Pechluck's blog

Photos of a dinner of small samplers at Aviary

Aviary Restaurant. Betweem the two of us, we shared 3 appetizers, and then 3 of the slightly larger and heavier small plates (everything at Aviary is small plates though). First to appear at the table was the bread with butter dipping sauce (I particuarly liked that one of the breads was an olive bread), it was a thoughtul and welcome start. Then came the first dish from the kitchen,  tempura pumpkin with red curry, scallions, thai basil. This was our favorite of the appetizers thanks to the crispy lightness of the batter surrounding the warm firm/softness of the pumpkin with a bit of spice from the curry which was rounded out by some coconut cream in the curry.

Second best was the ox tail croquettes tomato jam which were ender bites of rich meatness. The fried chicken skin salad with watermelon, bitter greens, baba ganoush was raved about in reviews, but we found it the weakest- I was expecting a better pop of contrasting flavors between the luxury of fried chicken skin with the bitterness of the greens, acid of watermelon, and smokiness of baba ganoush, and this just wasn't realized. Part of me was also hoping the fried chicken skin would be really crunchy crispy- sort of the equivalent of when  you get extra crispy from fast food place- and I guess I expected the fried chicken to be in the kind of quantity ratio to the salad like a normal chicken breast would be in a salad with chicken breast. You can see from the picture the greens seem to barely qualify this dish as a salad.

In terms of slightly heavier small plates, we went with a trio of one pork, one beef, and one chicken. The weakest was the crispy pig ear atop coconut rice, chinese sausage, and avocado and greens, again where similar to the fried chicken skin salad, the fat wasn't balanced well enough by the other components, and leaned instead towards layers of different types of oils. I did like the smoothness of the coconut rice, but then the rest of the dish didn't balance out for me.

Her favorite was the hoisin glazed short rib with farro and turnips and yuzu pickles, which I really did like- it was so juicy tender and the meat disintegrated on your mouth while teasing you with a bit of the pomegranate and the creaminess of the farro mixing in with that savory melting meat- and a playful texture difference betwen them all- but it was also a very heavy dish. That's why my favorite was the four cup chicken with taro root, dried apricot and truffle, wood ear mushrooms, all subtle flavors that you could individually appreciate but also harmonized well with the tender juicy chicken. I could probably actually eat that whole dish, but would get overwhelmed after a while with any of the others even though they were good for the first shared portion.

Honestly, we ordered 2 small plates too many- although all the plates are small, this would have really been better at a table of four rather then two. The clean simple decor of a lot of warm wood and candlelight made the space seem very empty and open, but this minimalism also lacked a bit of character- we could have been in any Portland restaurant, I wish there had been a little more there in terms of atmosphere to give a better feel of its personality. However, the service was smooth and friendly, paced wonderfully as we enjoyed our bottle of '08 Scipt & Seal Bourdeaux to get us food quickly but then considerately let us linger with our conversation without much interruption. Also, they did survive a fire (started from fireworks that landed on the roof) that closed them down for a while, so I give them a break for rising like a phoenix from the ashes.

If you visit, make sure you take more people to share dishes and reduce how much of a single dish you need to eat (four seems like it would be a perfect number). Aviary is really a restaurant that seems best suited to lots of little bird bites of many of the rich dishes- so plan your dining party accordingly.

Star Noodle in Maui

Since we had rented beautiful oceanfront condos, we got take out from Star Noodle in Lahaina and brought it home to enjoy for our lunch while gazing at the clear blue ocean below our balcony and Molokai and Lanai in the short distance.

We put together quite a take out feast from this hidden in an industrial business complex joint. Appetizers included the Pohole Salad of Hana Fiddle Head Fern, Maui Onion, Ebi, Kombu; the Steamed Pressed Pork, Hoisin, Shiitake, and Cucumber Buns; and a Vietnamese Crepe filled with Shrimp, Pork, Bean Sprouts that you enjoy by further wrapping within large lettuce leaves.

Entrees sampled included the texturally fun Lahaina Fried Soup with Fat Chow Funn, Pork, Bean Sprouts; the slightly oily but yet can't stop eating the simple Garlic Noodles with fresh fried garlic, Garlic Oil, Dashi, Scallions; Miso Salmon charbroiled with Su-Miso sauce; and Ramen. There was more food, but that's what is photographed.

