OISHII

NEW YORK EATS

2010-11-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some iPhone snaps of recent meals here in the Big Apple.

"Colby" sandwich - Roast beef, cheddar, lettuce, tomato on rosemary-garlic bread at Urban Rustic (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Pork belly Korean barbecue (Koreatown)

Indian chicken at Chirag (Staten Island)

Affogato at La Bottega (Chelsea)

A feast at Pok Pok (Portland, OR)

Cocktails at Matsuri (Chelsea)

Egg salad sandwich at El Beit (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Iced latte, tea, prosciutto sandwiches at El Beit (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Italian bread, Chavrie cheese, salad and wine at home.

Chargrilled lamb burger with feta, cumin mayo & thrice cooked chips at The Breslin (Midtown West)

A MOMENTARY LAPSE INTO VEGETARIANISM

2010-04-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Savoy

2500 Southeast Clinton

Portland, OR 97202-1239

(503) 808-9999‎

So I mentioned Doug Fir is my most common late night spot in Portland. Well here is the other, Savoy.

On this particular night I was strangely impulsively compelled to try the veggie burger. I am a carnivore to the bone, but hey, if I can satisfy a burger urge with a healthier substitute once in a while, why not right?

Well, now I know why goddamn not. Because despite sharing the "burger" title, a veggie burger is not and can never be a substitute for good ol' red meat (or even turkey, which I like). The patty was mushy, leafy and the total opposite texture on the tongue from beef. Duh- I should have known. Sorry Savoy, it's not your fault. The veggie burger is flawed in it's very concept. Never again.

LA BOULANGE

2010-04-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

La Boulange

500 Hayes Street

San Francisco, CA 94102-4214

(415) 863-3376

If you know me, you know my favorite type of eatery is the French cafe/bakery. If heaven exists and is different for everyone, mine will most likely be a never ending day seated outside a boulangerie sipping bottomless coffee and picking at regenerating croissants.

MATSURI

2010-04-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

Matsuri

369 West 16th Street

New York, NY 10011

(212) 243-6400

Matsuri is most likely my favorite restaurant, period.

When you first step inside and turn the corner to overlook the grand, expansive dining area, it is an image that stays with you. One that lingers in the mind every time you go out to eat, popping up to unfairly compare itself.

Everything about it's design is executed perfectly and my first meal there years ago was also one of the first moments I can remember being blown away by a physical space.

As for food, it is vibrant contemporary Japanese cuisine of matching caliber to the incredible atmosphere. The New York Times once claimed Matsuri chef Tadashi Ono's work is "a natural idiom for culinary poetry." If that doesn't sum it up, I don't know what will.

THE BRESLIN

2010-04-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Smoked Pork Belly

Doughnuts with cinnamon ice cream

Chocolate Pie

The Breslin

16 W 29th St

New York, NY 10001

(646) 214-5788

The Breslin is the latest venture from chef April Bloomfield, known to New York foodies as the force behind The Spotted Pig. It serves at the in-house restaurant/bar to the Ace Hotel, where you can find me pretty much every day. The Breslin capitalizes on a fetish for pork fat in this city, and should basically put up a "do not enter" sign for vegetarians.

I've eaten there a few times now, trying everything from the smoked pork belly, to the goat cheese and leek tart, to the grilled cheese sandwich and loved every morsel of it. While I could go on about the food, the design of the restaurant itself is what I feel like gushing over right now.

The Breslin has design firm Roman & Williams to thank for it's cinematic interior, who designed the entirety of the new Ace Hotel New York. From the dark reclaimed wood, to the cracked century old ceiling, the restaurant (like the Ace) evokes a true sense of history.

DOUG FIR & ASSORTED HOME EATING

2010-04-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Burnside Biscuit

Doug Fir Lounge

830 E Burnside St

Portland, OR 97214

(503) 334-0754

It's strangely remarkable and funny how I've never posted about Doug Fir on this blog. It is unequivocally my most frequented restaurant in Portland, without question. Doug Fir has served as my family and I's default place to eat for years, largely for two reasons: 1. they are one of the only places in town that cater to our night owl tendencies, 2: the atmosphere (designed by modern architect Jeff Kovel). However, the food is good too. Doug Fir excels particularly in their breakfast/brunch menu. The Burnside Biscuit is a pretty frequent choice for me on Sunday mornings, accompanied with a bowl of fresh fruit and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Kaiser rolls always remind me of growing up in New York and corner delis.

