Filed under: Southeast Portland, Thai | Tags: paleo, Portland, Thai BBQ chicken
- Thai BBQ Chicken
- Thai BBQ Pork
Filed under: American, Southeast Portland | Tags: American, expensive, paleo, Portland
7937 SE Stark Portland, OR 97215
503.408.1414
OMG! Not to sound like a 6th grader, but this has got to be my new favorite restaurant! We came here about 3 years ago during our pre-paleo days and really liked it, but for some reason it took us this long to come back. Maybe because back then our palette for amazingly cooked meat hadn’t developed fully and our appreciation for fine dining hadn’t been fully grasped. This place is a bit expensive, not Hoity Toity, but in the $15-$22 range for entrees. A restaurant that is very feasible when you want to treat yourself once a month or week 
What we ordered: Baked Goat Cheese and Orange Salad, Molasses and Hickory Smoked Duck Leg, The Country Cat’s Whole Hog.
How we ordered it: As is!!! I should have ordered the Duck Leg with an alternative side for the Spatzel. I had no idea Spatzel was tiny flour balls of goodness….service was great, so substituting the Spatzel for additional veggies would have been no problem.
What we got:
Baked Goat Cheese and Orange Salad
Country Cat Whole Hog
Molasses and Hickory Smoked Duck Leg
Cost: Baked Goat Cheese and Orange Salad – $10, Country Cat Whole Hog – $21, Molasses and Hickory Smoked Duck Leg – $19
Quality: This restaurant was in Portland, so where do you think the meat came from? Yes, you guessed it, it’s local.
Quantity: The quantity for the price we paid was a sold GOOD. Duck was a perfect size, I was stuffed. The amount of hog was so much that the MEAT-O-METER was slowing down a little bit towards the end.
MEAT-O-METER says!
FANTASTIC! This restaurant is a solid thumbs up with even a slight smile. We highly recommend this restaurant, it is a bit farther out of town; SE 80th and Stark, but sooo worth it! Very Paleo friendly and a nice bar. too! There are weekly and daily specials. Atmosphere – Good, Food – Good, The Country Cat – GOOD!!!
Filed under: Chinese, Southeast Portland | Tags: authentic chinese, Chinese, paleo, Portland
3862 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard Portland, OR 97214
(503) 206-8292
We were on our way to a favorite restaurant of ours called ARISTA. Then we find out that it closed! Up popped in Lucky Strike. A bit disappointed, but excited to try a new restaurant! We heard that Lucky Strike was good and also that they were super spicy. Given the cool name, out interests were peaked.
What we ordered: Chicken on Fire, Chives with Egg, Twice Cooked Pork, Kung Pao Chicken
How we ordered it: As is. No rice.
What we got:
Chicken on Fire!
Chives stir-fried with Egg
Twice Cooked Pork
Kung Pao Chicken
Cost: Hot Pepper Chicken Bath – $10, Kung Pao Chicken – $9, Twice Cooked Pork – $10, Chive Stir-fried with Egg – $7.
Quality: So on their menu they state that all their meat is from local farms. They write which meat is from what farm, it’s so Portland! A Chinese restaurant that serves real authentic Chinese food and is concerned about where their meat comes from. Hmm, could this place be the best of both worlds?
Quantity: This was not too bad. The fact that most authentic Chinese restaurants would charge between $10 and $18 for major entrees, this really wasn’t that bad.
MEAT-O-METER says!
This was after I dared him to eat one red pepper. OK, so some people’s palettes can handle really spicy food, but geez, they are some special people. You can get other entrees that are not spicy and somewhat Paleo, but they are limited to the Chives with eggs and the baby bok choy. If you are looking for a solid cheat, go for the Seafood Pancake. (so good) Otherwise, it was pretty easy to order Paleo here, everything can be ordered as is. If you love spicy food and don’t need rice to help alleviate the painful temperature in your mouth then this is the place for you!