I only really wanted one souvenir from my visit- Foodland reusable tote bag. They have several designs to choose from- the one I yearned for was one that pictured Spam Musubi, and another picturing a bowl of Poke. And while you are at Foodland picking up these awesome bags, you have yet another chance at enjoying some poke while you're there in Hawaii!

Ono-ness in Kauai: Fish Express and more

It is a hole in the wall, but as soon as it's lunchtime, be prepared to be battling for a parking spot in this carryout only storefront with its tiny little lot for maybe half a dozen cars. I am definitely going back here to Fish Express again next time in Kauai. It's a bit farther away from the lovely beaches I saw as we drove up north to Princeville... but whatever, it's worth it.

Don't get distracted by the golden fried chicken or those bento boxes of various food packaged up ready for a quick grab and go. You want the little bit of each of the various poke and lobster salad if they have it or what else is behind the glass, and the fresh fish hot plates. You can stick with just the deli portion and make yourself a buffet out of their various cold offerings. But, choose your amounts carefully of each unless you can take it back to a fridge- I was so sad when I couldn't finish off the poke later for dinner because I couldn't eat all the buffet during lunch with the hot fish, and it didn't do well sitting in the car while we visited Waimea Canyon.

But take a merely priced at $8.95 fish special (it tastes just as good as the $25 entrees you would get at a sit down seafood restaurant) with you too, even as you get the poke buffet. They have 7 possible preparations for the cooked fish, and the exact fish that goes with each style depends on the day. You'll have to take it out to your car and drive away- we went to a Costco parking lot to enjoy, because then we could go wash our hands and use the restrooms afterward. And, that way you can discard your big cardbox box of takeout food (just like how Costco "boxes" your purchases as well) there. Also, maybe Costco is oddly really well marked on the map from the Dollar car rental magazine.

Below, see the Shrimp Scampi, Ono sauteed with garlic and herb butter, and Macadamia Nut Panko crusted Ahi with lilokoi dill sauce. That Macadamia Nut Panko Ahi was the best thing I ate during my vacation in Hawaii this time round.

As an honorable mention in Kauai yumminess, there was also dangerous fast driving in the dark to get to Puka Dog in Poipu before they closed. It was scary getting there in the dark streets while being speedy, but worth the misadventure as we bit into the freshly grilled hot dog. You select your choice of meat aka Polish Sausage or Veggie, followed by spice level of garlic lemon sauce, and then a tropical relish menu option (ranging from pineapple which is great with the spiciest level to mango, or starfruit, or coconut or banana) all squished into a bun that is not split but just has a hole to insert the selected hot dog and accompaniments so they are all swaddled by the bread for less mess. Cash Only... though I and the person before me ordered $50 worth of Puka Dog, so clearly these are not priced like your cheapie gas station dogs, nor should they be, and they are worth craving!

Finish up with dessert in that same shopping complex at Papalani Gelato, that offers gelato that is handmade and 1/3 less fat then ice cream, as well as sorbetto, and boasts local specialty flavors such as papalani pie, sesame crunch, lilokai, lychee, POG, and more.

Giovanni's, a Kahuku Shrimp Truck on Oahu

I'm not a huge fan of Waikiki- although I will admit to its convenience in hotel rates and lots of easy access without need for a car for shopping and food. But, the best food I've ever had on the island is up in the North Shore, at the various shrimp trucks in Kahuku. So get to it and rent that car when you are in Oahu.

Last time I went to Hawaii in 2008, I stopped at Romy's. I picked Romy's over the others at the time because it had a larger variety in its menu. This time in 2011 I tried out Giovanni's based on my sisters' friends' recommendations. Truthfully there were also a lot of support votes for Macky's, but it was out of our way based on other activities we planned so that's that. Hello Giovanni's! You could concievably map it out to visit 3 trucks in Kahuku (add in Romy's and also Fumi's) since they are close to each other and even on the same road, but Giovanni's is the first you'll come to as you drive up north. It is an unassuming white truck with signatures from visitors all over it, with a roofed wooden open dining area (the kind you might expect in a public park) right next to it.

