We're Back and This Time We're In Oregon

Folk music plays in the background as a young girl dressed in a flannel shirt and brown slightly worn pants strums at her guitar singing something between Kirk Cobain and Melissa Ethridge. Other people walk by dressed similarly, some more nicely dressed than others, all checking out the many food carts that spot the streets of this Saturday Market - Greek, Polish, Hippy (ok, Vegan), Japanese, Thai and even Southern. Meanwhile, the rain dribbles down from the sky, not hard, but definitely letting you know where you are- and that is PORTLAND.



Not that many people from Los Angeles take trips to Portland, but it was a city that always intrigued us and since it is only 3 hours away by plane (1 hour to Oakland and then less than 2 hours from there on Southwest), it was an easy Memorial Day weekend trip. With all the amenities of big city juxtaposed with a greenery (from the continual spits of rain) beyond anything we have seen in a modern city, it was a great city to visit. While definitely proud to be weird, it is a city more friendly than either of us had ever seen. Communal tables at almost every dining venue, advice from everyone about everything, generally free public transportation, a city radius that is walkable, and the most friendly people we have ever encountered, Portland is definitely a breath of fresh air from the concrete, car filled cement jungle that is Los Angeles. We were even able to take a day trip 30 minutes east to get further into the forest and see some amazing waterfalls, go wine tasting and make it back to the city by nightfall. Here are a few specific places that were amazing parts of trips:



The Hotel Monaco - Owned by the Kimpton Group of boutique hotels, this was a very fun and inexpensive hotel. Very well sized, like the few other Kimpton's we have stayed in, it has a very homey/local feel rather than the big/corporate feel you sometimes get at chains. The free happy hour from 4-6 also makes it an appealing venue. Around $120 - $160/night. http://www.monaco-portland.com/



Japanese Garden - We tend to spend most of our trips doing very little actual site seeing and lot of walking to enjoy the city, while stopping to eat, drink, and mingle with locals, but this is must see in Portland. Sitting right up on the hill above the city, it is a marvelous spread of zen gardens built into the already lush vegetation of the city. A simple stroll through it will have you wishing, and feeling like you actually are, in Japan and give you a little insight into Phil Jackson. :)

Le Pigeon - This was definitely our favorite restaurant. Just across the river into the east side of the city, it is away from whatever "touristy-ness" there is (we took cab to it, but ended up walking back). It is a very small place, but while we waited on a table they served us a glass of champagne on outside while we waited. Once seated, like many places in Portland, it was communal seating with a full view of the entire kitchen. The best part though, was the creativity of the food. While LA restaurants love to be creative with things like molecular gastronomy that are cool to look at but not necessarily amazing to eat, Le Pigeon made them amazing to eat. The specific highlight for us was the Sweetbread Spaghetti with meatballs. Sounds strange right, well it was, but still it was amazing and like nothing we'd ever tasted. The foie gras bacon appetizer was also worth a glutenous indulgence. www.lepigeon.com



Pok Pok - A very interesting Thai restaurant that prides itself on not being like your "what-you-think-is-traditional" pad thai spot. It is well in tthe east side of the river that divides the city so we had to take taxi into a bit darker part of the city, but it was well worth it. Sitting half outdoors and priding itself on serving actual thai food (and encouraging eating with your hands), it was a great experience with great food. The Kai Yaang (half bird), eggplant salad and pork curry were all amazing. If you have any energy after dinner walk across the street to the whisky bar they own. www.pokpokpdx.com

Laurelwood Public House Brewery - There were a bunch of great and larger brew pubs in Portland, all with their own beers, but this one had particularly good beer and a great atmosphere. It also has a great happy hour. We went the Kearny Street Location, but there are others in Portland that I am sure are good as well. www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com

Food Carts - As you walk around the city you will notice the many food carts. LA has a lot of these as well, but the variety of food that they serve and the concentration of trucks in Portland is amazing and the few that we were able to try to were great. Our personal favorite was the Japanese cart located with a bunch of others 3rd and Ash vicinity.

