Leftover relief: Curried Chicken Salad

In the laboratory of leftovers that our fridge tends to become, where unidentifiable science experiments lurk beneath every plastic storage container, the one thing that I never worry about becoming the next domestic Superfund site is roast chicken. There are so many ways to go with any bits of bird remaining from dinner. w and I love roast chicken sandos taken to work. There is the stupendous satisfaction that is this tomatillo verde enchilada recipe, where almost any meaty remains can find salvation. One thing I hadn't made in years, only for the reason that my mind seems to be able to hold only so much culinary inspiration, is curried chicken salad. The cool thing about this, besides it satisfies that craving for Indian food with every bite, is that there are so many ways to go. Add grapes, raisins, apples, chopped mangos, or any number of additives. It all tastes good. This recipe I cobbled together from epicurious, with a couple of deletions/additions of my own. Do what you will with those mystery containers in the chilly confines of your coolers, but don't ever let a good bird go to waste!
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Curried Chicken Salad

This works great on sandwiches, some salad greens, or all by itself for a healthy snack after a workout.

ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds chicken
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain yogurt
4 to 5 teaspoons curry powder to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium red onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 cup red seedless grapes (5 ounces), halved
method:
Chop chicken into 1/2"-ish cubes. Whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, curry, lime juice, honey, ginger, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken, onion, grapes, and stir gently to combine. Adjust curry seasoning. Use as you will!

Note: feel free, as I said above, to add whatever combo of fruit/nuts you desire. That is the fun of this. Go through your cupboards and be creative!
The recipe called for adding chopped roasted-salted cashews to the salad when you mix it up. We add them at the last minute to our salads or sandwiches so they don't become soggy and they lend a terrific crunchy/salty texture.

Quick Bites PDX: Miwon BBQ

When hunger hit midday on another classic spring day here in Portland....driving rain, then sun breaks, then driving rain and hail, repeat as needed....I was seriously in need of some comfort food. I had read a blurb about Miwon BBQ in the Fubonn Plaza in the Willamette Week "Cheap Eats" guide. Talk of crispy skinned duck and bbq pork, bowls of steaming noodle broth, and all at a stupidly affordable price....you know I'm in! So with a downpour chasing me through the door of Fubonn, I wandered the halls and made my way into the very brightly lit interior of Miwon BBQ. Taking a seat, given a menu and tea and immediately knew I had to have the Super Bowl "A". Okay, I was also tempted by the Triple BBQ Delicacies with steamed rice....I mean with that name how could you not be? But is was soup and noodles with generous amounts of protein that had my head. This was a really great bowl of soup. The duck was perfectly cooked, and most importantly maintained its crisp skins even sitting in the broth. And no, I don't know how they do that. There were numerous slices of bbq pork, and two ground pork dumplings with a satiny smooth wrappers that melted in your mouth. This was all on top of noodles with baby bok choy. For $8.50, there was more than I could work through. Most importantly, it makes me want to go back and try even more of their menu....soon! They have about twenty different noodle soups that run from $4-$6.50, and about the same number of Lo Mein dishes all priced at $6.75 (I'm already craving their crispy roast pork lo mein even without having it!). You can also buy whole or half roast ducks and various pork products by the pound. I am seriously smitten!!
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: Vintage Chicken is mom-style comfort food!

Blueplate Lunch Counter; it's special!

I'd been hearing about Blueplate, Portland's retro soda-fountain style restaurant innumerable times. My friend Ron was raving about it a few weeks ago, telling me I had to go check it out. Now some people tell me that and I'm like "yeah, and didn't we have spaghetti sauce out of a jar the last time I was your house?" Well that's actually an exaggeration. Those who would commit such an act of culinary atrocity have long since been weeded out of my social network. Ron has a certain amount of credibility, so if he says it's so, it more than likely is. They do lunch only Monday-Friday and it's gotten all sorts of love in the local press, plus I had heard their chocolate malts were not to be missed. You throw a good choco-malt in front of me, I'm a fan for life! Turns out my friend DOR was on his way out of town to do some book research, so he was more than happy to accompany me.

