Posts from the ‘What to Eat’ Category

Dec 9

Yagura

1/2 Sometimes addictions creep up on you. I was initially attracted to Cafe Zaiya as a lunchtime destination at my new midtown job. It's bright, shiny, bustling, and heck there's a Beard Papa stand inside. But a few storefronts closer to me is no frills Yagura. There's a small Japanese grocery store in back, sparse, elevated seating to your immediate right, then the main event to your left, a bustling counter with perpetual lines.

Katsu, teriyaki, noodle soups…I'm not sure what the main draw is, but I always stick with the $4.50 chicken udon and have never been disappointed. Initially, it seemed straightforward, nothing special, but now I'll find myself thinking about it and looking forward to running across the street for a fix. The broth helps, it's very rich and flavorful (is that dashi?) and the noodles are thick and perfectly chewy. The chicken, usually five large chunks or so, has the skin on, making the whole bowl of soup tasty and probably too fatty for some. The best is when you get pieces where the skin is still crispy, the meat seems more fried or broiled than stewed, and maybe that's the secret.

Yagura* 41st St., New York, NY

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Dec 7

Mermaid Inn

1/2

Now that high concept spots like Lure Fishbar, Bar Tonno and ten million
others have turned seafood into low carb crudo, its only fitting that I,
always behind the curve, finally try Mermaid Inn, part of the New England
clam shack craze of 2003. Yes, loving french fries, breading and things
served on buns, is so last year.

The upside of avoiding the trendier restaurants until no one cares about
them anymore is that long waits for tables arent as major of an issue. It
was also early, 6pm on a miserably rainy weeknight, which I'm sure
contributed to the desolate feeling inside. Though it wasn't helped by being
seated in the woody carpeted empty back room that truly did look like it
belonged in a small-town Elks lodge. Maybe its cozy and fun when its filled,
but it felt perturbing when a couple other twosomes were seated in the
warmer, more ambient main space. I'm not usually a nitpicker like this,
maybe the foul weather had dampened my soul in addition to my head and feet,
but it also rubbed me the wrong way when out waiter called me
“maam.” It's one thing coming from a bagboy type teen, but quite
another from a gentleman who couldnt be more than five years younger than
me. It was off-putting. And James though it was irritating that they only
list wines on the menu. I kind of agree, given the urban/downhome vibe beer
wouldn't be totally outrageous.

Perhaps my expectations arent well defined, its not as if I grew up with
coastal traditions (despite being raised barely more than an hour from the
Pacific Ocean), but I'm often disappointed with seafood restaurants. They
always seem blah and overpriced. Now that I think about it, fish prepared in
non-Asian styles kind of bores me, and any battered and fried sea creature
(except soft shell crab) gives me stomach trauma.

My grilled dorade stuffed with lemon slices, thyme and cloves of garlic
was rustic and tasty, very Naked Chef, but it wasn't terribly exciting. And
I'm pretty sure the thick slice of bread that sat under our sardine and
tomato-avocado relish was charred, not toasted. I mean, the crust was black
and peeling off. The free chocolate pudding that ends the meal is a nice
touch, though. Or maybe my memory is being clouded by the concept of
complimentary treats. In any case, I expect to report on hot raw fish
trend–I don't know–sometime in early 2006.

Mermaid Inn * 96 Second
Ave., New York,NY

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Nov 29

‘inoteca

I'd just gotten over a week-long severe stomach illness and was ravenous,
and strangely my normal food cravings were totally absent. Not wanting any
form of Asian food isn't like me. I feared my body had gone through some
bizarre realignment after barely eating for seven days when I found myself
wanting either German, English or Italian cuisine. I think it was their
perceived heartiness that was appealing.

I love the idea of lots of little things, but invariably small plates
leave me eating leftover Thanksgiving turkey a couple hours later. We
should've ordered at least four things, but I felt like we were being capped
at three, like that's when the waitress seemed satisfied with our choices.
But then, I'm self-conscious about things like eating alone in public (which
I wasn't) and looking gluttonous (which I am), so maybe I was being
hypersensitive.

I'm bad with Italian food, seriously, pardon my ingredient ignorance,
but I'm going with English terms. The first thing that came from the kitchen
was a warm brussels sprout salad with pancetta, a soft white cheese shaved
into squiggles, and a balanced vinaigrette (I'm not a fan of severe
tanginess). We also shared a special of lamb that came sliced and was
surrounded with a sweet/savory chutney, and prawns wrapped in prosciutto.
The prawns might've been my favorite, though all of it was quite tasty. I
just could've eaten more, that's all. An accompanying polenta might've rounded
out the meal.

I never see celebrities, I'm not sure if its because I don't pay attention
to my surroundings or that I don't frequent their lairs. And oddly, whenever
I do spot one there's a Coen brother connection. Not too long ago Tim Blake
Nelson sat next to us at Lombardis. This evening Frances McDormand and two
gentlemen were seated at the table across from us. They came after us and
left before we did, so obviously they were fine with eating even less food
than we did, or else they're really fast eaters.

