Audrey’s Kitchen

Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Portland, OR 97232

The 2st Annual Taste of the Nation is coming up just around the corner on Monday, April 28th! You’ll be able to taste, sample, and drink you way through over 70 different restaurants and wineries showcased at the Oregon Convention Center. Tickets start at $75. 100% of the proceeds go towards fighting hunger so this is both a benevolent and a tasty cause!

Audrey’s Kitchen was lucky enough to be invited to attend the “Taste of the Taste”, a small showcase held at the Oregon Culinary Institute highlighting a couple of the venues that will be present next week.

It was an intimate event with just five local favorites on-site. We got to go around and meet all the chefs. I felt a little starstruck but they were all very kind.

On site were the following:

Left Coast Cellar (featuring really good wine)

The ever popular Simpatica:

Who featured two types of pate and various snacks. YUM.

Next we had Lovely Hula Hands. I made the mistake of asking if they served Hawaiian food. Oops! They actually have a pretty nice story for naming their restaurant the way they did. You should ask the owners some time.

They brought in a chilled sliced fritatta style appetizer.

Right next to them was Lauro Meditteranean Kitchen.

The proprietress was really friendly and knowledgeable and GENEROUS! Check out the feast they brought with them! Bacon wrapped dates:

Creamy beet salad:

Homemade Pita:

and accompanying dip.

After tasting the savory offerings, we made our way to Portland’s own claim to cupcake fame, Saint Cupcakes. I saw MSN’s article a few weeks back on the top Cupcakes around the country and our very own Saint Cupcakes came in with the #1 spot for their Fat Elvis creation! Good Job!

Featuring my favorite Toasted Coconut cupcakes and their fudgey Hot Fudge cupcakes.

All in all, it was a lovely event. The volunteers really put their hearts into hosting the Taste of the Nation each year, and this year is no different. I really encourage all foodies to head out there this coming Monday to check out the rest of the offerings! To learn out more, check this out:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UrvgEojgH8w

Thanks for inviting us to this event!

7901 SE Powell Blvd
Portland, OR 97206
(503) 771-5842

I discovered Korean food relatively late in the game–it wasn’t until college that I tasted my first soon du bo (korean tofu soup) or tried grilling bulgogi (thinly shredded beef marinated in a sweet garlicky sauce). Since then, I have been very bold in trying pretty much every Korean dish I can find, from raw pepper marinated blue crab to iced cucumber soba noodle soup. Along the way, I’ve tried pretty much every type of soju (Korean’s spirit of choice) available at k-town bars in SoCal as well too. Although there are some good Korean restaurants in town such as Nakwon in Beaverton, or even gussied up places like Bewon on 23rd, none of them had the comforting bar atmosphere with hushed music, cool lighting, and snack foods.

None that is, until I accidentally stumbled into Sorabol Fusion Restaurant, hidden in the gaudy strip mall on the corner of 82nd and Powell. This plaza, home to Food4Less and KFC, is not exactly the type of place I’d be tempted to go into but thankfully, my dining partner insisted that I give it a try. Apparently, this is one of his co-worker’s favorite lunch spots, and often brings the group there for their excellent $6 bento boxes. We went in on a Friday night, and was asked immediately if we wanted the BBQ side or the restaurant side. Their menu is quite impressive–with great Korean alcohol selections such as Bekseju (medicinal liquor) and Hite, the unofficial “water” of Koreans. They have two pages of different BBQ options, but you must order a minimum of 2 BBQ dishes before you may take one of the grilling tables. Since I wasn’t that hungry, we opted for the restaurant side where Korean music videos pulsed along on three flat screen tv’s spaced through out the bar.

My dining partner ordered a bottle of Hite beer and the dol-sot bibimbhap, which is rice cooked in a hot stone pot topped with 7 or 8 goodies including grilled beef, julienned veggies, and a sunny side up egg along with a side of sweet and spicy red pepper paste.

This rice dish came with 5 sides of banchan, various pickled vegetables and accompaniments. My favorite is the sweet sesame flavored sliced lotus root.

