Eating BIG in Rockford

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Eating and Exploring the Screw City

Other than the google search results you won’t find a bigger collection of Illinois restaurant reviews than you’ll find over here. I’ve covered countless spots from DeKalb to Carbondale and beyond. So you shouldn’t be too surprised with todays stop - Rockford. The Screw City aka Forest City aka Reaper City is the largest city in Illinois outside of the Chicagoland area and is the states fifth most populated overall. It’s not the first spot in the Land of Lincoln that you might think of visiting and it’s probably not the second or third spot either but it’s a compelling place with lots of history and some stuff worth seeing including the Anderson Japanese Gardens which many consider the best of its kind in the Midwest. Rockford's location on the Rock River along with over 4000 acres of public parks means there’s lots of outdoor activities on offer too. I’ve never actually spent the night in Rockford in part due to its proximity to Chicago (80 miles) but I’ve stopped thru there plenty of times on the way somewhere else and have also taken a few daytrips over the years. Todays post is a culmination of all of the times I’ve stopped in Rockford to explore the area through food and what not. The food scene reflects the city itself - it's nothing fancy and definitely not trendy but it is interesting.

Sights in Rockford 
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Stockholm Inn

Our first stop is perhaps Rockford's most popular breakfast spot. If not the most popular it's certainly one if the most well known. The history of the Stockholm Inn is traced back to the 1940's when a husband and wife team with Swedish ancestry opened it under a different name. The people they sold it to kept the homestyle Swedish recipes and renamed it after Sweden's capital city. Decades later it brings alot of cultural and historical value to the people of Rockford. Locals pack the place on a daily basis. Many come for Swedish specialties like kroppkakor (potato dumplings), kaldomar (cabbage rolls), Swedish meatballs, salt herring, fruit soup, rice pudding and nut cake. Their most popular menu item are the Swedish pancakes which are a cross between a pancake and a crepe. They're thinner and lighter than their American counterparts due to the use of less flour and more butter when making them. It's common to eat these with a lingonberry sauce but I enjoy them as is with butter. 

Swedish Pancakes at Stockholm Inn
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Behr Den

Rockford's oldest restaurant is tucked away in an industrial area near the river. Behr Den has been serving the people of Rockford since 1896. It's open to the public but its location directly across the street from Behr Iron & Metal makes it a regular stop for workers of the longtime manufacturing company. According to an article from a local Rockford station it started out as a pharmacy and candy shop before turning into a restaurant over 100 years ago. Not a ton seems to have changed in the last 50 years or so, even the radio sitting on top of the counter was from another era. The prices are too. I got a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich for just $3.50 while my friend got the Denver omelet plate for $6.25. I've visited countless blue collar type dining spots over the years and none of them felt as industrial as the Behr Den. That goes for the food and the people on top of the atmosphere there.

Breakfast at the Behr Den 
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The Norwegian 

At the time of it's opening The Norwegian was Rockford's most ambitious restaurant project. It's housed in a historic building that was bought by a local woman who grew up in the area and rehabbed it with the help of the local who donated more than $100,000 to a Kickstarter so that it could be cleared of asbestos and turned into a brunch pub and live music venue. They serve brunch with a Nordic twist with dishes like Æbleskiver. These delicious Danish pancake balls are made from a fried batter and basically a cross between a donut and a beignet. The Norwegian serves theirs with a fantastic made in-house raspberry jam and some maple syrup for dipping and I would highly recommend starting your meal with these or ending it with them. The Lyonnaise salad is a good option as far as starters go as is the gravlax Smørrebrød. They do a little Nordic twist on the smash burger called 'The Frikadeller' which is a smashed Danish meatball patty with Jarlsberg, sauerkraut, lingonberry bbq sauce and caramelized onion aioli on local baked rye. Definitely worth a stop. 

Brunch at The Norwegian
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Meads Meat Market 

One of my favorite things about the food culture in the Midwest is the abundance of local butchers that are still around. There's not as many as thee used to be but it seems like most towns in the region still have a locally owned shop for meats and more. Meads is that spot in Rockford. The family owned butcher shop has been serving the community for nearly 85 years. They didn't have a ton of meat on offer when I went in there but they do a daily sandwich special which is what really seems to bring the customers in. The hot roast beef sandwich was the special on my visit. House roasted beef is placed atop onions, cheddar, and hot peppers served on a locally made Italian roll. Not bad at all. 