Valentine's Day breakfast. A typical breakfast at the Jay's, beside the insta-toothache cupcakes.

Stocking up on some of our favorite Japanese goodies.

BEAST

2010-04-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Beast

5425 NE 30th Ave

Portland, Oregon 97211

(503) 841-6968

Beast has to be experienced to understand its culinary elegance, refinery, and simultaneous simplicity. The concept of the restaurant is basically this: Beast is open every Wednesday through Saturday, with 2 dinner seatings on each day. You make a reservation as early as possible, you come for your desired seating, and you are served a six course meal from the chef's imagination, which is different every week.

The restaurant is small, essentially a kitchen and a dining room the same size as the one in your house. The experience therefore, is that of dining over at a friend's beautiful apartment (a friend who can cook really, really well). It's intimate and lovely, and the communal seating encourages you to converse with your neighbors about the food. On the particular evening I went, I lucked out having an especially great dining parter in filmmaker Todd Haynes.

Since this wonderful meal occurred months ago I can't remember what each course was, but just trust me when I say that Beast is a unique and delicious experience.

NEW YEARS 2010

2010-04-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

New Years at the Garnier's basically consisted of Nick and I noshing on hors d'oeuvres and watching intoxicated middle aged parents dance away their worries. I'm happy where ever there is brie.

THE ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE

2010-04-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Blueberry waffle

Pigs in a blanket

The Original Pancake House

782 East Broadway Ave
Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 343-7523

A weekend of debauchery in Eugene, winds down with breakfast at the pancake house.

ANOTHER NIGHT AT CLYDE COMMON

2010-04-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Monkfish, clams, shrimp, potatoes, fennel and onion broth.

Braised lamb, mint, orange oil, grilled bread.

My girlfriend was quite excited to have received the entire monkfish on her plate. Thankfully, she enjoys fish eyes.

POK POK

2010-04-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings

Pok Pok

3226 SE Division

Portland, OR 97202

(503) 232 1387

The best chicken wings ever.

Pok Pok is one of my all time favorite Portland restaurants. It's the vehicle that launched super chef Andy Ricker and was named Best Restaurant by the Oregonian in 2007.

What I love about Pok Pok is Ricker's commitment to presenting us Thai food that is probably more authentic than what is being served at the restaurant down the street actually run by Thai people. There is a sense of defiance at Pok Pok, against simply serving the Americanized palette of Southeast Asian food. Which basically means there is NO "Pad Thai", whiteboy.

Ricker recently opened the Whiskey Soda Lounge across the street too, as a place to hang out and grab a drink while you wait for your table at Pok Pok.

CREMA

2009-12-13T21:14:00.001-08:00

Breakfast Sandwich

Latte

Crema

2728 SE Ankeny St

Portland, OR 97214

(503) 234-0206

I love Crema. Since my first visit early last Summer it's quickly become another one of my most frequented coffee shops/bakeries in town. It's located on a strip of Ankeny street, right off of East Burnside that I love to hang out on. First I'll stop into Crema for coffee and a pastry (or even lunch), and then walk across the street to Una- the best women's clothing boutique in Portland. After that, I'll head down the block to my favorite vintage/thrift store, Smut. And around the corner is Nationale, a fantastically curated little art gallery/shop specializing in French goods.

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

2009-12-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

28 Wings with 2 sauces: Spicy Peanut & Jamaican Jerk

Fried Oreos

Fire On The Mountain

1708 E Burnside St

Portland, OR 97214

(503) 230-9464

Fire On The Mountain seems to have a bit of a monopoly on Portland's buffalo wing cravings... and not without merit, they're pretty damn good. Fried Oreos are a delicious way to a heart attack too.

It would have been a glorious guilty pleasure evening, except two assholes at the table next to us dared us to eat some of the hottest sauce they serve ("El Jefe"). Needless to say, the pain was real.

SERIOUS PIE

2009-12-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

My girlfriend and I took a little weekend trip to Seattle not too long ago, and while there we encountered what could have been the best pizza we've ever had. That's a bold statement, so I don't know if I can stand by it 100%, but it was definitely up there.

In fact, it was so good we went back two days in a row for lunch.

Roasted pumpkin, arugula pesto, hazelnuts.

