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Reading through the Vancouver choices and...ugh...I don't know who they have choosing these things but they need to get out more. Andale? I live near this Mexican-American restaurant and have eaten there on their coupons many times. Very mediocre to bad. And Lindo Mexico isn't more than a mile down the road and is the best Mexican-American I've had in town so far. I'd much rather go to a Chevy's than Andale and Vancouver has one of those, too. Bacchus gets nods, but I've been there a couple times and have to wonder a) do they know the reviewers are coming in and get someone else to cook?, and b) do the reviewers actually eat there, or just look at the menu, which sounds good, and give them the nod? I had a sauce there that actually offended my palate. It wasn't just so-so, but actively bad. My wife had sturgeon there that tasted like the trash out back of a fish market smells. The pastries are okay, but seem like they're made somewhere else, frozen, and trucked in. The atmosphere has a dual personality of fine dining with wide windows and karaoke bar because the bar section is so open to the restaurant and they get mediocre live music, etc, in there. The staff is unprofessional, too. Rather than fine dining, I think of it as play at fine dining by white trash who haven't experienced enoguh fine dining to know what it would be. It's mean, but I think accurate. And this is coming from someone with a lot of white trash friends and family. It's just not good. Maybe I'll give it *one more try*, but I'd really rather not. I was way too easy on them the first time and thought maybe it was just an off-night and so I went back. With Roots, a truly good restaurant, opened up on the east side, there's not much point. I'd rather go back there. They might be the best restaurant in Vancouver and one of the few that could compete with Portland's top neighborhood places like Lauro and Fife. Other much better restaurants trying to do the same thing: Applewood and Hudson's in Heathman Lodge. I'd much rather go to Beaches, too. I think I'd have more to say, but the page crashed on me and now I can't access the dining page, which leads me to.... One more thing: Oregonlive.com sucks ass, big time. It's slow, difficult to find what you're looking for, crashes on me occasionally, and has a billion noisy popups.

I'd really suggest just going downstairs to The Heathman, then. btw, if you haven't made your reservations, I actually prefer the Vintage to Heathman. It has more character, imo. I'm not sure about the price difference. They're both comparable, though, and within walking distance to each other. The Vintage has Pazzo in it.

You know who has an excellent selection of tips in town? In Good Taste. Probably 40 or 50 that you can buy individually. I first went to Kitchen Kaboodle because they have good parking, but they sell everything for pastry making except the tips. Stupid. Sur La Table didn't have the selection I was looking for either. Then I went to In Good Taste and they had this litle box with 10s of little drawers each with a different tip. They have a board with samples of what each tip can make, too. For such a small store, and a local store, I do find a lot of good stuff there.

http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/reviews.ssf?10843?10843 The rest aren't really listed, but look under the A&E 2004 heading on this page: http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/

For future reference, Hurley's has the most luxurious food in Portland and does small plates only. You order everything ala carte, unfortunately. We don't have many tasting menus, which is a real shame, imo. I imagine people in Portland just aren't willing to pay for that sort of thing. Instead, in much of Portland you have to look to the list of appetizers to see where the chef is trying to be creative, usually.

Hey, I forgot I had this pic from Mazatlan on my site as well. It shows the churrera and whole process better: http://www.extramsg.com/modules.php?set_al...=view_photo.php

Heavy cream. What sucks is that I'm on a diet (gained 20 lbs in 10 days on a recent trip eating Mexican food, pizza, and ice cream), so the most I could do was chew them and spit them out like that Sex in the City episode in LA. It's amazing how a little bit of cinnamon sugar perfects them, too.

Uploaded some pics: When you stir in the eggs, it will become clumpy. You need to keep stirring until it turns out like the next pic. More traditonal churros sink, but these lighter, crispier versions float immediately. There are lots of star tips out there. This is the one that worked best for me. A picture of churros, both insides and out, without the optional cream and without the cinnamon sugar coating. These have the optional cream. They're obviously more browned on the outside, but hopefully you can see they're also more moist on the inside.

Thanks for the recs so far. Mmm, loco moco. Should be Homer's favorite food. Is loco moco Hawaiian for heart attack?