Filed under: American, Hoity Toity, Southeast Portland | Tags: American, hoity toiyt, meat curing facility, southeast portland, wholesale meat
- fish
pork shank
- stuffed peppers, yes w/ cheese
- lamb leg
- pancake thing
Filed under: Mexican, Southeast Portland | Tags: Mexican, paleo, salvadoran, southeast portland
8324 SE 17th Avenue, Portland, OR 97202
(503) 231-5140
Our new thing, sort of, is Groupon. El Palenque was a Groupon offer we couldn’t pass up! We were also itching to try someplace new. This place is a mix of Mexican and Salvadoran fare. Mmmmmm…
Compared to where we are in North Portland, this restaurant was kind of a trek to the Sellwood-ish area. If we are ever in the area again, we may just stop by for the fried yuca. Have you ever had not good fried yuca? good stuff…
What we ordered: Side of Guacamole Salvador (boiled egg mixed with onions and garlic), Palenque Salad with mole chicken, and Yuca plate with Carnitas
How we ordered it: Guac – as is, Palenque salad – no rice or beans with extra lettuce and some sauteed peppers and onions, Yuca plate – no rice, yuca fried please. 
What we got:
Side of Juevos Guacamole
Palenque salad with mole chicken
Yuca with carnitas
Cost: Juevos Guacamole – $6, Palenque Salad – $10, Yuca with carnitas – $13
Quantity: Very little
Quality: Not bad. Tasty. Nothing special.
MEAT-O-METER says!
OMG fried yuca is so stinking good!!!!! My fav for sure. Very disappointed by the meat amount, hence the sad face. But apparently they are very liberal with the yuca. You can get the yuca steamed instead of fried if you want to go super strict wtih this meal. We were a bit disappointed by the mole, it was definitely more on the sweeter side unfortunately for the MEAT-O-METER, he likes it a bit more bitter. Overall the meal was tasty, but not worth the drive down from NoPo for this, but maybe if we’re in the area and in the mood for some fried yuca…maybe…
Filed under: American, Southeast Portland | Tags: American, paleo, southeast portland
3312 SE Belmont St. Portland, OR 97214
503 235 0146
After we ate at this restaurant we HAD to write about it immediately. Yes, I am slacking here on my posts, but hopefully this will jump start them back up again. (Thank you everyone for reading and following along!!!!!!!! Please spread the word!!)
Some people had recommended this place to us and the first thing they said was, “It’s a Paleo Diner!” The Meat-O-Meter and I looked at each other like, “Whaaaaa???? No way.” We did our research and looked it up on the good ol’ interweb. We were incredibly interested, but incredibly skeptical. We have had several conversations with each other about what a REAL Paleo restaurant would be like and what a REAL Paleo restaurant would serve to be successful. We thought no one would ever do it because it’s so against the norm and that it wouldn’t last…maybe as a food cart….maybe….
Anyway, when we heard about DK’s, we thought, “An actual restaurant that publicly declares themselves to be a follower of the Paleo Diet and actually writes in bold letters, PORTLAND’s FIRST STONE AGE DINER on their website. It sounds too good to be true.”
Hmmmm....
So we checked out their menu online. The first thing you see on the menu is burgers, sausages and sandwiches. (My one eyebrow is raised) Then we see words: vegan and vegetarian options. We were like, “Whaaaat???” Then the last page of the menu is a page long description of the Paleo Diet! They even go so far as give recommended books to read up on about the Paleo Diet!!! (By the way Robb Wolf’s book, “The Paleo Solution” is the book to read. Go buy it now.) Wait a second…..Paleo Diet: meat, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds, Vegetarian Diet: NO meat. How is that right? Not good feelings…..But, with all the hoopla and questioning from other Paleo followers, we had to go and check it out. On a rainy night, we drove to the diner, located next to the Laughing Planet on Belmont. (We come to find the owner of DK’s is also the owner of Laughing Planet) This is what we found on every table:
Click the pic to enlarge.
What we ordered: Sausage Plate (recommended by the waiter to have the most meat for our money), Veggie Plate (your choice of 3 sides)
How we ordered it: As is. Supposedly it’s Paleo, so bring it!
What we got:
Sausage Plate
Veggie Plate - dinner roll not pictured
Cost: Sausage Plate – $10, Veggie Plate – $8.50
Quantity of the meat: Did you see the size of that cole slaw? In case you missed it, it’s in that small dish that is the same size as the mustard.
The waiter recommended the Sausage Plate and said, “The sausages are huge.” Then we asked him about the sides. The waiter then said, “The greens are great. They taste like they are cooked in bacon even though they are vegetarian. The cabbage is awesome too. They taste really buttery, but it’s vegan.”
