2309 SE Belmont St, Portland, 97214
Portland has a ton of good Thai restaurants, and this one runs with the pack.
Probably my favorite part about this restaurant is the preponderance of booths. I like booths. It also has a pleasant staff that serves the food up fast. The chicken Tom Ka soup we ordered (mild) was divine, and the chicken satay with peanut sauce was delicious.
On the down side, the Pad Thai Kitchen seemed a little on the expensive side to me. One appetizer, one salad, one soup, one main dish and a glass of wine came to $40. I seem to recall ordering similar amounts at other Portland-area Thai restaurants for almost half the price. Also, the shrimp on the main dish was a tad overcooked, which kind of ruins the shrimp experience for me.
The verdict: average-quality Thai food a little on the spendy side. If I were on Belmont and hankering for some Tom Ka, I'd come back to the Pad Thai Kitchen and pass on the wine to keep it under ten bucks.
25 October 2008
Mekong
7952 SE 13th Ave, Portland, 97202
I've been to Mekong twice, on Tuesday most recently. I don't remember what I ate on my first visit, which leads me to believe it couldn't have been outstanding. On Tuesday I had the chicken pho, recommended by my lunch companion.
What struck me most about the food, not just the pho but what the other patrons had on their plates as well, was how fresh and...well, clean the food looked.
Even once I added the sweet brown sauce to the soup, even with a few oily patches of chicken fat swimming around on top, I couldn't escape the feeling that everything had just been hosed down to achieve that "just cleaned" look. Perhaps an effect of the small dining room bathed in natural light? Fresh, clean, clear, crisp: that's how Mekong strikes me.
Although the pho lacked an intensity that I've come to expect from my food, it was pretty darn good. The vermicelli noodles were done just right, and the brown sauce added a nice little kick to what would otherwise just be chicken noodle soup with basil and onion in.
The portions were enormous too; had we not gotten full long before the bottom of the bowl, there's no way my companion and I could've finished our meals within her lunch hour.
In terms of atmosphere, the dining room is decorated in stark modern furniture that is not my personal taste but which does contribute to that sense of "clean" that pervades the restaurant. The woman who took our order was friendly and had a sense of humor, which I especially appreciate. I don't remember music playing, but there must've been because there wasn't that eerie quiet that leads me to become paranoid about people eavesdropping on my conversation.
I can see possibly developing a craving for pho, just as I did for miso soup, and I can guarantee that I will be going to Mekong to satisfy that craving for only $6.50. I think it's mainly due to that "clean" feeling: it gives one the impression that everything's right out there in the open, that one will be able to recognize every ingredient, that no nasty little surprises are going to pop up in one's soup bowl, no mystery meats will be used. Just the right environment in which to expand my food horizons.
I've been to Mekong twice, on Tuesday most recently. I don't remember what I ate on my first visit, which leads me to believe it couldn't have been outstanding. On Tuesday I had the chicken pho, recommended by my lunch companion.
What struck me most about the food, not just the pho but what the other patrons had on their plates as well, was how fresh and...well, clean the food looked.
Even once I added the sweet brown sauce to the soup, even with a few oily patches of chicken fat swimming around on top, I couldn't escape the feeling that everything had just been hosed down to achieve that "just cleaned" look. Perhaps an effect of the small dining room bathed in natural light? Fresh, clean, clear, crisp: that's how Mekong strikes me.
Although the pho lacked an intensity that I've come to expect from my food, it was pretty darn good. The vermicelli noodles were done just right, and the brown sauce added a nice little kick to what would otherwise just be chicken noodle soup with basil and onion in.
The portions were enormous too; had we not gotten full long before the bottom of the bowl, there's no way my companion and I could've finished our meals within her lunch hour.
In terms of atmosphere, the dining room is decorated in stark modern furniture that is not my personal taste but which does contribute to that sense of "clean" that pervades the restaurant. The woman who took our order was friendly and had a sense of humor, which I especially appreciate. I don't remember music playing, but there must've been because there wasn't that eerie quiet that leads me to become paranoid about people eavesdropping on my conversation.