Delicatta squash, roasted garlic, gorgonzola lucifero.

2nd day I had the special, which I can't recall all of the toppings for, and Mao had the squash pie again.

And then we took another whole pie to go, for the train ride home...
(Yukon gold potato, rosemary, olive oil.)

Serious Pie
316 Virginia
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 838-7388

MAO PASTA

2009-11-02T23:23:00.000-08:00

My girlfriend made this for me for lunch- a simple bowl of fettucini flavored with spinach, mushrooms, parmesan, soy sauce and spices. It was impromptu but nevertheless very "scrumptious", as she likes to say.

AUGUST BBQ

2009-11-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from a delicious barbecue we had back in August. Menu included chicken and beef skewers made by my mom as well as bruschetta and a peach/blackberry cobbler made by our friend Laurie.

CLYDE COMMON

2009-09-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Roasted halibut, merguez sausage, mussels, fennel, red onion, tarragon.

Grilled poulet rouge, tomato, cucumber, and onion bread salad.

Chevre rice pudding with blackberries.

Clyde Common
1014 SW Stark Street
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 228-3333

BLUE

2009-08-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

Blueberry tart.

Ken's Artesian Bakery
338 NW 21st Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 248-2202

My favorite fruits are berries. Dark berries. Blueberries and Blackberries.

ANDERSON RANCH LAMB BURGER

2009-08-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Anderson Ranch Lamb Burger: Feta, Dried Apricots, Pine Nuts, Roasted Red Onion, Spicy Mint Yogurt, Shoe String Fries.

Davis Street Tavern
500 NW Davis
Portland, OR 97209

Grown on the free range pastures and rolling foothills of the Willamette Valley, where high precipitation guarantees lush green Oregon grasses. Our lambs thrive in these open fields with fresh air and lots of room to graze. They are left free to roam, eat when they like, and grow at their own natural rhythm.

Anderson Ranch lambs have little impact on the environment. Our lambs eat only grasses, and are fed no bi-products. More importantly for the purity of the meat, the lambs are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. This whole process produces a protein-rich, premium natural meat that tastes delicious. The Anderson's have been raising Oregon lamb for 5 generations. We have been selectively breeding our sheep for the highest quality of meat-producers.

Our lambs are prepared for market by Mohawk Valley Meats, another local family-run business. It's only 30 minutes from the Anderson Ranch, so the lambs have minimal stress before processing. We take pride in our premium, high quality lamb.

Lamb has been increasing in popularity as the choice of red meats. Oregon Lamb is lean and tender, and an excellent source of nutrition. Almost all cuts of lamb are low in calories, fat, and cholesterol. Oregon Lamb is a good source of iron, zinc, and vitamin B-12. It can be broiled, grilled or roasted. As a general rule, lamb tastes best when cooked medium rare to medium. Familiar ingredients used for marinades or rubs make lamb easy to cook, and delicious.

BASIL EGG SALAD

2009-08-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Basil Egg Salad: Egg salad served with sun-dried tomato mayonnaise, fresh basil, sweet onion and lettuce on Calamata olive bread. Croissant, Iced latte.

Grand Central Bakery
3425 SW Multnomah Blvd.
Portland, OR 97219
(503) 977-2024

You know me and my croissants...

HALF & HALF

2009-08-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Paul Simon: Chicken salad with cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, arugula and tarragon.

Half & Half
923 SW Oak
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 222-4495

I previously mentioned Half & Half in my list of most frequented lunch spots in Portland. It's a TINY hole in the wall cafe that serves up made to order sandwiches, salads, pies and other good stuff like homemade Oreos. Their sweet tea is the shit, and great coffee too of course. They also have an awesome selection of art zines and other quirky things like cassette mix-tapes and buttons for sale. This place truly embodies Portland in many ways. Oh yeah, and Gus Van Sant shot a scene there for Paranoid Park.

GOAT CHEESE RAVIOLI

2009-08-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Goat Cheese Ravioli: Handmade ravioli stuffed with Fraga Farms goat cheese, hazelnuts, basil, pecorino, Parmigiano Reggiano and ricotta served with blistered cherry tomatoes.

Farm
10 SE 7th Ave
Portland, OR
(503) 736-FARM

Farm underwent some remodeling this summer, and is now an even more rewarding dining experience. With a new bar, and a new patio area seated under a beautiful large brick wall, stop by Farm for meals made from fresh, local and organic farm-to-table products from the Pacific Northwest.

