Out with some business colleagues for lunch the other day, this is a regular haunt of said colleagues, close to their office.  Galliano’s  in the “fast casual’ category with table service, counter ordering.

They offer a fairly full-line Italian style menu, with sandwiches, pizza, salads, pasta and selected entrees.

A large menu board, replete with misspellings (“avacado”, “muscles”) is behind the counter, place your order, pay, and in short order, your food will be brought to your table.

Our party of five managed to sample a broad selection of the foods,  two of us had meatball sandwiches, one a pizza, another the chopped salad.

All of the food was aesthetically and palate pleasing.  I was one of the meatball sammie guys, something I would ordinarily never order (for no particular reason), and it was delicious.   Wedges of flavorful meatballs, red sauce, cheese,  on a very high quality roll.  The meatballs were (I am guessing) a blend of veal and pork, with Italian herbs, slight fennel.   Side choices were soup, salad, or waffle fries (not sure I have ever had the latter in Italy, but probably a normal add-on for American tastes.)

The colleague immediately to my left went with the small (11″ ) Supreme pizza, and I was drooling over (but not offered any) the obviously hand-pulled Italian sausage, and thin crusts.

Verdict?  I liked it.   I’m in the area on occasion, and will hog a large pizza for myself next time I am in Tukwila.  They have a 2nd location near Sea-Tac, as well.

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The fine folks at Wendy’s contacted me and asked me to try out their new Spicy Guacamole Chicken Club sandwich, and furnished me with the means to do that.

They describe their newest sandwich as  ”Made with a seasoned spicy chicken breast, authentic guacamole, crisp Applewood smoked bacon and pepper jack cheese.”

Chicken is rarely on my fast food radar, and a chicken sandwich even less often,  so I was game for the experience.

Wendy’s has been on a tear lately, with a top to bottom updating, examining their menu, adding new items, building prototype new outlets, and taking a hard look at their staffing as well, and so far, they get a A+ for the effort.

Customers have lauded and rewarded the efforts, as it was recently announced Wendy’s passed BK to become America’s second largest fast food chain.

I was more than happy with the sandwich.   The bun was bakery soft, the guac ultra fresh, with just a little bit of kick, and the chicken filet nicely fried with a crispy coating with a slight bit of black pepper accent.

Don’t be mislead by the term “spicy” in the description.  Some chicken chains use of the word (and accompanying spices) turns out a blazin’ hot (to my palate) piece of bird, but Wendy’s has built a sandwich designed to appeal to the masses – so you can take the word “spicy” in this instance to mean “flavorful.”

I went with the combo, and for my money, Wendy’s “new” sea salt natural cut fries continue to be one of the best offerings in the fast food side segment. Their applewood smoked bacon, available on a variety of offerings, continues to be some of the best in the biz, as well.

Recommended.

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Now how I have missed this place? In the parking lot of Whole Foods on SE Burnside, Franks A Lot has been dishing up specialty dogs for years – long before the whole Portland food cart craze.

We were in the neighborhood, biding our time waiting on Portland’s extraordinary garden consultant, Sara Pool, to plan the annual Burgerdogboy condiment garden.  We planned to meet for snacks or dinner, but I was feeling a might peckish, and Mrs. BDB suggested she buy me a dog to tide me over.

Who was I to argue?

Offering a myriad of my favorite types of dogs and toppings, I opted for P&S (my initials, but also “plain and simple”) and went with the big beef dog with a schmear of yellow mustard, and nothing else.

It was absolutely delish!  Thanks a lot, Franks a lot.  I’ll be back!  Often.  Might even consider moving to your ‘hood!

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I’ve been blessed to have lived in some of the great food cities of the world; and there’s always at least one local favorite I miss when I have moved away from those burgs – Italian beef from Chicago, po-boys from New Orleans to mention two.