“Hmm” thought the bacon eating connoisseurs. ”OK let’s try it.”
Oh, the disappointment. After the meal, we asked the waiter, “Have you had bacon before?”
Quality of the meat: The best thing from these two dishes was the sweet potato mash. It was different and unique. They do serve grass fed 5 ounce beef patties for their burgers. That’s 5 ounces before cooking. Can you imagine how small it is after it’s cooked? Yikes.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Ouch, the thumb’s not even visible. That’s not good.
OK, there’s so much to say about this place, where do I begin. First, if you are claiming yourself to be a Stone Age Diner, don’t say that NO-BUN is optional. It should say that burgers come with lettuce, tomato, etc.. and bun is optional. It seems like false advertising or actually total bs to go so far as to claim yourself to be a Paleo Restaurant, and then have bread everywhere. What is up with that? A Paleo Menu should look like: MEAT OPTIONS, VEGGIE OPTIONS, done.
We do realize that it must be a big risk to go Paleo especially in Portland because we must be the capital of vegetarianism, but Podnah’s, Clay’s Smokehouse and Russell St. Barbecue seem to be doing just fine with their meaty menus.
I really think if you go down this road, just pull the trigger. If anything, Portland is the place to do it.
So what is the difference between DK’s and any other diner? I can get better sausages at another diner. The server asked us how our meal was and the Meat-O-Meter laid it on him. The server told us they are still trying to figure out the menu. Figure out meat and vegetables!?!?!?! OK, whatever. We decided that DK’s is making the classic mistake of trying to appease everybody, but not satisfying anybody. Have you ever straddled a fence? It’s uncomfortable, and that’s what it felt like eating at DK’s.
From afar DK’s looks like the perfect grass fed medium rare steak, but up close, it’s just a regular peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Filed under: Chinese, Southeast Portland | Tags: Chinese, paleo, southeast portland
Review coming soon! Sorry all for the delay in posts. After a 3 week vaca in China and then I recently got my computer and camera stolen!
(I curse the day those evil people were born!)
So no camera yet, I’m working on it. However, we did just eat at a great restaurant on 39th and Hawthorne called Lucky Strike.
This will be my first review back after our 3 month meateats hiatus!
Thanks everyone for still coming back! Hopefully within the week I’ll be able to get my reviews and the Meat-O-Meter back up and running again!
Cheers!
J
2850 SE 82nd Ave #11, Portland, OR 97266
(In the Fubon Shopping Center on SE 82nd)
503.808.9990
Is this the first official Korean restaurant meateats review?!?!?! Weird.
If you haven’t eaten Korean food yet, I highly suggest going to this place right away! You are missing out!
What we ordered: To make the meat on the table grill you have to order at least two different meats. We got the beef brisket and the spicy pork. We also love mackeral. We always order mackeral when we eat at a Korean restarant.
How we ordered: Pretty much as is. Korean food is TOTALLY Paleo except for the rice! LOVE IT!
What we got:
Spicy pork and thin sliced beef brisket
Pike? Mackeral - the cheaper one
Typical spread at a Korean restaurant
The small dishes of marinated vegetables are called “Banchan”. Korean meals always have Banchan with every meal. At any Korean restaurant you will get Banchan with whatever you order. At this restaurant we got abut 6 or 7 different dishes. The amount varies between restaurants and they usually give you free refills!
Meat cooking on the Grill
Cost: Beef brisket – $15, Spicy Pork – $18. Mackeral – $12
Quality: Great! The thin slices of raw meat quickly cook on the grill. They provide a sesame oil and salt dipping sauce for the meat that is sooo good!
Quantity: It doesn’t look like a lot of meat, but it was A LOT of meat! Hands down Korean food is still my favorite!
MEAT-O-METER says!
Korean restaurants are for the most part a win win situation. You get a ton of food with HUGE flavor. It’s hard to mess up the marinated vegetables. It’s the little things that will make the restaurant awesome. This one was pretty good, better than OK on our radar. We went to a 24 hour Korean restaurant in Chicago and it was sooooo good! If you’re in a big city with a large Asian population, the Korean restaurant will mostly like be a solid choice! They can get a bit pricey, but it’s so tastey and good! There are 2 in Beaverton that are OK too, New Seoul Restaurant and Korean Restaurant near Beaverton Hillsdale Highway and I-217. I’ll try to get their review up asap. But in the mean time, just go check one out!
