one)
i’m slightly obsessed with making egg sandwiches as of recent.
two)
i’m beginning a series of essays entitled “superlative supermarkets and the sort” the first will be regarding the newest addition of the PTLDME food market family, Trader Joes. expect it by the end of next week kidz.
i should be entirely honest and let you know that this review is going to be considered X-rated. I should also be entirely honest and let you know that i’m unsure how capable i am to review pai men miyake. it’s been the topic of most portland food blogs as of recent. joe over at portland food coma, manages the place and has been dropping hints about the menu for the past few months. others who dined there before i did, declared pai men miyake to be a revelation in the portland food industry. i say, screw revelation, how about revolution?
oh, the wonderous nature of ramen bars. no, no. i don’t mean your standard instant ramen noodles that you buy at hannaford’s for 39 cents a pack, i mean that delectable noodle soup with a rich velvety broth full of noodles, pork belly, boiled eggs, and vegetables. i mean that real legitimate stuff that is heaven in your mouth. you know, the stuff that makes you want to lick your bowl? yeah. that stuff. until now, i don’t think there had been a single place in portland, or perhaps anywhere in maine that served delicious ramen. how about ramen at the least. and obviously, masa miyake, the god of sushi in maine, would make a ramen bar. and obviously, this ramen bar would double as a sake bar. and obviously this place would be a GIANT hit. for the past year, masa and his crew have been traveling back and forth between new york and portland where they would research ramen bars and how to make the best ramen. well, props miyake, you certainly achieved what you were hoping to.
now, i must say i was shocked when i first entered pai men. it’s so modern, so chic, so sexy? that’s how a described it… sexy, which i can see being entirely true. the sleek bar, the hightop tables, the metal art hanging from the ceiling. the little details like the shingles over the bar, the fact that there are fifteen different varities of sake for sale. hm. sexy’s not too bad an adjective to describe pai men. in fact, i rarely throw around the word sexy- unless its describing johnny depp, but i hardly throw it around in regards to food. perhaps the only time i have is when people are discussing berries and whipped creme or truffles. those are sexy. but so is pai men miyake. i used to go there all the time when local was still located at 188 state street. but i’m glad that miyake has settled in so nicely.
so let’s talk food. i had heard from everyone about there pork buns. yes… i said pork buns. the first thing that came to mind was bubble tea’s pork buns. i was grossed out. but after reading on food blog after food blog that these pork buns were like “japanese big macs” i knew that i couldn’t pass one up. and then when i head that they used braised pork belly, i was like, HELL yeah, i want one. let’s just say i wasn’t let down. in fact, it was almost inappropriate. food porn. that’s what it is. entirely inappropriate, and now i want some every night. pthe pork belly- braised wonderfully, the fat just falling off, but tender enough to eat. the lettuce? crisp, flavourful, and the sauce. oh that thousand island dressing sauce. damn you sauce. you get me at mcdonalds and you get me at pai men. plus the pickles. can i even give a good account of these pickles? no i can’t because words can’t describe how good these pickles are.
next on my hit list. the crunchy maki with cooked salmon and avocado. masa is known for his spicy mayonaise and use of unorthodox ingredients in his maki. well, i don’t know but this maki was covered in slivered almonds, and this mayonaise was like the highest quality aioli i’ve ever tasted. god bless the humble mind of whatever chef thought up mayonaise. anyway, the avocado? smooth, ripe, almondy, delicious. the salmon? moist (i hate this word, but i must use it), salty, simply divine. the added texture of the almonds made this maki really hard to beat in my book. in fact the only thing i’d like more is braised pork belly, or perhaps some lobster and caviar?
now here we are approaching our final segment of the meal. the ramen. the deciding factor. at this point, i was full of ecstacy, so happy, so completely satisfied. but the ramen put me over the top. i got the tonkotsu. the broth was dark and rich, and when i mashed up my egg, it made it all the more better. it was served with white vinegar, ginger, scallions, pork, egg, and noodles. i almost cried because it was so good. a chose the soy ramen. a little less satisfying than my ramen perhaps, but so savoury, so delectable. the flavors were complex but you could taste every single layer. there was a hint of “bacon” ie the pork belly, and the nari on top was just perfect to add that crunch. holy god. pai men miyake. house of sin. house of absolute perfection. i don’t think i can ever pass up any of the food served here. what will it take to beat this meal? i’m not so sure at this point. i’ve reached a new food high for once in my life.