Hot Roast Beef at Meads Meat Market 
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Lino's

I once stopped at Lino's back in my college days riding to and from Madison. So I went ahead and got reacquainted as I was recently in the area. Lino's is Rockfords most popular pizzeria dating back to 1972. They shred their own cheese blend and the sausage is made on-site. Pizzas are cooked in an old Faulds Oven which is a defunct Chicago company, lots of local pizzerias still use them. They call this “Rockford style” as it’s thicker than cracker thin but still much thinner than deep dish. Actually it’s similar in girth to most thin crust spots in and around Chicagoland. It’s also a place of celebration as they cater and do banquets so lots of people in the area have a connection to the pizza and their house special salad with sausage. You can get a pizza, a salad, and a 2 liter of pop for $20 (takeout). I was most impressed with the sheer amount of people visiting be it for dine in or for takeout where they run a Chick-Fil-A type of ship getting customers in and out in an impressive amount of time.

Salad and Pizza at Lino's 
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Olympic Tavern 

If you're riding through Rockford and looking for a sit-down type of spot for dinner you should check out the Olympic Tavern. It's a Rockford institution dating back to 1945. It's got a very Wisconsin tavern and supper club type of vibe as far as the food and the atmosphere goes. You don't see fried bluegill around too often so I like to get it when I have the chance to do so and Olympic Tavern has it available regularly so that was an easy decision for me on my visit. If you've never had bluegill it's similar to lake perch in flavor and texture so it's best served lightly breaded like those seen below. 

Blue Gill Filets at Olympic Tavern 

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Lao Kitchen 

If you're a Chicagoan passing through Rockford and thinking about stopping for some food you might want to consider Lao Kitchen considering there's no Lao restaurants in Chicago (there's one ghost kitchen). To my knowledge there's a small Lao community in the Rockford area which could be due to its proximity to Wisconsin where there's a fairly large Lao presence. Lao food has slowly become one of my favorites going back to my college days in Madison which is where I was first introduced to the flavors before falling even further in love with the food while in Northern Thailand with whom Laos shares a border as well as many different ingredients and recipes. Since then Lao food has become pretty popular across the country with more and more spots identifying as Lao and not Thai. Lao Kitchen has a relatively small menu with mostly standard offerings including Lao sausage which might be my favorite encased meat these days (it's top 5 for sure). I love how Lao sausage packs all the wonderful flavors and aromas of Southeast Asia both in the link itself and also from the spicy and sour jeow sauce that it's typically served with. Add in some sticky rice and you got a meal in of itself but I also rec the Lard Na which is typically found on Thai menus but is traced back to Laos where Chinese people would cook stir fried noodles covered in gravy. Lao Kitchen makes a very good version. 

Lunch at Lao Kitchen 
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Tortacos Soto

Rockford might not be Illinois' Second City when it comes to tacos, that's Aurora, but there's still lots of taco options. I came across Tortacos Soto while browsing the menus of local taquerias. They have a couple of guisada (stewed meats) offerings with chicken and I enjoyed both of them. 

Pollo en Rajas con Arroz at Tortacos Soto 
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Beef-A-Roo 

If you're passing through the area and looking for something quick well then I have to mention Beef-A-Roo bc this wouldn't be a proper Rockford food post without it. The regional fast food chain opened their first location in 1967 and now has seven locations in the Rockford area while currently being in the process of a rapid expansion to a handful of other states. Beef-A-Roo is known for roast beef sandwiches which are not to be confused with Italian beef. These are more like Arby's though it's fans will tell you it's so much better and they might be right but if we're being real they're pretty similar to me. Then again it was sold by the original founders a few years back so it's likely that things have changed. I'm not saying it's terrible but it's typical fast food as far as it's quality goes. 

Roast Beef and Fries at Beef -A-Roo 
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Zammuto's 

I've been making summertime stops at Zammuto's for more than 20 years now. But its history goes back way further than that. It was opened as a grocery store in 1925 by a local Italian who may or may not have had a connection to the head of the Rockford mob family ran by a man with the same surname. The grocery was transported into a granita / ice cream stand at some point in the 50's or 60's and was later sold but the granita recipe lives on with the current owner. Granita is a product of Sicily, a cousin to Italian ice in that it's a semi frozen dessert made from fruit, water, and sugar. Zammuto's serves both granita and soft serve and they combine the two of them for their signature menu item - the "Unusual". They're so well liked that other dairy stands around town also serve them. 

The Unusual at Zammuto's 
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More from Illinois

Click 'Illinois' under tags for more than 50 posts including...

Eating BIG in Peoria

Roadfood in Galesburg

Southern Illinois Roadtrip

Smashed Burgers of Central Illinois 

The Illinois Fried Chicken Trail

See ya next time @chibbqking

Ørkenoy

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Nordic Inpired Brews and Bites in Humboldt Park 

The brewery scene in Chicago has exploded over the last decade and the city is now commonly mentioned among the country’s best for beer. There was a time when Goose Island on Clybourn was a new and exciting place where you could try beer that wasn’t available at your local liquor store but these days the city is home to what seems like a countless number of breweries and the liquor stores carry many of their products. There’s so many breweries I sometimes forget todays stop exists. Ørkenoy opened in 2020 which might be another reason I forget about it as that wasn't a good time time for breweries or anywhere that depends on crowds. But Humboldt Park’s first brewery has managed to survive the headaches and the setbacks that most spots have faced since the pandemic.