Sounds like you like upscale. I'd try Hurley's, Wildwood, or Paley's, in that order. You'll probably want to go ahead and take the streetcar from downtown to NW, otherwise it'll be about 20 or more blocks of walking, some uphill. They're only a short walk from the streetcar. Otherwise, in the immediate area, I'd recommend The Heathman or maybe Pazzo, if you like Italian, though I still haven't been there since they changed chefs. There are also good less-fancy places if you're interested, although Portland doesn't have anywhere like The Herb Farm when it comes to schmancy.

Well, duckduck, I do need to make some more Mexican antojitos for the upcoming class, so maybe it's time to get-together again. Churros for everyone. One of the things I've been thinking about doing are churros and cachapas at the Portland Farmer's Market, much like chefrodrigo is going to be doing BBQ. They're two of my favorite Latin American items. I "perfected" cachapas last summer and now I have the churros. It's only like $35 to get a booth at the market, so if I just broke even, I'd be happy.

Okay, I've got two recipes now that work excellent, exactly what I wanted. First, I started with the Betty Crocker recipe with a 1:1 ratio of flour to water, 1/2 C butter!, and 3 eggs. (See recipe above.) I very much liked the texture of these. However, they're too eggy. You can really taste it. Also, I thought that some sugar and salt in the dough would help. I decided to combine this recipe with the recipe I was happiest with the other day (3:4 flour to water, 2 eggs, salt, sugar). I did a 1:1 ratio of flour to water, butter, salt, sugar, and 2 eggs. This was quite nice, too, and rectified the overly egginess. I decided to try one more thing for the hell of it. I decided to add a little cream to this recipe to thin it out slightly and see what would happen. This turned out great, too. Still crispy on the outside, but ... creamier ... on the inside. More moist. Either of these last two are great, imo, exactly what I wanted, light and crispy, non-bready churros. I added the recipe to the RecipeGullet: http://recipes.egullet.com/recipes/r1002.html Try it out and if you make any modifications, post them.

Churros Serves 4 as Dessert. Churros, Spanish and Latin American snack desserts (essentially their doughnuts), are one of my favorite sweets. Traditionally, they're long tubes with many full-length ridges, crisp on the outside and somewhat bready on the inside. They can be thin, about 1/2 inch in diameter, or thicker, as much as 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Often they're filled with caramel, custard, or cherry flavorings. At places like El Moro in Mexico City, people eat freshly made thin churros by dipping them in hot chocolate. However, on travels in Mexico I came across freshly made light and crisp churros only a few inches long. They quickly became my favorite churros. I consider them the Krispy Kreme version of churros because they're great hot and fresh and much lighter than the average churro. I tried several recipes from people like Rick Bayless and Elizabeth Lambert-Ortiz, but could only find bready versions. The egg in Ortiz's recipe seemed to help a little, however. Then TrishCT offered a wetter and fattier recipe from Betty Crocker with even more eggs. It was similar to one I had invented from extending Ortiz's recipe. Ultimately by mixing ideas from these recipes, I came up with two versions that I'm happy with. Churros Oil for Frying Dough 1 c Water 1/4 c Butter 1/2 tsp Salt 1 T Sugar 1 c All-Purpose Flour 2 Eggs 1/3 c Cream (optional) Coating 1/2 c Sugar 1/2 T Cinnamon (optional) Put sugar in a bowl and optionally mix in cinnamon. Set aside. Heat oil to 390 F to a depth of at least 2 inches. Place water, butter, salt, and tablespoon of sugar in a saucepan on medium heat. Once the butter has melted bring to a rapid boil. Add flour all at once and mix thoroughly until it forms a pasty ball. Add in eggs all at once and beat until it reforms a solid paste and the eggs are fully incorporated. Optionally, mix in the cream for a more moist interior at this point. Add the dough to a churrera or a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch star tip. Extrude churros about 4 inches in length into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, never letting the oil go below 350 F, about 1 1/2 minutes one each side. Remove to paper towels to remove excess oil, then toss in sugar or cinnamon sugar. Best when eaten quickly. Makes about 12-16 churros. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Snack, Cookie, Mexican, Spanish/Portugese, Tex-Mex, Deep Fryer, Latin American ( RG1002 )