Happy travels and we'll make sure not as much time passes before our next blog!

Kogi Mania

It all began one day when Rupa was home sick from work. Antsy from laying around all day, finally feeling a little better and a little lonely, Jer came to the rescue. Kogi was across the street from Ralphs (grocery store)! Excitement, anticipation, overcame us for we were finally going to experience the hype. A food blogger once said that anticipation is essential to the experience of food. Well, we were more than ready for this.

A brisk five minute walk and we were there. Eager. Ready. Eyeing the line. Suddenly realizing that we only had $5 dollars in cash, Rupa dug through her junk of a purse to find another $2 in change. PHEW. We stood in line trying to see what everyone was ordering. Tacos, quesadillas, burritos - all with a Korean flare. We love tacos. We love Korean BBQ. What could be better!



End of story, was it worth the hype and the line? Yes, at least to experience it. Pros: short rib tacos, short rib tacos, short rib tacos. Super tender pieces of short rib seasoned with asian spices, topped with a Korean cabbage slaw. SOOOO gooood. Sweet and spicy, crispy and soft. A perfect conundrum. Cons: Rupa didn't really like much else of what she tried - the blackjack quesadilla (chicken, kimchi and cheese) or the pork burrito (pork, kimchi, cabbage and egg). Then again, her second experience was after a Moot Court argument so her mind may not have been in the right place. :) Jer liked everything he tried - although the short rib tacos still stand above the rest - so to each own.

Happy eating!

Taka Special

We've been to Nobu. And to Katsu-ya. Midori's all you can eat is not all it's hyped to be. And let's be honest, Shogun's in Northridge was only good in college because of the large quantity of sake bombs consumed by all (and the fact that we only ate California Rolls).

The BEST sushi in the Valley, and quite frankly, anywhere we've had is Iwata in Sherman Oaks. Like the millions of other sushi restaurants tucked into strip malls with the customary nail salon, yoga studio and optometrist, Iwata is not so hidden in the El Torito shopping center on Ventura and Van Nuys.

Having been in the same location for 13 years, and the owner (yes, his name is Mr. Iwata) running the sushi bar himself, this hole-in-the-wall come local hot spot has the freshest fish around. To this day, Mr. Iwata hits the LA fish market in the wee hours of the morning for the best selection of sea critters.

Sit at the bar, start with the Taka Special and let the sushi chef guide you through the rest. Have a "glass" of sake for $8.50 which is the same size as a bottle and indulge in quite possibly the best sushi anywhere (and for 1/16 of the Nobu price). We live within walking distance so hope to see you there! Kanpai!

Iwata
14423 Ventura Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423-2606
(818) 386-1980

Typical - the second blog is not about LA. The Mission in San Francisco!

Sorry this blog got a little long, but with a whole trip to write about we really didn't know how to pair it down. Two weekends ago we were lucky enough to celebrate Jer's grandma's 80th birthday in San Francisco. Not only was that an awesome event in itself, but it just so happened to be Valentine's Day weekend!

After eating and drinking all day Friday and Saturday with the fam, we decided to keep the trend going and celebrate the day of love with our love of food and drink. On recommendation from our friends Kristi and Joe, we hit up the Mission, a neighborhood we had never been to in the city. Of course, we strolled up and down the streets, reading all the menus, trying to find the best place to get food (and very unlike us, at this point we hadn't eaten in 6+ hours!). The Mission turned out to be a Silverlake-meets Pico RIvera-meets Downtown LA type neighborhood, with lots of Spanish, Latin and Mexican food - mmmmm. A really good people watching spot where we saw a real-life drug deal/foot chase happen and were asked to smoke weed with a transient in his trailer. Instead of engaging in that, we decided to do a one drink, one plate bar crawl through the neighborhood.