Locals Favorite in Humboldt Park 

Ørkenoy’s location inside in the Kimball Arts Center right off the 606 trail gives it a good feel as do the sunny and colorful Nordic vibes on the inside. It’s a good place to day-drink even though they don’t have a patio. If you’re in the area or walking along the 606 and looking for a place to grab a beer and or a bite it’s a good spot to stop. They brew farmhouse style beers while serving up Scandinavian style Smørrebrød plus small bites and shareable plates. Smørrebrød are small open faced sandwiches made with ingredients like smoked salmon, cucumbers and capers. The options are endless as the creations at Ørkenoy suggest. I loved the “Fry Life” which is High Life battered whitefish with cabbage and remoulade. The fish was perfectly fried and would make for a great lead in a Friday Fish Fry, something this city lacks. Both the potato pancakes and the beet pickled eggs made for great bar snacks with the pancakes being just as well fried as the fish and dressed for success with a dill crema and roe. The pickled eggs are painted with chili oil which makes everything better. I’m not well versed enough in beer to tell you this is one of the city’s best breweries as I tend to like them all as much for the good vibes as the beer itself. But I was impressed with the food for a brewery as there’s no burgers or fried chicken sandwiches on the menu. Ørkenoy also serves up tiki drinks made with Nordic ingredients which is another good reason to head over this time of the year.

Smørrebrød, Potato Pancakes, Pickled Eggs 

Ørkenoy
1757 N Kimball Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(312) 929-4024
Website

Elske

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Michelin Star Dining in the West Loop

Chicago's fine dining scene remains one of the best in the country. There's handfuls of spots that can contend for the city's best dining experience which is telling of a strong scene. Elske is of those spots commonly mentioned when Chicago's best restaurants are discussed. The Scandinavian inspired hotspot has been nominated for and won many awards including the earning of a Michelin star. 

Locals Favorite in the West Loop

This was actually my first trip to Elske which I'd wanted to check out long before covid arrived and shook up the restaurant industry. There were two instances when I had made reservations weeks in advance including one for this past New Years Eve but I ended up in Florida for that and also had to cancel another one a couple years back. On this visit I was able to get a reservation on the day of which was surprising but maybe not when you consider the pandemic isn't fully over. Elske is said to have one of the city's best tasting menu experiences and it looked really good but we both thought the ala carte items were more so our style. So to start, an order of cured hamachi covered with a long strip of kohlrabi. Underneath was pristinely cut yellowtail with summer pickles and toasted kombu. 

Cured hamachi with kohlrabi, summer pickles, and toasted kombu

I've been really into risotto lately which I've been cooking up at home pretty regularly. Looking for some inspiration for my next go around with it we ordered Chef David Posey's offering which sounded super fancy. This one was made with celeriac, apple, hazlenuts and black truffle. Perfectly al dente rice was nice and creamy and there was some sort of gravy that really took it next level as far as risotto goes. We also had to try the pasta offering which had some mac and cheese elements going on. Zucca made with annatto is tossed with egg and served over kabocha and covered in pecorino. 

Risotto and Pasta at Elske 

While all the dishes we ate were pretty great it was a couple of the fish offerings that really stood out. I enjoyed the Midwest elements at play in each of them with a perfectly cooked piece of black bass being topped with celery giardiniera sitting atop a rolled piece of kohlrabi holding beans and shrimp inside. It'll go down as one of the most satisfying fish dishes I've ever tried. Our server said her favorite dish from the current menu was a plate of perfectly fried whitefish sitting atop braised kale surrounded by a creamy foam of sorts with mushroom escabeche. An excellent recommendation. 

Fish Dishes at Elske 

I'm down to order the pork collar pretty much anytime I see it on a menu. It's always a hit at what tends to be Thai restaurants. But Elske does live fire grilling so it was without question the dish I was most intrigued with when we first looked at the menu. The collar of the pig is a muscle that runs from the jowl through the shoulder and extends into to the loin. It's called the "money muscle" in barbecue competitions. Pork collar always works really well with smoke which was the case here. There was some sort of glaze that was a bit over-salted but a side of black garlic glazed sunchokes and shaved chestnuts tamed down the overpowering salt. This was decadent and had me near food coma status. 

