Chiu on This

Sweet or savory? How about both?

It's almost April, and I feel like I haven't gone anywhere at all this year. Compared to last year, I think I'll be travelling a lot less, or at least to fewer places. Which puts me in a "grass in always greener" state of mind - I wouldn't mind getting out of the office a bit more, just to get a change of scenery, meet some new people, add different inputs and observations into my brain, and, of course, try out local restaurants and specialities. But for now, I'll reminisce.

Last year, I jumped at the chance to go to a conference in Portland, OR, putting aside Portlandia idiosyncrasies, because the eating there is good and it gave me the opportunity to visit friends there and up in Seattle.

I had read about the famous bacon maple bar at Voodoo Doughnut, the creation of which I believe preceded the giant (and still rising?) trend of "put bacon in and on everything." As a stubborn contrarian, I will often allow myself to miss out on good things simply because they fall within a broad trend, but even though I am more aware of this character flaw, I was still on the fence about giving the bacon maple bar a try.

So I surprised myself by standing in an already very long line at Voodoo Doughnuts on a Sunday morning, after I'd already eaten an excellent and substantial breakfast at the nearby Morning Star Cafe. I must have been following a principle similar to the one about not shopping for groceries while you're hungry - since I was already full and happy, standing in line didn't make me impatient and grouchy. I just observed all the other folks in line (how many were tourists, like me, versus locals? how many were here for this crazy bacon donut concoction? how many were hungover?) and made plans to meet up with friends later in the day / during my stay.

But once I got my doughnut, I had a conundrum on my hands.

This was big. It looked great but smelled awfully sweet, and I don't have much of a sweet tooth. Plus, I was already full. Not uncomfortably full, but full enough to know that if I ate this right away, I would regret it. So I took this back to my hotel room, with the plan to try a bite before getting on a bus to visit friends of mine from college for lunch. I bought a cup of coffee to help counteract what I thought would be too much maple syrup sweetness, and waited for my stomach to feel just a tiny bit emptier or for my curiosity to get the better of me, whichever one came first, before I gave this a try.

Eventually, I took my first bite, being careful to get a good combination of the raised yeast doughnut, maple topping, and bacon, so that the flavor mix would be right. I could immediately feel my teeth beginning to ache slightly from the sweetness of the maple spread and the dough of the doughnut, but then the salty, crunchy, smoky, fatty, savory bacon quickly brought things into proper balance. Applause in my mouth! This could have been a horrible mistake, but the maple bacon bar really did work, i.e., taste good, achieving the right harmony between sweet and savory, crunchy and chewy.

But one bite was enough, for the time being. (I saved the rest for a post-lunch dessert.)

On the Register of Frustration and Deprivation

In last week's post, I mentioned Calvin Trillin's enjoyable collection of essays Feeding a Yen, which introduced me to the Register of Frustration and Deprivation. Dishes that can't be found anywhere but in their place of origin go on the register; the frustration and deprivation come from not having easy / regular access to such wonderful foods, only to feeble or inept simulacra.

High in my register is khao man gai, which you can actually get in lots of places. The Thai version of Hainanese chicken and rice, khao man gai includes sliced boiled chicken served with steamed rice flavored with chicken fat and garlic, served with a chicken soup/broth with winter melon (or other vegetables) and a super condiment of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chilies, vinegar, Chinese parsley, fermented soy beans. It's great street food, and the version I like best came from a particular stall in downtown Bangkok that mom found and that I'd last been maybe 12 to 15 years ago. With all the great food in Bangkok, I still remember that khao man gai. I'm able to make a good version of the sauce to go with khao man gai but am far too lazy to try to make the entire dish myself. I've tried it in various restaurants, and the typical problem is a lack of balance (too fatty, too salty) or blahness (too bland). And while my mom is a fantastic cook, even she can't quite make khao man gai like that stall in Bangkok (I suppose because she's not cooking that one dish all the time, every day; there's something to said for specialization).

Last year as I was wandering around downtown Portland, OR, trying to decide which of the many food carts I would get lunch from, I ran across Nong's Khao Man Gai at the parking lot on 10th and Alder. I'd heard about a few years earlier, after answering an emergency email from co-workers who were in Portland for a conference but who hadn't bothered to any dining research of their own. I'd thrown Nong's as a possibility, hoping someone in the group would try it and report back; one did and gave a thumbs up.

