Jul 06

The Three P’s of Portland

We drove down to Portland for the July 4 weekend. Portland holds many attractions: A thriving food scene; access to Mount Hood, the Columbia River, and the coast; and no sales tax. On Saturday we hit three P’s: Powell’s, Penzey’s, and Pok Pok.

Powell’s is one of the largest independent bookstores in the country. It takes up a whole city block in downtown Portland, and has branches around the city and the suburb of Beaverton. The last two times we’ve visited Portland, I’ve chosen a hotel that was close to Powell’s. Naturally, I made a beeline for the cookbook section in the orange room. We showed admirable restraint: Three cookbooks between us, and a book on eating in Vietnam. My ultimate bucket list trip is to eat my way from Hanoi to Hue to Ho Chi Minh City and then hang a right turn up the Mekong River into Cambodia. Coincidentally, one of the cookbooks I bought contains recipes from a Cambodian sandwich shop in New York.

As we were walking back to the hotel from Powell’s, I noticed a familiar sign across the street: Penzey’s Spices. Their store in Seattle closed in January; since then, our spice shopping list has grown exponentially. We bought enough that we got three freebies: Turkish seasoning, chili powder, and cracked rosemary. According to the proprietor of the Portland shop, the Seattle store closed because the landlord jacked up the rent. This is a common problem for residents and businesses alike. (Note to Bill Penzey: There are several vacant storefronts in downtown Bothell, where the rent is not as high as in downtown Seattle. Check out our little hometown!)

Dinner was at the Thai restaurant Pok Pok. The owner and chef is an American, Andy Ricker, who has studied the cuisines of northern Thailand. The restaurant is not an architectural marvel; in fact, it’s more like an open-air restaurant in Chiang Mai. If you’re expecting gloppy coconut milk-based curries or pad Thai at Pok Pok, forget about it. Northern Thai cuisine is more salad- and grill-based. However, the signature dish of Pok Pok is its Vietnamese deep-fried chicken wings. These are a medley of fish sauce, sugar, and lots of garlic. After a bowl of wings, we had pork satays and a sausage/pork rind/vegetable plate. On the latter, Julian picked up what he thought was a half-moon of cantaloupe, only to discover that it was kabocha squash. Pok Pok does not take reservations. We got there shortly after 5 pm, and had to wait 45 minutes for a table. When we left, the wait was over 2 hours.

Pok Pok has branches in Los Angeles and New York, but not in Seattle (yet). Yo, Andy, show your neighbors to the north a little love!

Pok Pok. The line was at low tide at this time.

Pok Pok. The line was at low tide at this time.

The "interior" of Pok Pok. Notice the french fry lamps above the tables for colder evenings. (Yes, the restaurant is open to the elements.)

The “interior” of Pok Pok. Notice the french fry lamps above the tables for colder evenings. (Yes, the restaurant is open to the elements.)

More adventures in Portland to come.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/07/06/the-three-ps-of-portland/

Jun 18

The Homeowner Begets

When one rents a home and an appliance breaks, the landlord will (one hopes) repair or replace the item. That’s it. When one owns a home and an appliance breaks, it can turn into a cascade of purchases I call the Homeowner Begets.

Two weeks ago our microwave oven/kitchen ventilation fan ceased to function. Because of its age, it was non-repairable. So we went to appliance stores looking for a replacement. As luck would have it, the microwave models were conveniently located above range models. We’d thought for years about getting a gas range, as gas is easier to control for cooking and Julian’s eyes can tell that the burner is on or off. However, our kitchen is a glorified galley. The refrigerator is less than two feet away from the range. The ventilation capacity of our home is doubtful. There is a ventilation pipe above the range, but we can’t figure out if/where it exhausts to the outside. Most of the vents on our roof are for plumbing. Induction ranges looked like a good option because they wouldn’t overheat the kitchen and would result in less carbon dioxide released by burning natural gas.

Wednesday afternoon Julian called me from an appliance store. “Should I pull the trigger on the microwave and induction range?” I swallowed hard and, in the immortal words of Kinky Friedman when he ran for Texas governor in 2010, “Why the hell not?”