Pork Collar with with black garlic-glazed sunchokes and shaved chestnuts

But first dessert! We ordered their "since day one" offering which is described as "Sunflower seed parfait with sour honey, licorice, and bee pollen." I had no idea what to expect from the description but if it's been the menu the entire time it's got to be pretty good and it really was. I could eat that every night right before bed knowing if I croak while sleeping my last bite was a real winner. The kitchen also sent out their other dessert offering which was a blend of coffee and coconut milk sorbets with amaro baba, and buddha’s hand (a citrus plant). It too was a winner though I could only finish the sorbet portion as the wife had already checked out for the night. Both of us left happy and full so don't worry about having to go get tacos after running though the ala carte options at Elske. I'll be back. 

Desserts at Elske 

Elske 

1350 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-1314
Website

Eating BIG in Portland

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties

- Exploring Rip City aka The City of Roses

It somewhat shames me to say it but US travel doesn't quite do it for me like international does these days. Probably due to my love for the unknown. Don't get me wrong I still love travel in all forms and can find joy in exploring all places but what really gets me going nowadays is immersing myself in an entirely new culture. But if there's one place in the United States where the culture is a bit off and unlike most other places it's probably Portland. A city long on my list of places to visit. But bc flights aren't exactly abundant it's not an easy spot to get to. Sometimes the price can be equal to an international so for that reason we never went until the opportunity (tickets less than $400) arose.

Neon in Portland

Portland is an interesting place. As the old show Portlandia loved to point out. It's been in the news of late for clashes between groups that disagree on some things. It's always kind of been a place where radical thinking is done freely. That goes for both sides. It's location in the middle of the Northwest is about as good as it gets for those of us who like to take in the great outdoors. I was surprised how close some amazing getaways were to the city. Waterfalls and such just 20 minutes out. But then there's also some really nice places to visit within the city. Two of the spots we checked out were the Rose Garden and also the Japanese Garden. I rec both of them. I'm not going to lie I could probably get comfortable in a place like Portland. There's alot of natural beauty and the food is pretty good too.

Sights from Portland

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Chez Dodo

My first stop after checking into the hotel would be a popular lunch cart parked downtown. Bc of it's downtown location it's not open on the weekends so I only had limited time to try them. Them being the folks at Chez Dodo, a place I'm pretty sure is the only Mauritian restaurant in the States. Mauritius being the African island nation that's a melting pot of culture from Africa, Asia, India and elsewhere. We actually flirted with the idea of going there on our honeymoon trip to South Africa but it became too much travel to handle. There's a few Mauritian restaurants in Paris but other than those it's pretty hard to come across this eclectic cuisine off of the island. The owner of Chez Dodo is from Mauritius and he's cooking food from his childhood. Dishes like this wonderful box of fried noodles called Mine Frire mixing pan fried yakisoba noodles with meats and veggies. Topped with a terrific chutney sauce this had flavor undertones from both China and India. I wish I could've tried more.

Mine Frire at Chez Dodo

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Mama Chow's Kitchen

Here's another downtown cart that closes on Saturday and Sunday. Owned by a guy who moved up from San Francisco and brought his city favorites with him. The menu is simple with lollipop wings, wontons, and a couple other things being your options. I got the lollipop wings over garlic noodles. Really good. I guess you could describe it as the perfect example of food cart food. These carts are somewhat limited in what they can do but the food can still be tasty which these fresh fried wings that were more sweet than spicy. I left wondering if the wontons were the better choice. Next time maybe.

Lollipop Wings at Mama Chow

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Bing Mi

One of the hottest food trends of the last couple years is the US birth of Jianbing. The famous Beijing street food started to appear on both coasts as recently as a couple years ago. Now there’s Chinese crepe spots in places like St. Louis and Portland. The popular breakfast snack always comes with a bit of a show. The savory crepes are made on a hot stove which legend has it was originally developed by Chinese soldiers who lost their woks in battle and instead used their shields to make meals. The main ingredients are a batter of wheat and grain flour with eggs and sauces. It can be topped with different fillings like thin-crispy fried crackers, chopped mustard pickles, scallions, chili sauce or hoisin sauce depending on personal preference. It is often folded several times before serving and thus eaten like a wrap or burrito. As someone who prefers savory to sweet when it comes to breakfast this is something I would eat often if given the chance. We had a great little spot in Chinatown making them but it’s no longer there. So I was happy to get a good one from Bing Mi.

