which I think is a good thing. Obviously your restaurant is the place you'd like to eat most because as other restaurants stray from it, the go down the palate-pleasing ladder. ;-) btw, another reason to go out to Hillsboro is Taqueria Ochoa. Huarches de birria. In the words of Mia Wallace, translated into Spanish for our Mexican brothers: "Dios Mio!" btw, if you like Asian you should do the pho crawl with us at PortlandFood.org. It's going to be on a Sunday morning (the 21st of this month). Link: http://www.portlandfood.org Image: http://www.extramsg.com/albums/album275/treshermanos2.sized.jpg Fri Aug 05 14:45:08 -0700 2005 35332 0 extramsg 3 35365 The pho crawl sounds like a blast, and I think I might be free that Sunday. Email some details, if you please. Interesting what you say about the creation of my restaurant - in some ways quite true. And in some ways I think my natural chef's sense of never being satisfied (read insecurities) makes me shudder at the thought. Interesting dichotomy and it shall keep me up some nights. I think part of me is really an aged black woman (Edna Lewis), part of me is the old chef in Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (one of the 5 best food films of all time), and part of me is, well, me. Sat Aug 06 01:07:54 -0700 2005 35335 0 chefken 1 35337 Thanks. In April I moved from New York, and while I have enjoyed the Vietnamese food in PDX tremendously (better than what I have had in New York imo), I have some very intense Asian food cravings, and will give some of your suggestions a try. I grew up eating in Brooklyn and Manhattan Chinatown every weekend (dim sum is my favorite meal) and used to order takeout at least twice a week (the lack of Chinese food delivery was one of the biggest shocks after moving here), but I have resigned myself that it is unlikely that I will find Chinese food that compares in PDX. Fri Aug 05 15:53:35 -0700 2005 35326 0 Wiezy 1 35338 Thanks for your honest opinions and reminders, especially Crema. I like 'em, but they've always been closed when I've wandered by after dinner. Maybe the change in ownership means later hours. I second you on the ripe hype. I think the food's well-prepared, but overpriced, and it feels like more of an event than dinner. I'm with you on Syun Izukaya. Truly unique and uncommon for PDX -- it's too bad the traffic jam on the way to Hillsboro isn't! I'll note your recommendations for my next visit. Have you found a dim sum in town that you like? Ever tried Tabla, or Park Kitchen? (Ken's is great by the way. Very good food, no pretense.) Fri Aug 05 16:00:32 -0700 2005 35326 0 Sir Loins 2 35339 Syun is not far from the Max station. I'm not at home so I don't have access to all my menus (and the ripe folks still haven't gotten their acts together on a proper website), but I don't remember many, if any items, over $20 for clarklewis or Gotham. Fri Aug 05 16:10:41 -0700 2005 35338 0 extramsg 2 35364 Haven't tried Park Kitchen, though I've heard good things and will. Hate Tabla - read my response to Nick's thread on Vinotopia's Short Ribs. Dim Sum...hmm...House of Louis sometimes okay - good dumplinfs - and the pace on the corner of 4th and Couch - don't know the name , but not bad. Sat Aug 06 01:00:12 -0700 2005 35338 0 chefken 3 35368 Lum Yuen, perhaps? I prefer Wong's by a good bit over them. Nice baked buns, though. Sat Aug 06 03:19:13 -0700 2005 35364 0 extramsg 1 35346 Ken, Do you plan on keeping the fried chicken on your menu? My husband and I are planning on coming in for it, we just haven't made it yet. Thanks, Kristi Fri Aug 05 17:28:35 -0700 2005 35326 0 Kristi 2 35363 It'll stay on for as long as people are ordering it, and they're doing so in droves. Sat Aug 06 00:56:32 -0700 2005 35346 0 chefken 1 35350 Thanks for the headsup on the kaiseki dinner at Murata. They're one of my favorite places to eat when I'm feeling flush, but I've never tried the kaiseki dinners. Regarding Ong Choy (Cantonese), it's known as morning glory or water spinach in English, kang kung in Malay and phak bung in Thai. Warm summer months are when it thrives, and it's in season and super tasty right now. For people who cook, An Dong is a good spot to buy it. I've said this before, but Wong's King could only be described as good in the context of all the other dim sum places around here. In an international, or even national context it's just mediocre. I've been twice for dim sum when they first start serving, and with a Cantonese speaker (which can sometimes help). In their favor, they're much friendlier (in Cantonese anyway) then dim sum places in other cities and try to accomadate special requests. If you like bahn mi, check out the bakery around the corner from Pacific Supermarket, Maxim's at 67th and Broadway. I think theirs are the best in town, the 2.50 special, or the 2.00 Vietnamese pork are my favorites. Two weeks ago you could also get fresh sugar cane juice, but they don't peel it first, so it takes a while to press it after you order it. The old guys who are always sitting outside drinking coffee and gossiping and smoking and offering critiques of your parking skills make us feel like we are back in SE Asia. regards, trillium Fri Aug 05 18:20:48 -0700 2005 35326 0 trillium 1 35370 Thanks Ken. I don't understand all the hype of the pack mentality regarding Syun Izakaya. Everyone raves about it. I went there with my Japanese girlfriend and we were both really unimpressed. Several dishes weren't at all authentic. We'd go back only if we were in the neighborhood, which is pretty rare. Hakatamon in Beaverton is way better. Sat Aug 06 15:36:04 -0700 2005 35326 0 Leonardo 1 35437 Spot on Ken, about the hype over Ripe et. al. Reinventing the restaurant indeed. How about reinventing hyperbole. But then, The Oregonian restaurant reporting is often affected, lost in that sort of celebrity chef patois that was fashionable in the late eighties. You can bet clarklewis is one star in the New York Times, and mine is an educated guess. I lived in the city and, by marriage, was related to someone who wrote about the restaurants there -- we visited many of them with her. Mon Aug 08 20:25:13 -0700 2005 35326 0 John J. just arrived