NEW YORK EATS

Here are some iPhone snaps of recent meals here in the Big Apple.



"Colby" sandwich - Roast beef, cheddar, lettuce, tomato on rosemary-garlic bread at Urban Rustic (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Pork belly Korean barbecue (Koreatown)

Indian chicken at Chirag (Staten Island)

Affogato at La Bottega (Chelsea)

A feast at Pok Pok (Portland, OR)

Cocktails at Matsuri (Chelsea)

Egg salad sandwich at El Beit (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Iced latte, tea, prosciutto sandwiches at El Beit (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Italian bread, Chavrie cheese, salad and wine at home.

Chargrilled lamb burger with feta, cumin mayo & thrice cooked chips at The Breslin (Midtown West)

LA BOULANGE

La Boulange

500 Hayes Street

San Francisco, CA 94102-4214

(415) 863-3376

If you know me, you know my favorite type of eatery is the French cafe/bakery. If heaven exists and is different for everyone, mine will most likely be a never ending day seated outside a boulangerie sipping bottomless coffee and picking at regenerating croissants.

MATSURI

Matsuri

369 West 16th Street

New York, NY 10011

(212) 243-6400

Matsuri is most likely my favorite restaurant, period.

When you first step inside and turn the corner to overlook the grand, expansive dining area, it is an image that stays with you. One that lingers in the mind every time you go out to eat, popping up to unfairly compare itself.

Everything about it's design is executed perfectly and my first meal there years ago was also one of the first moments I can remember being blown away by a physical space.

As for food, it is vibrant contemporary Japanese cuisine of matching caliber to the incredible atmosphere. The New York Times once claimed Matsuri chef Tadashi Ono's work is "a natural idiom for culinary poetry." If that doesn't sum it up, I don't know what will.

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

28 Wings with 2 sauces: Spicy Peanut & Jamaican Jerk


Fried Oreos

Fire On The Mountain

1708 E Burnside St

Portland, OR 97214

(503) 230-9464

Fire On The Mountain seems to have a bit of a monopoly on Portland's buffalo wing cravings... and not without merit, they're pretty damn good. Fried Oreos are a delicious way to a heart attack too.

It would have been a glorious guilty pleasure evening, except two assholes at the table next to us dared us to eat some of the hottest sauce they serve ("El Jefe"). Needless to say, the pain was real.

AUGUST BBQ

Here are some photos from a delicious barbecue we had back in August. Menu included chicken and beef skewers made by my mom as well as bruschetta and a peach/blackberry cobbler made by our friend Laurie.

CLYDE COMMON

Roasted halibut, merguez sausage, mussels, fennel, red onion, tarragon.


Grilled poulet rouge, tomato, cucumber, and onion bread salad.


Chevre rice pudding with blackberries.

Clyde Common
1014 SW Stark Street
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 228-3333

BLUE

Blueberry tart.

Ken's Artesian Bakery
338 NW 21st Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 248-2202

My favorite fruits are berries. Dark berries. Blueberries and Blackberries.

CHEZ MACHIN

???: Savory crepe with brie, avocado, and other stuff?


La Miel: Local berry mix, honey, and crème fraîche.

Chez Machin
3553 SE Hawthorne
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 736-9381

Growing up In Tokyo, my friends and I used to hang out every weekend in the bustling Shibuya neighborhood shopping for records and clothes, and eating from various food cart vendors. For dinner, we had Turkish Döner kebab, and for desert we would frequent the many sweet crepe stands hidden in the back streets. They were AMAZING. Dozens of variations and combinations of fresh fruit, cream, syrup and custard.

My only previous crepe experience in Portland was trying Vivace on 23rd street, which I remember hating. I should probably give it another shot, but it wasn't a good first impression. Chez Machin on the other hand was damn good. I don't recall everything that was in the savory crepe other than brie and avocado, but those were the two ingredients that drew me to it anyway. The desert crepe was great too. Next time I'm looking forward to trying the La Maison (Local berry mix with homemade custard.)

Also pluses: charming interior and a cute waitress.