'inoteca* 98 Rivington St., New
York, NY

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Nov 6

Legal Sea Foods

I love a good New Jersey chain restaurant, thats no secret, but Legal Sea Foods doesnt really fit into the Outback Steakhouse/Olive Garden/Chilis mold. It does sit right next to Ruby Tuesdays in the Garden State Plaza, but I think its trying to be more. And for some reason I can deal with an upscale Boston chain while the Napa Valley Grille in the same mall drives me nuts just on principle.

Sometimes I fear my fascination with chain eateries will cease to be the occasional amusement and that at some point I will have crossed over into the realm of typical customer. (I certainly don't think of myself as a “yuppie.” Lord, who would unless they were trying to be truly ‘80s retro, but I am white, live in a relatively affluent, peaceful tree lined Brooklyn enclave and enjoy food and wine. I don't partake in much sushi or chardonnay and barely earn enough to cover basic expenses.) The mousy, wire-rimmed glasses and office lady sweater duster look hasnt overtaken me yet. And so far, James isnt into shaker knits and pleats. We witnessed these old before their time twosomes, as well as merry divorcees bragging about reverting to their maiden names (and drinking the exact same Cabernet Sauvignon I have at home). Ill revel in Legal Sea Foods, but I refuse to be them.

You are reminded you arent truly fine dining because the waitstaff is a little overzealous. Our guy was manic (which was further proven by his giant, animated bubbly male handwriting on the bill) totally overdoing it like he really took to heart being told to compliment the customers choices during training. We ordered the seafood dip and he spazzed out, “thats my favorite, no one ever orders it.” Ok, fine, he couldve stopped there, but continued with vigorous disgust, “I don't know why no one ever orders it. It makes me sick!” Yikes, Ok.

After the crab dip so wonderful and misunderstood that it made our waiter sick I had the shrimp trio, which contained wood grilled, baked and stuffed, and coconut varieties. I also went starch crazy with my two sides and tried the jalepeno cheddar polenta (which was abnormally enormous, easily twice the size of Jamess portion) and baked squash, which was actually quite good: buttery, charred around the cubed edges and tossed with appropriately seasonal dried cranberries.

I left feeling slightly dirty and a tiny bit closer to impending suburbanhood. But at least I have yet to set foot in Napa Valley Grille.

Legal Sea Foods *One Garden State Plaza,Paramus, NJ

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Oct 29

Suenos

1/2

I swear the older I get the more susceptible I become to suggestion. For the
past couple years I've meant to check out bakeries offering Day of the Dead
treats, and every year I'm either distracted or forgetful. This is pretty
sad considering three of these years I lived in one of NYCs largest Mexican
neighborhoods, Sunset Park. It wasn't until I read a recent
Manhattan-centric New York Times round up of restaurants with special Day of
the Dead menus that I became motivated to take an interest.

For no particular reason I'm kind of so-so on upscale Mexican
restaurants, not that I've tried that many of them. But Suenos had always
sounded interesting to me, maybe because of the youngish female chef. This
was really an excuse to try a new-to-me restaurant that I'd probably never
get around to otherwise. The whole thing was last minute, James called
Friday afternoon for seating that same evening, which was why we ended up
with such an early reservation. Dining at 6pm on a Friday in Manhattan makes
you a weirdo, I know that, but sometimes you have no choice.

We chose from the prix fixe menu with drink pairings. I had seafood
tacos with ancho chile tortillas and a more standard margarita (as opposed
to Jamess “smoky” version that accompanied his duck flauta. I
didnt think there was anything wrong with the waitress emphasizing the
tequilas smokiness though James seemed to find this hilarious and
pretentious) and pork loin stuffed with apples, canela, pine nuts, and
salsa, paired with sangria. Dessert was the only course that actually
included one of the traditional items I was interested in, but it was so
heavy: toasted day of the dead bread, candied pumpkin seeds and chocolate
atole with crema de mescal. It wouldve made a nice breakfast. I was glad to
have sampled the cuisine, I enjoyed the meal, though next year there will be
no excuse for not branching out.

Suenos* 311 W. 17th St., New
York, NY

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Oct 16

La Fogata

1/2

Yes, it's one of those suburban strip mall, big margarita joints. I don't
mind that type of food, in fact I crave it every now and then (luckily NYC
isn't so highbrow in the Tex-Mex department–there are plenty of
salt-on-the-rim, chips-and-salsa places to choose from). But Portland's west
suburbs actually have a Mexican population, hence "real" Mexican food. I saw
taco trucks in parking lots and read about tiny tacquerias in Hillsboro, my
mom's environs.
It just wasn't right to be so close and not even get to try the regional
offerings. But my sister is vegetarian (they're fine people, but the worst
for food exploring) and I didn't have the urge to get my mom and husband in
the mood. Trekking out on my own wasn't really an option since I didn't have
a car or any solitary time to spare.
This was hardly a culinary getaway. I was there from NYC, my sister from
England on short notice to see our father who'd unexpectedly been put on
life support. Hardly festive and appetite inducing. And in a way La Fogata
was wholly appropriate. My dad was a most un-Mexican Mexican. He loved these
sorts of Gringo-filled combo platter restaurants. He didn't speak Spanish,
though he must've grown up on at least some traditional Mexican food. I'm
guessing he wanted to be more American and he did a pretty good job (he was
exactly like Hank Hill if he were Hispanic). I wouldn't mind being a little
less, but honestly I wouldn't argue with a scalding hot plate of oozing
refried beans with a thick skin of pepper jack cheese and a nice crisp
chimichanga, authentic or not.

