Many moons ago, I ate a delicious lunch at Nong’s Khao Man Gai. It was a time before I owned an iPhone, when I still had a job I hated, when it was my first Fall in Portland. Did you know Spring in Portland feels like Fall on the Eastern Seaboard. All crisp and windy and changey.
I am WAY over on the side of Nong’s cart because there are eleventy people waiting right in front of her window. They are waiting for Khao Man Gai (that’s ‘chicken rice’ if you speak Thai, which I don’t.)
But its rice steamed with chicken. I tried making it about 5 years ago and it was tasty. It’s a hard dish to RUIN, but also a difficult one to RULE.
Nong definitely rules this dish.
You get some steamy chicken, and liver if you’ll eat anything at least once. It’s all placed on some perfect jasmine rice. A little boat of soybean sauce kicked with garlic, ginger and chiles – capsize the boat and let the content flavor the dish. Add cucumber slices and cilantro sprigs because it’s not complete without some green crunch.
A bowl of simple soup, an extremely mild flavored broth to sip on the side.
I hear Nong is working on some exciting future plans. I would welcome a vegetarian option because a gal can’t live on liver alone. But really, super tasty simplicity.
Okay. I recently became overwhelmed with how behind I am in my blogging. So without further explanation, let’s remember back to July of 2009 when I ventured to see friends and family in NC. I discussed Yum Yum in the previous post.
Crab Bisque with my Mom
My Mom and I went to Ganache for dinner and I was really pleased the see some positive changes in effect. The last time I ate dinner at Ganache it was 2006 and my sister and I were presented food that was definitely over salted by what must have been an angry, sabotaging chef. It was so gross. . .and painful, huge salt crystals all over everything. It looked like Christmas in Vermont. Ugh. However, Ganache was once just a tiny dessert (walk-in, no table service) cafe that was right next door to the Greensboro Music Academy where my sisters and I studied notes and tunes after school. I have fond memories of the dainty berry tarts that followed my jazz flute lessons. The crab bisque in the photo is garnished with crab roe, fresh chives, an “Old Bay dipped” spoon and Sherry on the side. Truly tasty.
My dear friend Katie Southard, owner of the Green Bean Coffeehouse visited me last June and she was inspired by the John’s Collins cocktail at my neighborhood tavern, Savoy. She created the same drink back home and poured it in a Mason Jar – the KT Collins was born. It contains bourbon, fresh ginger, something else I can’t remember, and some ginger beer. I miss Katie and the KT Collins!
The infamous KT Collins.
I know, let me explain. . .
San Luis is a Mexican Restaurant that borders a neighborhood in Greensboro where most of my friends in GSO live. Therefore, everyone I know loves this place and has for years. I like it here too. I was feeling more adventurous than enchiladas, and I know the city of San Luis is known for seafood so I tried a seafood special. Don’t ask me what is was called, I can’t remember. It’s a bunch of scallops, oysters and clams swimming in a house-made cocktail sauce, garnished in avocado, cilantro and lemon. Not your average ceviche. I might have worried about eating raw oysters in a land locked town but I was more skeptical of the cocktail sauce. It looked like tomato soup and the whole ostentatious gobblet of bottom feeders was surrounded by a bed of Saltines. I felt like I was in the 1960’s and I wished I was wearing an appropriate wool suit with matching handbag. I digress. . .I loved this dish, the sauce was very tomato-y but it packed a load of bright citrus flavors. It made me happy, and the oysters were completely fresh and delicious.
Also, they have tiny margaritas for a dollar.
Okay! That’s it for my NC wrap up! Is it okay that I am relieved? For the foreseeable future I will be catching up on blogs about Portland. In a few weeks I am going to Canada for fun and no doubt food. Check back soon!
Aaron and I received a phone invitation to have dinner with Aaron’s mom (Laurie) and step-dad (Jim) last Wednesday. I’m always happy when they call with a last minute idea because they are delightful and interesting people. Aaron and Laurie are alike in far more ways than they are different: they share a nearly identical view of the human experience (bad circumstances lead to unexpectedly awesome results) and they have an uncanny way of disarming people to create friendly and informative verbal banner. I’m pleased that Jim and I share a similar viewpoint on dinning out: know where you’re going before you get in the car and try new restaurants as often as possible (this is Portland, after all).
Casa Naranja is a laid back restaurant in North Portland with genuine service and good food. They have a patio that surrounds 3/4 of a cute little house. We scouted the back patio where tanned men were lounging in hammock chairs and smoking cigarettes. Laurie requires a smoke free exsistence (she’s classy like that) so we turned back to sit on the front deck. Our table provided ample seating for a party of four and a great view of North Mississippi Avenue.
We shared many small plates throughout the evening and I was very pleased with the vegetarian options that Laurie and I were able to enjoy while Aaron and Jim sampled wild boar ribs and a unrelated dish of chorizo in puffed pastry.
Spicy Basil
The cocktails were good but they all seemed to explore the sweeter side of alcohol charged libations. This Spicy Basil concoction lived up to it’s name. . .in the Basil department. Not as spicy as I would have liked. The real cocktail winner of the evening was the Portland Manhattan that Jim ordered, a Pacific Northwest berry-centric delight with just the right amount of bourbon.
I decided to post about Casa Naranja because I wanted to share the following dish with a few vegetarian friends who read this blog.
Veggie Tartar
The Veggie Tartar is great, almost as great as the smoked tofu salad with roasted beets, arugula and sherry vinigrette. A micro thin slice of zucchini surrounds an army of diced veggies that are perched on a fantastic sun-dried tomato base. The dish is topped with micro greens and crispy wontons. This is truly a great veggie take on a classic meat-centric French dish. The whole package is drizzled with quality olive oil.
When I lived in the South I tried to visit a restaurant several times before posting an opinion. Some restaurants (like a certain Ryan Adams themed pizza parlor) were strong contenders for a great blog review and over time the consistency failed and I chose not to write about the restaurant instead of writing a negative review. I feel a bit more bold in Portland so if my initial experience with a restaurant warrants an A or B average I’ll write about here and you are welcome to read my unsolicited (and anosmic) advice.
bunny bread surprise 