but of course… there is a negative side. my waiter. i know him. he worked at the other miyake for a few years before moving over to pai men. he doesn’t belong there. he’s inredibly stuck up, he’s too hipster, and to be entirely honest, he thinks that he is hot shit. but he’s not. he didn’t time the meal delivery as i asked him to, and he was very agitated during conversation regarding the portland food scene as well as food critics in general. he comes in second place for the most pompous waiter i’ve ever encountered. unfortunately, regardless of how heavenly pai men miyake is, he’s still working at a ramen/sake bar, not at some gastro-high-end creative culinary spectacle that is found in europe or san fran.
BUT please, go get a japanese big mac, and an order of the tonkotsu ramen. it’s worth the trouble because you’ll be so intoxicated in food goodness afterwards, you’ll forget all your problems.
there was a day and age that i specifically loved pizza. if i could have had my way during that time, i would have indulged in a slice every meal- and each slice would have all those dreamy toppings that make pizza so damn good. bacon, tomatoes, basil, carmalized onions, pepperoni. but sadly, i’ve moved on. i no longer am the pizza fanatic i used to be. but with this sudden change of persona, i have definitely acquired a more sophisticated palate in regards to pizza toppings. instead of bacon, i like proscuitto. instead of the normal tomato, i opt for sundried, no longer do i care for basil, i’d rather have mesculeun mix on top, and onions? i’d say eggplant. unfortunately, gourmet pizza is hard to come across in portland. flatbread is… not what i thought it was. otto’s is delicious, but we’ll have to be serious when we compare it to the pizza found on charles street in boston. then of course there’s bonobo’s pizza. you know! that quaint hipster-esque pizza place that replaced bill’s pizza on the corner of pine and brackett. the one that annihilated my only hopes of finding a decent disgusting double bacon cheeseburger at 12am.
as i used to reside in the nice and secluded west end area, i’ve certainly had my fair share of ‘zza’s from bonobo. i clearly remember my ardent adoration for their creme brulee and tiramisu. it’s funny that i like their desserts more than their pizza pies. but i always did enjoy bonobo’s. their sauce was fresh, dough was thin, and toppings were ample. but the problem i had, and the problem i still have is their CHEESE. it’s tragic. they put too much on, and the quality is not that great. it’s the kind of cheese that is all melty and greasy and just kind of overpowers the entire pizza. and it seems as though no matter how many times i ask them to go “light on cheese” they go heavy on cheese.
but let’s start from the beginning. monday night- bonobo’s. took the long walk up the congo and arrived a little after eight. barely anyone was there, but that was okay, just because we were tired and could care less about ambiance, though bonobo’s definitely has enough of that. we began with beverages. a bottle of wine- that unfortunately was no good. the staff was great and gave us a different bottle that matched the description my mother gave. i also indulged in a sweet water- vermont’s best offering since maple syrup. this of course is maple syrup infused seltzer, and i just about die whenever i drink it.
as we’ve always enjoyed their salads, we decided to go for the house salad with chicken. i’d have to say that the salad was in fact 20x better than the pizza, what with it’s bib lettuce, frisee, home cured pickles, and chicken that was smoked to the point where it tasted like smoked salmon. it was perfectly dressed, i’d say a dressing of olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
for the pizza, we agreed on each creating a half. i picked the special: plant. it had roasted eggplant, tomato, croutons, and basil. a chose the farm: pork sausage, onions & some veggie that is slipping my mind. we both forgot to say “light on cheese”. i enjoyed my half, though i only ate two slices because the cheese made it so soggy. a enjoyed hers as well, but she compared it to otto’s and said that it came in an obvious second. she also said that it tasted a lot different than the last time she ate there, but she didn’t mind it nonetheless.
so for bonobo- i’d say great for a quick slice, great for their salads and desserts and soups and their beverage selection, but their pizza? it leaves me wanting something different. it’s not the worst pizza, nor is it the best- but i would go as far to say, mediocre. but if you want a cool place to hang out and eat good salad and drink sweet water, i say, get over to bonobos stat.