Churros Serves 4 as Dessert. Churros, Spanish and Latin American snack desserts (essentially their doughnuts), are one of my favorite sweets. Traditionally, they're long tubes with many full-length ridges, crisp on the outside and somewhat bready on the inside. They can be thin, about 1/2 inch in diameter, or thicker, as much as 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Often they're filled with caramel, custard, or cherry flavorings. At places like El Moro in Mexico City, people eat freshly made thin churros by dipping them in hot chocolate. However, on travels in Mexico I came across freshly made light and crisp churros only a few inches long. They quickly became my favorite churros. I consider them the Krispy Kreme version of churros because they're great hot and fresh and much lighter than the average churro. I tried several recipes from people like Rick Bayless and Elizabeth Lambert-Ortiz, but could only find bready versions. The egg in Ortiz's recipe seemed to help a little, however. Then TrishCT offered a wetter and fattier recipe from Betty Crocker with even more eggs. It was similar to one I had invented from extending Ortiz's recipe. Ultimately by mixing ideas from these recipes, I came up with two versions that I'm happy with. Churros Oil for Frying Dough 1 c Water 1/4 c Butter 1/2 tsp Salt 1 T Sugar 1 c All-Purpose Flour 2 Eggs 1/3 c Cream (optional) Coating 1/2 c Sugar 1/2 T Cinnamon (optional) Put sugar in a bowl and optionally mix in cinnamon. Set aside. Heat oil to 390 F to a depth of at least 2 inches. Place water, butter, salt, and tablespoon of sugar in a saucepan on medium heat. Once the butter has melted bring to a rapid boil. Add flour all at once and mix thoroughly until it forms a pasty ball. Add in eggs all at once and beat until it reforms a solid paste and the eggs are fully incorporated. Optionally, mix in the cream for a more moist interior at this point. Add the dough to a churrera or a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch star tip. Extrude churros about 4 inches in length into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, never letting the oil go below 350 F, about 1 1/2 minutes one each side. Remove to paper towels to remove excess oil, then toss in sugar or cinnamon sugar. Best when eaten quickly. Makes about 12-16 churros. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Snack, Cookie, Mexican, Spanish/Portugese, Tex-Mex, Deep Fryer, Latin American ( RG1002 )

I actually use ziplocks 90% of the time when I'm piping stuff. However, the Bayless recipe I first used was so stiff that I broke the bag very quickly and then I set about extruding the dough by pushing it with my hands through the tip, etc. The other recipes with the eggs and lighter results were much easier to pipe. Next try I'll take some pictures so you guys can compare. Frick. I wish I lived in San Diego so I could just go to Tijuana and ask that broad...shouldered fella above what he uses. Wouldn't surprise me if it's a mix like you find all over the internet. Whatever it is, it works. Essentially we're talking about the difference between heavier, traditionaly caky doughnuts and Krispy Kreme. What's interesting, though, is I actually prefer traditional doughnuts to Krispy Kreme, but on churros I prefer these lighter versions. (What's sad, maybe, is I also like the cajeta filled traditional churros more than plain.) All of them are better hot out of the oil, though, which is why I don't mind hitting KK if they're fresh.

Note, then, that Salvador's in Woodburn, a taqueria/tienda/carniceria, makes every tortilla to order. I believe 3 jalapenos on division also makes tortillas to order, though they may just do so for some things. San Felipe also makes their own tortillas, I believe, though I'm not sure if they do them fresh for every order. Also, Poncho's in Vancouver will hecho a mano your tortillas for an extra 25 cents per. I'm sure there are other places as well that make them fresh, but I haven't checked into it. If you go to the Tortilleria y Tienda de Leon on Glisan and 162nd (they have another store in Vancouver), you'll get tortillas fresh off the conveyor belt. btw, just to put it out there, but it looks like we'll be doing an all day taqueria crawl through the outskirts of Portland Sunday, May 23rd: http://www.portlandfood.org/modules.php?na...=viewtopic&t=30

TrishCT, that's very similar to a couple recipes I found online and very close to the one I made with modifications. It produces a much lighter churro than most. There are even some recipes that include baking powder. I'll be giving more recipes a try either tonight or tomorrow night. FoodMan, the Bayless recipe (at least the one from One Plate at a Time) is fine, but it's a different style of churro than I'm looking for. I like those churros, too, but they're more bready like the ones you most commonly find in the US. They're also similar to the ones you find at El Moro in Mexico City. But occasionally on the streets you'll find these very light and airy versions that are my personal favorites. I imagine they're less traditional, but I really like them, especially when fresh. Anyone know the reason why all churro recipes involve adding flour to boiling water? Is it good to develop some gluten in churros, because you're always supposed to beat the hell out of the doughs to get them to come together and be smooth.