You walk into Blue Plate, on the bottom floor of a downtown office building, and it really is like being transported back about 60 years. Tables run along the left wall, and a working soda fountain counter dominates the right side. They have all sorts of exotic...and not so...soda options. But come on, when a supposedly transcendent malt is available, you can keep the fizz. All the food is cooked to order, and the menu comprises a single sheet of paper that lists the two daily specials and their regular items, including much praised sliders that come two to a plate with a side of mashed potatoes. I actually like this simplicity. As much as I appreciate and regularly succumb to multiple temptations, I don't always want to have to make too many decisions. Here they make it easy. It was all done just right, and this spot is immediately on my regular stop-by list. Since you don't know Ron, let me tell you you need to get in....soon!
I had the meat-a-licious chili dog special. Look at it...do I even have to tell you how satisfied I was?!
DOR had the two sliders with bacon. Awesome! Every time he eats bacon it reminds me that I was the one who hand fed him the first piece of ham he ever ate. He apparently has gotten over his Jewish guilt!
Is that fucking picture perfect or what? That is what all other malts want to be when they grow up!!

Rewards and Escapes!

I'm all about the reward system, especially personal ones. So after busting ass at the wine shack through the holidays, it seemed exactly the time to bust out of town for a pre-New Year escape Sunday for a day and night of indulgence in Seattle. I knew it was going well when within an our of our arrival w and I had already purchased three pair of new shoes and were comfortably seated having glasses of French rosé bubbly at Café Campagne while waiting for our hotel room to be ready.
















I'm not sure how my shoe infatuation started, but friends are starting to spread vicious rumors about my edging up on shoe whore status. But this time I blame w, who spotted the clearance sale sign at Shoefly and dragged my not-so-reluctant and ready-to-be-newly-shod feet across the street. 40% off everything? I mean, come on, what could we do?! Two pairs for me and one pair for her, that's what! After that quick spending spree and a most satisfying lunch at Café Campagne, my favorite vacation lunch spot in town, we made our way back to the room at the Inn at El Gaucho. Located in the heart of the trendy-cool Belltown 'hood, this is a great, very comfortable small hotel. Plus we both thought our room (#9) with a view (that's the view out of our window at left) of Puget Sound was a great deal at a little under $200. Check it out and book at Seattle Super Saver for the best deal.

We wandered around the neighborhood, checked out Pike Pace until late afternoon, then walked up to Quinn's, the gastropub/hotspot recently opened by Restaurant Zoe owners Scott and heather Staples. We were coincidentally going to Zoe later for dinner, so it was fun to check out the other Staples venture. Quinn's is modeled on the Euro gastropub, meaning cozy, dark, with great food, beers, & whiskeys to soothe ones soul. I had tucked into a perfect Manhattan while w had a glass of fizzy prosecco. We snacked on a couple of exceptional apps: a plate of duck rillete surrounded by a spicy-smokey harissa sauce, and a cute little plate of meatball sliders....big yums to both!

Meatball sliders backed with duck rillette at Quinn's!










