The offer expires today, so get on it!!!! (Maximum purchase of 2 per person)

On a side note:  The Meat-O-Meter and I have embarked on the Whole 30 Challenge. So for the month of January we are super strict Paleo.  That means no sugar, wheat, legumes, potatoes, or dairy for 30 days.  Yeah, so what’s left?  Meat, veggies and little fruit and nuts.  This also means NO restaurants and A LOT of cooking.  I’m becoming a much better cook, I’m finding.  

Unfortunately, not so good for the blog, but a really good life experience for us and we’re learning more about out bodies! So far I’ve lost 3 pounds and I have been making PR’s at the gym, so I can’t complain.  Plus it’s only for 30 days.  

So far it’s been 2 weeks and we are half way done!  In the meantime, take advantage of this Google Offer and get out there and try some great restaurants!!  

]]> http://meateats.com/2012/01/18/siam-society-google-offer-coupon/feed/ 0 Admin http://meateats.com/2012/01/03/i-made-a-map-yay/ http://meateats.com/2012/01/03/i-made-a-map-yay/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:41:29 +0000 Admin http://meateats.com/2012/01/03/i-made-a-map-yay/ ]]> Look left, it’s the top link….Now you can search easily by location!!!

503-802-2262

chachachapdx.com

This post should be called EL MULCAJETE, instead of Cha Cha Cha.

El Mulcajete is a special that Cha Cha Cha was serving over the summer for a limited amount of time.  However, when we last went there and it wasn’t listed on their Specials board menu, we asked them if they could make it and they did!!!!

Thanks for the tip, Katie!

What we ordered:  El Mucajete: mixed together beef, onions and peppers (kind of like fajita mix)

How we ordered it:  As is.  Though next time we will order with no cheese.

What we got:

El Mulcajete

a half eaten Mulcajete

Cost:  $10

Quality:  Painted Hills Beef - pretty darn good for local meat. Unfortunately not grass-fed

Quantity: It’s a good portion size for a single person.  Though the serving bowl makes it look bigger than it really is.

MEAT-O-METER says!

There they are!!! That’s what was missing before

El mulcajete (pronounced: mulkahete-ay) is awesome if you want something pretty clean.  Make sure you ask for no cheese.   They will give you tortillas on the side, so you can also tell them that you do not need any tortillas as well.  They do give you a small size of guacamole, which is a nice touch.  Would be nicer if it was bigger, but all in all, this dish is a great paleo meal if you don’t feel like cooking.  I’m pretty sure all the Cha Cha Cha’s in Portland will serve El Mulcajete, but just in case you can always call ahead!

16261 NW Cornell Rd, Beaverton, OR 97006
(503) 629-7001
tasteofsichuan.com

The Meat-O-Meter is from China.  He has been on a seemingly never-ending quest to find food that will take him back to his childhood in Hei Fei Lu, Shanghai.

There are a number of authentic Chinese restaurants on 82nd. But the ones we frequent are all Hong Kong style, which is different than Northern China or Sichuan cuisine.

So we haven’t felt that any restaurant has earned an “OMG, this place is LEGIT, for REALS, YO!!” label  (Asian-Fast-and-Furious-speak ) …until the Taste of Sichuan!  Taste of Sichuan brought back all of the Meat-O-Meter’s childhood memories and he was simply giddy.  (I know it’s hard to imagine, but with like most foodies after having found a great restaurant, there was noticeable change in outlook in life )

Upon the recommendation from Matt U. from CFP, we ventured all the way out to Beaverton for the possibility to get some LEGIT Chinese food.  What sold us was the fact that they have two sections to their menu.  The first section contains the typical Chinese American foods you see at any Westernized Chinese restaurant, but the next section is called “The Wild Side”.  Please read the excerpt on their menu that explains this title here.

It was like they wrote it directly for us!  They knew exactly what we were looking for!  We were pretty blown away…hence our 20 minute trek out to the burbs.

What we ordered:  5 Flavored Smoked Beef, The Great Fire Pot Debate – Beef Brisket, and Dry Cooked String Beans.