i’m too lazy during the week to post my recipes and reviews, so i’ve reverted back to doing all my posting on my weekends. i cooked a bit too much this past week, but i needed to, because it relaxes me. oftentimes i don’t buy my meat at whole foods because of a few reasons. one: it’s too expensive. two: many times its been previously frozen, thus the quality isn’t what i’m looking for. three: their selection isn’t the greatest in the world. but this past week whole foods had a sale on split chicken breast, $4.99 a lb. i couldn’t resist this price as i was making my sunday night run for fresh veggies, so i bought two with the intention of roasting them on tuesday evening. monday i was silly and i forgot to brine my chicken, so on tuesday when i got home, i realized that the skin wouldn’t be crispy, and the flavor wouldn’t be there. i had to get creative, so i dug around in the cabinets and came across some pancko and it struck me. i may as well roast the chicken breaded in these delicious morsels. so i whipped up a quick tarragon marinade (butter, tarragon, shallots, olive oil, saltnpeppa) and marinated the chicken in this for two hours. overall, i’m not the biggest fan of split chicken breast, so i’d reccomend using boneless skinless breasts next time.
tarragon roasted chicken breast
two split chicken breast (I’D RECCOMEND BONLESS/SKINLESS IF YOU HAVE THAT LUXURY)
one bunch of fresh tarragon
salt n peppa
olive oil
half stick of unsalted butter
juice of half a lemon
shallot
pancko breadcrumbs
garlic, finely minced, two tsps
one third cup chicken stock
half a yellow onion diced
make marinade- melt the butter, add the tarragon, roughly chopped, the garlic, the lemon juice, the salt, the pepper, and the olive oil, over medium heat, and then let cool. to the cooled mixture add the chicken stock and onions. pour on top of salt and pepper seasoned chicken breast. let sit for at least two hours.
preheat oven to 400 degrees. remove chicken from marinade and then dip the chicken in the pancko. in a heavy skillet, warm oil (olive or canola) and then put the chicken in, just so the pancko can achieve that golden brown color. when the color is achieved, flip it, and do the other side. when finished browning the pancko, remove the skillet from the heat, and transfer it the skillet with the chicken into the oven. bake for twenty to thirty minutes. served with a brown butter tarragon sauce.
add another half stick of butter to a hot pan as well as the tarragon, and brown. when the color is achieved, add the juice of one lemon, and one fourth cup chicken stock. remove the sauce from the heat and let thicken. to serve the dish, take the chicken off the bone, and place over a pool of the brown butter sauce. top with sauteed kale and shallots, roasted potato medley, and brown butter sauce.
enjoy.
(something is wrong with my camera, sorry for how grainy this appears)
fall is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. specifically because i like to host fall dinner parties, wear lots of sweaters, scarves, and all things knit, bake pies, and celebrate thanksgiving. also, i have a very weird tradition of only using sweet potatoes during autumn, because i think that’s when they taste best. this past week, i had my dear friend isaac over for dinner, and i knew i wanted to make a trio of potatoes along with a sufficient protein of sorts. i planned on roasting a chicken, with some black truffle oil (thank god for l’herueux) but seeing as the evening was pushed back a night, and i knew that it would take too long to defrost the chicken, i roasted it the evening before (recipe to be posted soon) and indulged in it’s savory, lucious meat by myself.
so when he came over wednesday, i knew that i didn’t want to make chicken again, and i also didn’t want fish or beef. i was skeptical of doing pork, because i always find the meat to be too tough, regardless of how its cooked, but i took a risk, because i knew i wanted to make a maple balsamic reduction to glaze the protein with- and pork seemed like the obvious companion. i went to the butcher shop ater and picked up two center cuts that had low fat and were boneless. i splurged on the protein, because i really wanted to make it stand out, and also, i had most of the other ingredients at home, and i had a generous stipend. on the walk home i decided that i’d also make some roasted stuffed tomatoes, and some tri-colored mashed potatoes. so i thought that i should share the recipe with you all, because it came out just as i imagined.