As soon as we got there around 11, I leapt out of the car to order since there was no line... and 15 minutes later there would be one six people deep. Ha! We ordered one of each of the three flavors they offer: the simple lemon butter shrimp, the garlickly shrimp scampi, and the hot and spicy shrimp. Plan ahead and bring wet naps- you'll want those even though they do have a sink to wash up after peeling and eating. Our favorite of the three was the shrimp scampi. I also learned that my youngest sister, over the past 3 years, has become more masterful at peeling shrimp then I. I can't believe my motor skills are already slowing down.

What we didn't expect though is that there was also a sweet grilled corn stand along with the truck (and a few other open air "stores") which was the best thing I ate in Oahu this time. It lives up to its shrimp neighbor by also being extremely messy to eat, except instead of having super messy fingers you have a super messy face. The corn made me feel so much better about my reduced shrimp peeling level.

Seaside Restaurant, Hilo in Big Island Hawaii

For the holidays, I went to Hawaii. The first stop was Big Island, to visit Volcano Park, which left me staying at sleepy Hilo instead of the more busy and beautiful area of Kona. I've been to Big Island 3 times now, and each time I put Seaside Restaurant and also Cafe Pesto on my list, but never made it to either. Maybe the third time is the charm... well, at least to visit one of them.

We ended up at Seaside Restaurant. Seaside Restaurant has a long history and because of its heritage, you can expect some food that is styled in a nostalgic way- including asking whether you want a big scoop of white rice or a serving of buttered garlic sauce pasta with your fish, and those are your only choices. Yeah.

You should also know that you are going to be parking in a gravel lot and sitting in tables and chairs that you might recognize from banquet halls (hidden by tablecloth but still) from the 80s and 90s. The service is also remiscent of that, but it was dinner and dark and where else are we going after this but back to the hotel and bed anyway, so we relaxed and let it go- we had a late lunch earlier that day so weren't starving. If you are driving from staying by Hilo Bay, you will wonder if you are lost as you drive by various shipping docks and industrial storage areas to get here. As we waited for our food, I wondered how dated the good reviewed I had heard were.

The appetizers (calamari, clams, poke) and salty crab legs entree didn't make a strong impression- we didn't think they were anything special. If you're going to get Poke, might as well go to the local supermarket instead.

But, my entree of a macadamia nut pesto ahi was delicious- it looked like I had two fishes on my plate the serving was so generous, but I found some way to still eat it all. Also good was the other preparation of ahi that evening, Blackened with a cajun crust and seared to medium and served with tomato relish, wasabi aioli and a balsamic reduction, giving it a good balance of a bit of spice to tickle and acid.

Also tasty was the Miso Butterfish which had a much more delicate light flavor to showcase the freshness of the fish, while the Macadamia Nut crusted Mahimahi was ok but the wasabi sweet chili cream sauce the highlight of that dish. Seriously, why is there so much fish meat on each of these plates?

Seaside Restaurant's claim to deliciousness is that it is part of a fish farm, its structure literally surrounded by its fish farms. So coming here and ordering anything but a fish is silly. I give props to my brother for the beautiful food pornesque photos.

 

EaT: An Oyster Bar... Baked Oysters!

I have only once visited at EaT: An Oyster Bar on N Williams (once they open their location in the Pearl I'll have easier access for more visits)- I wanted a little snack before a HipCooks class. I don't have oysters often, but mainly that is because although I really enjoy them, they usually are not a good value for your money in terms of amount of food you get. Ironically, I think historically because oysters used to be more plentiful and are a relatively less effort type of animal to get since they are basically just gathered from sea beds, oysters used to be much more affordable and normally eaten by anyone living by the sea. But demand and disease has changed that now. Every time I have them I feel like I'm treating myself, be they raw, fried, or baked.

I know there are people who say they don't like oysters, but I would definitely recommend you try them more than once because I basically think you are wrong. Perhaps you want to start with the cooked kind first instead of raw, and I like both- just like fish. I often compare it to a bit like sashimi and sushi- at first you may think you are repulsed by the idea of eating raw oysters for instance (obviously not the case with fried or baked), but that really isn't much different then eating raw fish. They have a mild taste of the ocean (but not too much- not if they are fresh). Per the Seafood Watch list which rates various seafood in terms of ocean-friendly food, oysters (depending on type) are rated pretty high. Even if you don't like sashimi, you may still like sushi be it perhaps certain kinds of rolls or ingredients or sauces... and also, even if you don't like raw oysters, you will probably like them cooked.