After that start, we were more than ready to ponder dinner, so a quick cab ride back to the hotel where we grabbed our dinner wine we brought with us (a stunning '95 Caprili Brunello di Montalcino Riserva), made a short four block walk to Restaurant Zoe, where we were warmly welcomed. I LOVE Zoe. I had been there a couple of years before and had a staggeringly good meal, and reading reviews of equal recent praise had me hungering for a return trip. Zoe has an exceptionally comfortable, perfectly lit dining room, ad provided the choice backdrop to settle in ad enjoy or cocktails, a couple of La Pommettes, their super-delish take on a classic French 75. After working our way through two starters, a salad, and our two entrees, I can happily report that they are still serving some of the best chow in town. Where to begin with the highlights...how does Crispy Kurobota Pork Belly Confit and a Grilled Spicy Octopus sound? Well, I can tell you how they tasted: fucking awesome! The pork belly (picture at right) was melt in your mouth tender, with some nice savory porky chew, and the octopus was a small tentacle grilled to perfection with a blood orange vinaigrette. We spit their Beet & Mushroom Salad which they thoughtfully put on two plates (without us asking!). It was amazing, beautifully composed with its base of quinoa topped with a mix of citrus, chopped mushrooms and beets and arugula with a thyme-shallot vinaigrette. Of course there was more to come, me being the boy who can't say no, or when, or stop, especially where food is concerned. So to table came w's plate of East Coast Sea Scallops with winter squash, smoked bacon, oyster mushrooms, and black lentils. This dish absolutely killed. A plate of perfectly balanced food perfection. One of the best plates of food either of us have had all year. Crazy!! I had their just right tender Braised Beef Short Rib, (which is seemingly on ever restaurant menu these days...with good reason, too, because it's usual really good!). This was good, except for the too prominent hit of horseradish which slightly overwhelmed the rest of the plate. When we mentioned this to our waitress, she agreed and said she'd mention it to the kitchen, which was nice to hear. After these two plates, w's eyes were starting roll back in her head, but how could we not order their hazelnut panna cotta? Fantastic! I had told out waitress when we ordered it that I couldn't decide between it and their tempting butterscotch custard, so that service angel, when she delivered our check, also brought a little bowl of the custard on the house. I love stuff like that!

Hey, it's the next day already. We had to leave early to get back to Portland and get ready for a New Year's do at our friends J&K's, but I had noticed some raves for a Vietnamese place called Green Leaf, which opened at 11. This seemed the perfect counterpoint to our night of indulgence at Zoe. We checked out, hopped in the car, made our way to the "International Zone" where a ton of Asian joints are, and had a fantastic lunch for so little money that it bordered on ridiculous. Absolutely a must stop, and don't you dare miss their appetizers of Ban Xeo, a Vietnamese pancake made with a coconut batter and filled with sprouts, pork & shrimp (or tofu), and eaten wrapped inside green leaf lettuce leaves;, and the Dao Hu Nuong (above), which looked like three grilled tofu popsicles accompanied by a great sweet & sour dipping sauce. I ordered the lemongrass shrimp which was good, but w again rocked the table with her dish of Bun Dac Biet, which is a combo vermicelli which she declared to be one of the best vermicelli she had ever had. High praise because vermicelli is how she grades her Vietnamese joints. This hit it hard! So good, complex, and satisfying. Stuffed again, our wallets lightened by only thirty bucks for all that goodness, we made our way back to PDX, again thanking the Gods of all that is edible for being able to have these incredible dining experiences...wow!!!

My Hero!

If you saw my taco post a couple of weeks ago, you know about my quality of life improvements in the form of the food carts that have opened across the street from the wine shack here in PDX. What more could an ever hungry boy want: Delicious, affordable food right outside my door! Well, I just want you to know that as of today my cart lust has reached new heights, as the King of the 'Hood Carts, Kevin Sandri, creator of all things edible and awesome in his Garden State cart (corner of SE 13th Ave. & SE Lexington St.), has just unveiled the new object of my affection, a fucking incredible Meatball Hero sandwich that is nothing less than sensationally satisfying. I just finished my first one, and I already can't wait to have my next. Is it tomorrow yet?? Meatballs made from scratch with Cascade natural beef, a rich, savory homemade marinara, melted mozzarella all tucked into a perfectly toothsome french roll. Freakish!!

Kevin handing out the goods with his lovely wife Shannon.










Almost everything that comes out of Kevin's cart is supplied by local growers, and whenever possible organically produced. His food is rocking...soups, chicken, arancini, sausage sandwiches, some new and crazily addictive chickpea fries (more on those some other day!)...and this cat is a seriously talented chef. And now for a mere five bucks you can have the best meatball sando I've ever had. Kevin's a Jersey boy, so you know it better be good, and it kills!

Fifty steps to nirvana!!

Can my life get any better? Regular readers of the blather that is posted here surely know of my food fetish, my not-so-dirty little secret. You know, THAT one. Of course I could only be talking about my taco cart obsession. Those mobile mavens of all things deliciously south of the border. I've been known to drive miles out of my way in search of a great pastor burrito, or the rumored perfect asada taco. Old ladies crossing the street and small children and their cute little pets best be watching out for my car when I'm mission(burrito) oriented.