Jianbing at Bing Mi

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Nong's Khao Man Gai

Here we have one of Portland's most famous carts. Nong's had just opened a brick and mortar when we were there. But I wanted to make sure we did the truck that is one of those responsible for putting the city's food cart scene on the map. Nong's is owned by a Thai immigrant who cooks her family recipe Khao Man Gai which is Thai style Hainanese chicken rice. That's all they do here. Boiled chicken and rice cooked in it's fat juice. It's a simple dish in terms of looks but it's by no means a boring one in flavor. I had this in SE Asia a couple times and Nong's was on par with those offerings. They use quality chicken as it's important to have good chicken in a dish where the chicken makes up for almost all of the flavor. I was too late for the option to add on crispy bits of chicken skin but what I got was rewarding enough. Dump the bowl of fat laced broth over the rice and start eating.

Nong's Khao Man Gai

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PDX671

I wanted to try PDX 671 since first reading about it years ago. Must've been a decade maybe. They're one of the only spots in America doing recipes from Guam. That's where the owner is from and he opened a food cart a while back that showcased some of his favorite family recipes. Crazy enough when I was in Portland it was PDX671's last day and I just so happened to be headed that way. So by the time I arrived all that was left was lumpia. Which was a bit of a buzzkill as I really wanted to try his Guam style chicken salad or maybe the grilled chicken. Either way it was nice that I got to try something. The lumpia style egg rolls were really good and the garlic black pepper dipping sauce was was exquisite. From the looks of their site they're doing pop up's now. I wouldn't be surprised to see a restaurant open sometime in the future. This place had a long run and thus earned lots of big fans.

Lumpia at PDX671

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Viking Soul Food

Pretty much anything that is or was a trend can be found in the form of a Portland food cart. So the option for some Scandinavian cuisine is of course there. I think in more than one cart actually. Viking Soul Food was in a park with a few other trailers. One of their lefse wraps sounded good on what was a pretty hot day. Lefse being a durable Norwegian flatbread made from potatoes. It's super versatile too as it can be made into wraps and such like that which you see below. It's a lefse with smoked salmon, dill creme fraiche, pickled shallots, mixed lettuces and green cabbage mixed in it. I was right about this being a really good snack at what was a really hot day. Lots of fresh flavors.

Smoked Salmon Lefse Wrap at Viking Soul Food

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Sherpa Nirvana Momo

I have this thing where before I visit a city I'll search yelp for certain dishes I love. Like dumplings. But I like to get more specific than dumplings. You know stuff like momo aka Tibetan dumplings. Of course Portland has a few spots serving these severely underrated treats. To me they're as delicious as Potstickers and Xiao Long Bao when done right. But lots of spots only use chicken in the filling. In Tibet and Nepal the traditional filling is yak but beef works best here in the States where yak isn't readily available. I chose Sherpa Nirvana bc they had beef as an option. To me it works best with both the green and red sauces that should come with all momo. One green chili. One red chili. The momo are usually seasoned with ginger, turmeric, cumin etc. The combo of them all is wonderful.

Momo at Sherpa Nirvana

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 Gumba

Considering Portland's love for food carts and also for pasta it's no surprise to find the two together at Gumba. "The Gumba food cart was opened by two life long friends Robin and Jesse, both raised in the small town of Silverton, Oregon. They often talked even in their teenage years of opening a business together, no real plan, just a dream shared between the optimistic youth. Many years later with no business experience, and a shoe string budget, in late July of 2016 Gumba opened…a menu of 3 items written on a paper bag, with ingredients that were bought at the co-op across the street of what last remained in the bank account…." Your choice is usually limited to a few pastas but all of them are made in cart. We got to try the made in-cart spaghetti with calamari, prosciutto, bread crumbs, and Parmesan. Really nice. Next time I hope I can try one of their Napoli style pizza frittas.

Pasta at Gumba

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Voodoo Doughnuts

Every city has a stop that just about every first time tourists makes it to. In Portland that place is Voodoo Doughnuts. It's an independent owned eatery that's open 24/7. They employ over 600 people with outlets in Portland, Eugene, Denver, Austin, Universal City, and Orlando. They're known for eclectic decor, pink boxes and some fantastic donuts. Most of which reflect the shop itself and are weird, colorful, and unusual. I walked by quite a few times and surprisingly my first encounter with them there were no lines. This was during the day. By the time I was out it was forming through the night. It goes fast though and the donuts are indeed really good. I went twice and loved each one I tried. TO give yo an idea on the offerings they have a Marshall Mathers made with a cake doughnut and vanilla frosting with mini M&M’s sticking to it. The namesake features a raised yeast doughnut filled with raspberry jelly topped with chocolate frosting and a pretzel stick. But all characteristics of Voodoo Dolls are all different. My favorite was a Guava Colada on special. The hype is real.

Doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnuts

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Afuri Ramen & Dumpling

Like I said I like to know whee to go for dumplings. Afuri is a Japanese ramen chain that chose Portland as their first US location. Something about the water. Well as I also mentioned it was hot. No ramen this trip. But I saw they do a lattice style gyoza native to the region the chain is from. So I had to try some. They were really good but perhaps not as crispy as hoped. It felt like they got steamed after being crisped up and thus lost some of that crucial crunch. I still ate them all. 

Gyoza at Afuri 

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Jacqueline

Always on the prowl for happy hour oysters we found a good one at Jacqueline. They had a variety of local West coast oysters available during their happy hour which features them for $1 each. I've always found the cold water west coast oysters more favorable to the East but my real preference is cold water over warm water. Jacqueline is a trendy seafood spot with an ever changing menu however the Vietnamese inspired shrimp salad is always available. We were told it's very popular. Which was easy to understand after eating our first order. They used little Bay shrimps in it. Fantastic.

Oysters and Shrimp Salad at Jacqueline

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Nostrana

Portland surprised us with their pasta game. Having just come from Italy a few months before this trip we were really impressed having used that trip to Italy as comparison. I made sure to make some room on our schedule for Thursday gnocchi nights here. Run by one of the country's best Italian chefs. Cathy Whims has been nominated for a James Beard award six times. She's very respected in the industry and if there's one dish she's known for it might be her gnocchi. Every Thursday for lunch and dinner they offer said gnocchi a few different ways. When I saw one of those ways was with Marcella Hazen's famous marinara I knew which one I wanted. Hazen's recipe is easily found and online and is easily made but this Nostrano version was somehow better. Hard to say what made it. Was it the addictive sauce or the perfect little pillows of potato goodness that was the gnocchi?

Gnocchi Night at Nostrano

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Wailua Shave Ice

I've never been to Hawaii. But one day I'll eat my way through the islands regional eats and when I do I cant wait to get shave ice. Notice it's not shaved ice. If you see a place selling "shaved" ice it's a generic representation of the real thing which I finally got try this trip. That's bc the folks at Wailua Shave Ice have three locations. The original is on the island of Kauai. Then they have two main land locations, One in San Diego and the other in Portland. I was very excited to try what they advertised as real shave ice made with real fruits and juices. No high fructose favored syrups in these. I got the orange dream which came with fresh squeezed OJ as well as pineapple juice. But the key to a great shave ice (if this is one) is the ice itself. It was so light and airy and downright fluffy. I loved this treat.

Shave Ice at Wailua Shave Ice

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 Han Oak

There was really only one place I knew I wasn't going to Portland and not trying. Han Oak has been on my radar since it was named best new restaurant in America or something to the likes by some publication. It doesn't really matter anymore bc the secret is out. You need a reservation to dine here. Run by a family who got sick of the constant restaurant business grind and decided to move on. But not from the restaurant biz but rather from the constant travel to and from work. So they opened a restaurant at their house. I should note it still feels like a restaurant it's just that their backyard is now a dining area with the inside being an attachment they put on for the restaurant. To really give it the feel of being at someone's house there was a little baby (maybe 8/9 months) just chilling in a baby seat right at the check in desk. From what I read this place is a true family biz in every sense.

Asparagus in Ume Shiso (Banchan)

First thing out the kitchen was the days banchan. It's basically the bread service of a Korean restaurant. Many times the banchan will be multiple handfuls worth of offerings but this isn't one of those spots. It's elevated Korean and this banchan with an Ume Shiso Mayo like dressing was proof. One thing I couldn't wait to try were the kimchi dumplings. Of which were off the menu on our visit. DOH! Still they did have a traditional pork filled option and they were as wonderful as they look.

Pork & Chive dumplings, black vinegar & ginger broth at Han Oak

Wherever there's good dumplings, good noodles usually aren't far. In the case of the menu at Han Oak they share a section. Anytime I see hand pulled noodles it's hard to resist an order. Han Oak makes a Biang Biang style noodle in the form of a style popular in China's Shaanxi province. These noodles have characteristics of being long and thick and the perfect amount of chewy. Traditionally these are tossed in the chile oil sauce that's an integral part of many Chinese recipes. Han Oak adds crispy pork belly into the mix which is never really a bad idea. This was another really good dish.

Hand-Pulled Noodles in chili oil (‘biang biang’ mian) twice-cooked pork belly, cabbage, onions, garlic chives

Final plate of the night was a bowl of Korean style ssam. Which translates to wraps. Usually this dish will consist of little lettuce wraps or sometimes rice paper which is what we were served here. You use the wraps to hold the greens and pork which is made with belly/coppa. Served with a side of sticky purple rice I wanted to eat these little DIY wraps all through the night. Best meal of the trip.