Filed under: American, Southeast Portland | Tags: American, Happy Hour, paleo, Southeast
NO LONGER EXISTS!!! LUCKY STRIKE now resides here.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yay! A great new spectacular restaurant! A new coupon popped up on restaurant.com. There was a September sale on the coupons. Since it was restaurant.com’s 9th anniversary, they made all their coupons 90% off for 90 hours starting 9/9/09!!! We bought a bunch of them for $1!!!
Anywho, Arista was a new restaurant and it’s located in the same building as the Hawthorne Theatre on SE 39th and Hawthorne. The inside used to be the Indian restaurant, but now they totally remodeled it and it looks very shi-shi inside. Hence, the dark photos following….
What we ordered: Soups! Their soup du jour was Squash Soup. We also got a menu favorite, Wild Coho Chowder, Sweet potato fries, and for an entree we got the Wild Coho.
How we ordered it: Soups as is, yes chowder does have dairy in it, so not ideal, but not a terrible choice b/c it’s soooo freakin’ good. Sweet potato fries as is. Wild Coho came with a side of red potatoes, so we substituted for whatever their seasonal vegetable was; here it was mashed parsnips.
What we got:
Squash Soup
Wild Coho Chowder
Sweet Potato Fries
Wild Coho
Cost: Soups – $5 each, Sweet potato Fries – $2 (It was happy hour!), Wild Coho – $15
Quality: You could tell that they put in a lot of care into their dishes. The salmon was nice and rare! Tender and tasty.
Quantity: For $5 the soups were a great find! For the quality of the salmon, the amount was perfect. We were definitely stuffed after this meal.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Arista’s happy hour menu is pretty fantabulous as well. $2 sweet potato fries! Geez, we should have gotten 2 of them. And the soups, which weren’t on the Happy hour menu, were $5. Even better!
It’s interesting though, the more hoity toity the restaurant, the easier it is to order Paleo. Most higher end restaurants put quality foods into their dishes, so most of the time you can order As-is. Arista isn’t really super expensive, but you can order As-is for most of their dishes. Awesome! This was a great find!
12000 SE 82nd Ave. #3002 , Happy Valley, OR 97086
www.rachathai.com
I apologize for the lateness of my posts. But boy is this one a doozy!
So you know how we love Thai restaurants and how they are extremely Paleo friendly. We found a www.restaurant.com coupon for Racha Thai and our interest was peaked. Clackamas Town Center is quite a ways away, but for good Thai food it could be worth it. We knew it was a chain so that actually should have given us a huge warning sign right there, but we decided to gamble a bit.
At first appearance it really was quite nice. It’s right by the movie theatre. We were trying to be very open minded. We walk in and everything is in excess; the decoration, our table, the seats. So we were thinking hmmm, maybe even the food is served in excess too.
What we ordered: Pumpkin Curry, Larb, Lemongrass chicken.
How we ordered: No rice, extra vegetables.
What we got: We got free fried shrimp chips for an appetizer, like chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant.
Fried shrimp chips
Pumpkin Curry
Larb
Lemongrass Chicken
Side of vegetables
Cost: Pumpkin Curry – $9.95, Larb – $8.95, Lemongrass Chicken – $10.95, Side of vegetables – $5-ish…
Quantity: WE GOT JACKED! (I think the pics speak for themselves)
Quality: good. who knows where they get their meat from, but it was tasty.
MEAT-O-METER SAYS!
I think this is the worst decision we’ve made in a long time. Sorry Katie and Anton for dragging you with us! Should you happen to be in the Clackams Town Center area, DO NOT GO HERE! The most amusing part of this dinner experience is our interaction with the waiter. Since we knew there were Thai people cooking in the kitchen and most of the staff was asian, we figure the chefs would be able to conjure up something authentically Thai. Is that too much to ask? We wanted something not on the menu, something that the waiter would eat at home. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Unbeknownst to us, the waiter or the host had absolutlely NO IDEA why we were asking this question. It was an INCREDIBLE conversation. If you know anything about the Meat-o-meter, he was loving it. Any other true Asian restaurant would fix something fantastic for you and it would be delicious. Unfortunately Racha Thai is neither that authentic or generous with their portions. Poop on them….