How we ordered it:  As is – it’s Chinese food so I guarantee there is some  soy sauce and sugar used in the cooking process.  I’ll offer some substitution suggestions below.  I just need to note also that some dishes are made with MSG and our waiter told us that you can request for NO MSG when you odrer!

Just be warned that when you see Sichuan, you should equate that with SPICY! Some of the dishes may be ordered mild, but probably not most of them.

Five Flavored Beef (served cold)

The Great Fire Pot Debate - Beef Brisket

Dry Cooked String Bean

Cost:  Five Flavored Beef – $6.95, The Great Fire Pot Debate – Beef Brisket – $12.95, Dry Cooked String Bean – $8.95

Quality:    It’s hard to express in words the quality of the food here.  With every bite you get a warm fuzzy sensation that is China-rrific.  We will come back here repeatedly until we have tried every item on the menu.  Eating at another restaurant would just seem wasteful when we know there’s amazing Chinese food waiting for us to order here!  (So if you’re looking for us, this is probably where we will be for the next couple of weeks.)

The spiciness in the 5 Flavored Beef isn’t too overwhelming.  It doesn’t set your mouth on fire when you take your first bite.  You can taste the awesome complex flavor before the spiciness kicks in, which makes this dish a bit easier to eat for me than the similar sliced beef shank dish at Lucky Strike.

The String Beans were perfectly cooked.  With this type of dish, it is made with black bean and soy sauce.  You could probably ask them to make a garlic sauce, or order the bok choy or any other green vegetable with garlic sauce and that would be more paleo friendly.  When we go back again, we will do this and let you know how it turns out!

Quantity:   The best buck-for-meat from what we ordered was the Five Flavored Beef. It’s made from thinly sliced beef shank and  just one of numerous other meat appetizers that surely are meat heavy as well.  The beef brisket was a pretty good size, considering the size of the serving “pan”.

Like most other Chinese restaurants it had a similarly tendon-y texture to it, which really makes this dish LEGIT and awesome!  This is the Meat-O-Meter’s favorite types of meat.  For me, I can only eat so much of the “chewy meats” and sometimes I just want some good ol’ muscle meat and this brisket dish had a really great balance of the two textures.

MEAT-O-METER says!

We were really impressed!  If you had told us that there would be great authentic Chinese food in the suburbs we would have never believed you.  This restaurant was really clean, the service was uber professional, everything was in English AND Chinese in and out of the menu.  Taste of Sichuan is definitely less hipster than the Lucky Strike, but nice and clean like a decent restaurant should be.  It was almost a bit surreal.

For the few that are reading that are non-paleo ( all one of you ), here’s an extra gem we found:

OK, so there is a non-paleo item that we ordered and it is too good to not mention.  Since visiting China last year, we are on the hunt for some dumplings.  Not just any dumplings, but the dumplings that are called, “Xiao Long Bao”; which literally means “Little Dragon Buns”.

These dumplings are a pork and green onion mixture wrapped in a flour dough and then steamed, but the MOST important is the juice that is inside.  Usually you have to eat them with a spoon because there’s so much meat juice/fat inside.  Sometimes the juice is from the dab of duck fat that they put in the dumpling right before they wrap and steam it.

These dumplings are impossible to find in Portland. When we saw this on Taste of Sichuan’s Specials Menu we were in disbelief!  So we had to order them and they ended up tasting so much like the ones we had in China!  They are only served on Fri, Sat and Sun night during dinner.  Probably because they are only good if they are made fresh.

These dumplings pretty much solidified the authenticity of this restaurant.

Back to Paleo speak:

So if you are feeling adventurous, you can order from The Wild Side menu.  Grab a bunch of friends and go experience something new and try it out! I will try to post additional dishes that would be good to order so that the not-so-adventurous types can be forewarned.

