Stop #41: Portland, Oregon, USA

Donuts
Voodoo Doughnut—Yes, let’s talk about donuts. It’s a big thing in Portland. Besides Multnomah Falls, Voodoo Doughnut is probably the most visited tourist attraction. Look at that line out of the door and wrapping around a few times!

But honestly, I thought their doughnut was mediocre. The raised glazed (raised yeast doughnut) and old fashioned (cake doughnut) were ok, but when you started adding fillings and frostings, they just got overly sweet for me. They did have some wild creations. They were also very proud of their Portland Cream, competing against Boston Cream.

For more information, visit https://www.voodoodoughnut.com.

Blue Star Donuts—Now this was to die for, gourmet donuts! The crust on the outside was crispy; I could hear the crunch as I bit into it. Each fritter was scored before frying. They used brioche as their raised-yeast base. And the selection just sounded amazing. I couldn't possibly try all of them, sadly. But listen to this: Raspberry Rosemary Buttermilk, Passionfruit Cocoa Nibs, Blueberry Bourbon Basil, Cointreau Creme Brulee, just to name a few. They made donuts from scratch, with fresh fruits, herbs and spices, even liqueurs. AMAZING!

For more information, visit http://www.bluestardonuts.com.

Pip’s Original—Fresh, made to order mini doughnuts! Being mini was the perfect excuse for me to eat more than one at a time! Each one was fried in super-heated organic soy shortening. The sugary exterior created a crispy layer that protected the fluffy insides. What a warm and cakey delight!

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/PipsOriginal/.


Coffee
Coava Coffee Roasters—Portland is a coffee town, with over 90,000 coffee shops. I only got to sample a few of them. Coava captured my heart. Coava’s sustainably grown coffees came from Latin America and Africa and were processed with care. They produced their own metal filter for their pour overs.

The honey latte, with their own honey syrup (honey, water and sea salt) and local milk, was so smooth and delicious. I savored each sip. The best surprise was that they were giving out coffee bean sample bags. I ended up bringing home both washed and natural (unwashed) El Ischo coffee beans! 

For more information, visit https://coavacoffee.com. 

Stumptown—Famous for their cold brew, Stumptown was like the Starbucks of Portland with many locations throughout the city.  

For more information, visit https://www.stumptowncoffee.com.


Food pods
Alder St. Food Cart Pod—I never knew what food pods were until I got to Portland. They had food carts filling up an entire city block. How amazing was that!

Bing Mi!—It was probably the most talked-about food cart and it did not disappoint. Their jianbing was made to order and had bing sauce, scrambled egg, green onion, cilantro, preserved vegetables and wonton cracker in a savory crepe. The unique combination of texture and flavor—it was saucy, it was crunchy, it was delicious.

For more information, visit https://www.bingmiportland.com. 

Bao Bao—I am very picky about my baos. I usually don’t have a problem with the fillings, but to me, it’s all about the texture of the dough. If that is not done right, then the bao is no good. The proportion between the filling and dough is also very important. Bao Bao did it right. The dough had the perfectly softness and chewiness. The fillings were juicy and tasty. They offered sweet and savory baos. Surprisingly, this was probably the best food I had in Portland. At least, it is the one that I can’t stop thinking about. 

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/baobaopdx/.

Nong’s Khao Man Gai—Started as a food cart in Alder St lot, it now has three locations, including two restaurants. Khao man gai is one of the most popular thai food that you can find almost everywhere in Thailand especially Bangkok. The original Khao man gai is from Hainan province, China, so some people refer to it as Hainanese chicken. The whole chicken is poached. The chicken broth is then used to cook the rice with aromatic thai herbs. The menu was super simple, basically chicken and rice with a few variations. They even provided an instruction card on how to eat this dish—Add sauce to chicken and rice, take a bite, sip soup, eat cucumber, repeat. Enjoy!

For more information, visit http://khaomangai.com.

Cartopia—This food pod had outdoor seating, with fire pits at night!

Chicken and Guns—Chicken and Guns focused on Latin chicken roasted over oak and mesquite. The chicken was succulent and juicy. The green sauce was the bomb. Amazing food. Again, from a food cart. Gotta love Portland.

For more information, visit http://www.chickenandguns.com. 

Tahrir Square—It was an Egyptian cuisine food cart with gyros and falafels. The chicken gyro sandwich was very good.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/TahrirSquarePortland/.

Potato Champion—Served hand cut, twice fried Belgium style fries, a variety of house made dipping sauces, and poutine. Both Rosemary Truffle Ketchup and Curry Sauce were good.

For more information, visit http://www.potatochampion.com.


