Old Town Pizza, Portland

Everybody raves about Old Town Pizza, just look at the front page of their website:  “Something to Experience before You Die”;  “Visited by the Tonight Show and Rachel Ray’s Tasty Travels“.

So what are my raves about Old Town?  It’s a really nice building and space.  Oh, and it’s a really nice building and space.

I went with their normal crust, which is kind of “Boboli-like” in nature; they now offer a “new thin crust” but it only comes in a smaller version. (Wot? Wot?).

The sauce is non-descript, and the cheese, well, is cheese.  I was really excited from the menu description of the “house-made sausage”, but it wasn’t all that flavorful, and the bits were miniscule.   There are lots of great house-made sausages around town, and this isn’t one of them.

You place your order at the ‘order counter’, and it’s not really clear that if you want drinks, you can pay together or separate (at least it wasn’t to me).

The order-taker gives you a playing card, and your pizza is brought out when it is ready.  If your server is ambitious, you’ll get flatware, plates, and napkins.  If they aren’t, you’ll have to ask.

Standard seasonings adorn each table.

I’m just moving into a new office in Old Town, and I was really hoping this place was going to be my twice-weekly stop or delivery choice.

Did I mention it’s a really nice building?

Old Town Pizza, Portland

 

Tweet

Waiting at the local mall the other day, actually waiting to have lunch with a client nearby, was feeling a might peckish and decided to have a pre-lunch slice. The food court option was Villa Pizza, an outlet of the nationwide brand chain, Villa Enterprises.

The origin of the pizza stems from a single outlet in NYC’s Times Square, and now they have over 200 locations in malls and airports across the country.

It was $3.50 for a good-sized slice of “New York style” pepperoni, and I liked it. Thin crust, capable of a good roll if you wanted to eat it “New York style”, with a crispy edge and chewy middle. The sauce has a bit of heat to it, and the pepperoni is low in fat enough to prevent cupping or charring.

I’d hit it up again.  Menu is online.

Villa Pizza

 

Villa Pizza

 

Tweet

Ok, it wasn’t “cooking”, but rather,”heating.”   We picked up a frozen Shepherd’s Pie at Trader Joe’s last week, and Mrs. BurgerDogBoy had a hankering for it last night.  It seemed like the perfect comfort food choice for a snowy night in Portland.

Having lived in London, I’ve consumed my share of shepherd’s pie, good, bad, and indifferent.

According to Wikipedia, the shepherd’s pie first came to light in the late 1700s, but known then as “cottage pie,” and was basically any leftover meat baked in a dish lined and covered with mashed potatoes.  The first reference to the name “Shepherd’s” seems to have occurred about 100 years later, as a distinction from “cottage” containing any type of meat, but “Shepherd’s” being made with lamb.

The classic recipe calls for a layer of mixed vegetables in a casserole dish, topped with meat, and covered with the mash.  The dish is baked first, then set under the broiler to crisp up the potatoes.  On occasion, a pan gravy is mixed in with the vegetables and meat.

Trader Joe’s version is described on the box as “seasoned beef with gravy and vegetables, topped with creamy mashed potatoes.”   It can be heated in the microwave for 8-10 minutes, or conventional oven at 425 for 25-30 minutes.

I chose the latter prep method, as I usually do, but after the required time, the dish was still frozen in the middle, so I finished it in the microwave.  Taking the opposite tack might have been a better idea.

Like most eat and eat products, you should let this one rest for a few minutes after  it is pulled from the oven.

The dish was flavorful, and fairly ample for two servings with 170 calories per serving and 22 g carbs, 1.5 g saturated fat.  That’s not really that unhealthy, if you watch what else you serve it with (we had more mixed vegetables).

We both liked it, and will have it again, I am sure.  On those few occasions when I have made it from scratch at home, I have used ground beef, but using rough cuts of beef was a better idea.

I do not have a photo of the finished product, straight from the oven.  Why?  Er,ah, camera trouble?   Nah,actually, I dropped it.  It wasn’t pretty!  7 second rule applied.

It would appear from the USDA plant number of the package, this product is made for Trader Joe’s by Huxtables of Vernon, CA.

Trader Joe's Shepherd's Pie

Tweet

My second experience with Bellagio’s wasn’t as good as my first one, however, there wasn’t enough change to put me off ordering from them again.

The first negative was I ordered before they had even opened, and ordered a delivery for 1130 A;  the store called me a few minutes later and said they were slammed with orders, and delivery would take a minimum of one hour and a half, did I still want the pie?  Well, at least they let me know, and I left the order in.

I once again ordered their all meat pie, which they call the “Butcher Block”, and has Mozzarella, Salami, Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, Italian Sausage. I added double cheese for an additional buck.