Of course you can always stick to the “Normal Menu”, which I’m sure are all just as good, but that would be boring and predictable and probably would not optimize the adventure that could be when headed out to Beaverton  Taste of Sichuan, oh how we heart you!

http://bghawaiiangrille.com/

Ahhh…Maui….well, Back to life, Back to reality…wait a sec…..wha whaaa?  Where did this restaurant come from?  Tucked on a side street off of Macadam in SW, I would never have found this place if my friend didn’t work close by. Thanks May!

What we ordered:  Small sized Mahi Mahi, Eggs and Rice (#20), Large sized Combination Platter any choice of 2 meats – Hibachi Ribs and Kahlua Pig (#38)

How we ordered it: We ordered the Mahi Mahi as is.  Though the rice could easily be subbed out with green salad. The large sized combination platter we ordered with Hibachi ribs (dry rubbed).  Hibachi ribs are just like Korean short ribs, kalbi, but has a dry rub that is various spices and seasonings and not marinated in soy sauce!  The green salad was subbed in for the mac salad.

What we got:

Small mahi mahi, eggs and rice

Large combo platter

Green salad instead of mac salad

Cost: Small Mahi Mahi, eggs and rice – $10, Large Combo Platter – $18

Quantity:  Holy canoli! The large sized platters are EASILY for two people.  Pretty incredible the amount of meat that is on that plate!  That combo platter plate was at least 14″!  But a small platter would do just fine for the average person.  If you are a large person or a small person with a large appetite, then go for the Medium sized platters.

Quality:  The meat was really well done (as in cooked well).  Not dry at all!  The kahlua pig that is served from Thurs-Sunday is pretty fantastic.  Some Hawaiian places make their kahlua pig too salty, but this kahlua pig was juuuuust right.  Some might say this is better than Noho’s in SE, but it is a tough call.  However, I am leaning towards Bamboo Grill…

MEAT-O-METER says!

Who is this guy?  He looks familiar, but something is missing…..I can’t quite put my finger on it …….;)

If this place were closer to our house, we would go here much more often.  This was my third time at Bamboo Grill and the Hibachi ribs were a bit different every time.

(UPDATE!) Call this a disclaimer:  The waitress said that because they are dry rubbed and depending on when they cut the meat or where the cut of meat is from on the pig, it’s hard to get them to be consistent.  (?)  She was super nice about it though and said next time to let her know of any issues and she will give us more!   In this case our ribs the third time were really chewy, tasty, but chewy.

Also, we went back a fourth time and did this!!!   We ordered a VEGGIE GRIND: a fresh medley vegetable stir fry.  On the menu you can order veggie grind and add your choice of three meats. We asked if one of those choices of three meats could be the Hibachi Ribs, even though it wasn’t listed.  THe waitress was all game for it and that’s what we did!  Since it’s stir fry, there was soy sauce in it, so I’m sure you could ask for sauce on the side and just have the veggies steamed.  This options was between $12 and $16, I can’t remember…

We didn’t try the poke because we all know our history with disappointment when it comes to poke on the mainland.  It’s listed as an appetizer for $12….hmmm…..I’m thinking icksnay on the okepay, but if anyone with a bigger wallet tries it, let us know! We’re curious….

There’s a slight Hawaiian feel when you walk in  But I guess next to actually going to Hawaii, this place will do for now

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

7316 N Lombard, Portland, OR 97203

503-935-1977

Oh my gosh!  The wedding/honeymoon/school/ is over now!  Phew!  Geez, so sorry for the long hiatus.  I know….really long hiatus.  Due to a number of random encounters with random people in random places regarding the meateats blog and the Meat-O-Meter being recognized (it’s so the glasses!), I am forever encouraged to keep going with this blog!  Thank you to everyone who reads it!

With that said, if you follow the blog and have some restaurants that need review-ing that I have missed, please post to the comments!  As of late, due to our busy schedule and also because by nature we are creatures of habit, we haven’t been trying out any new places.  So please recommend a restaurant in the comments section.  If you recommend a restaurant please don’t take it personally if it turns out to be a thumbs down by the Meat-o-Meter’s purely objective and government legitimized standards.