Pork bo ssam koji marinated belly/coppa, pickled daikon, rice paper, scallion salad

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Providore Fine Foods

We stayed at a hotel but I'm pretty sure there's some beautiful AirBNB's in town. You may want to look around the Kerns neighborhood if you go. It was one of the city's many interesting areas with lots going on as far as food and fun. If you like da ganja it's where the start of the city's Green Mile gets going. It's also where Providore Foods is. This would be a great place to shop at should you have an AirBNB. It's a wonderful grocery store that had some really nice stuff. They have a wine section with knowledgeable people when it comes to local wines. We just couldn't resist a bottle and a plate of cheese from the cheesemonger which we enjoyed outside. I forget the price but we got a wonderful plate of fresh local and international cheeses for something that was more than reasonable with the wine. I really wish we had a spot like this. It was like Whole Foods but you know, actually good.

Cheese Plate at Han Providore Foods

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Canard

This spot was located next to one of those just turned 21 bars where the music was loud and the drinks made to seem cheap. You could hear the music blasting from next door into the dining area here. Owned by Chef Gabriel Rucker this is his third establishment and the second sibling restaurant to his regionally famous Le Pigeon. Rucker who is from California moved to Portland when rent became too high in San Francisco. Lucky for him he doesn't have to worry about rent hikes these days. Not with his three spots proving very popular to all. Canard has early and late Happy Hour. We went late and munched on local oysters, fresh cut fries, and little sliders on Hawaiian rolls. Not bad.

Happy Hour Food at Canard

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Daytrip to Wine Country

Willamette Valley

Just 30 minutes out side of the city is the Willamette Valley. This is where many of the states pinot grigio is made. It felt a bit like Sonoma with all the wineries located in the hills. We ended up taking a really relaxing daytrip over he holiday wkd. Bc of the holiday most of the spots had tastings going on so we set out to try a few. I forget exactly which ones but I would recommend the trip to all.

Sights from the Wineries

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Red Hills Market

No matter which Wine Country you're in you can always find a spot like Red Hills Market in Dundee. You know the drill. Fresh local goods with a menu featuring pizza, sandwiches etc. All made with those same fresh local goods. Sometime these places are better than others but honestly most of the time they're all worth a stop for one or another. You have to support the places willing to put stuff that's not mass produced on their shelves. This breakfast sandwich with bacon, egg, greens was nothing extravagant as far as prep. Me or you could've made it. As long as we had access to good ingredients. I wish every neighborhood and town had access (and the means to shop) spots like this.

Breakfast Sandwich at Red Hills Market

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Ruddick/Wood Tavern

A town or two over in Newburg was this hip bar with a decent looking drink menu. We made a stop and opted to sit outside and enjoy what was a beautiful day. We also opted to try the shrimp and grits. I wasn't expecting anything too special as we're a ways away from the South. It wasn't special but it was pretty good. Maybe a tad much tomato. The use of bay shrimp gave it that regional feel.

Shrimp & Grits at Ruddick/Wood Tavern

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Taqueria Kopitos

Another thing you can find in all Wine Country's is tacos. The wineries employees need to eat. Often times Mexican immagrants will start off as grape pickers and then move on to open their open taquerias and supermercados. The spots where you'll find good tacos. Taqueria Kopitos was mentioned for having really good made in store tortillas and people seemed to like the shrimp on them. Good call Yelpers.

Shrimp Taco at Taqueria Kopitos

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Renata

Located in the city's hip Eastside is this hip little pasta spot popular with Portlanders and tourists alike. It's a large space at Renata where the made in-house pastas and also the wood fired pizzas are popular. We thought about getting a pizza but ended up going for two pastas and app of artichokes.

Artichokes with Garlic and Herb Butter

The menu at Renata is seasonal o you wont find these beautiful artichokes on the menu anymore but it gives you an idea on the type of Italian food coming out of the kitchen. It's simple in ingredients but not so much in prep. I'll use the pasta cappelletti below as an example. Anytime you're doing hand stuffed pasta I have to take a try. Maybe not my favorite combination with it being meatless. I prefer a little bit of meat stuffed in the middle. This was mild with flavors of Summer showcased.

Cappelletti with Potato and Cream

Next pasta out was their signature Bucatini all’Amatriciana. We scarfed this Roman favorite down real quick. I don't know if it's any better in the region of Lazio itself but I felt that Renata's take on the classic was something I would have been very happy with in Rome. It was order another round good.

Bucatini all’Amatriciana at Renata

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Pepper Box Café

Portland was right at the top of list of US cities I still needed to visit. Now that's off I'm pretty sure Santa Fe (and Albuquerque) are now at the top of the list. This is almost solely based off food but they say the views and culture is pretty terrific too. Well no trip to New Mexico this year but it was nice to see Portland has a few New Mexican restaurants of their own. We don't have any in Chicago so I wanted to get some green chile spice while in PDX. I talked to the owner of the Pepper Box who said he was from New Mexico. Santa Fe I think. I went ahead and tried two breakfast tacos to start.

