Day 166: Food Truck Foodies and a Note on Beer

Day 166 was the day Mark and I were leaving Portland, but I should clarify that we managed a whole day in between waking up and peacing out. Our flight was at 11:00 PM (arriving in Atlanta at 6:00 AM Tuesday), so, like we are prone to do, we hit the ground running to enjoy the city with all the time we had left.

Another particularly "foodie" experience I wanted to have in Portland was to visit their food truck scene. They've got a whole "food truck district" kind of area that's unique to the city. After seeing TV shows about food trucks and hearing that people are finally bringing 'street food' to the States, I thought it would be a great thing to try--especially in an area that's already hot on the trend.

But it was raining in Portland (again...they warned us about this!) so instead of really enjoying walking around the food truck area, seeing all that was available, trying lots of treats, we bum-rushed a Cuban place on 10th and Alder for fried plantains and a Cuban sandwich.

They were perfectly and wonderfully delicious, but freaking expensive! $7.00 for a sandwich? Out of a truck?

Eh.

Plus, being cold and wet rendered sitting outside impossible, and kind of ruined my whole food truck experience. We ended up eating our food on the trolly to the Bridgeport brewpub, which, as I said, wasn't bad, it just didn't make the experience everything I had dreamed of and more.

What the food truck area would have looked like if it weren't rainy and gray when we went. These rows of trucks go on around a couple of city blocks and surround the perimeter of a parking lot

NOTE: 
I have to add, that I feel like I neglected the whole new beer story around Portland. Outside of really wanting to eat at Voodoo Doughnuts, we also went up to Portland for the beer. Portland isn't much of a "party party" town like Vegas or New Orleans where liquor flows for $10 an ounce and strangers become lovers, but is a chill, cheap party (beer for under $3.00 everywhere!) that you'd have with close friends at your favorite bar.

We had thought before going that many of the breweries were in Portland, but for the most part, they're in outlying communities about an hour out from the city. Instead, we hit up brewpubs (Hair of the Dog, Rogue, Lucky Lab, Bridgeport, Widmer's, Full Sail and all...) gradually over the course of the four days we were there. Something about the summation of the Portland trip is a "New Thing" (Visited breweries in Portland), but not a day-by-day New Thing experience.

Just think that every one of my Portland posts is ceteris paribus brewpub exploration time.

Day 163: Voodoo Freaking Doughnuts

So, as you might have been able to tell from the last couple of posts, I was in Portland, OR on Day 163. Now, for those of you asking "why on earth did you crazy kids go to Portland?" we had created a whole bunch of excuses for this, such as "we really like microbrews and Portland is the world center for microbrewing!" and "Oh, we really like the trend of farm-to-fork eating, and we're novice foodies, and Portland has one of the biggest foodie scenes!" and "Yeah, it's a cool place for young people right now."

Or we'd get defensive and be like, "Well, why do people go to Europe? It's because the city is just cool!"

But really, truly, at the core of our souls, our reason for going to Portland was Voodoo Doughnuts.We had seen Anthony Bourdain go to Portland and eat these sweet, devilish (?) concoctions and then we started making up excuses to go.

Voodoo Doughnuts has some of the craziest names and flavors for doughnuts that makes them memorable and unique. There's the Maple Bacon Bar (doughnut covered with maple frosting and two strips of bacon), the Captain my Captain doughnut (with Captain Crunch on top), the Diablo Rex (chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate chips and a pentagram icing on top), the Dirt Doughnut (a la the dirt cup you ate as a kid, with oreo "dirt"), the Marshall Mathers (doughnut covered in M&Ms), the Old Dirty Bastard (covered in peanut butter and oreos) and a whole host of other "dirty" doughnuts that you should check out on their website.

So, no surprise, I went to Voodoo Doughnuts.

I got the Voodoo Doughnut (shaped like a voodoo doll, covered in chocolate frosting, filled with raspberry jelly) and a Dirt doughnut. Mark got the Maple Bacon Bar and a Portland Cream doughnut (like Boston Cream, only better). And we gorged like disgusting slobs, and loved every minute because we probably won't be back for a loooooong time.

And since I caught this picture when my darling Voodoo doughnut's face was covered, I feel the need to show you that he looked something like this:

And it was everything we had ever wanted and more :) :)

Day 156: I Ate a Baby Animal's Poison Control System

You've probably already guessed what happened from the title.

Mark and I went out to Atmosphere, a French restaurant in some very mature neighborhood down towards Piedmont Park.

For reasons unknown, we were both feeling food adventurous, and the menu was chock full of interesting dishes. Pied du Chochon? Foie Gras? Escargot? Foie de Veau? Pate? You got it.

I figure if there's ever a safe, sure-to-please place to eat some semi-exotic (read: not muscle meat) animal part, it's got to be at an up-scale, slightly expensive French restaurant.

I don't want to try discount liver.

Dang it, I gave it away. Yes, on Day 156, I ate veal liver.

