From the category archives:

Travel

Honey Hole Sandwiches

by KimHo on October 27, 2010 · 10 comments under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

Honey Hole Sandwiches
703 E Pike Street
Seattle, WA
Honey Hole Sandwiches on Urbanspoon

One of the “interesting” features that is seldom mentioned is that of Vancouver being *really* close to the US. Border crossing queue aside, you should be able to go to the US from Vancouver in around an hour (or less). Once there, two or so hours later, you hit Seattle, another major US city. Sure, you could go from Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan or Hamilton, Ontario to Buffalo, New York in about the same time but, c’mon, there is no comparison here. So, on Thanksgiving, I chose to do a day trip “just because”. While timing worked great, weatherwise, it ended up being awash: It was miserable and detracted me from some outdoor activities. Well, I was on that side of the border so… Let’s go to eat!!! Originally I had two places in mind: Latin food in the form of La Isla or more “regular fare” in the form of Honey Hole Sandwiches. The later was chosen because, well, it was an odd combination of timing and circumstance. Does not matter how or why, what matters is that I was there and it was time to eat!

Honey Hole, Sandwich, honey, hole, Seattle, United States, Vancouver, bread, pork, bbq, chowder, cream, corn

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Tagged as: Pork, Sandwich, Seattle

Alligator Soul

by KimHo on September 8, 2010 · 8 comments under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

Alligator Soul
3121 Broadway
Everett, WA
Alligator Soul on Urbanspoon

If there is one thing I can say I am proud of is that I listen to my readers. From minor layout changes and, most importantly, suggestions: If you have something to say, as long as it makes sense, it is not burdensome and does not go against my code of ethics, it is pretty much fair game. That’s why I was quite excited when reader jlomein, in my Southern Kitchen post wrote the following:

Next time you’re in Washington you should check out Alligator Soul in Everett. It’s my favourite southern restaurant by far.

Well, that suggestion was quite interesting so why not! As a result, in the last trip through Everett, I decided to drop by to have a taste of Cajun/creole.

Alligator Soul, Everett, Seattle, Washington, cajun, creole, fried, tomato, sausage, jambalaya, po'boy, andouille

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Tagged as: Chicken, Pork, Rice, Seattle

Saint Honoré Boulangerie

by KimHo on September 7, 2010 · 0 comments under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

Saint Honoré Boulangerie
2335 NW Thurman Street (location visited)
315 1st Street Lake Oswego
Portland, OR
Saint Honore Boulangerie on Urbanspoon

To those who haven’t realized yet, whenever I drive down to I-5, on my way back, I always bring in goodies for close friends and fellow food bloggers. So far, from the two places I have brought goodies from (check here and here), it seems it was quite well received. So, for today’s post, the challengue was the same: bring some goodies from Portland. The question is “from where?”. Since I was staying near the Uptown area, Saint Honoré Boulangerie ended up being the best option…

Saint Honore Boulangerie, Saint Honore, Boulangerie, Portland, Thurman, pastries, orange, pear, almond, bread, croissant, canelet, normandy, apple, toast, Mirliton de Rouen, Chouquettes. Gateau Orange et Gingembre, gateau, orange, ginger, tarte, tart, citron, citrus, lemon, lime

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Tagged as: Bakery, Pastry, Portland

Nong’s Khao Man Gai

by KimHo on September 3, 2010 · 9 comments under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

Nong’s Khao Man Gai
SW 10th and Alder Street
Portland, OR
Nong's Khao Man Gai on Urbanspoon

In a way, it was doomed to happen. Given my (somewhat unfair?) comparison of street food from outside North American to the ones in North America, it was almost certain that I had to visit an Asian one for comparison sake. And that brought the eternal question of… Which one(s)? I mean, given that the US can be as multi-cultural as Canada and, in part, I didn’t want to disappoint, I kept looking and looking around. While searching in other sites (Urbanspoon included), all of them seemd to point to two locations: Koi Fusion, which served Tex-Mex dishes with a Korean twish (take that Roaming Dragon, you are NOT the first! :P ) and Nong’s Khao Man Gai, a cart that sells one and only one dish. While I am sure a lot of you would think that Koi Fusion would have been a better choice (due to a direct comparison with Roaming Dragon), the fact is that I wanted instead showcase what street food ought to be. And, in that case, Nong’s Khao Man Gai was a better option.