balsamic maple glazed pork chops with tri-colored mashed potatoes
two center cut pork loins, with little fat and no bones
one fourth cup of olive oil
salt
pepper
one shallot, thinly sliced
five small cloves roasted garlic
between one fourth of a cup and one third of a cup of balsamic vinegar
four tbsp of pure maple syrup (high quality)
one fourth cup chicken stock
fresh oregano
tri-colored mashed potatoes
three small/medium russian fingerling potatoes
one medium sweet potato
two small purple potatoes
one small red potato
two tbsp of whole milk
two tbsp of butter
salt n peppa
preheat oven to 375 degrees.
marinate the pork in olive oil, roasted garlic, salt, and pepper for twenty to thirty minutes. during this time, begin your balsamic maple glaze. heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, with a tbsp of butter and a tbsp of canola oil. add the shallots and the chopped onion (small dice) to the pan, and cook until transulcent. at this point, add the chicken stock, followed by the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. reduce heat to medium low, and cook until it reduces. at this point, turn heat to simmer, and stir periodically. after 10 minutes of simmer, transfer glaze to a dish, let cool, and then pour on top of pork, but reserve enough to garnish the end product with. then in the same skillet, over medium heat, add the pork with a bit of butter and some chopped fresh oregano. sear both sides of pork to get a nice brown color on each side. when the proper coloring is achieved, transfer pork to baking dish, add enough chicken stock dilluted with water to fill the bottom. then bake until the pork is done- perhaps 20 minutes, depending on the cut?
while baking the pork, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and then add the potatoes. make sure your sweet potato has been peeled, and if you don’t like the peels of other potatoes in your mash, then peel those as well. boil until the potato is tender and mashable when poked with a fork. then drain the pot, and mash the potatoes to form the consistency you wish, and add the milk, butter, and salt n pepper to satisfy your taste buds. if you can, try to get all three colors to be expressed, opposed to making a big brown mash, which is fine, seeing as it tastes the same, but the tri-color is more aesthetically pleasing.
to serve, spread a small scoop of the mashed potatoes on a plate, making a bead for the pork, and then place the pork on top. put some more potatoes on top of the pork, drizzle some of the reserved balsamic maple glaze on top, and place the roasted stuffed tomato on top of everything. add some finely chopped oregano, if you please.
last night in a dream it occurred to me that the potato is a common link throughout almost every single nation in the world. russia makes their vodka from these rooty veggies, south eastern vietnam uses sweet potatoes in their curries, in india potatoes are commonly used as fillers, in africa, sweet potatoes are used in stews along with lamb, and of course, in america, we have mashed potatoes, french fries, and baked potatoes. potato latkes from poland, gnocchi from italy, potatoes au gratin from france! everyone loves potatoes!! i’d be a fool to think that potatoes are the only type of food that link countries together, but i must admit that i do have a soft spot for these veggies.
thankfully, i was in luck, seeing as i featured potatoes (russet and russian fingerling) as the main ingredient in a recent dinner. chef michael symon (who basically is the master of creating all things divine) used potatoes as his secret ingredient in “how to cook like an iron chef”, and i was therefore inspired by one of his dishes. seared halibut wrapped in potatoes. so i suppose this recipe is slightly adapted from his which is found here.
Crunchy Potato Wrapped Mahi Mahi with a Brown Butter and Herb Sauce
one large russet potato
two fresh mahi mahi steaks (make sure they’re cleaned and remove the skin)
salt
pepper
olive oil
butter
a light green herb like parsely/oregano/tarragon
the juice of half a lemon
one shallot, thinly sliced
preheat oven to 375 degrees.
clean the mahi mahi, and let sit in a bowl of olive oil, salt, and pepper while preparing the other ingredients. bring a pot of water to a boil, and while waiting, slice the russet potatoe in half, lengthwise, and then either with a mandolin, a peeler, or a knife, cut very thin slices of the whole of the potato. these potato slices should be about quarter of an inch thick. when the water is boiling, put the potato slices in, and cook for about two minutes. it’s very important that you do not over cook these potatoes, or else they will be too malliable and end up as mashed potatoes.
