A friend of mine turned me onto Nuestra Cocina place. You’ll notice my mention of it among the top restaurants in Portland. I just wanted to share a picture of the pork chops I got there. They’re sliced thin and grilled. They come with potato wedges all on a sea of tomatillo salsa. It’s out of this world.
I’ve lived here for most of my life. I thought I knew every nook and cranny of this place. Today though, I walked into the Edelweiss Sausage and Delicatessen for the first time. I turned and asked my wife, how it was that we had missed this little slice of nirvana. Humorously, not 90 seconds later, a guy walks in and sasks his wife how it was they had missed this magical slice of heaven.
I’ll tell you how we missed it. The building is as boring as can be and it sits on a side street, on the east side of the Ross Island Bridge at 3119 SE 12th (at Powell). This non-descript, Soviet-designed building, houses the best delicatessen, this side of Chicago.
The center of the store contains three or four aisles of European imported food… though one entire aisle is devoted to European cookies and candy. On the south wall of the store, there’s a cold case full of cheese. On the north wall, you’ll find German beers and wines. The magic — and I mean magic — is on the back wall. There you will find dozens and dozens of house-smoked salamis, meats and wursts. Don’t know what you want? Ask for a sample. Piled high are things like house-made wieners, countless varieties of salami, smoked beef, smoked pork chops, ribs, bacon. They’ve got bologna, liverwurst, ham, and pastrami. They also have bowls of potato salad and pasta salad.
You can also get lunch here. Today I ordered up a bier sausage on a bun, and I downed it with a German BitBurger bier. On the table were several condiments. I chose horseradish and a rustic mustard.
The woman at the counter said that they were busiest on Saturdays but that’s also the day they put more meat out. They’re closed on Sundays.
This place rocks. You must check it out.
I had the chance this evening to see an advanced screening of the upcoming movie, Julie & Julia. It’s two true stories — the stories of Julia Child and Julie Powell.
Julia Child, we all know. Julie Powell is a blogger from Queens, NY who dedicates her life for a year, cooking every recipe from Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Julia Child is played spot-on, by Meryl Streep. Julie Powell is played by Amy Adams.
The food was another star of the film. You won’t get many tips for how to de-bone a duck, but it’s quite possible that you will leave the theater wishing you hadn’t just filled up on just popcorn. Coq au Vin anyone?
I grew up with Julia Child. Though I was raised in a suburban neighborhood, I went to a grade school where fights broke out daily. Not being much of a fighter, I found ways to avoid the scene. One way was that I would go home at lunch. My routine was to turn on Julia Child while I cooked up my lunch. This really was my first experimentation in the kitchen and it made my lunch hours fun for me.
The movie seemed to capture that for me. We get to view Julia through the eyes of Amy Adams’ character. Her naivete is a central element to the picture. Julia Child had some odd quirks and a personality that was bigger than life. We knew that from her shows, but through Julie Powell, we get to experience it in a different way.
The stories of the two women run parallel to each other, sometimes mirroring each other. It’s a fun way to tell the story and keeps it from ever dragging. Stanley Tucci is one of my favorite actors and he plays an excellent Mr. Child.