It was delightfully meat-like with the beefiness of a steak, but also rich, rich, RICH in the way that foie gras over-exaggerates. It's just a tender, tasty, almost too velvet-y cut of meat that was appropriate for one night in a nice French restaurant.

Day 125: Kumquats: Nature's War Heads

People of my generation are not soon to forget War Heads--that hard candy that is super super sour on the outside and sweet in the middle. It makes you pucker your face like a crazy person before it relaxes you into a state of sweet bliss.

Well, now that our youthful metabolisms are slowing down, I have a fun alternative--the Kumquat fruit, which I tried today. You just pop this little mini-orange looking fruit in your mouth, rind and all. It's sweet at first and then oozes a sour juice, which, by the end of eating, is again pleasantly sweet with a delicious citrusy aftertaste.

And as an added bonus, it randomly makes the tip of my tongue go numb.





<--- equals kid's version of --->

Day 115: Sea Urchin Sushi

Today, I'm going to sound like a tool.

I've been wanting to try sea urchin sushi since I saw how much Anthony Bourdain liked it on his show No Reservations. He has claimed a couple of times that two of his favorite dishes of all time are beef marrow and sea urchin roe, and, because I think he's cool, I want my favorite food to be sea urchin sushi too (although I know my penchant for baked macaroni and cheese will always trump the exotic).

So, when I went out to Genki last night for sushi, and saw it on the menu, I was sold.

See, at least when I make New Things out of eating food, it's been brains, gold, and now sea urchin. That's a step above right?

I didn't take a picture because I'm growing out of that "take a picture of every wonderful looking dish" phase. John Mayer in "3x5" explains my position well when he says, "Didn't have a camera by my side this time/Hoping I could see the world with both my eyes..." You get it.

Anyhoo--the dish was a treat. When you say you're eating sea urchin, you're really just eating it's eggs (or roe), so it's like a ton of microscopic caviar in there, that doesn't taste an iota like the salty, grainy caviar you've had before. Served as sushi, it honestly looks like orange tongue, with a flat, long oval shape, and what could easily be mistaken for tastebuds if you followed this imagery. It was a creamy but firm texture that was, surprisingly, not in the least exotic or off-putting. As in, it was kind of the texture of pudding that, when bitten, holds its own shape. The taste was sweet with a hint of ocean air, and really much lighter than I would have expected for it being a favored dish of a celebrity chef.

Didn't change my life like I had hoped, but I'd have it again...although I may not trust the favored food dishes of Mr. Bourdain to be my own again. Bring on the mac & cheese.

Day 89: Blaisin'

For a variety of reasons, that aren't really reasons at all, I was depressed on Day 89. My tried-and-true solution to these depressed moments is chocolate. In any form.

Mark, in his infinite wisdom, said that we should go to Flip Burger Boutique and get one of their awesome Nutella and burnt marshmallow milkshakes. We had been there before on Day 11, when I first sampled one of their nitrogen-blasted ice creamy concoctions.

We went in and right after we ordered, who walked in the door but the restaurant owner, Top Chef contestant, current stand out in Top Chef All-Stars, and generally amazing culinary artist--Mr. Richard Blais himself!

I summoned him over and asked to shake his hand. I told him we were fans of the show and repeat patrons to his molecular gastronomical burger bar. He was, despite looking busy, very willing to chat.

This represents the second Top Chef contestant I've met, the other being Kevin Gillespie; and second Bravo star I've met this week, the other being Korto Momulo from Project Runway. I must be a reality TV star magnet. A very small claim to fame, but I'm still excited by it.

Fortunately, I didn't have any time to prepare for our meeting, like I did when meeting Korto. Thus, I didn't have time to psych myself up with things I should and shouldn't say. This made my conversation with Blais extremely easy, but it also made me really scared to ask for a picture. He passed by me a couple of times, but I didn't pull the trigger. Major regret now. There's no use in being 'too cool' for a picture with a minor celebrity.

Believe it though. I met him, and he was awsome, but my Nutella milkshake was better. :)

Day 62: The 24-Hour Vegan

Today, inspired by my friend and dietician-in-the-making Sam, I took on the challenge of being a vegan for a day.

I've gone vegetarian accidentally more often than I can count, but I'm pretty sure I've never endured a day without cheese or chocolate on my own volition.

I had a one-month stint with full-time vegetarianism in college, but it didn't stick. My grandmother offered me her beef burgundy, my favorite dish EVER, and I summarily resigned my veg ways and went back to my carnivorous self. I say that all to say that I knew I could go vegan, but I also know that I am, at heart, a meat and dairy eater to the core and that food habits die hard.