On the day I visited EaT I tried them baked, though I definitely want to go back and try them raw. They had what seemed like would be an interesting flight of oyster shooters with the variance between them being chili-infused vodka vs chili-infused rum vs chili-infused bourbon. They also had one with beer.

Baked is a nice in-between texture step from the more wet silky but firm with juice texture of having them raw and the chewiness of the fried (not counting the crispness of the batter of course) in terms of texture. With baked, I still can enjoy slurping them from the shell and getting a touch of brine, but I keep them in my mouth for more chews to enjoy the flavor then when they are raw and slippery. Baked oysters tend to also be more rich and savory, while raw ones are zesty in the overall flavors in your mouthful- similar to how a pasta can be highlighted either by a cream sauce or a tomato based or light olive oil based sauce. They are all great, depending on what you want to taste at that moment.

The three preparations of baked oysters I got were two regular and one seasonal special. In the front is the special, which is 2 oysters with arugula and manchego cheese. I don't think arugula was a good choice as it was a bit too bitter, maybe a more peppery mixed green would have been better. This was my least favorite of the three.

Behind to the right is the Rockefeller with spinach and watercress puree but with a touch of Absinthe before topping with Parmesan.

My favorite are the oysters to the left, the Bienville with mushroom bechamal with sharp cheddar. It had the freshness of the oyster with a bit of salty brine balanced with the richness of the mushroom but a bit of edge from the cheddar- really wonderful, one of the best baked oyster flavor profiles I can remember.

I also had a Hurricane, which really knocked me for a bit- equals a good Hurricane. Theirs is rum mixed with their own house fruit juices topped with pomegranate vodka. It was a perfect way to kill a little time - milking my Hurricane, trying not to eat my oysters too fast as I watched the evening commute on N Williams, a long busy parade of so many cars and bicycles. They have other Cajun offerings, but if you come here, you must have oysters anyway. I mean, it's right in their name, how could you not?

I'm glad I didn't give up when the first time I had oysters I just chewed and chewed and spit it out in the end- don't let one bad experience taint you because oysters are awesome. Just to show another kind of cooked oysters, here is a photo of my favorite food memory of fried oyster, from Firefly at Dupont Circle in Washington DC- they came with a chipotle tarter sauce but I couldn't dip them because these were perfect on their own- better or equal to fried chicken, definitely better then calamari.

I still remember this years later and how happy I was, even though my teeth were aching from wearing braces at the time and having them tightened that I was forced to take little itty bitty bird bites even of my crisp fries. But this meal made that a wonderful lunch and memory. I haven't yet found a better fried oyster yet, but I'll keep looking.

Gruner new year eve menu, Ringing in 2012 with Luc Lac

We started the new year with a stomach full of alpine cuisine thanks to a prix fixe dinner at Gruner before heading to Luc Lac Kitchen for the beverages portion of the evening and to ring in the countdown. While downloading pictures from our Christmas vacation, I left the camera out of my purse, and had to resort to my dying phone camera.

The meal started out with the hors d'ouerves of a polenta “sandwich” with fontina & speck, beet-­pickled egg with caviar, fried-­smashed potato with smoked trout & crème fraîche, radishes with dill & pumpkin seed oil. These three little bites, along with my pairing of a sparkling rose, were a nice fancy start, of which my favorite was the polenta sandwich. We also were given complimentary bread, which included the quite doughy pretzel (housemade) and a seedy soft country bread.

Next were appetizers of a salad of blood oranges, quince, pickled beets, radicchio,
endive, citrus vinaigrette and also tarte flambee "bonne anee"- alsatian pizza with sweet onions, maine lobster, smoky bacon, fromage blanc & chives.