Sweets
Salt and Straw—If you were to call an ice cream brilliant, this is it. Their classic flavors are very creative. They also routinely have new seasonal flavors. Everything is sourced locally, farm-to-cone!

Their ice cream was smooth and rich at the same time; the texture was just right. I did not know what to expect with this Honey lavender flavor but it was really good! I could taste the lavender, which was interesting for my taste bud. 

Chocolate Gooey Brownie had real brownie bits in it. Amazing. 

For more information, visit https://saltandstraw.com.

Woodblock Chocolate—Both Salt and Straw and Stumptown Coffee Roasters use Woodblock Chocolate. Their chocolate is simple and pure, starting with two ingredients—cocoa and pure cane sugar. They source the beans and make the chocolate themselves.

And who doesn’t love a sample bar! 

For more information, visit https://woodblock.myshopify.com.

More food
Pok Pok—I dreamed about eating here for years. It finally came true. Andy Ricker’s interpretation of Thai and Southeast Asian food had always intrigued me. You would not find Pad Thai here. They specialize in food you would likely find at small streetside restaurants, pubs or cafes in Southeast Asia. In another word, the food is homey and comforting. I truly enjoyed each dish.

Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings: Half dozen fresh whole natural chicken wings marinated in fish sauce and sugar, deep fried, tossed in caramelized Vietnamese fish sauce and garlic and served with Cu Cai (pickled vegetables.)

Kung Op Wun Sen: Wild caught gulf prawns baked in a clay pot over charcoal with pork belly, lao jiin, soy, ginger, cilantro root, black pepper, Chinese celery and bean thread noodles. Served with naam jiim seafood.

Kaeng Hang Leh: Northern Thai sweet pork belly and pork shoulder curry with ginger, palm sugar, turmeric, tamarind, Burmese curry powder and pickled garlic.

For more information, visit https://pokpokrestaurants.com.

Screen Door—Screen Door is a very popular brunch place in Portland. They serve Southern American cuisine with a bit of Northeast flare. I heard the wait is usually very long. I went on a weekday so it was not bad. Still it was a full house and rightly so. The food was done well and worth the hype.

Screen Door Praline Bacon: Smoked bacon caramelized w/ toasted pecans, brown sugar & a hint of cayenne

Fried Chicken & Waffle: Screen Door’s famous buttermilk battered fried chicken served with sweet potato waffle and syrup

Buttermilk Biscuits & Gravy

For more information, visit https://screendoorrestaurant.com.

Tillamook Creamery—It was fun to tour the factory and sample all kinds of cheese. Dining hall offered many different food options and, of course, ice cream. Food was good but I felt cheese overload after the meal if there was such a thing as too much cheese.

Classic Tillamook Grilled Cheese: Melty goodness, grilled to perfection. Tillamook Medium and Sharp Cheddar on Portland French Bakery bread.
Classic Tomato Soup: Creamy tomato soup with Cheese Curds.

Tempura Battered Cheese Curds: Fresh Tillamook Cheddar Curds with Sriracha ranch dipping sauce.

Classic Mac and Cheese: A creamy blend of Tillamook Medium & Sharp Cheddars. Topped with crushed buttery herb bread crumbs.

Classic Cheeseburger: 6 oz beef patty, Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, shaved iceberg lettuce, pickles, special burger sauce on brioche bun.

For more information, visit https://www.tillamook.com/creamery.html#general.

Stop #40: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Leonard’s Bakery
Leonard’s has been serving malasadas since 1953. A malasada is a Portugese doughnut without a hole. The dough had the right amount of chewiness. The custard filling was generous and not too sweet. I will miss this light, warm and sugary perfection.

For more information, visit https://www.leonardshawaii.com/home/.


Helena’s Hawaiian Food
Please don't wake me up; I am still dreaming about these short ribs. I saw rows and rows of beef short ribs hanging above the stove tops in the kitchen. These ribs were marinated and then hung to dry. They were then grilled to order. Short Ribs, Pipikaula Style, was the bomb. I loved everything about it. The outside was crispy but the meat was not dried out. It was delicious!

Kalua pig (cooked in an underground oven, called an imu) and Laulau (pork wrapped in banana leaf) were also tender and juicy.

For more information, visit https://www.helenashawaiianfood.com/.


Marukame Udon
Fresh noodle, you say? How could I turn away but wait in that ridiculously long line. It was almost like an assembly line—get on line, order and get what you want by following the stations, pay, sit and eat, and clean up. I got to assemble the perfect meal for me. Udon (thick wheat flour noodle) was done well. Broth was rich but not oily. It was big bowl of happiness. Their tempura selection was awesome. They even had fried chicken and a few sushi/musubi options.

For more information, visit http://www.toridollusa.com/menu-waikiki.php.