Urban Honker Sightings
by shoshanna
My mom came to visit for a few days. She had never been to Oregon before. It was fun. She took us out to eat a whole lot. Thanks, Mom! Every time we went out we had a really good meal. I'm not sure how that happened since every now and then you are liable to have a meal that is just OK or that totally blows, but we lucked out. We went to Lovely Hula Hands, Fuller's, Junior's, Nature's, the Delta, and Besaw's, in that order. In between, when I was at my internship, my mom went to the Pearl Bakery and Pastini on her own, and liked both of those too. This post is taking a long time to write because I'm pushing back my cuticles at the same time. I also cooked for my mom and boyfriend Friday night. I made the recipe from the cover of the March issue of Cooking Light magazine, a sort of a spinach/cheese/penne pasta kind of deal. I had no idea what I was getting myself into; it took like two hours but it was really fun and tasted good so I guess it was worth it. Too bad I will have no time to cook when school starts in a weak and we will be eating macaroni and cheese and Trader Joe's gyozas every night of the week. Well, life stinks.
I saw Mikey and Willow when I was at Junior's with my mom and boyfriend. It was really funny because I'd never met them before in "RL," but when Mikey walked in I was like, "I KNOW WHO THAT IS!" They were very nice and stylish, which was not a surprise. Sorry, Willow, we didn't have dessert at Multnomah Falls, because we were still full from breakfast. But it was really pretty. And I thought of you because I was reading Portland Magazine and they said to go there and eat at the lodge.
Posted on March 26, 2006 | Comments (3)
Best Sandwich Ever
by shoshanna
I am totally addicted to grilled sandwiches. Our George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine is the ideal tool. My favorite right now is goat cheese, basil leaves and pepper-crusted salami on cracked wheat sourdough. I also want to try like a three-cheese deal on whole wheat. That would be rad.
I have been trying not to start sentences with "When I was in France..." and harp about how much better everything was there. It isn't too hard, because I like most things better here, but one thing that really was better when I was in France was the cheese. You could get a bomb camembert or goat cheese for less than 3 euros at any supermarket. Here the cheese is more expensive (except at Trader Joe's) and worse than that, almost all goat cheese is sold WITHOUT THE RIND. I don't know if it's a pasteurization issue or what, but it's way lame. They sell it like in a shrink-wrapped plastic tube, so slicing is out of the question and it just degenerates into a crumbly, sticky mess. Then you have to find a suitable plastic container or something to keep it in. All its aesthetic value is basically ruined. It's so annoying. That said, you can still get a decent, if ugly and messy, goat cheese (chevre) at Trader Joe's for like $3. And make grilled sandwiches with it.
Posted on March 13, 2006 | Comments (4)
The Week in Food
by shoshanna
I have been trying not to waste any time since I got back. For instance, I have been out to eat five times (not including coffee) and cooked from two recipes. Following is a brief summing-up. Locations are approximate so don't blame me if you get lost.
Ole Ole (22nd and East Burnside, or around there) - The chorizo burrito is always salty, saucy and satisfying, especially after six months burrito-free. The not entirely melted cheese was a minor, pardonable offense in light of the whole. I had two sips of Stephanie's Coke and felt like all of my teeth were going to fall out.
Tin Shed (16th and Alberta) - I had written this place off because Kevin and I had gone there once when I was as hungry and cranky as the dining room was packed with annoying people, but Christian really wanted to go so I gave it another shot. Maybe it was just sentimental glee at being home, coupled with sitting in the isolated back of the restaurant, but I liked it much better this time. The potato cakes were crispy on the outside and adequately soft in the middle, and the biscuit was soft, warm, and didn't instantly crumble in my hand. And I was able to get eggs and potatoes for five bucks, which came as a surprise here.
Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits (MLK and Stanton-ish) - After the only First Thursday I'd thoroughly enjoyed in years (Christian DeFilippo at Sugar Gallery), Karina was driving me home when she peeled off MLK into the Popeye's drive-thru with no warning, apparently reading my mind. Crunchy chicken strips in honey mustard, cinnamon apple pie dusting sugar all over the car, and above all those soft, movie theater butter biscuits: best bad idea ever.
Don Pancho (like Alberta and 20-something) - I was freaked out about money so we skipped Halo Thai and went here instead and I got the chicken fajita plate, one of the most expensive menu items at $5.99. It was really good and we ate it for two days afterwards: on eggs, then in a burrito. The guy working there was really nice.
Tin Shed - I liked it so much that I let our friends take us out to dinner there Saturday night. The salmon sandwich and pot pies were pretty good, although offering kettle chips instead of fries seemed like kind of a cop-out. I mean they also offered potato salad and coleslaw, but... I don't know about anyone else, but when I get a burger or something for dinner I really just want fries. Nice neighborhoody, family place though, like a Portland hipster Applebee's.
Other Highlights
Kevin, who perfected the art of pizza while I was gone (he even throws it in the air!) made us a pie with shitake mushrooms, polenta, basil and sausage on a garlic-herb crust. YUM.
Having a week off, I had lots of time to cook and peruse the stack of food magazines I picked up last weekend at the bookstore. Coming out on top is Cooking Light, which like most of the food mags has a fairly bland editorial tone but makes up for it where it counts, at least in the one recipe I tried. The whole wheat pasta with chicken, artichoke hearts and white wine sauce was really tasty, although I spent like a month's worth of financial aid on chicken. It might be back to macaroni and cheese for awhile.
Posted on March 5, 2006 | Comments (1)
Homecoming
by shoshanna
My brakes emitted an ear-splitting screech as I stopped my bike in front of Veloshop, as if to say, "Watch out Portland, I'm back!" Everyone keeps asking if it's weird, or if I hate America now. The answer is no and no. In fact, I feel normal for a change, after six months of feeling weird. And I love being in the USA! I've never been much of a patriot, but when I arrived at the Denver airport and saw the big hats and Aunt Annie's pretzel franchise, it was all I could do not to kiss the ground. Portland is exactly the same; the only differences are that I'm not totally sick of it anymore and people's hair has grown and they are wearing coats.
France is really sweet, but it is no Portland. Over the past week I have been blissfully zipping around town on my bike doing the things you can do in Portland but not in Poitiers, that I have been looking forward to with impatience for months and months.
Top Ten Hecka Neat Things In Portland That Make Me Happy
1. My interesting and smart friends and boyfriend, and also Jowls the cat
2. Getting fake nails at Lloyd Center
3. Burritos at Ole Ole and taquitos at El Grillo
4. Riding a bike everywhere
5. Drinking American coffee and reading the Willamette Week in a cafe where nobody is smoking
6. Getting a good hipster haircut from a stylist with green hair
7. Doing yoga with an instructor with green hair
8. Stumptown cafes
9. Going out to breakfast and getting eggs and potatoes
10. Our nice house and not having to share the kitchen with 10 students
Yeah, Portland is really cool. I am so happy to be back. And if I get homesick for France, there is always Pix and St. Honore.
Posted on March 3, 2006 | Comments (4)