Thai Bloom
Sunday June 21
PuJa - heavy dense, needed knife and dipping sauce
Crab Pad thai - too much egg wrapped around crab
Halibut Bloom - perfectly cooked panko coated -
All beautiful fresh vegetable
The hit of the meal was passion fruit sangria mocktail
7.5 of 10
108 = $130
Salty's On the Columbia
Sunday June 14 was a scorching hot and slightly hazy day, perfect for river views and seafood.
We missed dinner out the previous week for two reasons, first, we were enjoying eating the dry-roasted duck we had at home from Ranch 99, and second, we had tickets to Pink Martini at the Reser and we were feeling sufficiently celebrated for the week.
Dinner at Salty's was perfect. We started with individual little bottles of prosecco while watching boats, geese and waves from our window seat on the top floor. Our table was sprinkled with red rose petals and an anniversary card - which our dinner neighbor noticed and commented on. A nice greeting. All the service was as gracious and welcoming.
H had cioppino, served with garlic bread, which he rated a ten. I had a crab and shrimp Louie, a generously loaded salad that contained everything I like to include on my healthy diet.
Then, were we comped a slice of cake for our anniversary.
All in all, a highly satisfying experience.
8.5 of 10 (if id eaten something more adventurous, I'd have rated accordingly)
$130 including tip
May 29 Week 21
Han Oak is a communal, prix-fixe Korean barbecue restaurant emphasizing traditional flavors, seasonal ingredients, and fine technique.
Our dinner here, on a beautiful Friday evening was a unique experience. First, simply finding the obscure front door is a challenge, entering into a courtyard completely surrounded by dense green vines. The interior space - which is largely exterior, has a lovely vibe - walls painted the same soft blue green grey of our house. Our table was perfectly located in shade but enough sun for ideal temperature. More and more patrons arrived as we ate, and btw, our reservation took two weeks to get.
A prefix menu - see below - filled with unfamiliar dishes met our criteria of trying new things. Neither of us has eaten Korean food before and this restaurant is rated as one of PDX best.
I started with a mocktail - Citron Tea - refreshing and lovely. A bamboo tray is delivered to our table containing this interesting variety of flavors and textures. We were hungry and although we did not like all the same things, everything got eaten. And yes, kimchi is spicy. I especially liked the pickles.
H ordered the pork entree, and I had the black cod. We shared each. Dessert tasted like pumpkin pie, and we were comped a non-alcoholic beverage to celebrate our anniversary. All in all, a fun and interesting adventure. Expensive but unique and a lovely place with fine service.
$158 + 32 = $190
8.5 out of 10
JIPBAP
plated tray of banchan & appetizers
accompanied by: kimchi, doen-jang soup and rice
smash’d cucumbers spring radish, kimchi-li crisp, garlic sauce, gim
dubu jorim braised Ota tofu in scallion soy sauce
potato salad chopped egg, k-pepper sauce, crunchy crunch
crab ’n egg steamed egg custard, picked dungeness crab, chive
dry-aged salmon hwe* citrus pepper soy, yuja cho-jang, cured salmon roe, fried shoestring potatoes
for the table
gim toasted seasoned seaweed
pickle plate daikon, cucumber, red onion
mains - choose one per guest
galbi-jjim boneless short rib, sweet potato, caroots, zucchini, pine nuts
twice cooked pork bokkeum koji cured pork coppa crispy rice cake, kimchi-chili pepper glaze, brussels sprouts, charred cabbage in kimchi butter
mae-un-tang black cod in spicy seafood broth, manilla clam, mussels, head-on shrimp, scallion, baby bok choy, chrysanthemum
mushroom ddukboki mushrooms in garlic cream sauce, parmesan, nori
* add picked dungeness crab and salmon roe
dessert
goguma mochi cake roasted sweet potato, bombay gin syrup soaked blood orange, chantilly cream, red bean misugaru