let the potato slices cool, and then remove the mahi mahi from the bowl of oil and place on a piece of plastic wrap. make a bed of the cook potato slices, and put the fish on top, and then with the extra ends, wrap them over the fish, ideally so that they touch. if your slices are too small to do this, it’s okay, just put a different potato slice on the exposed part of the fish. wrap the fish, which should now be covered in potato slices, up with the plastic wrap to ensure that the package stays intact. set this in the refridgerator for 5 minutes while slowly heating your oil over medium heat. you can use whatever type of oil you want, but i used canola oil. next sear both sides of the fish covered in potatos until crispy, and then put in the oven for five to seven minutes so the mahi mahi finishes cooking.
while the fish is finishing in the oven, take the pan you cooked the fish in, and over medium heat, add half a stick of unsalted butter (if you have clarified butter, that’s even better) and fresh herbs to the pan, and cook until it reaches a nice caramel color. upon reaching the caramel color, immediately add the juice of half a lemon, and remove from heat, stirring the sauce to take out the clumps. set sauce aside, and then dress your fish to your taste.
who remembers pushing daisies? i’m so sad that it was cancelled. i used to go to my boyfriend at the time’s house, and we’d make pizza, eat pie, and watching pushing daisies. now, i just bake pies for the hell of it, as well as to use up seasonal fruit, and satisfy my cooking urges and sweet tooth. this weekend has been full of pie. last evening at sonny’s, tonight at home. pie, pie, pie. well, can’t say that’s too bad of a thing to eat/make.
chocolate chiffon pie with a coconut pecan crust, courtesy of jay villani and his crew at SONNY’s.
that crust was the best pie crust i have ever consumed.
keeping with the trend of pies, i baked one tonight
this is a pear raspberry plum pie. personal recipe follows:
for pie dough:
two cups of all purpose flour
three tbsp of granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
two thirds of a cup of canola oil
one third cup of whole milk
extra flour for dusting
for filling:
one half pint of raspberries
two borsch pears
three black plums
half a lemon
three tbsp of sugar
one tbsp of unsalted butter
method:
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees,
mix all dry ingredients together and form a well to put the liquid ingredients in. start mixing with your hands until a ball of dough forms. if needed, add more flour to let ingredients stick together. roll out three quarters of the dough, and set the other quarter aside for later. grease pie dish with canola oil/or butter, and lay the dough inside. roll out the other quarter of the dough, and cut long strips so you can form a criss cross basket pattern on top of the filling.
rinse raspberries thoroughly, and let them dry. remove skin from pears, and slice into thin pieces. add the pears to a sauce pan, which should be preheated over medium heat. add the raspberries on top of the pears, and add the three tbsps of sugar and the juice of the lemon. stir ingredients and let rest over heat. cut the plums into thin slices, and add into the hot pan. add the tbsp of butter and let the liquid start to bubble. when liquid bubbles, remove the pan from the heat, and add the filling inside of the pie dish. next, layer the strips of dough on top of your filling, and criss cross them. weaving them over and under is how you’ll get the “ideal” top crust effect. put pie in oven, and let bake at three hundred and fifty degrees for twenty minutes. after twenty minutes, take pie out of oven, and brush the top crust with melted butter, and sprinkle sugar on top as well. put the pie back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes at four hundred degrees, so the top of the pie can get golden brown. when this happens, remove pie, and let cool.
serve with maple infused whipped cream.
enjoy your pie, and please source me for recipe.
love,
enfin
so this will be short because my visit at the merry table lasted a total of fifteen minutes.
honestly, i love the merry table, their sucre crepes are perfectly cooked and so delectable, not to mention affordable, and their savory crepes are just as good. i’ve also had a cuban panini there too, accompanined by a house salad. in fact, every meal that i’ve had at the merry table, i’ve loved. and its just not the food, it’s the space as well. it’s a little hole in the wall, with a whimsical feel, similar to that of the cafe featured in Amelie. the bar is just the sweetest thing i’ve seen in all of portland, and the overall ambiance is the perfect balance between romantic and casual.