Primo Breakfast Taco - cage free eggs, pastrami, pickled hot peppers, onions, pepperjack cheese, chipotle crema

The Primo breakfast taco was big enough to be breakfast in and of itself. I thought it was like something I'd find t a hip little spot in Austin Texas. I'm sure there are bad bfast tacos but I'm happy to say I've never really had one. What I was really here for though was the original breakfast taco with potato, egg, choice of meat, cheese and the option to have it smothered with green chile sauce or red chile sauce or both. This is the type of stuff I cant wait to eat in the Land of Enchantment.

Smothered New Mexico Chile Burrito

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Daytrip to the Falls

Sights from the Columbia River Gorge 

I had really wanted to take a trip over to the coast. It's something I've always wanted to do is explore the area up and down there. Lots of little beach towns and some really terrific food to be ate and sights to be seen. But bc of the long trip there we decided to do a ride along the Columbia River Gorge instead. We took note of some popular waterfalls and were there within a half hour. Boy I could spend a summer out there on the river as its as scenic a landscape we have in this country.

Brigham Fish Market

We only had a lunch on this trip and it wasn't even planned. While heading back I took a scenic route through the town of Cascade Locks and happened to come upon a fish market. But not just any fish market. Fish N’ Chips with a sick, sick view. Sometimes the best spots are the spur of the moment ones.  We found this fantastic batch of Alaskan Fried Halibut coated in light breading by chance while cruisin’ the Columbia Gorge. Don’t skip the smoked fish (salmon). Roadfood at its absolute finest.

View from the outdoor dining area

Also great was the clam chowder. The food and the views up along the river looking over in Washington were both outstanding. In fact this batch of fried halibut might've been the best thing I ate on our entire trip. It was exactly what I wanted from a trip out to the coast so I was very happy I got it. I prefer battered fish to breaded but this being the house specialty I opted to go for it. Good choice. Probably the best breaded fish I can remember having. Everything here pretty much perfect.

Fried Halibut and Fries at Brigham Fish Market

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Olympia Meats

Where there's hipsters there's charcuterie. Or in the case of Olympia Meats there's really good charcuterie. So good they've expanded from a small little shop to two large locations with both stores and restaurants. We went to one of them for a happy hour board and while it wasn't on the happy hour menu they were happy to hook us up with some pate as they had some made in-house. Wow. 'm on record as proclaiming my uncles to be the best of the best but this was right there with it. We were surprised by how much we liked it as more times than not we're let down when not on par with his.

Pate at Olympia Meats

The board of happy hour meats was also really good. This seemed like one of the best places in the city as far as food. They are highly skilled in their craft so I/m wishing we tried more. Almost as good as the pate was a Greek dried sausage that included flavor bombs of cumin. Whoa was it tasty. I had to get a couple to take home which was great in that I could just carry them on in my backpack.

Charcuterie Board at Olympia Meats

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Hat Yai

One thing I didn't really get to do was explore Portland's Asian food scene. More particularly it's Vietnamese and Thai spots. Out in the suburb of Beaverton they have what are supposed to be some really good low key spots that cater to mostly clientele from the country who's food they cook. In the hip and happening areas restaurants like Pok Pok and Hat Yai cater to the younger crowds. I didn't make it to Pok Pok but I made sure to try some Thai fried chicken at Hat Yai. The owner named his restaurant after the southern Thai city where fried chicken is King. The recipe here includes marinating the chicken in soy, white pepper, cumin and coriander both fine-ground and whole, before deep frying with sliced shallots which take up flavor in the oil. Get your chicken with sticky rice and an order of both the Malaysian style curry and also the roti and proceed to dip everything into the silky smooth yellow curry. We both liked our meal here. It almost brought us back to Thailand.

Thai Fried Chciken and Roti with Curry at Hat Yai

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Ate-oh-Ate Grill

Lots of Hawaiian options in Portland and really the entire west coast inland to Vegas for that matter. But they rarely make it further east than that. That said Portland isn't known for it's weather so interesting to see quite a few options for spam musabi and such. Ate-oh-Ate looked like one of the better ones with lots of the menu items tempting me. My call would end up being the stir fried saimin noodles with Roasted Pork Belly, Dashi & Vegetables. Saimin noodles are a noodle product of many different immigrant groups in Hawaii. It's actually the official dish of the island and usually ate in soup.

Stir Fried Saimin

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Note: To find the locations of all the spots featured in this post, as well as places I didn't make it to, please click HERE for my google maps guide to Portland.