I ordered a some sushi off the menu–nothing too extraordinary. I ordered a bulgogi roll, which was described as sliced bulgogi, cucumber, and avocado, but I was disappointed to discover to see it arrive with just bulgogi.

Other than that, it was a good, solid place. The restaurant is large enough to be able to accomadate large group gatherings, and the grill-your-own meal is interactive and fun. They had a special for 2 that costs under $30 where you get to try a tasting of several menu items. I may give that a try the next time we return. With such an expansive menu, there is truly something for everyone.

1429 SE 37th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 236-6886

With all the wonderful restaurants in Portland, it was really difficult choosing just one for Valentine’s Day. I had my eye set on some of the newer restaurants in town but thankfully, I didn’t have to make that decision. Instead, E followed his friend’s advice and booked our date at the delightful 3 Doors Down Cafe on Hawthorne. I’ve passed by this little brick restaurant more often than I can remember, and while it delicious aromas have always emanated from it, this was the first time I actually went inside. I vaguely remember reading some really good reviews for it years ago and have always meant to try it, but it took a back burner to the shiny and new places in the Pearl.

I guess one really shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover because I have found a new favorite in 3 Doors Down. Once we stepped inside the restaurant, we were greeted by an energetic hostess who immediately led us to our table. Since it was Valentines Day, red puckered lips were stamped all over white paper across the table. To our right was a canoodling couple posing with a giant picture frame for a server to take a polaroid picture. The servers did it for every table that night and the effect was cute and kitschy. There’s a certain nostalgic quality about polaroids and it was nice to have a picture as a momento from the evening. The waitstaff was excellent, although probably not that knowledgable on wines as other places, but their enthusiasm made up for it. E asked our server to recommend a wine, and while she seemed unsure of what to recommend, she did bring out tastings for him to try. A for effort, if not knowledge.

As soon as we ordered, the server brought out a huge hunk of bread with a pureed bean spread. Let me just say, the bread was delicious, and I loved that they provided a healthy alternative to butter. Rustic, with a wonderfully chewy texture, it was a great way to start out meal.

We planned on ordering their cheese plate with tomato jam, since it came with high praise from E’s friend, but they did not have it on the menu that day. Instead, we ordered seared sea scallops. It was very well done! Naturally sweet, it was well seared, with a crispy golden savoriness that paired well with the silky texture of the scallops. It sat atop a bed of pureed chickpeas and surrounded by a pool of a buttery, lightly sweetened sauce.

For our entrees, I selected the sole stuffed with crab. It was amazing. The sole was buttery smooth, and the stuffing was full of sweet, fresh crab meat and little bits of zuchini and onion. It was served with a heavenly burre blanc, each drop of which was thoroughly mopped up by the roasted fingerling potatos. The potatos were delicious on their own, but add on some of the sauce, and it was truly sublime. Even the spinach that came on the side was delicious! Piping hot, it was simply flavored with garlic and a sprinkling of salt.

E ordered the Veal Cheeks with Polenta. It came stewed in what looked and tasted like a mushroomy ragout that had a slight smokey bacon flavor. The polenta was thicker than what I’m used to, and had a cheesy texture and taste to it. They were very generous with the veal and it was truly like nothing I have ever had before. The veal was unbelievably tender-so soft that it seemed to melt, but I think the sauce may have overpowered the delicate taste of the meat.

By now, we were stuffed but we had to try one of their desserts. I had wanted to try their famous banana cream pie, and judging by the number of patrons who ordered it around us, we really should have done it. Instead, we opted for the cannoli because it was supposed to be one of the lightest desserts that night. I’ve never had cannoli before, so I can’t say if I do or do not like it for sure, but I probably would not order it from 3 Doors Down again. It had a nice citrusy flavored ricotta filling, but I was hoping for more of a pistachio flavor. Note to self, when in Rome, do as the Roman’s do. Next time, I will definitely leave room for their banana cream pie.

Overall, I had really nice time. The interior was painted in warm and cheerful hues of red, and was very inviting. The service was excellent, the food is truly outstanding, and the restaurant, housed in a humble brick building 3 doors down from Hawthorne, is truly deserving of favorite status. I will be back and look forward to it.