I was as impressed with the quality of meat toppings as I was the first go-around, tho I think with the economy, perhaps the quantity has lessened a bit, and the Italian sausage pieces seemed a bit smaller.

The cheese, this time – not so sure.  I don’t think I got the “double” portion, and the melt quality  (see pic) left a little something to be desired.  In the pic you’ll also note the grease stain on the paper plate.

The crust is fine, tho the thickness is not my preference, it still makes for an enjoyable experience, crispy on the perimeter, chewy as you work your way inland.

Actual delivery time (their charge is $2) took 1 hour and 45 minutes, which in my experience, isn’t usual.

Of the people that deliver to my SW neighborhood, Bellagio’s is clearly the best choice for midday.  Evenings, I will prefer to opt for the wider selections available from Delivered Dish.

How did they do on my ultimate test for pizza?  How is it the next morning after sitting out on the counter all night?  Bellagio passes that one with flying colors!  Think I’ll have a slice right now!

Bellagio Pizza Portland

Bellagio Pizza Portland

Tweet

Davis Street Tavern, Portland OR

Mr. Hot Shot Portland business lawyer Will Du Val and I ventured down 5th Street looking for  mild repast, and passed by Hamburger Mary’s and Theo’s in favor of Davis Street - a joint neither of us had experienced, but both of us had heard good things.  From whence, we do not recall.

Neither of us seemed to be in the mood for a “food experience” but rather the mundane task or eating to live (not living to eat).

So we did, perusing the menu and each of selecting 3 or 4 things we couldn’t live without, before figuratively throwing darts at a disinterested waiter.

The lunch menu is:

Davis Street Tavern Menu, Portland

 The attorney at the table went with the Mac n Cheese, after dithering over possibly selecting the fish tacos.   I sample his pasta, and it was downright tasty. It was labeled “three cheese bechamel”, and at least one of the fromages was on the tangier side which gave the noodles a nice bite.

And BurgerDogBoy?  I really, really DID think of ordering something else, but I got the burger, adorned with Tillamook sharp and braised pig belly ( a tasty ham-like cut).  The burger was prepared as specified with an ultra-soft yet study sesame bun, that I have sampled before on other Portland burgers, so probably a selection from one of our great artisan bakers.  Garnish included paper thin pickle chips, perhaps house-cured, slightly sweet., shredded lettuce, and “tomato jam.”  

Fries were thin and crispy.  Curiousity note:  Once again, another eatery w/o salt & pepper on the table.

Service was ‘business lunch perfunctory”, and today, that’s all we were looking for.

I’ll try them again.

Davis Street Tavern Cheeseburger

Tweet

As much as I carp about being served “Kobe” burgers which aren’t Kobe at all, today I am starting to get a little miffed about the liberal use of the word “sliders” on menus, and particularly, bar happy hour menus.

A quick Yelp of Portland restaurants ‘sliders’, for example, finds offerings of beef, lamb, pork, meat loaf, pulled pork, chicken, bulgogi, reuben, mac n cheese, veggie, tongue, muffaletta, loose meat, breakfast, bbq, duck, roast beef, corned beef, bratwurst, steak, and more.

Folks who study etymology (the origin of words) often attribute the word “slider” in this context, to the term US Navy personnel dubbed the hamburger during WW2. The reason was because the patties slid across the griddle as the ships rolled at sea.

But the word in present day culture has been largely popularized by two similar hamburger chains, White Castle in the East and Midwest, and Krystal in the south. These two very similar chains, started at about the same time, both offer a hamburger that has become synonymous with the word “slider” in our recent culture.

To wit: a small, square beef patty cooked on a steaming bed of diced onion. (pictured, a Famous Krystal hamburger, photo from their website).

So dear restaurateurs, please stop calling any old mini sandwich (or worse yet, a big sandwich cut into bite-sized pieces) a “slider.”  When I’m going out for a slider, give me a small, greasy, oniony burger every time!

Unfortunately, the nearest White Castle is 1980 miles; the nearest Krystal, 2049 miles.  While a great meal is always worth a drive – I think I will have to wait awhile before making this trip!

Tweet

Mrs. BurgerDogBoy and I spent our Saturday exploring some of Portland’s fabulous neighborhoods. Portland is one of the few fortunate cities in North America to have seemingly completely escaped urban decay – in addition to a still vibrant downtown, the area is still few of vital neighborhoods from back in the day – pockets of commerce that stretch along blocks of streets and avenues scattered here and there. And the best thing about these commerce strips? Most of the emporiums still fall into the category of locally owned mom and pop shops – when I say “strips of commerce”, we’re not talking about the Gap and Karmelkorn!

We tackled east Burnside in the morning, prowling thrift shops for other people’s junk that we could take home and add to our junk. Scored a few niceties.

