Keep Portland Weird

I don't think that will be hard to do.

Bianca and I descended upon the land of eco-friendly fleece-wearing tattooed hipsters, quirky taxi drivers, the vegan homeless and the bearded last weekend hoping to eat a lot and stare at some trees.

Our first night out, we ended up at Bailey's Tavern in Downtown Portland which serves several varieties of local beer and has board games! Also, the beers are super cheap - $4.50 for a 20 oz and $2.50 for a 10 oz:

Bianca and I both ordered the peach hef, a popular local beer. Bianca asked the bartender in her best Valley girl accent if the prices were this cheap everywhere in Portland, prompting him to say yes while he silently judged us for shaving our legs and for wearing clothing probably made using sweatshop labor.

The next day, after taking a hike in Forest Park, we noshed on some food truck food for lunch.  Portland is infamous for its large variety of food trucks - many of them are clumped together in "pods" around the city.  We went to the food truck clump on SW Alder St. between 9th and 10th Aves, where approximately 25-30 trucks are lined up around a parking lot.

We were feeling carnivorous after an active morning and several of the delicious looking trucks were closed but we managed to get some solid bulgogi and ribs at an authentic Korean cart, a hefty meal for $6.

After, we washed down our meal down with a strawberry lassi from an Indian stand.  We continued sightseeing, napped and ended our day with a meal at Oba, a Latin American restaurant in the Pearl District, where everything we had, even the serrano chile-infused mojito, was delicious.

We ordered the salmon ceviche, the butternut squash enchiladas and the crispy coconut prawns to start.  The ceviche was interesting - salmon was definitely a change from typical ceviche and the orange and mango sauce it was served in was unique.  The crispy coconut prawns came with a jalapeno-citrus marmalade that was delicious and the butternut squash enchiladas were my favorite - the sweetness mixed with the tomato sauces were well balanced and unique as well.

As an entree to share, we ordered the 8 oz kobe beef steak topped with plaintains and bacon, served with a side of fresh vegetables, which was pretty much as tasty as it sounds.

Our final morning in Portland, we went to the ultimate food touristy spot - Voodoo Donuts.

Voodoo Donuts sells donuts that are unique and crazy and racy, with names and shapes that are not appropriate for my blog, and even offers marriage services.  Although they are no Bob's Donuts on Polk St, the toppings draw a huge crowd - we waited 45 minutes on a Sunday morning to get donuts.

Counterclockwise from the top: Captain Crunch Donut, a vegan cinnamon donut, a maple glazed donut with bacon on top (their famous donut) and a banana foster donut stuffed with bananas, peanut butter and chocolate.  They were all as sugary sweet and appetizing as they look, although the Captain Crunch cereal was slightly stale.

We couldn't finish the donuts, so after we took them and offered them to a homeless man, who promptly rejected them, claiming to be a "whole food-ist".  We finally convinced him to take the vegan donut.  It's people like him who will keep Portland weird.

Overall, here are my takeaways from Portland:
 - Being different is good
 - Free public transportation works
 - I will walk a long way to stand in a food truck line
 - Bob's Donuts is still the happiest place on earth

Bangers and Mash and Little Beers

So, the other day, Kevin Fisher finally agreed to hang out with me after I told him he could be in my blog. Yay!

We went to Jasper's Corner Tap and Kitchen on the corner of Taylor and O'Farrell (formerly the location of Ponzu), which just opened a week ago.  The restaurant serves upscale pub food, (a "gastropub") and a variety of cocktails and beers from around the world. I had sort of forgotten to make a reservation, and the website didn't have any availability, but when we got there, they were able to seat us immediately.  The decor was great - plenty of space, simply decorated and was packed without seeming too crowded.  There are a total of 137 seats in the restaurant, including the bar, a lounge area and two communal tables.

We decided to forgo the cocktail list, aptly named "The Beverage Book" at 16 pages and started with a couple of beers.  I got the Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, which was great - it tasted like a Guinness but was much smoother - and Kevin got an ale.

The waitress brought them over in these glasses and explained that the restaurant gave smaller pours because the beers had a higher alcohol content and they wanted the clientele to be able to enjoy multiple drinks.  Which basically was her way of telling us we were getting ripped off.  KF of course told her he wouldn't mind a bigger glass of beer and he would still be able to enjoy multiple drinks and then she fake laughed and walked away.

While recovering from the $7 mini-beer slap in the face we'd just been blown, we enjoyed the following appetizers: berkshire pork ribs with a scallion citrus rub and a salted warm soft pretzel with a side of smoked gouda and cheddar fondue. The fondue was incredible - it was warm and viscous without being too sharp and cheesy, and its mellow flavor complemented the soft pretzel well.  The riblettes were my favorite of the entire meal: the meat fell off the bone and the scallion citrus rub was tangy and zesty.

After appetizers, Kevin ordered another beer, hoping to get in at least a full pint of beer for the night and we settled in for the entrees: fish & chips and bangers & mash.  The fish & chips were decent - the fish was tender and crispy (made with a polenta crust) and came with a tart dipping sauce.  The bangers and mash were pretty amazing: spicy pork and beef sausage with an onion sauce, mashed potatoes with chives mixed in, and peas and fancy mini carrots.  The sausage had a surprising kick and the assertive taste was balanced by the smoothness and richness of the potato puree.

Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience - I would go back.  Jasper's fulfilled my expectations of an "upscale" gastropub, particularly when we received the check. (Kevin started crying when he saw it and then remembered he wasn't on a KPMG salary anymore)  Although the meal fell on the pricey side, any place that can bring me back to memories of being a 20-year old study abroad college student in a seedy London pub on a foggy night gets my approval.

Restaurant:	Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen
Location:	401 Taylor Street, SF, CA
Items ordered:	Berkshire Pork Ribs, Soft Pretzel with Fondue, Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash, Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Pricing:	$10-$30
Grades:	Taste: A; Cleanliness: A-; Service: B+