The Adventures of Tin-Tin

I Love Portland Part 2-- Tillamook and the Oregon Coast

So the drive from San Jose to Portland was 10 hours and we did it in one shot. The drive from Portland to Tillamook and the Oregon coast was not bad at all either. It only took about two hours, but I wasn't driving anyway. (Thanks, John!) It was raining on the way to the coast so I was afraid we wouldn't see anything, but it cleared up just when we got to Cape Meares. We even got to see this rainbow...

and the creepy Octopus Tree...

 

The Oregon coast is beautiful, albeit cold and wet.

Spending the majority of a trip in a car was kind of a pain, and the rain made the roads slippery, but it was all worth it for free cheese samples at the Tillamook Cheese Factory!

This is from the viewing room during the self-guided tour.

Our little car did us proud. So much driving and it didn't complain once.

I Love Portland Part 1-- Food Stands Aplenty

I don't think I can say anything new about Portland that recent visitors and locals don't already know. If you've never been, you will be amazed at the number of gourmet food stands parked throughout the city. I've heard we had them in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I've never actually seen one. During our three days in Portland, our tummies were so full from eating at the great restaurants in the area. Whenever we happened to drive by a food stand, there was no room left in my bloated belly for thai food, fried pies or other treats. The morning of our departure, we paid a visit to a colony of food trucks we saw parked at an intersection. Just our luck, most of the vendors were closed. It seemed all were closed but El Brasero. Had all the food stands in that corner been open, El Brasero would have been the last place we would try since we live near San Jose and good Mexican food is always around the corner. But good food can sneak up on you in the unlikeliest of places. Good burritos in Portland? Yes! I had one of the best breakfast burritos I've ever had. It had real chunks of potato, egg, chorizo and cheese all for about $4.50!

Food stands galore! We didn't get to try any fried pies or belgian fries, but maybe next time.

El Brasero on 12th Ave and SE Hawthorne in Portland, OR 97214

SFMOMA

J and I went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art last Monday. It was a visit I was looking forward to since I went for the first time with my photography class a few weeks ago. My first time, like so many other first times, was wasted fumbling through quickly with little attention given to proper subjects. In hindsight, I think I could have spent less time in the giftshop and more time looking at the Robert Frank exhibit. I wanted to show J some of his photos but the entire floor was closed. Bummer. We still got to see Richard Avedon's exhibit. We also spent some time on the rooftop garden where I tasted an almost inedible affogato (blue bottle's espresso and so-called secret breakfast ice cream) and stared at the funny shapes in the glass sculpture no doubt made funnier due to the strange bits of mysterious breakfast ice crystals I was discreetly trying to pick out of my teeth.

Baker Beach, San Francisco, July 2009

Summer + Unemployment = Premium laziness

This was taken at Seacliff State Beach near Santa Cruz circa June 2009.

Honolulu, HI--Side Street Inn

We had dinner here on our last night in Honolulu. Even though my digestive system was dying from all the fatty greasy food I was eating all week, I had to save some room for the famous fried pork chops and fried rice at Side Street Inn. Roy Yamaguchi (Roy's) celebrated his birthday here and it's famous for being a local spors bar where celebrity chefs hang out. That being said, how bad could it be?

The fried pork chops were simple but so juicy and crispy. And the fried rice had some dashi, green onions, char siu and bits of linguica. It was very tasty and unlike any fried rice I have ever had. This was some serious Asian-style comfort food. All that was missing was a fried egg but I didn't mind. I had enough cholesterol issues that night.

I heard the mother of the owner (Colin Nishida) still makes the wontons by hand. These were actually my favorite that night. Served with a little hot mustard which I mixed with some soy sauce, I couldn't get enough.

Then when we got home, the Hawaii episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations featured Side Street Inn. I had no idea they had so many different types of food there! I missed out and went straight for the fried food. Apparently they have all sorts of Chinese food, fried chicken and other tasty treats. I think I just looked at the menu and zeroed in on the pork chops and fried rice (and fried wontons). I will definitely be back for more.

SIDE STREET INN

1225 Hopaka St
Honolulu, HI 96814

(808) 591-0253   

Honolulu, HI--3660 on the Rise

I had heard so many good things about Chef Russell Siu and his innovative use of local ingredients at 3660 on the Rise.  One of my favorite dishes was the ahi katsu. Wrapped in nori, deep-fried and served with a wasabi gingery buttery sauce--the dish incorporated very familiar Asian flavors but in combinations and textures I had never experienced before.

One of the other treats of the night was an entree which had a trio of chicken, filet mignon, and maybe more ahi? I can't remember. What I do remember is that I LOVED IT!

This was one of the more memorable meals of my life. I get so dramatic sometimes... :)

3660 on the Rise

3660 Waialae Ave Frnt
Honolulu, HI 96816

(808) 737-1177   

Honolulu, HI--Beard Papa

I used to feel compelled to go to a McDonald's whenever I was travelling far from home. It was cool to see what was the same and what was different. I don't go to McDonald's that much anymore, but I couldn't really pass up trying the breakfast sandwiches at Beard Papa. Sure, we have a couple Beard Papas in the Bay Area, but I don't think any of them have sandwiches.

We tried the portuguese sausage sandwich and the bacon sandwich as well. I think they forgot to heat up the sausage sandwich because the cheese was cold. :( The bacon sandwich was excellent though. It was like a crossaint sandwich.

They also had egg salad, chicken and some other sandwiches and snacks. The classic vanilla cream puff remains my favorite.

Beard Papa

227 Lewers St., Suite 126

Honolulu, HI, 96815

(808) 926-8247

 

Honolulu, HI--Leonard's Malasadas

So. These are the infamous malasadas from Leonard's. What can I say? It's deep fried dough.

Sprinkled with crunchy sugar and filled with creamy custards...

My limit is two malasadas in one minute. After that, I will need half a day to recover.

Leonard's Bakery

933 Kapahulu Ave

Honolulu, HI, 96816

(808) 737-5591

Honolulu, HI--Eggs N' Things

J and I recently made a trip to Honolulu to scope out the ceremony and reception venues. While we were there, we made sure to stop by some foodie haunts. One of our first stops was Eggs N' Things. This place is super popular...especially with Japanese tourists. I had pancakes on my mind...

And I got em! The banana pancakes were sooo tasty and fluffy. I was humming Jack Johnson's Banana Pancakes song the entire time.

They had an assortment of tropical syrups. My favorite was the coconut.

We also tried their omelettes--which you can get with a side of rice. I didn't order vienna sausages, spam or corned beef hash but I saw that others did. Hawaii is so filipino friendly! :)

Eggs n Things

1911 Kalakaua Ave

Honolulu, HI, 96815

(808) 949-0820