Heating roast beef correctly in au jus is an art form, if the temp is just a 1/10th of a degree too hot (it seems to me) it’s easy for your beef to end up curled and chewy.   Many in Portland have tried to master the art of the basic dip sandwich, purportedly invented in Los Angeles at either Cole’s or Philippes, both of whom claim bragging rights.

In both Chicago and New Orleans, who has the best beef dip (respectively, “Italian Beef” or “Roast Beef Po-Boy”) can lead to heated arguments, if not downright brawls.

In Portland, there can seem to be no question, the title goes to relative newcomer “Wagsy’s Hot Beef Sandwiches”, a cart at SW Fifth and Oak.  I’ve tried the rest, and now I’ve found the best.

These guys have created a menu based around different variations of beef dip, and after the first bite of the “Chi-Town”, I was hooked.   An ample quantity of quality, thin-sliced roast beef, on very fresh bread, served “wet”, and in beef dip terms, that means the loaf is dipped in the au jus slightly for a taste and texture sensation.

The home town version in Chicago is highly flavored with garlic and herbs, but Wagsy’s have toned this down, I suspect, for a wider audience, and for my palate, it’s just perfect.

For five bucks, it’s a very filling sandwich, and it comes with a small ramekin of a vegetable medley (giardiniera) which you may dress the sandwich with if that’s your preference.

A nice finishing touch is provided with a wet nap and toothpick taped to the sandwich box.

Wagsy’s offers some other interpretations of the dip, a Philly style, and a BBQ one, as well as a veggie choice.

Good job guys.  You’ve a winning combination.  I can easily see a leap to multiple city brick and mortars in your future.

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This is our “go to” neighborhood sushi place. Mrs. Burgerdogboy loves to get her sushi on, and Sho (formerly an outlet of KOJI) fills the bill with fresh, made-to-order sushi  at a nominal price.

Mrs. BDB always gets the deluxe sushi assortment, which comes with a variety of pieces and miso;  I generally go for the panko chicken breast dinner, which comes with (wait for it) – a  helluvalot of chicken strips, miso, 4 pieces of california roll, a green salad, potato salad (?) and rice.   We escape for less than $35.

We’re both happy with the joint, and have also dined in on occasion; the service is usually fast and courteous, the restaurant is clean.  SHO has a full bar, an adequate wine list, and over 20 varieties of saki.

They are open for lunch and dinner seven days, later on Friday and Saturday.   We recommend you patronize these nice people when you are in SW.

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Strada is an egg-custard type casserole, frequently served for breakfast or lunch.  It’s a riff on the word “strata”, which mean ‘layers’ as found in natural formations of geology.

My mother first introduced me to the dish, which she made on occasion for her social gatherings – using a relatively common standard list of ingredients of eggs, milk,  ham, cheese, and crust-less bread.   One layers the bread in the bottom of a baking dish, layers ham on top of the bread, and fills the remainder of the dish with a mixture of eggs, milk (or cream) and cheese, which is whipped into a frenzy.  Refrigerate overnight before baking in the morning.  The end result is reminiscent of quiche.

I created my own variation later in life, with a “reuben” strada, using corned beef, swiss, and kraut.   I squeeze as much moisture out of the kraut as possible, lest the dish become a mushy mess, and substitute rye bread.  It’s pretty damned good.

One of the great things about living in Portland is the plethora of a choice of gourmet markets, and one of my favorite is “Market of Choice,” a decidedly upscale grocery, with the requisite separate counters for a fishmonger, butcher, and deli.  The deli (and bakery) have a bevy of prepared dishes designed to delight the taste buds and seriously injure your bank account.

We picked up a single serving of their asparagus and prosciutto strada yesterday for our Easter breakfast.  It was a very hefty serving, easily enough for two, and the register topped $7.50 f0r the slice.

Market of Choice’s variation is heavier on bread than my own, and also heavier on savory, creamy cheese.  On a per ounce basis, it’s not very economical, but then, there is no measure on “cents per taste sensation”, otherwise this version would be very economical.

It’s a delight.