I can see possibly developing a craving for pho, just as I did for miso soup, and I can guarantee that I will be going to Mekong to satisfy that craving for only $6.50. I think it's mainly due to that "clean" feeling: it gives one the impression that everything's right out there in the open, that one will be able to recognize every ingredient, that no nasty little surprises are going to pop up in one's soup bowl, no mystery meats will be used. Just the right environment in which to expand my food horizons.
22 October 2008
Wan Q
13535 NW Cornell Rd, Beaverton, 97229
I don't know about you, but I like my Chinese food greasy. Not so much so that it drips when you pick it up, but definitely so that the bottom of the plate is coated in grease and so are your fingers and your mouth and anything else that touches the food. Which is why Wan Q has been my favorite Portland-area Chinese restaurant for the last 8 or 9 years despite the fact that it's way out in Beaverton.
The huge portions of cheap, greasy food in every shade of brown; the black, red & gold decor; the cheesy early 90's music barely discernible in the background; the separate lounge area filled with cigarette smoke, red vinyl booths and 50-something regulars who pump bills into the video poker machines; the aquarium with neon fish; the aggressively pleasant waitresses who box your leftovers at the end of the meal...these are the things that make a great Chinese restaurant in the NW.
So imagine my disappointment when tonight the portions were halved for the same price, and the food had been de-greased. The egg roll, fried to a lovely color though it was, lacked its usual luster. The orange chicken actually looked and tasted like cubed chicken breast rather than the delightful grayish meat I had come to know and love. The rice looked like it had been fried in a pan coated with Pam rather than oil or fat. I didn't once have to wipe the grease away from my lips or worry about next-day pimples.
I know that most people wouldn't have a problem with healthier Chinese food, but I for one am not happy to see all the flavor being sucked out of restaurants and replaced with low-fat, non-artery-clogging options. Fat tastes good, period. Give it to me.
None of these cream sauces made with half & half and thickened with flour. None of this fat-free sour cream or cottage cheese. None of this margarine instead of butter. None of this skinny mocha no whip. Gimme the fat! Gimme the flavor! Let me worry about walking that extra mile to ditch the calories.
Despite my disappointment in the changes Wan Q has made, it will retain its status as my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Portland area until I can find a suitable, greasy replacement. The portions, though half of what they used to be, are still more than enough. And despite the de-greasing, the food still tastes pretty darn good. I particularly recommend the fried shrimp.
Update: Although I still have not found a new favorite Chinese place, my last visit was so disappointing that I had to remove this restaurant's favorite status. I still love the feisty servers, but the food was terrible. It was all lukewarm as though it had been sitting out all day, and the fried rice was far too fried. Wan Q, what happened to you?!?
I don't know about you, but I like my Chinese food greasy. Not so much so that it drips when you pick it up, but definitely so that the bottom of the plate is coated in grease and so are your fingers and your mouth and anything else that touches the food. Which is why Wan Q has been my favorite Portland-area Chinese restaurant for the last 8 or 9 years despite the fact that it's way out in Beaverton.
The huge portions of cheap, greasy food in every shade of brown; the black, red & gold decor; the cheesy early 90's music barely discernible in the background; the separate lounge area filled with cigarette smoke, red vinyl booths and 50-something regulars who pump bills into the video poker machines; the aquarium with neon fish; the aggressively pleasant waitresses who box your leftovers at the end of the meal...these are the things that make a great Chinese restaurant in the NW.
So imagine my disappointment when tonight the portions were halved for the same price, and the food had been de-greased. The egg roll, fried to a lovely color though it was, lacked its usual luster. The orange chicken actually looked and tasted like cubed chicken breast rather than the delightful grayish meat I had come to know and love. The rice looked like it had been fried in a pan coated with Pam rather than oil or fat. I didn't once have to wipe the grease away from my lips or worry about next-day pimples.