but this post is not a good review of the merry table. i suppose that statement in itself is misleading, given all the praise i just gave to the place. but this past saturday was by far the worst experience i’ve ever had at any restaurant, besides those located in new hampshire, but that’s pretty hard to beat. i arrived at the restaurant around 7:45 and every seat in the house was taken. as A asked the waitress how long the wait would be, we received a very foggy answer that was somewhere between 5-10 minutes, though the waitress immediately revoked what she said, and told us that there was another party in before us, though they had left, and she assumed that because of that we would get the next table. well, to be frank, no shit we would get the table. if she hadn’t taken down their names, and if they hadn’t said they’d be back, why would a free table be put on hold for these mystery people. 10 minutes go by, and a table directly beside where we were waiting opened up. we stood there, awaiting the little waitress to come and bus the table quickly. 5 minutes go by, then 10, then 20 minutes go by. she’s walked past us countless times, and not once has she even brought so much as a rag to come clean up. we stand there looking at her, she stands idlely behind the counter cashing people out, though they’re not asking to be cashed out. after thirty minutes, and after countless awkward eye contact encounters, A & I left. if a waitress can’t bus our table within 10 minutes, why ought we stay and subject ourselves to even slower service whilst waiting on empty stomachs for crepes? hopefully next time i go, she will have been fired/not be working.
enfin.
i’ll have to be honest when i say that this visit featured took place months ago, but silly’s never changes, and i’ve been back since. one wonderous evening back in july, m, and i joined me at silly’s where we indulged in some calorie crunching comfort food, and some of the best damned milkshakes in the entire world. i should mention that when i was smaller than i am now, i lived right around the corner from silly’s and would get double bacon cheese burgers all the time- in fact, I even had a birthday party there once. i’ll always love the silly rice crispies and cluttered quirky decor inside.
m ordered a pizza with basil and tomato and lots of mozerella cheese. she also got a side of sweet potato fries and a cake shake. i am not a huge fan of personal pizzas, but m supposedly liked it.
Mr. I ordered the silly’s version of chicken parmesean. he’s not too big of an eater, but it looked good, and as far as i’m concerned, any chicken that’s fried from silly’s is delicious. he topped that off with a chocolate shake, following my lead.
i of course, decided to order the pollitos and fritas, which is the best fried food basket of anything. i love fried chicken, and this is some of the best fried chicken ever. without a doubt, i ordered the best chocolate shake intown.
we were waited on by the cutest waiter at silly’s and had a fantastic experience like always. immediately following this visit, the three of us went down to the path and had a dance party and star-searched on the prom.
boy, where did the summer’s go?
happy october! sorry tis a bit late, though per usual i’ve been drowning in school work, and i’ve rarely found myself in the kitchen cooking. though i will have to add, that i made indian food on monday evening, and will be making it again as to document it and post the recipe on vin et grub, so forgive me for not being prepared this time. what i do have is a mix of photos from random outings. there isn’t much of a coherent theme, but i’m sure you can bare with me, just so i can get all my eggs in the proper basket. on friday evening, a trip to FIGA is in order, and i will most definitely be reviewing. i took a trip to NH & VT this past weekend and was appalled at the quality of the food. I can’t say that I had fantastic meals of any sort, but then I also had to take into consideration that living in Portland has made me quite the critical food-consumer, so I gave the two neighboring states a break. i bought a loaf of this fantastic bread from a Vermont farmer at a NH farmer’s market. It’s cinnamon sugar pecan, and it’s divine in the mornings with a little smudge…. or perhaps more than a little smudge of butter. I also indulged upon arriving back in Maine to purchase Smiling Hill Farm yoghurt and pomegranates, which make the absolute perfect combination. I ate no dinner this evening, and instead I baked pinwheel cookies- my second batch in the past two days.
Now I feature my photos of food.
fryin’ up some tofu in the 617
my baby bell pepper
tofu avocado and sausage burrito- mmmmmmmm good
what $2.75 can buy you at the portland farmer’s mkt.
purple carrots- mi favorita
vermont bread, take 1
rainbow swiss chard- soon to be sauteed in olive oil and shredded asiago on top
delicious, stuffed baguettes with proscuitto, mozzarella, and greek olives
FIGA REVIEW, soon.
Cookie Recipe, soon.
Indian Food, soon.
love,
enfin