This was followed by entrees: the vegetarian kabocha squash dumplings, buerre noisette, black trumpet mushrooms, fried sage leaves, parmesan; and also the meat-centered sudan farms rack of lamb en chamois red wine marinade, potato-­parsley root gratin with gruyere cheese, brussel sprouts. We commented on how I surely got my money's worth of the prix fixe with that meat dish, while the dumplings though delicate and delicious were more sparse in amount. Desserts we selected the chocolate trio and an alpine cheese selection (brillat savarin with truffle), muesli cracker, quince preserves.

Luc Lac Kitchen was offering a tremendous deal of a New Year's Eve- from 10-12pm, you could get in with a cover charge of $10 a person ($15 at the door) that would get you unlimited amounts of their four house cocktails, and the food were at happy hour prices of a mere $2 for small plates or $3 for their salads. Since I had so enjoyed the cocktails on my previous dinner visit, I was excited to try the new debut house cocktails. Yes, we tried them all:

• Socola Tam: Bacardi 8, coconut cream, cocoa, toasted curry marshmellow. My favorite of the four, maybe because part of the prep is lighting it on fire for this warm drink that is all liquid chocolate and curry like a chocolate truffle.
• Xanh Zing: tequila blanco, disaronno, jalapeno-basil, lime, disaronno foam, mescal spritz. A nice balance of tart and sweet, though I could have enjoyed a little bit more jalapeno myself, I understand not everyone likes spicy drinks.
• Saigon Sling: bombay sapphire, benedictine, cherry heering, jack fruit, lime, ango bitters. I can't believe they had enough little glass punch teacups for everyone as this was an extremely popular request all night
• Little Ho's Muscle Milk: drambuie, mandarin, lemon, condensed milk, full egg, champagne, ango bitters. Delicious but I couldn't help picturing how many eggs were being ingested whenever I saw a glass of this leaving the bar

Above, you see me with the Socola Tam, then the Xanh Zing, and then the Little Ho's Muscle Milk and Saigon Sling. Being fresh from dinner and fighting off a cold, I passed on any more snacks, but the ones I saw at the tables around me looked great. I just didn't have any more room even as the chicken wings, mussels, and garlic string beans, even as they continued to called to me- I'll get to them one day.

There was enough people to feel a cheery anticapatory atmosphere for the countdown while still allowing for speedy service of snacks and drinks and being comfy by enjoying seats at the tables and barstools (the cutoff was around 50 some people I believe) instead of having to stand around. It felt like a luxe private cocktail party.

Happy 2012!

A visit to Cascade Brewing

Thanks to JnJ for their gift card to F for his birthday, as it funded what you see here (ok.... many months later) at Cascade Brewing Barrel House... well, on my part (I didn't photograph his food or beers). Tasters of some of their sour beers (their speciality), a cup of Saison Beer Cheese soup (very cheesy!), and Curried Chicken Salad, a mixture of smoked chicken, mango chutney, celery, red onion & seasonal fresh fruit (in autumn this is apples) tossed in a yogurt-based curried dressing served on a bed of greens with bread. Aside from the Chicken Salad I had from Kenny and Zuke's, this is the best chicken salad I have had so far in Portland. And of course, if you like sour beers, you will love it here... if you aren't as big of a fan, they do have some other beers but that's the point here... at least try a sampler of a few of the sours. I'm not a big sour fan, but even I really enjoyed a couple of them. Open up your mind and palate to something new!

Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen

What was Pho PDX has blossomed into adulthood recently with Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen. It cleans up its late night pho act by leaving the food court mall equivalent of a just graduated out of college continuation of a dorm room/first apartment, and is now getting all modern and sophisticated like it now has a respectable full time white collar job and the same interior decorator who designs those apartments used in backdrops in TV shows.

They have deep red booth seats with little gold buttons and antique-recalling wooden red mismatched chairs paired with modern dark wood tables and a minimalist bar (including the I hope you have a small butt barstools) which are softened by pink parasols hanging from the ceiling and the whimsy of sketched black and white lions with fetching blue eyes jumping around playfully on one wall to counter the damask wallpaper on the other wall. It seems just too classy for a place that stays open until 4am. It's like a sexy supermodel or actress who loves sports and videogames- who's complaining about the upscale-ness?