One thing you can’t tell from the photo is the size of the piece, it’s more than ample.

Here’s a basic recipe for strada; you might try your own variations, like salmon and cream cheese, for instance.

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I’ve been into a Tony Roma’s once, and it was on the occasion of a group of Chinese I was working with wanting an “authentic American meal”;  the restaurant was in Hong Kong.   No idea what I had to eat that nite, for sure it wasn’t ribs, cause that particular dish is never on my target list of potential dinners out; just not my favorite.

As you have undoubtedly noticed, grocery stores are loading up on branded products from America’s fast casual food chains, and whether you want products named “Taco Bell,” “Fridays”, “Marie Callendars”, “Claim Jumper”, or any other representative samples of the casual dining experience at home, your local grocery is sure to have a wide selection of these types of products.

They are usually puked out of some co-packer factory and licensed by the copy right owner, and such is the case with Tony Roma’s Pulled Pork BBQ, manufactured by Rupari Food Services, with an HQ in Florida, and a factory in suburban Chicago.  Various internet articles called them “purveyors of fine foods to wholesalers, retailers, and restaurant chains,” and one reference called them the largest manufacturer of ribs in the country.

The pulled pork is sold in an 18 oz tub, pre-cooked, ready for the microwave or stove top.  Nutritional information says the tub serves 4.

I always opt for the stove-top heating option, just a personal quirk of mine, and in minutes the meat/sauce was ready for a bun and plating.

I like my pulled pork on a bun one of two ways, with either a mound of cole slaw on top, or dill pickle chips.  No slaw in site, I opted for the latter on this day.

I can’t imagine there would be any economy of scale in having a troop of workers scraping pork roasts with forks to reach what is normally regarded as pulled pork consistency, and the ultra-fine shredded meat in this preparation would lead me to believe that mechanical automation had a hand in separating this meat.

The sauce is thick, smoky, and leans towards the ‘sweet’ recipe of BBQ sauce.  This is probably due to the restaurant’s heritage and Southeastern roots, the first restaurant was in Miami.

The product has a good taste, texture, and is a relatively good value compared to similar grocery offerings.

To make good pulled pork at home is a multi-step, 24 hour operation, and Tony Roma’s product satisfies my urges without the fuss or muss.

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Fresh out of a session of wandering around my past lives, I continued my roaming in this life, and was driving down SE Foster in Portland when I spotted this gem of a market. With an odd little name, Overseas Taste is tucked off Foster in a small building with a kitschy painting on the front, and “European products” hand painted in Russian fronting the small, off-street parking lot on SE 64th Avenue. I didn’t have time to stop at that moment, but we returned on a Saturday afternoon to see what was up with this place. I do love me an old fashioned meat market. (Of the four-legged kind).

Walking in, your olfactory senses start to tango at the deep earthy small of myriad smoked meats, displayed in the counter and hanging from the ceiling.

Peruse the small selection of shelved groceries from the former SSR’s like biscuits, soup mixes, pickled vegetables and a small selection of caviar, while your are waiting for your turn at the butcher counter.

Prepare to take your time when selecting your meats, as there is plenty to choose from.

We went with at least a half-dozen selections, including Hungarian sausage and bulk bologna for me, and honest-to-goodness beef jerky and a smoked chicken thigh for Mrs. Burgerdogboy to nosh on in the car for the trip home.

Bulk bologna you say? Yes, I had been thinking about looking for some lately, in order to introduce Mrs. Burgerdogboy to the delicacy of Newfoundland, a genuine fried bologna sandwich, which can is a thick slab of meat in a fry pan or on the grill, smashed between two slices of nutritionally-deprived white bread, and decorated with mayo, mustard, and lettuce, tomato, and if you like, a slice of cheddar.

Mrs. BDB counts jerky among her personal vices, but has grown weary of the pressed, chopped, formed or extruded varieties, so we were delighted to find actual strips of beef available of the smokehouse variety at Overseas Taste.