Then we moved on to St. John’s, a one-time small town, now part of the urban sprawl, and parked a few miles north of the city center, straddling the river and Canada. OK, it’s Washington, but it might as well be Canada.

There’s a fantastic suspension bridge , with two giant Gothic towers, straddling the river to take you from US 30 to St. John’s, and many people believe it to have been designed by the game guy that did the Golden Gate – but it’s a common local misconception. The Golden Gate was designed by Joseph Strauss, and the St. John’s Bridge was designed by one of his chief rivals, D.B. Steinman, who also designed the famous Mackinaw Bridge on the Great Lakes.

Strolling around downtown St. John’s, along North Lombard Street, is a bit like stepping back in time, which is just fine with me.   Most of the store fronts are still occupied by businesses that have been there forever, including the two we stopped at, Patti’s Homeplate Cafe, and the Tulip Bakery.

Patti's Lunchplate Cafe

Visiting Patti’s is like going into an old-time diner when one is under the influence of something strong.  In addition to the ‘diner part’, there is a costume shop, knick-knacks, a counter selling Avon Products, a juke box that the 45s haven’t been changed since the mid 60s (fine with me), and apparently the place doubles as the local bingo parlor some nights.

The food is strictly American diner cuisine, and it’s as good as any in that segment, and a good value to boot.  I went with the Club sandwich, which was ultra-fine, and Mrs. BDB took up company with a BLT.  We both remarked on the quality of the bacon, thick-sliced and chewy, and asked the waitress where it came from.  She opined “Aloha Meats”, and I don’t have any knowledge of a local purveyor of that name, but there is Ponderosa Meats in ALOHA, Oregon,  maybe that is it.  On their website, they tout a thick-sliced bacon from Missoula.   Will have to definitely check that source out.  We loved the people at Patti’s, who were all ultra-friendly and helpful as can be.  I loved the background soundtrack, coming from the juke speakers, planted in the ceiling, amidst old 45s dangling on thread from the old acoustic tiles.  I played a game with myself during lunch, announcing the artist and year of each new song that came on.  Some of the useless trivia that fills my head.  My favorite?  “Runaway” by Del Shannon, 1961.  No, wait, it was “Telstar” by the Tornados (the Venturescovered this later).  The Tornados were actually the first British band to hit #1 on the top 100 chart in the US.  (See, more useless trivia).  Catch the Ventures on tour this year (with founder Don Wilson, here’s their calendar.

Tulip Bakery St. John's Portland

The Tulip Bakery, also around since the beginning of time, or at least the beginning of my time, was out of a lot of stock on a late Saturday afternoon, but we managed to score a few sweet and savory pastries and a loaf of bread.  Our intention was that these would make up the basis of our Sunday morning breakfast, but some of the treats were not destined to survive that long.  My personal favorite was the “Knot”, a pretzel-shaped donut with icing and nuts.    These people make Voodoo donuts seem like rank amateurs.

 A fun day, and oh yeah, we scored some thrift shop treasures, including a giant wood birdcage from a new eclectic place in St. John’s called “The Fishhead,”  just off Lombard.

Tweet

Salvador Molly’s is a casual bar featuring “world cuisine”.   That is, menu items reflect a whole host of different countries and cultures.  I might not have ever noticed this place, at it not been featured on an episode of “Man vs. Food”, where the chief gluttoneer, Adam Richman, took on a challenge to eat five spicy habanero fritters.  Did he make it?  Watch the video.

Mrs. Burgerdogboy and I had a vague plan to meet after work and grab something.  I had proposed a place or two, but when the time came, I didn’t really have a yen for going out, and I picked her up, and we started home.  On the way, she said she was feeling a might peckish, so purely on impulse, I pulled into “Mollys.”

They had me for three reasons right off the top:  1)  a pitcher of ice water brought to the table;  peanuts in the shell to munch on;  2) Stella Beer.

We perused the menu to narrow down the choices, which wasn’t that easy.  I came to a decision, which was a tie between a Cuban Sandwich and a Vietnamese French Dip (menu).

Prepared to offer one of those up to the server, I surprised myself, but mouthing those words, but out came “Djibouti Injera Platter”, an Ethiopian melange of richly flavored sauces, vegetables, shrimp, and the local spongy flatbread.

Salvador Mollys Portland

Tweet

We have met the god of New Orleans cooking in PDX, and on their best nites, New Orleans legends like Commander’s or Galatoire’s aspire to present a meal as fantastic as Acadia did tonight.

Mrs. BurgerDogBoy and I headed out to savor the special reveillon dinner at Acadia.  In French culture, the reveillon is a long meal traditionally held on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Day.

Acadia’s reveillon was not particularly long lasting timewise, but it was long on flavor, cuisine steeped in Acadiana (Louisiana Franchophone)  culture, and the first meal we’ve had in our three years in Portland that has left us wanting nothing at the end of each course.