The movie is oftentimes hilarious. Some of the laughs are from the dialog and some are from Streeps perfect portrayl of Julia. It is fully entertaining and I highly recommend it. A-
My wife and I try to get out at least once a week. Here’s our list of the best dinner spots in Portland:
1.) Toro Bravo www.torobravopdx.com
Located in NE Portland, it’s a tapas restaurant. The first time we ate there, I looked at the menu for five minutes and declared to my wife that nothing sounded edible. We asked the server to make some recommendations and everything was outstanding… some of the best tasting food I’ve ever had. If you check out their website, you can see their menu. Don’t let it scare you away. It reads like an adventure but trust me, everything you eat you will love. The restaurant is small and crowded. Expect to end of waiting a bit for a table (they don’t take reservations)… there’s a cocktail bar next door that helps with the wait. I can’t overstate how worth the wait this place is. 120 NE Russell Street
2.) 10-01 www.ten-01.comThis does not look or feel like a Portland place. It’s in the Pearl District but it feels like LA. They have a new chef and I have tried a few things from him but can’t speak to the entire menu. The previous chef left to work at a luxury hunting lodge in Alaska. Everything is beautifully presented, the servers are cool and the food is great. High attention to detail here. 1001 NW Couch Street at the corner of Couch and 10th Avenue. Reservations: 503-226-DINE
3.) Le Pigeon www.lepigeon.com
They’re filming several movies and TV shows in Portland right now and the Hollywood folks have discovered LePigeon. It’s the most “Portland” of the places on this list. You sit at community tables, elbow to elbow with your neighbors in what can best be described as the kitchen (that is VERY Portland). Gabriel Rucker, the chef was named by Bon Appetite as the best young chef in America. The food is perfect. The local daily paper, The Oregonian, named it as Co-Restaurant of the Year in 2008. It’s very possible that you’ll see celebrities here. 738 E Burnside Street Reservations: 503-546-8796
4.) Paley’s Place www.paleysplace.net
Portland’s most famous restaurant. It’s an annual nominee for the James Beard Award. It was the Oregonian’s Restaurant of the Year in 1999 so it’s not all that hip, but the food is excellent. It’s kind of along the lines of the Palmer House that we ate at on one of your previous visits. It’s local cuisine with a French twist. 1204 NW 21st Avenue Reservations: 503-243-2403
5.) Nostrana www.nostrana.com
Italian with a local Portland flavor. Their specialty is anything they cook in their wood oven. My favorite is to order the Margherita Pizza (it’s virtually a salad on thin bread) and the Tagliata flat iron steak. 1401 SE Morrison Reservations: 503-234-2427
6.) Beast www.beastpdx.com
Shared Restaurant of the Year honors with Le Pigeon last year. It’s expensive and eating there will take all evening. You sit in the kitchen at community tables. There are two seatings per night and everyone gets the same thing, served at the same time. You will converse with the chef and enjoy 6 (yes, six) courses of some of the best food you have ever eaten. Dish after dish will blow you away. It would be higher on my list except for the price. I couldn’t find it online exactly, but I think it was $75 per person, not including gratuity. We ate there about 2 months ago and had a great time. No one at our table was from Portland. 5425 NE 30th at the corner of 30th and Killingsworth Reservations: 503-841-6968
7.) Nuestra Cocina www.nuestra-cucina.com
A new discovery for us. Authentic home-cooked Mexican cuisine. We sat at the counter and enjoyed Portland’s best margaritas. The food is good and simple. We are looking forward to going back. It might just end up higher on my list but we’ve only been there once and were dazzled with our food. 2135 SE Division Street. Reservations: 503-232-2135
The site is named for a certain evening meal, but really, my favorite meal is breakfast. I think most people feel that way and that’s why bacon is showing up in all sorts of entrees and even desserts right now.
Portland is really getting the hang of breakfast. Ten years ago, the breakfast options were few. We had the Original Pancake House (which still ranks in my top 10), but that was about it. Now, there are some great place all around town… so many in fact that I think the Food Network’s Diners Drive-Ins and Dives is going to just move to Portland.
My list of best breakfasts changes over time. Sometimes it’s my tastes that are changing and other times it’s because I found someplace better. My latest favorite is a case of the latter. Podnah’s Pit BBQ is located at 1469 NE Prescott (http://www.podnahspit.com/) It’s just a hole in the wall kind of place. You don’t go for the ambiance. Why you go is for some of the most delicious and unusual breakfast fare in the city.
The biscuits and gravy is the star for me. The biscuits are huge and easily the best I’ve had. They come with smoked sausage gravy and two eggs. My only complaint is I wish there was a little more gravy for the biscuits to soak up. A must-have side dish is their house-smoked ham. It’s a giant slab of meat and the perfect accompaniment to everything.
One of the most popular items on the menu is their beef brisket. You might not think of Q as a breakfast food, but the brisket is awesome.
Service is “slowish” but that’s not the outstanding server’s fault. It’s a lot of tables for the small kitchen and everything is cooked to order. Your payment for waiting is hot and delicous grub and I promise it’s worth the wait.
In October, watch for Podnah’s on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
