Spent a few days in Portland around the Memorial Day weekend, staying in the Lloyd District. Here are some of the places I visited.
##Hat Yai
Had a nice lunch at Hat Yai in NE Portland, a restaurant specializing in southern Thai cuisine, particularly southern Thai fried chicken. It’s part-owned by Earl Ninsom of Langbaan fame, which I haven’t had a chance to try.
I had the Hat Yai combo ($17) which consists of a leg quarter of fried chicken plus a fried chicken wing, roti, a southern style Thai curry sauce, pickles (onion, pepper, and daikon), and sticky rice. It also came with a sweet chili sauce for the chicken, and a wet nap.
I liked it a lot. The chicken was quite tender and juicy. Unlike the one other Hat Yai style fried chicken I’ve had before (at Farmhouse Thai in SF) this version had very little breading, maybe no coating at all except for spices. The result was a nicely spiced skin that was crispy yet not shatteringly crispy. The chicken itself was nice and greasy. The roti was quite good as well, especially dipped into the curry sauce, which was quite spicy but didn’t have that much heat. It also was a little sweet. Don’t know if this is how it’s supposed to be or if it’s to appeal to non-Thai palettes. Still, it was very flavorful and was a good dip for the roti and chicken. Messy to eat, the wet nap came in handy.
##Matt’s BBQ
Matt’s BBQ is a food cart in NE Portland which shares an area with two other carts. I stopped by in the late afternoon to try a half pound of their brisket ($10). They only had lean brisket left, so thats what I had. Came with a few pickles and a slightly sweet and hot bbq sauce on the side. It was pretty good flavor-wise, but also dry in parts. The sauce helped. Should have probably gotten there a little earlier to try the fatty part of the brisket.
##Le Pigeon
Report here:
##Coquine
Just had some baked goods here in the morning. Had overindulged a bit the night before so wasn’t super hungry. Had a biscuit and a chocolate chip cookie. The biscuit was quite good, flaky, warmed and served with a savory thyme butter. The chocolate chip cookie was excellent. Got the first of a new batch of cookies and the chocolate chips were a little melty and the bottom was a little crispy.
##Chicken and Guns
Chicken and Guns is a food cart in the Cartopia pod in SE Portland, also home to Potato Champion and several other carts. Open late. I liked this pod as there are tables where you can sit down to eat, which are missing in the food cart pod downtown. Chicken and Guns makes Peruvian style roasted chicken. I got the quarter chicken ($9), which consists of a leg and thigh along with a little piece of breast meat. I think the breast was thrown in gratis. They also have half and whole chickens, and you can also add an egg. Comes with potatoes or a salad if you want something lighter.
The leg and thigh were both quite good. Juicy and flavorful, with a spicy skin. The piece of breast meat however was quite dry and almost inedible. The greenish Peruvian aji sauce was great - tart, zingy and a little garlicky and slathered over everything. The potatoes were also great, very crunchy exterior and soft inside.
##Pine Street Biscuits Schuyler
Went to this branch of Pine Street Biscuits one morning for brunch. It’s a small restaurant with counter service. Shares its space with a pizza place.
The Reggie Deluxe
Fried chicken, bacon, cheese, and gravy, with an egg. The non-deluxe Reggie omits the egg. This was a good hangover sandwich. Good biscuit. The fried chicken was crispy and tender. Don’t really remember the bacon. Kind of wish the egg was more runny, it was cooked over medium/hard. The chunky country style sausage gravy with melting cheddar cheese was very good and was a good lubricant for the rest of the ingredients. Wish there were even more of it. Very filling.
##Blue Star Donuts
Apple Fritter
From the branch on N. Mississippi. I’ve liked most donuts I’ve gotten from Blue Star but this one was only OK. A little too chewy and dry.
##Davenport
Had an early dinner here on @grayelf’s recommendation. Ended up somehow getting a mostly vegetarian meal. My waiter recommended about 2 dishes per person to make a meal. Everything on the menu was under $20.
Manhattan ($10)
A generously sized Manhattan.
Radishes
Free radishes with some salt. Interesting starter.
Roasted Little Gems ($12)
Roasted lettuce, with anchovies and diced up hardboiled egg. Very simple, but this was delicious. Lettuce was perfectly wilted and nicely flavored with the anchovies and egg.
Dumplings ($14)
Delicious. Dumplings formed with cheese and spinach, kind of like the top of an oyster Rockefeller in dumpling form. In a nice rich cream sauce with some very nice morel mushrooms. Sopped up the rest of the sauce with bread.
##Ox
Had a second dinner at Ox at the bar. Ox is an Argentinian inspired restaurant with lots of grilled meats on the menu. Mostly walk-ins, they only take reservations for parties of 6 or more.
Bread
The free bread also came with a little cup of potato leek soup, butter, and chimichurri.
Fresh Clam Chowder ($16)
Smoked Marrow Bone, Green Onion, Jalapeño.
This was delicious, one of the best clam chowders I’ve had. Was instructed to scoop the marrow into the soup. A little spicy. Very rich and creamy with chunky vegetables, bits of pepper, and whole clams in shell. The marrow added even more meaty richness.
Morcilla ($14)
Pretty good. Chunky and a little sweet. Ate it with some of the provided chimichurri. Kind of wish I had gotten a steak though.
##Olympia Provisions SE
Stopped in here for lunch and had the banh mi with pâté ($11). They are known for their charcuterie so I figured I should get something with charcuterie in it. Good bun. Pâté was liver-y and seared a little crispy on the grill. May have had some pistachios in it? I think this was one of their pâtés usually served as charcuterie, so not the typical pate used in banh mi. Topped with pickled vegetables, with a spicy mayo sauce. Came with potato chips.
##Stacked Sandwich Shop
Had dinner here after visiting the OMSI, which is nearby.
Braised Oxtail French Dip ($13)
This had crimini mushrooms and was topped with melted cheese. Very good. Oxtail was somewhat shredded, very tender and juicy like beef stew. Juicier still when dipped in the salty jus. Good roll that held up to dunking.
You can get Pok Pok Som in soda form now.