So back to the post at hand, La Merced!  It’s a food cart that popped up in our neighborhood by Kruegers Farmers Market on the corner of Lombard and west of Ida-ish…

Of course we all know the Meat-O-Meter loves meat, but in case you haven’t noticed, he especially likes different types of “meat” that have specific bodily functions in order for an animal to survive such as, liver, heart, intestine, ear, feet etc.  – hence the quotations.  I must admit I do like the occasional Menudo at the hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, but the M-O-M takes it almost to a new level.

We LOVE tacos and we couldn’t resist this place.

What we ordered: A bunch of Carnitas Tacos.  The real deal is with corn tortillas.  Yes corn is not Paleo, however corn tortillas…jk, they’re still not Paleo, but it’s better than flour tortillas.  Other cheats could be worse.

How we ordered it:  Carnitas tacos made with just one tortilla please!  (We’ve found most Mexican restaurants use 2 tortillas to make their tacos.  I guess it just makes us feel a little better about our cheat when we cut down on the amount of tortilla we are consuming)

What we got:

Carnitas Taco

Cost: $1.25 per taco!  Some days he has a special for $1 tacos!!!!! Really?  Come on, how can you not go here!

Quality:  This pork most likely did not come from a local farm.  But the owner really does try to use every part of the animal so nothing goes to waste.  Kudos for being resourceful!  The type of meat he used just made it taste so different and amazing.  Very simple tasting, but so different!

Quantity:  There is a lot of meat on this taco.  It is pretty generous.  Cheapest price we’ve found so far for a taco!  Watch out King Burrito!

MEAT-O-METER says!

The accolade for this food cart went pretty deep.  He couldn’t stop talking about it!  The price and the meat are fantastic.  It really is authentic Mexican food! Their other tacos are great as well, carne asada, bucha, lengua.  They have a ton of other typical Mexican fare and and also some really unique dishes as well.

If you are in the neighborhood, go here!  If the other types of “meat” aren’t your thing, you can always go for the hamburger…(booooring!)  Don’t think about it, just shove it in!  It’s pretty tasty! If anything the cost is pretty darn worth it.

(503) 922-3675 ‎

www.siamsocietypdx.com

Groupon!  Woohoo!  We bought one and gifted ourselves one as well.  Trying to work the system.  Hopefully others took advantage of this deal too!  I did a post about Siam Society but it was only for their Happy Hour.  So this time we focused on the regular menu, which is long overdue.

What we ordered: Thai Barbecue Chicken, Leg of Lamb in Curry (I think it was a special because I couldn’t find it on their online menu and it was something the waitress recommended to us.  How did she know we love large portions of meat? must have been the glasses…)

How we ordered it:  As is!

What we got: 

Thai Barbecue Chicken

Leg of Lamb

Well, we cannot get over how good the chicken is…

Cost:  Thai Barbecue Chicken – $13.95, Leg of Lamb – $19.95

Quantity:  I should insert a reference measurement strip on the picture to show you just how big it is. I thought they were both big, but the Meat-O-Meter thought a bit differently.  Add In from the Meat-O-Meter, “Basically the lamb curry taste bumped up the lamb dish to $20, not a steal, but on par for the course.  Both portion sizes were on par, but the chicken is delicious.”

Quality: So good! Siam Society’s meats are mostly from local farms as noted on their menu.  (we didn’t get the names of the lamb or chicken unfortunately, but we hear they were raised humanely

MEAT-O-METER says!

In the words of Debbie Reynolds and Ann Miller, LEG UP!  Literally, it was so good

The chicken was baked/bbq’ed or something and then was flash fried, to get the skin nice and crispy, perfect!  No breading on it which was pleasant and totally NOT dry!!  The chicken did come with a side of Jasmine sticky rice, but that could easily be not eaten or cheated on easily.  Apparently the Thai Barbecue Chicken is a popular dish and so when we actually called ahead of time to make our reservation, we made sure to ask if they still had chicken left.  If you go and they’re out, well that just sucks.

The dinner was thoroughly tasty and savory.  Next time the fam comes into town we’re definitely taking them here!

503.408.1414

www.thecountrycat.net

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!!!

luckystrikepdx.com

(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!