I know that most people wouldn't have a problem with healthier Chinese food, but I for one am not happy to see all the flavor being sucked out of restaurants and replaced with low-fat, non-artery-clogging options. Fat tastes good, period. Give it to me.
None of these cream sauces made with half & half and thickened with flour. None of this fat-free sour cream or cottage cheese. None of this margarine instead of butter. None of this skinny mocha no whip. Gimme the fat! Gimme the flavor! Let me worry about walking that extra mile to ditch the calories.
Despite my disappointment in the changes Wan Q has made, it will retain its status as my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Portland area until I can find a suitable, greasy replacement. The portions, though half of what they used to be, are still more than enough. And despite the de-greasing, the food still tastes pretty darn good. I particularly recommend the fried shrimp.
Update: Although I still have not found a new favorite Chinese place, my last visit was so disappointing that I had to remove this restaurant's favorite status. I still love the feisty servers, but the food was terrible. It was all lukewarm as though it had been sitting out all day, and the fried rice was far too fried. Wan Q, what happened to you?!?
20 October 2008
The Creamery *CLOSED*
1224 N Killingsworth, Portland, 97217
I was walking to the MAX one morning, and one of The Creamery's employees (or perhaps the owner himself?) was standing out front handing menus to passers-by. I glanced at it, saw they offer a full traditional English breakfast, and put it on my list of places to check out.
This morning I finally got the opportunity to breakfast at this little cafe, and I have two words for you: Grease Bomb.
On the plus side, the grilled tomatoes were cooked just right, the hash browns and baked beans were tasty, the hot chocolate was delicious enough to entice my lactose-semi-intolerant breakfast companion to the very last drop, the staff was eager to please, the music selection was eclectic and pleasing, and all the grease did a good job of lubing up my digestive tract for my morning BM.
On the down side, most everything was overcooked. If the bacon had been any crispier I would've chipped a tooth on it. The fried toast was fried all the way through rather than just crisped on the outside and resembled an enormous, grease-laden crouton. The scrambled eggs bordered on rubbery.
My experience made me sad; I could see how hard everyone was working, how concerned they all were that my companion and I had a pleasant experience. I also like the menu in theory, as it contains the traditional standards for American and English breakfasts that I love.
I think if the cook learns to tone it down a bit, they start making the house coffee a little stronger and they extend their hours to catch the coming-home crowd, this place has the potential to be a convenient hot spot for commuters walking to and from the MAX and buses.
*Note: since the writing of this review, The Creamery has become The Fish & Chip House. I have not tried it out since the name change.
I was walking to the MAX one morning, and one of The Creamery's employees (or perhaps the owner himself?) was standing out front handing menus to passers-by. I glanced at it, saw they offer a full traditional English breakfast, and put it on my list of places to check out.
This morning I finally got the opportunity to breakfast at this little cafe, and I have two words for you: Grease Bomb.
On the plus side, the grilled tomatoes were cooked just right, the hash browns and baked beans were tasty, the hot chocolate was delicious enough to entice my lactose-semi-intolerant breakfast companion to the very last drop, the staff was eager to please, the music selection was eclectic and pleasing, and all the grease did a good job of lubing up my digestive tract for my morning BM.
On the down side, most everything was overcooked. If the bacon had been any crispier I would've chipped a tooth on it. The fried toast was fried all the way through rather than just crisped on the outside and resembled an enormous, grease-laden crouton. The scrambled eggs bordered on rubbery.
My experience made me sad; I could see how hard everyone was working, how concerned they all were that my companion and I had a pleasant experience. I also like the menu in theory, as it contains the traditional standards for American and English breakfasts that I love.
I think if the cook learns to tone it down a bit, they start making the house coffee a little stronger and they extend their hours to catch the coming-home crowd, this place has the potential to be a convenient hot spot for commuters walking to and from the MAX and buses.
*Note: since the writing of this review, The Creamery has become The Fish & Chip House. I have not tried it out since the name change.
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