So here we have our first Homeowner Begets:

The microwave/fan begets the purchase of the induction range;

The induction range only works with ferrous iron pots and pans, so the induction range will beget purchase of new kitchen ware;

The induction range is a drop-in (controls on the front), which will beget some molding/trim to block things from falling behind the range;

And while we’re at it, all of this will beget a backsplash behind the range that will be easier to clean than wallpaper.

Stay tuned for pictures and more Homeowner Begets.

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/06/18/the-homeowner-begets/

Jun 15

Cranberries in June

Last Saturday we had the usual get-together with our friends. The host family has three gluten-intolerant members, and one with an egg allergy. This required some ingenuity to figure out how to feed between the lines. Luckily, I looked in the freezer and found two bags of cranberries left over from the holidays. Since the main dish was Copper River salmon, a cranberry-orange relish sounded like a good idea.
You can always buy a can or jar of cranberry-orange relish, but making your own is insanely simple. All you do is grind the berries and an orange (with peel) in the food processor, add a little sugar, and chill. You can alter the amount of sugar to your taste, or use a substitute if you’re feeding folks who are watching their carb intake. You can add different flavors, spices, or a little booze. I did none of the above, since we had kids and non-drinkers in attendance.

The relish was a big hit, even in June. It cut through the richness of the salmon very well. Next December, buy a couple extra bags of cranberries and stash them in the freezer for a summer surprise.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/06/15/cranberries-in-june/

Jun 13

I Shouldn’t Have to Write This

Another day, another mass shooting with a military-style assault rifle. The shooting in Orlando was different in scale and target than the others. Forty-nine people in a gay nightclub were gunned down in a horrific three-hour siege. The police managed to drive an armored vehicle through the wall of the club and kill the gunman before more lives were lost.
How many more people have to die before Congress acts to limit access to these weapons? Will it take shootings in every district? As I said earlier, assault weapons are not for game hunting; their sole purpose is mass murder with minimal skills. Call or email your representatives. Remember that every congressional seat is up for grabs this November. VOTE. The forty-nine people who were killed on Sunday morning had their right to vote taken away by use of an assault rifle. Honor their memories by making sure that these weapons aren’t available to the next deranged person who wants to kill people.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/06/13/i-shouldnt-have-to-write-this/

May 28

Hail, Hail, Dystopia!

Some of my friends in the Friday Night Follies crew are fond of reading books and watching television series on dystopian futures. Fans of Game of Thrones are into dystopian pasts. What, the dystopian present isn’t bad enough???

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/28/hail-hail-dystopia/

May 26

Teriyaki

Teriyaki restaurants are the Seattle equivalent of fried chicken shacks in the South. They are ubiquitous in the region. The original Japanese method of teriyaki is to marinate meat in a sweet soy-based sauce, then grill or broil it. Hereabouts, the predominant method is to grill the marinated meat and pour more sauce over the top.

Most teriyaki restaurants are holes-in-the-wall in strip shopping centers. Don’t expect much in the way of atmosphere. You want ambiance, go to Canlis. The menus are limited in scope. You get beef, pork, or chicken teriyaki with one or two scoops of rice and lettuce with a mayonnaise-based dressing. Some restaurants go upscale and offer salmon teriyaki. You may also find a combo platter on the menu that includes gyoza (dumplings) or tempura. A few teriyaki restaurants may also offer sushi. I’m rather picky about where I eat raw fish, so I stick to fully-cooked items at these joints.