But now all that careening around town may be in my past. That's because apparently God does answer the prayers of fools, because...and this is worthy of a certain amount of religious fervor...a taco truck has opened RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE WINE SHACK!!!!!!!!! As I'm typing this I can look out the front window at the Taqueria Uruapan cart, an offshoot of their hole-in-the-wall restaurant on SE 82nd Avenue. Even on this rainy late Friday afternoon a line of people waiting patiently for what I have come to discover are perfectly cooked asada, pastor, pollo, and best of all carnitas. What they do that I love is fry up the meat on the flattop grill, getting the bits of meaty goodness nice and crusty. Not wet and too saucy. Just right. And I'm not sure how the economic equation works here, but the tacos, with a healthy serving of meat and a dollop of salsa fresca, are only a dollar apiece!! How they make money I have no idea, but I'm taking full advantage. Their salsa rojo and salsa verde they give out are also top notch, and today I ventured into the land of humongous burritos and was loving life even more. This is great, cheap street food at its best. Did I mention it's right across the street? Hee-hee-hee!!!

The glorious carnitas tacos!

Mexican Medication!

After last nights food and drink fest (check out tomorrow's post for the best Barolo Braised Beef recipe you will ever make!), I not only am appreciating my day off, but am also very grateful to be a five minute drive from my preferred big-night recovery method, which is indulging my fetish for taco trucks/trailers/carts/whatever.

My friend Chris had clued me in to the south of the border noshes to be had at El Brasero in the burgeoning food cart mecca in the parking lot at SE 12th and SE Hawthorne here in PDX. He shares my passion for all things wrapped in corn tortillas and any accompanying bites, and has been talking up the barbacoa tacos and chicken tamales for weeks. So today, desperately in need of "Mexican medication" I drove on down. It was gloriously sunny and warm at their outdoor table, and the food was everything I could have wanted. I scarfed down the two pastor and two barbacoa tacos, perfect bites at a little under two bucks each. Okay, the pastor was a little dry, but the barbacoa scored huge. And the tamale was rocking, softly moist, yet firm to the fork, steamed to perfection in the golden corn husks. They also make their own fabulous salsa verde to add a little burn and get the head back on straight.

Pastor and barbacoa tacos, lined up for my eating pleasure!










The perfect tamale!











Man, I dig food cart love. What a great way to eat. Cheap, fast, and marginally out of control. Bring 'em on!

As long as you're in town.....

Since I know you have to do something else besides eat at NOPA, here's four more new favorite things to do in San Francisco (plus one old favorite)...

1- PRESIDIO YACHT CLUB. This semi-rundown yacht club...but in a cool, old school sort of way...is where the wedding reception took place (the actual wedding took place on a boat out in SF Bay on an exceptional, war, sunny afternoon. Most awesome!). It's at Fort Baker, under the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Besides being open on Fri-Sat-Sun to the public (call ahead to make sure they don't have any private events happening) for great, cheap, strong drinks and good draft beer, this place has a unbelievable view of the bay and bridge (at left is the view from their deck) that other bars would kill for. It takes about 15-25 minutes to get there from downtown, and is so worth the drive. I'm courting family trouble by giving away one of w's sisters favorite places, and I have mixed emotions because I would hate to see it get too popular, but this is just too good.

2- 24TH STREET CHEESE COMPANY. Should you find yourself in Noe Valley and in need of some snacking/picnic material, this is a fabulous cheese shop with an awesome selection of cheeses, plus wine, crackers, bread, etc. Everything you need for your outing, in one very well run stop. The staff was vry nice, helpful, and more than willing to sample some of their unusual, delicious cheeses.


3- STORE FRONT DIM SUM IN CHINATOWN. How have I never done this? Stop in one of these innumerable places, check out their selections, point to what you want (or if you're lucky like me, you're with someone who speaks Cantonese. Thanks sweetie...my tummy appreciates your native language skills), and get ready to eat for an insanely cheap price. At my favorite stop, You's Dim Sum, we had shared four different, really good bites (including a fresh out of the kitchen pork bun...yum!!) for just $3.30. On a sunny early afternoon of wandering, there's no better way to eat!

