trillium

I've heard a nasty rumor that the Cheesecake Factory is opening the Pearl!! Yuck. regards, trillium

I always argue that in places like this (and taco trucks) you just see the icky-ookies out in the open. In fancier places they just do a good job of keeping the nasties out of site. That's what I tell myself, because I refuse to stop eating tacos de lengua out of trucks. That and it's good training for my immune system for when I'm eating some other country's cooties. regards, trillium

It's known more in Japanese and Korean food, it gets called shiso, or sometimes sesame leaves. It's periodically in Vietnamese grocery stores too. There's the purple variety and a green variety. The green variety is spicier. You can make a really nice kimchi with it. regards, trillium

I was pretty disappointed with the drinks at 820 Lounge (too sweet and too warm...) but there are some other nice places in Portland to get a good cocktail. regards, trillium

Ok, I might get a lot of flak for this, but the piggie prosciutto at Salumi is my least favorite of all the things Armandino makes. I adore the lamb version, swoon over the soppresatta but the proscuitto crudo is missing that nutty taste that the good ones from Italy have. regards, trillium

I would say that sambal belacan is Malaysian, but it's quite difficult to draw a hard line between Malaysia and Indonesia, given the amount of shared history and movement of people and goods throughout the region. But that's ultimately my point: Malaysia and Malaysian cuisine are a product of the meeting of diverse influences. Malaysian cuisine is an example of a spectacularly successful fusion of cuisines. And that's why Roti Canai, Hainanese Chicken Rice, and Kangkung Belacan are all Malaysian. I know a Singaporean who would argue with you over that claim... or is Singapore just getting lumped into Malaysia (hee hee)? My grew-up-in-Thailand friend says the Thais do a nearly identical dish to Hainanese chicken rice found in S'pore, but it goes by the name of chicken fat rice. I think the chilli prep is different though. regards, trillium I think someone posted a link in one of the other threads to an article about the Hainanese community in Thailand ... so it's likely a similar dish morphed out from the Hainanese community there ... Yup. Just pointing out you can't really call Hainanese chicken rice solely a Malaysian dish! regards, trillium

I would say that sambal belacan is Malaysian, but it's quite difficult to draw a hard line between Malaysia and Indonesia, given the amount of shared history and movement of people and goods throughout the region. But that's ultimately my point: Malaysia and Malaysian cuisine are a product of the meeting of diverse influences. Malaysian cuisine is an example of a spectacularly successful fusion of cuisines. And that's why Roti Canai, Hainanese Chicken Rice, and Kangkung Belacan are all Malaysian. I know a Singaporean who would argue with you over that claim... or is Singapore just getting lumped into Malaysia (hee hee)? Which of those dishes are not Malaysian, as far as a Singaporean is concerned? And since you brought it up, are there any Singaporean dishes which are uniquely Singaporean and not served in Johor? Actually I'd been wondering when this was going to come up . To me, Malaysian and Singaporean cuisines are essentially the same with some slight regional differences ... just like its people . I'd agree with Shiewie. I wasn't saying they aren't Malaysian, just that they're considered Singaporean too. Soley Singaporean? I don't think so... fish head curry? roti john? I think these are in Malaysia too, right? Hmmm... maybe the Singapore Sling! Wait, that's for the cocktail forums. The fun part about the regional differences is that something very subtlely different to me (like a curry and coconut-based laksa) will taste completely "wrong" to my partner. He'll dismiss it as "Malaysian"... while my best bud from Malaysia will get all huffy if he says nasi lemak is a Singaporean specialty. I'm no fan of misplaced nationalism, but I think it's at its most charming and fun when it's defense of regional differences in food. regards, trillium

I never really got the feeling that the Oregonian takes its restaurant reviewing all that seriously. The reviews frequently read like PR releases to me. Harsh, but how it comes across to me. regards, trillium

My only attempt at a frozen liquor based concoction was a Honeydew and Vodka sorbet. It remained too soft. It did however, make for some very tasty adults-only Slurpees! That's because the freezing point of ethanol is lower then that of water! regards, trillium

I never did either, because I always bought old stale bags at stores frequented by mostly by southern Chinese and SE Asians. Hot? numbing? these people are wusses, I thought to myself. Once I got my hands on some good stuff, it was a world of difference. Chewing on a raw one rendered my tongue numb for a good 5 minutes. They were also much more fragrant then I was used to. Even roasted and sprinkled on top of dishes they add some zing, besides the characteristic flavor. It shouldn't stop you from cooking Sichuan food, but in all seriousness, I can't imagine something like ma po doufu without it. regards, trillium

I have a friend in Chicago who is figuring things out for me. As soon as I know, I'll let you know. regards, trillium