The ground zero of teriyaki in Seattle is University Way (aka The Ave), adjacent to the University of Washington. For a while it looked as if Thai noodle shops and pho restaurants were going to overrun the Ave, but teriyaki restaurants are holding their own. This should be no surprise: Teriyaki is cheap, fast, filling chow for starving students.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/26/teriyaki/

May 26

Weirdness on the Walk to Work

On nice days between April and November when I ride the bus to work, I walk the ten blocks from the bus stop to my office. It’s a pleasant walk through the Seattle University area, and a little exercise in the morning wakes me up. Today I saw two unusual items on my walk:
A local hot yoga gym was advertising a unique triathlon: Run, bike, hot yoga. It sounds odd and may be potentially hazardous to one’s health. While stretching is a good idea after aerobic exercise, doing so in a hot room doesn’t allow much sweat to evaporate. I hope they have IV poles and saline bags on hand to rehydrate people during this event.
Two dogs were on the Seattle U tennis courts with their owners. This gives mixed doubles a whole new meaning.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/26/weirdness-on-the-walk-to-work/

May 21

Be Green: Save the Greens

So you’re at a Vietnamese restaurant. Your dinner comes with a plate of assorted herbs, bean sprouts, and the like to garnish your pho. You may only use a few of the greens. Save the leftovers from going into the compost bin or trash: Take them home and use them for another meal or two. That’s what we did with the leftover herb plate from our dinner at Seven Beef.

Our “doggie bag” contained Boston lettuce, mint, perilla, Thai basil, bean sprouts, pineapple, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, rice noodles, and a few apple slices. My original thought was to make fresh spring rolls; however, we didn’t get home from our coffee run downtown in time. I wound up making shrimp hot and sour soup and cucumber salad for dinner. We had some shrimp in the freezer that I thawed overnight. I had some tomatoes, pineapple, scallions, and cucumbers at home that needed to be used. I managed to repurpose all of the ingredients into either the soup or salad. Bringing the leftover herb plate home meant I didn’t have to make a special trip to the Asian grocery to get those ingredients. More often than not, I don’t use a full bag of bean sprouts or bunch of cilantro before it goes bad. A small amount works best for our household.

There’s no reason why the garnishes and accompaniments can’t come home from a restaurant with the main dish. You paid for those items, too. Bring them home and reduce food waste.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/21/be-green-save-the-greens/

May 21

Seven Beef

Julian spent Friday afternoon at the REI sale while I was toiling away at the hospital. When he picked me up, the inevitable question arose: What’s for dinner? I had no desire to go downtown because traffic would be slammed thanks to the Billy Joel concert at Safeco Field. Capitol Hill would be full of tragic hipsters. I suggested food a short walk away from the hospital. Twelfth Avenue south of Madison Street used to be sparse on eateries, but has perked up of late. We opted to try Seven Beef, a new restaurant from the same sister-brother team who own Monsoon and Ba Bar.

Seven Beef is a steakhouse that plays on the traditional Vietnamese celebration dinner of beef seven ways. According to Nicole Routhier’s The Foods of Vietnam, the dinner starts with beef fondue, proceeds through grilled beef strips, ground beef wrapped in leaves and grilled, and finishes with beef congee (rice porridge). Seven Beef hews to that pattern. The beef is grass-raised and finished, and locally sourced. Other than the traditional herb plate and a beef salad, vegetables are served à la carte. We split orders of beef seven ways and their vegetables seven ways so we wouldn’t get scurvy. (This former Registered Dietitian has standards.)

The beef dishes were very good, particularly the bo la lot (the grilled wrapped beef rolls). Unfortunately, some of the vegetable courses were incongruous with the Vietnamese theme. Roquefort cheese? Polenta with Parmesan? Really? I would have rather seen a wild mushroom mélange or a stuffed tofu dish to keep consistent.

The ambiance of Seven Beef is halfway between Monsoon and Ba Bar. Although the restaurant is in a rather industrial-looking building, the interior is full of natural wood. The noise level is much quieter than the occasionally rowdy Ba Bar. The open kitchen features a wood-burning grill the size of a small apartment patio. The bar serves an interesting selection of local beers.

Seven Beef is not cheap. My main issue with it was the vegetables seven ways cost the same as the beef seven ways. It does have more economical items, including a burger. For an occasional splurge, Seven Beef is a good choice. For more workaday meals, go to Ba Bar or Lemongrass around the corner.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/21/seven-beef/

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/21/as-seen-in-sunset/

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