4- LUNCH AT JEANTY AT JACK'S. Before we had to head to the airport, w, sis, and I had lunch at this city outpost of Philippe Jeanty's Yountville restaurant. So very French, so very delicious. Perfect escargots, a terrific steak frites, and the best coq au vin I've had maybe ever. The bottle of '06 Sancerre went down pretty well , too!

5- COCKTAILS AT BIX. Classy but not stuffy, perfect negronis, martinis, and glasses of fizz. Any place that has separate cocktail glasses for their gin and vodka up cocktails works for me. The three of us went after lunch at Jeanty, and what a way to send ourselves off. I could spend waaaay too much time at this bar!

Falafel Fanaticism!

I haven't had it this good since Paris! And I had it about five miutes from my house!! What else would I be talking about except the greatest falafel in this city....maybe in any city!!! The fresh, crunchy, spicy, and savory deliciousness that is Fat Kitty Falafel, made by the very not-shy and retiring Al Herre. I had been told of the goodness that comes flinging out of his cart on SE 21st and Division by my friend Greg Z. This was several months ago, and usually when I hear about something good to eat, I am on it fast. My main problem is I'm off Sunday and Monday, and so is Fat Kitty Al. But yesterday the wine shack was undergoing some floor repair, so I had an unexpected day off, and I was driving up Division to get my luxurious mane of hair whacked at Rudy's, and drove by Al's shack. Eureka! A quick u-turn and five bucks later I am digging in to greatness. Al scoops out the falafel batter fresh, dumps it in his mini-fryer, and tops this little wrap with fresh lettuce, and, as I had it, some cilantro-garlic tahini that rocked.

Al (holding that Lebanese mag) and his staff photographer



You give Al an inch of breathing room and he's off and verbalizing, and he was immediately shoving this middle eastern magazine in my face that had a feature on Fat Kitty! How that happened I still don't know, but if some Lebanese rag is giving you props, then you've gotta have a pretty good thing going on. Anyway, if you're cruising around and feel the need for some falafelness, make Fat Kitty your next stop!

Getting My Fix!

It could be worse. I could be driving around with shaking hands, bloodshot eyes, and sweat drenched wife-beater in my old Chevy with one fender painted the appropriate primer grey, looking for my next meth hookup. I could be glued to my computer, staring bug-eyed, hyperventilating, and shouting obscenities at the screen as yet another gambling site sucks my house payment into the pocket of some guy who lives in the Bahamas.

It could any of those things. But it isn't. My little addiction is something much more insidious and sneaky, nibbling away at my wallet with every $1.50-$3.00 fix that brings a sense of calm and serenity to my world. It happens more often than I care to admit. I could be driving around, totally minding my own business, when the "trigger" catches my eye. Those three words that get me salivating and swerving across lanes crowded with traffic, cursing the old woman in front of me who's keeping me away from my salvation. Those three words, "hecho a mano", signaling yet another unavoidable stop at yet another taqueria truck. Like I said, it could be worse.
My current favorite Portland infatuation are the deliciously savory tacos at Taqueria Lindo Michoacan, a truck parked in the lot at SE 34th and SE Division. At a mere $1.50 a pop, the way too delicious discs layered with carnitas or pastor, among other fleshy offerings, that come out of the window are among the best bargain bites to had in this town, and there's probably an equally satisfying bite to be had in your town, too. The tortillas they make on site are perfectly chewy and soft (if those two words together make sense, and if you're taco stand fiend like me, you know what I'm saying). Always generously topped with your choice of meat, including a very credible asada or chorizo, a toss of cilantro and onion, add a squirt of fresh lime...I seem to be able to eat an endless amount. If for no other reason than the proliferation of these vendors of Mexican culinary authenticity, I am wholly for keeping those borders open wide, because at this point in my food-obsessed life, I've gotta get my fix!!