I would say that sambal belacan is Malaysian, but it's quite difficult to draw a hard line between Malaysia and Indonesia, given the amount of shared history and movement of people and goods throughout the region. But that's ultimately my point: Malaysia and Malaysian cuisine are a product of the meeting of diverse influences. Malaysian cuisine is an example of a spectacularly successful fusion of cuisines. And that's why Roti Canai, Hainanese Chicken Rice, and Kangkung Belacan are all Malaysian. I know a Singaporean who would argue with you over that claim... or is Singapore just getting lumped into Malaysia (hee hee)? My grew-up-in-Thailand friend says the Thais do a nearly identical dish to Hainanese chicken rice found in S'pore, but it goes by the name of chicken fat rice. I think the chilli prep is different though. regards, trillium

I hear you tryska. Nothing beats fresh. It depends on where you are and what season it is. Here in the US, for S'porean dishes that rely on coconut milk we tend to use canned (even though I will usually always use something fresh vs. canned or dried) because you just can't get very good quality coconut milk from the coconuts we can buy here. Surprisingly, we had the same problem in Chicago, even though there is a huge fresh eating coconut population there...you could even buy coconut scrapers in the south Asian grocery stores. The S'porean gets very frustrated over all that work for such a low return and mutters about how he needs the pre-grated, nice and oily and flavorfull coconut from the wet market he grew up using... If you are determined to do it the fresh route without a grater you can pry the meat from the skin and then grate it on a box blender. regards, trillium

There is a pretty tasty cultured butter widely available here in the US made by Organic Valley (the trade name) . I use the unsalted version in all of my baking, but the trouble is finding a place where it's suitably fresh. They list it at 18% fat and the ingredients as: Pasteurized organic sweet cream, microbial enzymes, cultures. They also market a more expensive type as "European Style" cultured butter. Same fat percentage. The ingredients: Organic pasteurized sweet cream and Swiss cultures. regards, trillium

You're in pdx too, right? I'm looking to get together a do-it-yourself paan present for my partner. I'm going to mail-order the leaves... email me if you want in on it, ok? regards, trillium

Ahhh. I disagree. I loved Escape from NY in San Francisco (I guess they're brothers), it was an undergrad staple, but I detest the one here. The whole fake NY rudeness the owner cops annoyed the hell out of me and I found the crust to have more of the low-and-slow-rise taste at Hot Lips. Plus, I think the quality of the ingredients aren't that great at Escape from NY. I mostly go for non-meat seasonal stuff or the house made pepperoni, so that may have something to do with it! regards, trillium

Besides the excellent recommends so far.... For really cheap eats that uses local ingredients (he goes to the farmer's market for veggie pizza toppings and buys local cheese and wheat, the pepperoni is made from good quality meats) I recommend Hot Lips Pizza. Sometimes they even have a house brew (organic!) that isn't half bad (but probably not as good as you're gonna get at the fest). I'm partial to the location near Portland State University, I like the vibe better, and they're happier then at the location in the Pearl. If you get to the farmer's market (which is a great suggestion) also check out Ken's Artisan Bakery for some of the best bread this side of the pond. regards, trillium

That's just a sad thing.... and revolting in a very strange nationalistic way. Maybe they need to come up with a Freedom Cocktail? Southern Comfort and Coke? regards, trillium

Dammit...how did I not notice this until today? There's no way I can get away at lunch times, I take a 20 min lunch most days, but now that I don't have a sick kitty to run home to, I would be totally up for Friday happy hour. I'm still bitter I had plans on the day of the big Thai feast you guys did. Any happy hour plans for this Friday? Have you ever done Canitas happy hour? I remember it ending kind of early, and the price break is on the nibbles not the drinks, but it looked kind of fun too. regards, trillium

Oh yeah, I saw that place, we have friends who moved close by. Has anyone checked out the all vegetarian place on Hawthorne? There is a huge Buddhist vegetarian tradition in Thailand, but I think I'd miss the fish sauce. The owner is Thai, and his daughter is vegetarian. I think they do a lot with all those fake meats. regards, trillium

Maybe you should get one of those little Donviers (no bothersome outlet problems and very little hand cranking)? I actually thought they were Japanese. It's pretty easy to make your own ice cream...or would that be a bad thing? regards, trillium

What is the cross street of this new place? thanks trillium

I can second Andrea heartily on this. I love Kasma's books and cook from them frequently. And the seafood one is even better because of those inspiring pictures! regards, trillium

Pea shoots (dau miu) are one of my favorite things to eat. For southern Chinese style, you basically pick off the pea tendrils and remove all the strings. Depending on how tough they are, you may want to briefly blanch them and then stir-fry with garlic and light soya. For mojitos I like growing what gets called herba buena around here (which I thought was just Spanish for mint) it has rounded leaves and is a creeping mint. The flavor is almost like a cross between peppermint and lemon balm with some extra green flavor thrown in. My mum says it was growing wild in the Sacramento valley when she was a kid. The stalks of cardoons work really well in the pressure cooker because they're so tough and take so long to cook. I've never been motivated enough to wrap them in burlap to blanch, but I've thought about it. regards, trillium

Maybe they're going for the fresh ginger taste...it tastes different when it's cooked. But you could still do it in a hurry, just muddle some fresh ginger with sugar in the bottom of your shaker before you add the rest of the ingredients. regards, trillium