La Fogata * 3905 SW 117th Ave., Beaverton, OR

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Oct 15

Village Inn

I swear they used to have a monte cristo, but apparently those days are gone. Now its all skillets (isn't Applebees all into those too?) and low carb. Not that their food has become any healthier, of course. Everything is cheesy (literally). Melts are a great category, and oversized in classic chain restaurant style. I love this casual dining genre, but even I was starting to feel a little ill by the time I hit Village Inn, my last day in Portland (it probably didn't help that I'd just come from the hospital down the street, sort of knowing that would be the last time I'd probably see my dad). All the bacon, turkey, swiss cheese just weren't working their melt magic. Now, if I could've had those fillings encased in french toast with a side of jelly, I might be singing a different tune.

Village Inn * 1621 NE 10th Ave., Portland, OR

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Oct 15

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse

Cornelius. The name would throw me and my sister into giggles. In the
backseat of the Tempo or Mercury or Escort, whichever Ford model we owned
that year, wed bust up pronouncing it Planet of the Apes-style, plowing
through the tiny township on our way to Cannon Beach.

I don't think Cornelius is actually a town, its a pass (whatever that
means) and it used to seem farther than far. Now my mom lives minutes away
and the McMenamins have converted a roadhouse (another one of those terms
that sounds good on paper, but isnt clear in reality. It's hard not to
conjure up Patrick Swayze.) into a microbrewery in typical Northwest
fashion. This time my sister behind the wheel, me shotgun, mom and step-dude
in the back, we drove a mere mile or two to my last Portland meal on my
recent more (family) business than pleasure trip.

I cant believe I actually ate a salad during this week, but my body was
starting to rebel—who knew I was capable of tiring of the
fried/sweet/oily canon. Normally, I wouldn't have an issue (while outside
NYC, I tend to loosen my dietary rules) with eating french fries for lunch
and dinner, but it had become too much, I needed real vegetables. So, the
Thai chicken salad it was. It wasn't remarkable, but appropriately crispy,
fresh and went well with a ruby ale. Really, at least on this particularly
evening, food was merely an excuse for drink. We downed a few diverse
microbrews, then hit a nearby Albertsons for a case or something lower brow.

Cornelius
Pass Roadhouse * 4045 NW Cornelius Pass Rd., Hillsboro, OR

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Oct 14

Izzy’s

Ah…sweet, sweet Izzy's. Yes, its primarily a pizza parlor, but
everyone knows its about the buffet. It has evolved over the years to
include a taco bar and oddball pizzas like mu shu pork. I tend to stick with
what I know and take the same approach as when I was a youngster. (Dont even
get me started on the thrill of my life when I got to meet Izzy Covalt in
person at the Izzys across the street from Gresham High School on the last
day of freshman year.)

Totally ignore the section with salad makings, fresh fruit and cottage
cheese and go straight for the meat and starches. I'm totally enamored with
that NW stalwart (I never knew it was regional till I moved away—same
goes for maple bars) the jo jo potato, which is no more than potato wedges
or circles that have been battered and deep-fried (delis serve them with a
side of ranch). I also get fried chicken and something with sticky bbq
sauce, either ribs or more chicken cooked in a different style. All the
sweet goo gets on your jo jos and its a match made in heaven. It's very
upsetting when there's a lull in the Hawaiian pizzas, this is rare delicacy
now that I live amidst serious pizza snobbery of the East Coast.

Dinner must be topped off by a stop at the soft serve sundae bar, and
don't stop there, there's fluffy pudding and whipped cream concoctions,
brownies, fudge lava cake, and plenty more. And all the soda you can drink
(which albeit, isnt much).

Izzy’s * 11900 SW Broadway St., Beaverton, OR

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Oct 14

The Freshman

I love the name–how could you not? And no, not just because I have a fondness for Frank Whaley and his oeuvre. I would go regardless of what they served just to see what someplace called The Freshman might have to offer. Luckily, The Freshman is a shiny strip mall Chinese bakery, bubble tea, fast food joint near my moms mobile home park. Thats a genre I can appreciate, and I convinced my mom and sister to check it out with me for lunch. Loaded up with a seafood fishball noodle soup concoction, tapioca ball smoothie and something vegetarian for my sister, a porky noodley dish for my mom and lots of sweet filled buns to go, we did a pretty good job of ruining our appetites for Izzy's buffet later that night.

The Freshman * 16165 SW Regatta Ln., Beaverton, OR

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Posts from the ‘What to Eat’ Category

Yagura

Mermaid Inn

‘inoteca

Legal Sea Foods

Suenos

La Fogata

Village Inn

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse

Izzy’s

The Freshman

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