As there were two of us, and the menu offered a choice of two different selections for each course, we were able to sample everything on the menu.

After a pair  of special cocktails from the reveillon menu, Huckleberry Bounce, or Acadian Eggnog (whew!),  our starters included chef/owner Adam Higg’s interpretation of a regional Acadiana specialty, the Natchitoches meat pie, which was a mixture of spiced minced beef and vegetables in a crescent moon shaped flaky crust.  This is similar to a pasty or empanada.   We had the spiced seckel pear salad with Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam cheese, a creamy offering, with flavors reminiscent of mushrooms and butter.

The server also presented us with a plate of a variety of breads they had prepared, as well as small ramekins of honey and butter to go with them.  I could love on this butter, all by itself. Mmmmm.

As an additional starter, I asked for a serving of their BBQ shrimp, which is a New Orleans (and personal) favorite, and has nothing to do with “BBQ”.   The entire crustacean at Acadian is floating in an oil-butter sauce, which, if no one was looking, you’d pick up the bowl and drink.  I’m not saying Mrs. BurgerDogBoy actually did this, but……  There are two distinct approaches to BBQ shrimp in New Orleans, a sweetened version served by Emeril (ewww, how does anyone eat ANYTHING with his name on it?), or the more traditional savory version, closer to Acadia’s.  The dish was purportedly invented at Pascal’s Manale, a favorite of any one who has ever dined in New Orleans.

The blackstrap (molasses) country-cured ham tasted exactly  like ham is SUPPOSED to taste, but seldom does, anymore, and was fabulous with braised red cabbage and roasted turnips.

One doesn’t usually think “trout” when they think of New Orleans cooking, but it is a specialty there and served at many fine restaurants.  My favorite “(tr)outlet” in the Crescent City is an old timer, the Bon Ton, where I would treat myself to a special meal on personally significant occasions.

Acadia takes New Orleans’ trout to a new level, with a macadamia nut butter, and a mandarin orange and squash brulee.

Dessert?  Why yes, please.  Two choices tonight:  eggnog bread pudding with dark rum caramel sauce, or a bourbon, fig and spice cake with brown sugar ice cream.

Never been a fan of bread pudding………until tonight.  We brought home a half-serving of each of the desserts, when we returned hours ago.  Think they are awol at the moment.

Acadia is probably Portland’s most exquisite and delicious Louisiana cooking outlet.  You should try it.  If you have, you should go back.  We sure will.   Got my heart set on a catfish poboy or the entree version of the BBQ shrimp.  While dinner is available Monday-Saturday nites, lunch is only offered on Wednesdays.  Full reveillon menu shown below, after pix of salad, bbq shrimp, trout, and ham dishes.

Acadia, Portland OR

Acadia BBQ Shrimp Appetizer

Louisiana Speckled Trout

Acadia Molasses House Cured Ham

Acadia Reveillon Dinner

Tweet

Picked these up on my sausage fest at Sheridan Fruit Company in Portland. I’m not one to usually go for poultry-based sausages, but I do like the Buffalo flavor (except I don’t eat wings), and I love blue cheese.  I thought those two things might prevail in these tubular delights.

The one advantage to poultry sausages, and more so turkey, than chicken, is the flavors of the meats are so benign themselves, that they become very malleable when one adds different seasonings.

These sausages are too big for a conventional hot dog bun, but I’m

Ikea Swedish Mustard

gonna give that a whirl.  I might try a couple different condiments, too, including a “Swedish mustard” (who knew?) that I grabbed a couple weeks ago at Ikea.

They cooked up nice in a cast iron skillet;  I generally par-boil raw sausage before pan-frying, and did that with these as well.

Mrs. BDB was on her way out the door to creating a  birthday celebration for herself (Happy Birthday, Mrs. BDB!), and wanted to try a bite or two before exiting for the afternoon.

She’s not a fan of blue cheese in any form, and her first bite was her last.  It was my turn.  Slice, slice, slice.  Debate about seasoning or condiments spins in my brain.  Go instead with just the naked fat boy.  Forgo the Ikea mustard for another day.

Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Sausage

Picked up a slice to look at it first, curious about what they used for blue cheese (real or flavor) – the buffalo sauce/seasoning gave the sausages a tint as one would expect.

I was surprised to see chunks of chicken in with the ground meat, that’s something you don’t see very often in sausages made in the US.  A coarse cut sausage is more likely to be discovered in a Paris bistro, in my opinion.  Most Americans don’t want to really “see” what they are eating.

Bottom line?   Really didn’t care for these.  Although I liked the buffalo/blue cheese combo concept, there is another background taste here which I don’t like and can’t place.

This surely doesn’t put me off from buying a million more sausages at Sheridan though.   Everything I have had so far has been truly grand.

Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Sausage

Tweet