Well, consider this: 1) The prices are more in line with a TGI Fridays or Olive Garden than most independent tablecloth restaurants in Portland; 2) Check out this menu from Who Song and Larry's. $14 for shrimp fajitas. $11 for carnitas.

Scott would probably be better to ask. I know he used to go there a lot. I can't remember the name of the plate-lickable sauce. I think it was a pork in a green sauce. Scott should know. It's been a while for me. I really need to get down there for a 5 day weekend of pigging out. I need to hit Lockart and Luling for some bbq, Nuevo Laredo for some cabrito, and everywhere between Dallas and Laredo for Mexican.

Jaymes, have you been to Churreria los Moros in Mexico City? They have the narrower, long churros and several varieties of chocolate to choose from. I liked to both dip and dump the leftover fallen sugar into my chocolate.

I sat at the counter and the lady who makes the tortillas was pressing them right there. She's clearly a Mexican immigrant with the capped teeth like you see in Mexico on so many people. I, too, would have liked more tortillas with the meal. I kept having to ask for them and they'd just give a couple. In that situation, you're just constantly making tacos. In Mexico you always get too many tortillas. Did you notice how fair the pricing was, though? Our portions were quite large and the prices as low or lower than your average Mexican-American place.

Thanks, achevres. I'd seen the home versions (on those sites, too), but the pro version is a real find. Lots of cookie extruders can probably do a good job too for the home cook. Here's who I'd like to be: I've already got the belly, just need a tan and a mustache. I did find this list of recipes last night. http://www.lachurreria.com/formulas/formula8.asp

I don't think Bayless has anything new, but several people who had worked there, I think, have started restaurants over the last 5 years or so. A Chicagoan would know better, but I know I've read mention of several places. I think the money issue is a big one. People aren't really willing to pay for upscale Chinese, Indian, or Thai, either, no matter where you are because down the street is a place charging half the price for something that most people may not find entirely distinguishable. Of coruse, most people don't think it's worth paying for prime beef, ripe tomatoes, or non-farmed fish, either. It's unfortunate, I think, because when I have eaten upscale versions of ethnic cuisines, including Mexican, there has definitely been some value added. I just think we need more people who like haute food and want ethnic versions of it. There'll probably never be enough rich Mexicans, Thais, Chinese, Indians (well, maybe not this last one), etc, to give that base. Although, the Japanese may be the exception to look to. But I think they always had an advantage in ethnic haute cuisine. It's more naturally haute like French is. I've only eaten at Javier's and Ciudad once each. I think your description of Javier's helps solidify my take on it. It's more about saucing things off the grill than giving people Mexico City Mexican (not that that is as distinct as other regions, since Mexico City tends to be a hodge-podge like NY or Chicago). It was good, but I was hoping for something more. I had the Filete Cantinflas. I think of it as a place well-suited to Texan tastes, but not so much mine. Maybe if I was in the mood for a steak and wanted some Mexican flavor as well, I'd go back. I enjoyed my visit to Ciudad, unfortunately, I only went to for brunch. Here's what I wrote after that visit: I'd be interested to try them again more than Javier's, I think. I'd also like to go back to Nuevo Leon. Their prices are much better and you still can get very good quality regional Mexican dishes. I had a sauce there that was plate-licking tasty, I thought.

I like a lot of Mexican candies more than most people, but I picked up some Pulparindo recently and can't get into it. I like Tamarind, even rather unsweetened. I just don't like these that much.

Hmm. Mediocre? He may be a pompous ass, that I don't know. (Though I don't really care, either. If I paid attention to the character of most artists and people who provide me with services, I'd have to stay home and entertain myself.) But the food is certainly not mediocre and there really isn't anything like it in Portland. No one else is making an effort to do luxurious small plates. And the savory custards rock.