Nong's Khao Man Gai, Nong, Khao, Man, Gai, Portland, Oregon, Street, Food, Cart, chicken, rice, liver, piset, Thai

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Tagged as: Asian, Chicken, Portland, Rice, Street Food, Thai

Portland Food Carts @ Mississippi Marketplace

by KimHo on September 2, 2010 · 2 comments under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

Portland Food Carts @ Mississippi Marketplace
Various stands
Skidmore Street & Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR

Garden State Garden State (Food Cart) on Urbanspoon
The Big Egg The Big Egg (Food Cart) on Urbanspoon

Continuing with my trip around Portland, specifically that of food carts, one noon, I decided to go around yet another parts of town for that again, street food. At this point, I was wondering if street food was a bit of a misnomer. I mean, they aren’t necessarily sold at the curb but it has been organized to the point some of them are settled on the lots rather than sidewalks, not to mention communal areas/tables for patrons to consume their goods. So, just for sake of consistency, I will assume food carts == street food, despite they aren’t necessarily the same.

For today’s post, I went to a place called Mississippi Marketplace, I assume it name as such because it is located in Mississippi Avenue (interesting enough, there is a Vancouver Avenue; however, I doubt it is named after Vancouver, BC. Most likely Vancouver, WA?). Getting there was a bit confusing for me, as you go through residential sections and suddenly you are in a corner with several restaurants and other services. I have the odd feeling I am getting a bit too used to our city’s layout (or lack of planning)! But, I didn’t care, I was there and ready to eat….

Portland, food cart, street food, Mississippi Marketplace, Garden State, sandwich, meatball, hero, sushi, tree, magic beans, sugar cube, nuevo mexico, ruby dragon, the big egg, dogfeather, organic offee

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Tagged as: Portland, Sandwich, Street Food

Portland Food Carts @ SE 12th and Hawthorne

by KimHo on September 1, 2010 · 9 comments under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

Portland Food Carts @ SE 12th and Hawthorne
Various stands
SE 12th and Hawthorne
Portland, OR

Potato Champion Potato Champion (Food Cart) on Urbanspoon
El Brasero El Brasero (Food Cart) on Urbanspoon
Perierra Crêperie Perierra Crêperie (Food Cart) on Urbanspoon

With me being in Portland for some time (again, for work, not necessarily pleasure), it was certain I had to visit one or two food carts. I mean, after all the noise that has occurred in Vancouver, I had to go to set myself a baseline. After all, my concept and understanding is quite skewed compared to the ones available in North America. See, to me street food is not necessarily food sold on the street; it is beyond that. On one side, it was a matter for some families to earn extra income; in other, as a mean of living. More often than not, these were based on the concept of cheap, mysterious, risky (you never know what you are actually served) and, for the most part, tasty.

The problem I have encountered in North America is that, while some of that concept has carried over, truth is there is too much of that cover-your-ass mentality. Hence, some really wacky requirements, from location, type of food being sold, sanitary conditions (did I say “risky”?), et al have taken away some of it. While that is something that seems to be for good (in general), what is not is the attempt of some food cart operators here to make things “fancy”, as in making things “fusion” or making things complicated or, worst of all, fancy in an attempt to create an edge. Granted, it is all business at the end of the day; however, I believe that that takes away from the spirit of street food.

I know I am digressing here but, please keep in mind, it is something people ought to be aware of, as it might skew things a little bit… So, that brings us back to the corner of Hawthorne and 12th in Portland, a sort of empty lot that has been occupied by some food carts. And, in that spirit of adventure, I went there for dinner and tried to visit as many such carts as possible (based on time, $$$ and stomach volume). So, without further ado…

Portland, street, food, food, truck, Belgian, Mexican, French, Greek, Cajun, Greole, fries, cheese, custard, poutine, taco

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Tagged as: Belgian, French, Mexican, Portland, potato, Street Food

Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grille

by KimHo on August 31, 2010 · 7 comments under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grille
515 SW Carolina Street
Portland, OR
Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grille on Urbanspoon

If somebody tells you that business travelling is great, I am willing to bet he/she is lying to you. Granted, there will be some perks when travelling for business, like me being able to visit different local restaurants; however, it also takes a toll on your social and personal life – assuming you have one that is, or to quote that South Park in Make Love, Not Warcraft, “How do you kill that which has no life?”. (If you want to take a partial glimpse of people travelling for business, I highly suggest you watch Up in the Air). Considering my status, I take it in strides and enjoy all the restaurants the city/town I am has to offer. And, in this case, while in Portland, I was looking for something that isn’t found in Vancouver (yeah, despite we claim to be diverse, there is only that much Chinese restaurants I can digest – in the case of Vancouver, it is already way past a dozen too many): Hawaiian. And, among the different options, Bamboo Grove

Bamboo Grove, Portland, Hawaiian, pork, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, luau, kalua, pig, pulled pork, namasu, spam, musubi, salad, rice

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Tagged as: Hawaii, Pork, Portland

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