Missing food Styles Rant.... Chinese is one! (Portland: theater, live)

[bobkeenan]

Upfront caveat. I am an old fart. But I have lived and EATEN all over the world. I grew up in New England, the Mid-West, and south.

Ok... so Portland has more restaurants and Pubs per block than I have ever seen. Its like NY, Paris, London, etc. Maybe not as posh but there are lots of them. So that's good. I have had some great southern food here (screen door, acadia, etc), great Hamburgers (Killer Burger, Dicks Kitchen), Great Fresh from the farm food (Farm Cafe) and good Thai and Vietnamese food. But.....

Rants:

1. Where is the Chinese? Shandong is good sometimes but not consistently good. Most of the other Chinese places are really fish food places, or they load on the spicy heat or they only do noodles, lots of tofu, and lots of places run by Vietnamese. In Sacramento (last place we lived) we had all sorts of places that you could go to and always get a good meal, fish, beef, pork, chicken, tofu, mild, hot, lots of veggies and all cooked by Chinese. I have not found one place in Portland that will do all of that!!! Thats crazy in a town this size.

2. Where is a decent Pizza? Pizza should have lots of spicy tomato sauce. Up here its like that is a sin or something. It should have one or a few cheeses. And then an assortment of additives that you like to put on. In my case its either just pepperoni (lots of it) or sausage, onion, green pepper, and garlic. I like thin, medium, or thick crust. Normal or deep dish. Rocket Bob's can do that but sometimes you get crap. Ken's artisans is ok but you better be there by 5:15 if you dont want to wait and they seem to take pride in serving pizza with big black burnt crust. Apizza Schols is OK. Frankly one of the best pizzas that I have had that is consistently good is served at the Laurelhurst Theater (re heated Pepperonni).

[turquoise1]

I've ranted about this before, I think. In my opinion, Portland excels at: comfort food, farm-to-table, Thai, Vietnamese, anything with bacon, anything vegan, coffee! Also great bread and pastries. Yummy French food, too. I have like a million favorite restaurants here.

As varied as the food scene is, it's not a super-ethnic place, so you might find some things missing. You won't find authentic deli, or Japanese yakitori joints, robatas, soba shops, or lots or Korean bbq or bibimbab places. Supposedly, good Cantonese, Szechuan, Shanghainese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong-style cuisine is localized to 82nd St. on the east side (we only ate at one place and it was horrible). For pizza, you might try Firehouse. Two Italian places that are actually run by Italians are Piazza Italia in the Pearl and the take-out Taste Unique on SE Division. For a slice, go to Sizzle Pie and get a regular cheese slice.

[suspiria_two]

there's good Thai here? wherewhere?


(you can pm me if you don't want the whole world to know. too much of a good thing is never a good thing, not even for the restaurateur.)

[hamellr]

Golden China, Jumbo, Happy Garden, Hot Pot City, Imperial Garden, Chinese Delicacy?

Dove Vivi, Pizza Contadino, Saint Pizza Lounge, Lovely's, Apizza Scholls, Pizza Depokos, and Wy'east?

Du Kuh Bee, Hae Rim, Tanuki, So Kong Dong, Pok Pok, Frank's, Khun Pic's, Lemongrass, Mekong Bistro, Red Onion, Sum Tom?

Every single place I just listed as four or more starts and at least ten reviews in Yelp. And I'm not even mentioning any of our awesome food carts!

[turquoise1]

Thanks for your list! Pok Pok is truly amazing. I will have to try out some more of your favorites. I want to add Yen Ha for Vietnamese - the best summer rolls I have ever had.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by hamellr

Every single place I just listed as four or more starts and at least ten reviews in Yelp. And I'm not even mentioning any of our awesome food carts!

Four or more stars is what I meant to write.

[suspiria_two]

stars and reviews mean very little to me. most thai restaurants serve the same sad mix of vegetables with the only difference being the color of the curry sauce ladled over the top.

but, i'm spoiled. my first, and still best, thai food was a mom & pop where the waiters were their children. the peanut sauce did NOT come from a can or jar. the best dish was a simple plate of young white onions and red roasted thai chilis with peanuts (you choose the protein). everything made by hand and fresh, and unique and not overly done. if the dining room was busy, the owner would say "you have enough dishes already! (one per person plus one extra is the rule) my wife takes 13 minutes to prepare each. not enough time!" in his most-polite manner. and chopsticks were NOT in evidence!

ahh, gone are the days of that place....

[EnricoV]

Stars and reviews are recommendations from people who have been there. So they can be helpful, though tastes vary. Also, letting others know which restaurants you've eaten at that you found so deficient probably would help. Have you eaten at every Chinese restaurant in town? Have you eaten at every pizza place?

Portland will not have your favorite restaurant wherever it is you came from. Quit focusing on that, and look for what Portland does have.

But, if you're looking for restaurant recommendations, the best place to hang is at the Portland Food Group board.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Portland does not have a massive Chinese immigrant community (although there are a decent number of ABCs).

That alone explains a lot about Chinese food in Portland.

Now here down in the Bay Area it's like a colony of China / Taiwan / HK, with all its pluses and minuses. It's to a point here where even some ABCs are getting a little uncomfortable, but oh, the food!

[suspiria_two]

Portland will not have your favorite restaurant wherever it is you came from. Quit focusing on that, and look for what Portland does have.

i don't give a horse's patoot what Portland does or does not have. i care about taste, and so far haven't found it yet.