I was glad to see that they were still around, and while I didn't have any grand expectations, I wanted to give it a shot. The owner/operator was friendly, and there seemed to be a queue of regulars milling about. I was a little confused as to where to eat my meal, which definitely wasn't hand food - I got a nice bundle wrapped in wax paper and tucked into a little plastic basket - so I just wandered over to a nearby park to sit and have my soup, chicken, and rice.

Overall, the khao man gai tasted good. The flavors could have been a little more assertive and concentrated; it seemed to skew more towards the Chinese version than the Thai version. But I envied Portlanders for having such easy access to a good meal - it sure beats a sandwich for lunch!

I guess I haven't really looked that hard in NYC for a good version of khao man gai. It won't be around my office, but if I put some work into it, maybe I could find it and take it off my register...

I could go for some of this about now

Why was I eating sauerbraten in late July last year? I think I'd gotten a GroupOn deal to Manor Oktoberfest in Forest Hills, Queens, and probably waited until the last minute before the expiration date to go to the restaurant. I do like sauerbraten, but given the weather, it was a bit of a heavy meal, and I had a long, uncomfortably hot trudge to the subway afterwards.

But that's not the restaurant's fault. I liked the sauerbraten and spaetzle, but I think I overdid it when I ordered a cucumber salad - in addition to the red cabbage side dish, I went to the proverbial 11 on the puckery, vinegary scale. Even the beer couldn't tamp that flavor down.

I wouldn't mind scarfing down schitnzels, sauerbraten, wursts, and biers, oh, every other day, I'd say, and especially now in this colder weather with a bit of snow on the ground, I'd welcome some warm, filling, and fortifying German food. But with my sedentary and slothful habits, I suppose it's a good thing that Manor Oktoberfest is slightly difficult for me to get to.

Tortoise beats dog

Don was recently in Portland, OR, for work.  He wasn't able to try the sausages at Good Dog, Bad Dog but did recommend the burger at the Cheerful Tortoise, 1939 SW 6th Avenue near Portland State University (503-224-3377).  Don described it as a tasty but gloppy burger, a thin patty topped with cheese, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, thousand island dressing, and lots of pickles ("good pickle coverage" I think was his phrasing), and he also gave a thumbs-up to the french fries.  However, he was not impressed with the beer offerings.

Two words

Oyster hash.

You, whoever you are reading this, you must eat the oyster hash at the Bijou Cafe in Portland, OR.

I encountered the oyster hash for the first time in 2003 while on one of the most luckily timed vacations ever, i.e., while the nation's largest blackout was hitting NYC and other parts of the northeast and midwest.  The crispy hash studded with plump oysters raced up my list of most memorable (and filling) dishes ever. After 16 months I was fortunate enough to be back in town for work and managed to grab both a dog at Good Dog Bad Dog and another helping heaping of oyster hash. And whenever I make it back to Portland, I'll be back at the Bijou (maybe more than once, to also try out their roast beef hash, which I hear is very tasty).

The Bijou Cafe is a bright, charming spot with good service.  It's at 132 SW 3rd Av and, last I recall, is open from only 7 am to 2 pm.  But don't let the limited hours thwart you.  Share a platter with a friend or plan on eating slowly.  The place does gets busy; I recommend eating at the counter to bypass any lines.  Coffee's good, too.

Slowpoke

I'm upset that it takes me forever to post items to the blog (seems like I do it just slightly more often than going to the gym), so I'm just going to do a quick and dirty one.

Folks in the Youth Justice Program will probably be heading out to lovely Portland, Oregon, for a site visit in the next few months.  I doubt that I will be asked to join them, nevertheless, I'll be a good sport and start recommending some enjoyable spots.

Good Dog / Bad Dog at 708 SW Alder (and in the Portland Airport!) is a sweet little place with a nice assortment of dogs and an amusingly decorated interior.  Their motto - Sausages for all - pretty much says it.  Another good spot is Fido's Frankfurters, a hot dog truck at SW Park and Taylor.  The owners are friendly folks who will discount your meal or supersize it gratis near the end of the day.  Makes for a hearty snack or meal before catching a movie at the nearby multiplex.

I will leave it for another time to speculate as to why Portland is, for its size, a remarkable food city; why it has such an interesting variety of food vendors, all set up in their own parking spaces in municipal lots; and why it seems to have a great sausage culture given the common stereotypes of west coast tree huggers (perhaps it has to do with their fantastic microbrew culture?).

More Portland recommendations will be coming up.  There, that wasn't so hard to do!