TUNA MELT

2009-08-15T19:25:00.001-07:00

Tuna melt, Potato salad.

Kenny & Zukes
2376 NW Thurman
Portland, OR 97210-2521
(503) 954-1737

Simple tuna melt from Kenny & Zukes new location on NW Thurman.

PERFECTION

2009-07-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

French bread, assorted cheeses, pâté, salami, grapes, olives.

Honestly, this is pretty much a perfect meal for me. Bread and cheese is all you need. As much of a carnivore as I am, I would give up meat before I gave up bread without a second thought. There's an actual diet that doesn't allow you to eat bread right? F that noise.

NEW SEASONS

2009-07-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

Everything bagel with cream cheese and lox.
Custard.

New Seasons Raleigh Hills
7300 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy
Portland, OR 97225

Not many of my friends think to have lunch at New Seasons. It's an Oregon grocery store chain that focuses on supporting local farmers, ranchers and manufacturers. They have a deli that serves really good sandwiches, so we like to go and eat lunch there sometimes.

Have I mentioned that bagel with cream cheese and lox is probably my favorite food ever? I grew up on it in Manhattan, my family frequenting H&H Bagels on the Upper West Side. Poorly made versions don't get past me.

TARTUFO BIANCO

2009-07-23T23:16:00.001-07:00

Tartufo Bianco: Mozzarella (whole milk & fresh), pecorino romano with Truffle Oil & sea salt.

Apizza Scholls
4741 SE Hawthorne
Portland, OR
(503) 233-1286

Apizza Scholls is the best pizza in Portland, period. We are fortunate to have many great pizza options in this city for different occassions- Pizzicato and Hot Lips for un-fussy, gourmet, family owned pizza experiences, Pizza Schimizza for creative flavors and toppings on your work lunch break. And dozens of other hole in the wall spots for grabbing a quick slice.

Apizza Scholls operates on the mission of upholding the standards and values of the old Italian "Pizzaiolos". Pizzaiolos are craftsmen who have dedicated their lives to the perfection of pizza. Their dedication is very apparent.

The pizza I happened to try on this trip was the Tartufo Bianco, a really simple white pie made with mozzarella, drizzled with truffle oil and sprinkled with sea salt. I'm a huge fan of truffle oil, so I was a huge fan of this pie.

CHEZ MACHIN

2009-07-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

???: Savory crepe with brie, avocado, and other stuff?

La Miel: Local berry mix, honey, and crème fraîche.

Chez Machin
3553 SE Hawthorne
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 736-9381

Growing up In Tokyo, my friends and I used to hang out every weekend in the bustling Shibuya neighborhood shopping for records and clothes, and eating from various food cart vendors. For dinner, we had Turkish Döner kebab, and for desert we would frequent the many sweet crepe stands hidden in the back streets. They were AMAZING. Dozens of variations and combinations of fresh fruit, cream, syrup and custard.

My only previous crepe experience in Portland was trying Vivace on 23rd street, which I remember hating. I should probably give it another shot, but it wasn't a good first impression. Chez Machin on the other hand was damn good. I don't recall everything that was in the savory crepe other than brie and avocado, but those were the two ingredients that drew me to it anyway. The desert crepe was great too. Next time I'm looking forward to trying the La Maison (Local berry mix with homemade custard.)

Also pluses: charming interior and a cute waitress.

BRIE AUX FINES HERBS

2009-07-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Brie aux Fines Herbs: Baguette bread with herb butter, Brie cheese, slices of cucumber, and crispy leaves of frisée.

St. Honoré
2335 NW Thurman
Portland, OR 97210
(503) 445-4342

St. Honoré is one my favorite places for lunch in Portland. When I'm not feeling adventurous, I have a rotation of regular spots here that I always end up at for lunch. They are Grand Central Bakery, Daily Cafe, Half & Half, Elephants and St. Honoré. Croissants and Brie are two of my favorite man-made inventions, and St. Honoré serves up delicious things utilizing both.

FRIED EGG SMOKED PORK

2008-12-23T22:50:00.001-08:00

Fried egg and smoked pork loin sandwich
with fontal, whole grain mustard aioli, and twenty greens.