We picked up a couple of other sausages and some double-smoked bacon as well.

This is my new favorite Eastern European market, although I regularly stop at Victor’s, on 99w in Tigard as well. Victor’s has the advantage (for us) as being both geographically close, and he also makes our favorite South African style jerky “Biltong.”

Specialty meat purveyors are making their way back into the mainstream, and Portlandians are fortunate to have many to choose from.

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The name literary is a contradiction, “Veritable” means ‘something of certainty”, and “Quandary”  means ‘difficult to predict, or uncertainty,’  and the restaurant of the same name near Portland’s waterfront, is anything but.

VQ, as locals refer to it, was created in 1971 and for decades has consistently hammered out some of the most innovative takes on America’s regional fares while utilizing local ingredients.

The menu varies from time to time, and can be found online.

I was meeting some business colleagues for a quick lunch, and VQ was geographically desirable to their office location(s).

One of my colleagues said in advance he had been jonesing for the seafood stew, a rich broth full of fish, mollusks, and shellfish.  From the smile on his face and the interruption in the conversation, I can only surmise it was delicious and I have made a note to try it next time.

And me?  Why, I went with the highly-acclaimed VQ burger, Cascade Range beef on a ciabatta that leaned towards the softer side, accompanied by some pickled vegetables, and house-cut fries.

It was cooked to my medium rare preference, and plated beautifully.

One of my companions said it was one of the best burgers in Portland, and opined he thought they put some sausage or sausage-like seasonings in the meat.   I wouldn’t disagree on his judgement, but I don’t believe the burger had an sausage (pork) in it, or the menu or waiter would have stated so.   Wait-service was great, by the way.

The beef was seasoned, and the flavor reminded me of burgers I have had in the  Caribbean, tho I cannnot pinpoint the flavor for you.  It’s not strong or unplesanant at all;  I may guess that the seasoning is onion-related.

The burger was crowned with a medium white cheddar, and the entire experience was on the high end of the scale.

Definitely now one of my top 5 burgers in Portland.  I shall return.  It’s said the VQ has a great weekend brunch, and it’s within an easy hike of most downtown hotels, as well.

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I like corned beef….real corned beef.  Short of making it at home or going to some esteemed purveyor like the Carnegie Deli in NYC (sandwich, $17.95), it’s becoming not so easy to find.  Oh, sure, lots of deli counters have a slab of meat that they will shave into bits for you – some pressed, chopped, and formed  (PCF) “roast”, that resembles ‘real’ corned beef in texture and taste.   But to me, it’s not the same.

Corned beef got its name in England, where it was traditionally a salt-cured brisket, and the ‘corn’ reference was not from the grain, but rather that they used “corns of salt” in the curing.

Not in the mood to make and wait at home, and certainly not of the mindset for the PCF type, I was intrigued to see some new packaging at my local grocer, Stone Ridge Ranch “Shaved Deli Style” Corned Beef.   It’s a heat and eat product, and not having read the label close enough, and by its packaging, I thought it was a mini-sized brisket.   14 oz for about $8.

Stone Ridge is a meat processor in suburban Los Angeles (PSI Foods)  that provides a wide variety of pre-cooked foods, under their own name or private label, to groceries and food services.

The packaging says that the product is made from “the finest 100% USDA inspected beef.  The beef is hand trimmed with just the right amount of marbling to ensure that wonderful melt-in-your-mouth flavor and tenderness.”

The meat comes vacuum sealed in a tray, already sliced.

It is very marbled.  Marbled is an industry term used to describe the amount of fat content visual to the naked eye.  In layman’s terms “streaks of white.”   Most meat  connoisseurs say that fat is what gives beef its flavor.  The world’s most expensive beef, Kobe, from Japan, is highly marbled.

The flavor is good, very mild, and as promised on the package, the meat is deli sliced.  It makes a good sandwich and is a relatively good value compared to deli counter offerings.

While the marbling exceeds my personal taste, it might suit yours.

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