1. Zuni Cafe - On our way into the Mission (walking means you can eat more) we stopped at Zuni Cafe. It was about 5 pm and already packed! We sat at a bar table and both had a prosecco/elderflower concoction (for the sake of Valentine's Day), mini baked potato with caviar and creme fresh and DELISH shoestring french fries! Everyone around us was raving about their food and supposedly the one hour roasted chicken is beyond worth the wait. http://www.zunicafe.com/



2. Ramblas - 1.6 miles later (you can easily take public transportation) we were in the heart of the Mission. Ramblas was our next stomping ground. Cute, modern tapas place but nothing we haven't seen before. We ordered the butternut squash empanaditas (we quickly googled what to eat) that were mini, crispy and maybe a little bit too doughy but did the trick to wet our appetite, and a glass of house red wine ($5). This place was ok, nothing really special but everything decent. Note: Having Cobras and Matadors in LA makes for tough competition at any tapas spot. http://www.ramblastapas.com/



3. Pancho Villa Taqueria - On our way out, we decided it would be a crime not to stop at one of the million taquerias on the way. So we stopped in at Pancho Villa Taqueria, each grabbed a taco and while they sold beer, we decided to hold off on the drink. We shared an al pastor and carne asada taco filled to the brim with meat, beans, guacamole and awesome salsa. These were absolutely amazing and strangely reminded us of LA - I guess we really couldn't get away. http://panchovillasf.com/

4. Mercury Lounge - From there we continued to walk but soon realized that the sushi/scotch place, Nihon, was closed for a private party. Instead we spotted a poppin' bar across the street, Mercury lounge, to which we stumbled to. While the food menu didn't have anything that jumped out at us, the bar menu did - a siracha martini. Yes, a siracha martini. Must try even if just for the sake of saying you did. We sipped these for a while, as we caught up on the NBA all star game and listened to a Chinese couple sing accoustic Bob Marley songs (only in San Francisco). http://www.mercurysf.com/

5. Ozumo - From here, we still hadn't really had a meal, so we took a taxi back towards the hotel and had sushi and sake next door at Ozumo. While the sushi was good (not as good as Iwata) the service was a little suspect. It was Valentines Day and the waitress seemed a little distracted as she showed off the engagment ring her boyfriend had woken her up with. After one roll and two pieces of sushi, we were officially FULL, but no night of food and drink hopping would done with out some kind of dessert. http://www.ozumo.com/



6. Boulevard - Next and finally, we went down the street to a bit of fancy place called Boulevard. Once again we sat at the bar and instead of a sweet dessert we decided on an assorted cheese plate, a cognac and a port. All super delicioso, but much smaller portions than we are used to and SUPER PRICEY. I mean, as Americans, the least we can ask for is a big plate and a full glass. http://www.boulevardrestaurant.com/

And that, aside from a glass of wine in the room and attempting to make it through the terrible TIme Traveler's WIfe, is how we ended the night and the weekend in San Francisco.



HIGHLIGHT: The next morning, we hit up the Ferry Building across the street from our hotel. If there is a foodie heaven, this would be it. It could take up a while blog (and maybe one will come soon) but no matter what you do in San Francisco, you MUST visit the Ferry Building, preferably on a Saturday morning. Key spots: the farmer's market outside with raw oysters and hot meals, Salty Pig Parts (inside the building) and the Slanted Door. http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

Living in LA, San Francisco is a quick and easy outlet and the food and drink scene there is just as great, but more compact. We walked about 15 miles on our night out but public transportation is so efficient and easy that you can't go wrong. Hit us up for more recommendations!

Kicking Off the Blog

For many people, including us, Los Angeles can be a hard city to live in. There's lots of traffic, lots of pretentious people and too many lit-up places with too much hype. We are two young professionals living Los Angeles who have, since the minute we started dating (some two years ago), made it a point to discover this city - not through museums or the walk of fame, but through the food, the drink and the people who do want to get to know us. This is something we have grown to love so much that we felt it necessary to share with others through this blog. Now, part of living and surviving in LA is venturing out of it, so we'll also take you on trips with us as we conquer the world one drink and one bite at a time. In the meantime, we'll use this site to tell you about everything from great restaurants and drinks that we've managed to find to great bars and quiet places to take a break. We, of course, also hope you'll have some places for us to check out.