After a little holiday shopping downtown, we stopped for dinner. They have a menu on a chalkboard, but grab the printed ones by the register when you first walk in and order there at that corner. They give you a table # so then you find your seat and wait for your food delivery. This definitely makes sense for the pho lunch rush to get orders in as fast as possible- and thankfully unlike say the teeny Pine State Kitchen or Bunk Sandwiches which also runs on a "order first and then get your seat", there is plenty of real estate to establish your eating space- it's more akin to Noodles and Company or Boke Bowl with the table numbers meaning you will at least get your food delivered to you without trying to carry your pho anywhere.

It just looks so nice it almost seems like it would be a full service restaurant- especially when you are at the more laid back dinner hour. Consider this though- then you'd be at the mercy of someone waiting and checking on your table. The biggest boon to this is for cocktails. I only had two that night, but let's say I want to try them all (and let's say that's not untrue, but probably should not be done in one trip). I would easily be able to every time I want a refresh, just hustle up to the bar and get instant gratification of ordering something instead of having to flag someone down as they try to service everyone else. It is a more casual service model, but I don't mind. There's nothing wrong with sometimes preferring the service at In N Out over a tablecloth restaurant.

For food, we started out with the Fresh Spring Rolls (rice paper stuffed with vermicelli noodles, romain, sprouts, and mint and your choice of pork&shrimp, shrimp, or tofu- we had tofu) last time, so this time went with the Vegetarian Crispy Rolls with tofu, celery, cabbage and carrots. The end of our comparison was that crispy rolls aren't as good- we like the peppery flavor inside, but the wrapper added an extra oiliness that isn't as refreshing and "I feel healthy" as the super fat spring rolls (even though you are eating something 4x the size). Definitely go with the Spring Rolls (you can see photos of them at my previous blog on Pho PDX).

For the main, I tried out the expanded menu from pho with the namesake Luc Lac, cubed beef tenderloin wok seared with hennessey, beurre de france, garlic, black peppercorn, served with field mixed greens and tomato fried rice. This is some seriously steak quality meat that is flavorful and a nice cut of beef, it made the greens underneath just by being underneath super tasty. The tomato fried rice was ok but I would have preferred plain jasmine rice to not compete with the flavor of the beef.

The other main, Lemongrass Stir Fry with tofu option (instead of chicken) with veggies and lemongrass-tumeric chili sauce over rice, was the same as previously served at Pho PDX- ok, but why get that when you have so many other better options with their bigger kitchen? They now offer tempting sounding Ga Ro Ti of roasted half game hen marinated in lemongrass, spirces, and garlic with greens and tomato fried rice, Nem Nuong Pork Sausage either as vermicelli bowls or rice plates or Banh Mi (or awesomely a combination plate with grilled pork, grilled chicken, grilled chrimp, the nem nuong as crispy rolls), Chicken wings caramelized in fish sauce and garlic, Mussels in lemongrass tamarind broth with mushrooms, Sugar Cane Shrimp...

Yes I'll be back please. I'm going to have every cocktail they offer by Spring 2012, you'll see. Those cocktails kick a$$... and is all the reason you need to expand from the pho to try everything else on the menu.

Dinner at Tabla Bistro

A dinner at Tabla Bistro on Dec 16, 75% motivated just because their homemade pasta dish of Tajarin is so loved and was accompanied by such enticing pictures by Portland Monthly's Eat Beat recently. You can order a prix fixe for only $28 that yields your choice of one appetizer, one half order of fresh pasta, and an entree off their main menu.

For us, the starters were beautiful orders of Fall Vegetable Salad with turnip greens mousse, feta, market vegetables, mustard seeds and the Sous Vide Egg with sunchokes, speck, watercress coulis, chanterelle cream. I suppose we could have ordered bread and butter (additional $3) to wipe up the sauce, but we didn't.

For the fresh pasta course, the half order of Tajarin with truffle butter, parmigiano reggiano. The pasta here are really very delicate and gentle, and should not be missed as part of your meal. For the mains, another half order of pasta, this time Chestnut Cavatelli with braised lava lake lamb, fiore di sardegna pecorino, and the vegetarian Bob’s Red Mill Polenta with maitake mushrooms, brussels, sprouts, salsa verde.

Dessert included Winter Squash Cake with candied walnuts, maple caramel, creme fraiche and either housemade blackberry gelato or salted caramel sorbettto to give us a break from all the richness of their offerings during the meal.