Blue Hour
250 NW 13th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
503 226 3394

Stopped into Blue Hour, a local favorite, for dinner tonight.

Decided to try the fried egg and smoked pork loin sandwich from the bar menu. Quite an interesting combination. Apologies for the terrible photo though.

CHIMAY CHIMAY CHEESE

2008-12-19T23:46:00.001-08:00

Chimay Burger: House ground fillet, roasted onions, chimay cheese on a brioche bun.

Jo's Bar and Rotisserie
701 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97201

Chimay cheese comes from the Chimay brewery, a brewery in Belgium that has been around since 1863. Though they obviously specialize in beer, they began to also produce cheese in 1876. Currently, the brewery makes four different kinds of cheeses - Chimay with beer (whose rind is soaked in Chimay beer), Chimay Grand Classic (semi-hard pressed), Chimay Grand Cru (made from pasteurised milk and matured for six weeks) and Old Chimay (hard cheese matured for six months).

I'm not sure which of the four cheeses was used in the burger, but I don't remember tasting any hint of beer in it. Either way, it was pretty good. I always love brioche buns. It was served with a side of sweet potato chips, which I didn't even get around to since the burger filled me up.

I'd order it again. But it couldn't touch my favorite burger in Portland, Doug Fir's Fir Burger.

RAMEN NAKAMURA

2008-10-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I moved to Los Angeles which so far has had significantly less interesting food. I know this is supposed to just be documentation, but still... the presence of quality eating I suppose inspired me to make this blog in the first place.

Anyhow, a few months ago we went to Hawaii. Here's a guest review from my brother, of a ramen restaurant we went to.

Kim Chee Miso Ramen

Ramen Nakamura
2141 Kalakaua Ave # 1
Honolulu, HI 96815
808-922-7960

A good bowl of ramen is hard to find in America. This dish, although a favorite in Japan, has become synonymous with the Maruchan top ramen here in the U.S. Not Hawaii. With a large Japanese population, decent ramen became a necessity. I visited a small ramen shop in Waikiki named Ramen Nakamura. A large collection of obscure Japanese celebrity’s autographs adorned the walls and we were greeted by a frail but tough looking obaachan helping me forget I was in the U.S. I ended up ordering the Kim Chee Miso Ramen and after a short wait the obaachan came out with our food. The yellow slippery noodles were the perfect consistency and the thin pork slices were filled with flavor from marinating in the broth. As usual I avoided the bean sprouts; those noodle imposters are perfect for ruining a good slurp. There weren’t as many noodles as I would have liked, a slight disappointment; but in all the Kim Chee Miso Ramen helped me escape to Japan for a dinner and had me thinking, “That ramen was raw man…”
-Keenan Jay

AGLIOLIOLIOLIO

2008-08-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio: Sauteed garlic and olive oil, fresh basil, red pepper flakes and parmesan.

Pastini Pastaria
1506 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97210
(503) 595-1205

Pastini is a local Portland Italian chain. It's cheap, simple dining, like Italian fast food. Except a tad classier. It's always pretty good though for a hearty no nonsense meal.

BERRY GOOD

2008-08-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Pancakes

Fuller's Coffee Shop
136 NW 9th
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 222-5608

I'm by far more of a waffle man (Belgian especially), but once in a while I crave a good stack of pancakes. Especially if there are blueberries in them.

POLLO

2008-08-02T00:14:00.000-07:00

Seared chicken wrapped in prosciutto, over parmesan polenta & mushroom jus.

FRATELLI
1230 NW Hoyt St
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-8800
www.fratellicucina.com

This was my first time dining at Fratelli. The service was really slow, but the waitress nice enough, apologizing for the wait and eventually even not charging us for the wine.

I love proscuitto, and that was the main draw for me to try this dish. Sure enough, the prosciutto ended up being my favorite part of it. It was baked, so unlike your traditional antipasti prosciutto, this was crispy. You definitely wanna try to get a balance of all the elements here in each bite - chicken, a piece of the prosciutto, a little glob of polenta, all rolled around in the mushroom jus.

INTRODUCTION

2008-08-01T23:57:00.001-07:00

Hi I'm Matt.

I love food.

Here is a photographic journal of stuff I eat.

Sometimes I'll write a little bit about the meal, sometimes I wont.

"Oishii" = Japanese for "delicious".

Mmmmmmmm!