Gochi

Gochi is a Japanese fusion tapas restaurant. They have a location at 19980 Homestead Road.

Shishito Tempura--$7.50. The tempura coating was a little too heavy for the peppers.

Hamachi yellowtail, garlic-ginger-ponzu & chopped jalapeño drizzled with garlic oil--$17.50. The hamachi was too fishy and definitely not worth $17.50.

Tori Yuzu Kosho salt broiled chicken thigh with yuzu pepper sauce--$9.50. This was the best dish. It had a light citrus flavor.

Agedashi Tofu tofu in dashi sauce 6.50. I've had better.

Fusion Pizzas--Okonomiyaki Style squid, side-pork, cabbage and okonomi sauce--$14.50. Definitely a miss.

Clay Pot Rice--Sake Oyako Meshi grilled salmon & salmon roe--small for $28.00. This was good and I liked the crispy crust on the bottom of the rice but it wasn't worth $28.

Will I be back? Not likely. I didn't think there was good value at Gochi. I can't understand why it's so popular.



2018 03 24

Luigi's Pizza & Pasta, Part 2

On the drive back to Santa Rosa, we stopped at Luigi's again.

They were just taking several 30" pizzas out of the oven. The picture doesn't show how big it actually is.

This time, we discovered the "Specials" option. A special includes a small salad (big enough for 2) and 2 slices of garlic bread.

Veal--$9.79. This included your choice of pasta and sauce. The veal was delicious.

Sausage Cannelloni Special--$8.79. The cannelloni was delicious as well. It was so good, I ordered one to go and ate it for 2 more meals.

2018 03 20

Blue Star Donut

Breakfast was Blue Star donuts. They have several locations in Portland and in other cities as well, including Manhattan Beach.

We got the maple bacon and lemon poppyseed. The maple was too sweet but I loved the bacon. 

2018 03 20

Aviary

The last dinner for our weekend in Portland was at Aviary, a restaurant that "applies classic French techniques to exotic Eastern flavors."

It's located at 1733 NE Alberta Street.

Bagna Cauda is brought to the table when you order. This was quite good with just a hint of anchovy.

One of the choices for the first course was shrimp toast--lemon anchovy aioli, mojama, grapes, water chestnuts, mustard seeds, horseradish. This wasn't too memorable.

The other option was oxtail cannelloni--daikon radish, rutabaga, housemade xo sauce, mint, peanuts, I really liked this. The cannelloni was rolled in a thin sheet of radish and the sauce had a nice flavor.

One of the entree options was hoisin glazed beef short rib--turnip cake, bacon, mustard greens, fried shallots. 

The other option was butter poached salmon--yuzukoshō, cauliflower, spinach, salmon roe, crispy skin. The salmon was well prepared.

Dessert was a chocolate truffle cake with white & dark ganache, cherry. This was moist and delicious.

2018 03 19

Jacqueline Happy Hour

Jacqueline still has a Happy Hour from 5-7pm featuring $1 oysters.

It's located at 2039 SE Clinton Street

You can order 1 dozen at a time and it comes with several sauces. I liked the Tarragon and the jalapeño ones the best. On this night, the oysters they served were Hammersley and Bonita (the larger ones), both from Washington. I liked the Bonita better--very briny. They went well with a glass of Cote de Gascogne, a white from southwest France.

Lobster Bun, Salt & Vinegar Chips--$11. The bun was greasy.

2018 03 19

Nong's Khao Man Gai

I really like the Chicken & Rice dish at Nong's Khao Man Gai.

They have several food carts and a restaurant at 609 SE Ankeny St.

Order at the counter and they bring the food to you.

Chicken & Rice--$11. It comes with a bowl of winter melon soup. The chicken is boiled and sliced and when mixed with the house made sauce is absolutely delicious. You can buy a bottle of the jar to take home for $9.99.

I tried their Pork and Rice dish this time and loved it. It's $11.75. The pork comes with some pork fat and it is so flavorful and so good.

2018 03 19

Irving Street Kitchen

Our 2nd dinner was at Irving Street Kitchen.

It's located at 701 NW 13th Ave.

They have a Happy Hour from 4:30-6pm. I ordered the Winter's Bloom--$7. It was Vodka, Cranberry Cordial, Lemon and Grapefruit. This was okay. It wasn't good enough for me to order it again.

On the Happy Hour menu were several food items. This was Chicken Fried Oysters--2 oysters for $6.  This was tasty but not worth $3 each.

Another item on the Happy Hour Menu--Manila Clams, Salt Spring Mussels, Chorizo, Toast--$10. Not worth it for 3 clams and 3 mussels, even if the broth was tasty.

On their 3-course menu, one of the options for the first course was Hamachi Crudo, Uni Tonnato, Spicy Benne Seeds, Pea Shoots. The fish was very strong and I couldn't find the uni. 

Pan Roasted Trout Fillet, Warm Potato and Celery Leaf Salad, Poached Egg, Bacon Vinaigrette. This wasn't too memorable.

Another option for the entree was billed as Duck Confit & Duck Chorizo, White Asparagus and White Beans. There wasn't much confit and the chorizo was a large meatball.

The dessert was Chocolate Bergamot Pot de Creme, Malt Honeycomb, Chocolate Buckwheat Cookies. The pot de creme was quite good and the best part of the meal.

2018 03 18