The whole point of this, for me, was to wholeheartedly invest myself in a vegan lifestyle for a day. If I was going to do it, I figured I should put forth all of the effort, research and planning that a real vegan would. I had a couple rules for myself:

1. Eat one vegan meal that I would normally eat
2. Order a vegan meal at a chain restaurant 
3. Cook with a meat substitute that isn't tofu (I've had tons of tofu in my life: I wanted to try something different)
4. Drink a milk-substitute that isn't soy milk (I switched entirely to soy milk throughout college, so that wasn't anything new)
5. Try a vegan ice cream

Overall, I'm proud of my one-day vegan accomplishments. Here was my meal plan:

Breakfast was pretty simple, just oatmeal with brown sugar, strawberries and almond milk. This meal fulfilled the requirements of number 4. Almond milk last is undeniably delicious, with a super-light, barely-there texture and taste that finishes sweet.

I went to Atlanta Bread Company to fulfill objective number 2 for lunch. I had Vegetarian Vegetable Soup (vegan too!) and the California Avocado Sandwich sans cheese & mayo. It was thoroughly enjoyable, but that may be my penchant for avocado.

For my afternoon snack, I had Planter's Nut-rition Antioxidant mix. Dried fruit and nuts, totally vegan, totally something I would normally eat, fulfilling objective number 1.

Now be honest, does this look vegan? For dinner I made baked tempeh enchiladas with rice and beans (and a salad too, not here in this picture)! 

I cooked this dish all by myself from a recipe, representing the first time I've cooked a meal with a meat substitute, which just so happened to not be tofu, fulfilling objective number 3. I was so skeptical about this dish because raw temeph looks like a totally unappetizing slice of brain, but I was so unbelievably pleased by the outcome. Tempeh, when cooked correctly, has the texture of pork. Mark loved it as much or more than I did (surprise!!) and said I could cook it for him any time. Not kidding. This dish was to die for.

 

For dessert I had organic and all-natural "ice cream" made from coconut milk--no soy, no dairy, no gluten. You could have fooled me entirely with this one. The Amaretto-Cherry frozen treat was packed with it's stated flavors and fully satisfying as a dessert. It had the same texture of ice cream and 200 calories per serving to boot.

I learned a ton from researching, planning for and eating vegan foods. The main lessons were that eating vegan doesn't mean that you eat low-fat, all-organic or all raw foods. This challenge also showed me that eating vegan incorporates a lot of things that I already love, but that just require an extra step of thought. For the big kicker, vegan eating proved itself to be extremely filling--I didn't feel deprived all day.

Eating vegan did, however, buck the trend that I've tried to observe recently about trying to eat non-processed and local foods. Many prepared vegan foods are highly processed, as you can see with most any meat substitute. I guess we all, vegan or otherwise, pick our food battles.

Overall, this New Thing was a big challenge, a ton of fun and revelatory of the vegan lifestyle. I actually thought at the end of the day that with all of the vegan options, I should have tried to do this for a week instead of a day. How's that for a change of heart?

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I do have a secret that I need to confess. I had to go to Whole Foods to get many of the elements of my tempeh enchiladas. There, the staff was giving away samples of baked brie with fig sauce. I couldn't resist. I am only human.

Day 39: No Calorie Left Behind

Today, Mark and I attended the food festival, Taste of Atlanta and thoroughly gorged on all sorts of 'new things.' Between the two of us, we sampled over 15 dishes from local restaurants, and if it weren't for the number of "food tickets" allocated to us, we could have gone for more. I only allow myself this pleasure once in a blue moon so I feel justified in letting loose for a couple hours.

I can't remember all the names of these dishes, nor all the places that I got them, but I can guarantee you that every dish was from a restaurant I have never been to. 

Since I'm sure you'll ask, my favorite was the chicken and waffles, because it's a southern classic that I finally had a venue to experience. There's a really unique combination of sweet, baked, fluffy waffle that contrasts so perfectly with fried, salty chicken. Truly a treat. And I skipped the entire 30+ person line, which put me in a splendid mood to enjoy said indulgence.

And since I'm sure you'll ask about this too, my least favorite was the Kobe sliders because (I think) I've hyped up what my first experience with Kobe beef would be. I thought it would be life-changing and make me realize what the best beef in the world should taste like. However, eating ground meat of any sort takes away the original texture (the highlight of the Kobe beef in the first place), and any burger additions will take away from the original taste. Putting it on a bun subjects a beautiful meat to white bread...which is certainly not my favorite. The slider was itself quite yummy, but not what I hoped. Despite my first impression of beer-fed beef, I'm not giving up yet. I'm still holding onto the notion that when I get my first Kobe beef steak that it will change my life.

What we ate, in order:

Pork, grits and pickled okra

"Black bottom cupcake" with cream cheese frosting and chocolate chips on top

Krispy Kreme doughnut topped with fresh, hot chocolate sauce

Moroccan lamb sausage and spicy aioli

Porcini ravioli with champagne cream sauce. Doesn't make for a super attractive picture, but it was tasty!

Jim and Nick's Ribs with slaw. YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY

Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffle, wrapped newspaper. What's not to love?

Shrimp and polenta with yellow tomato salad

Ran into Kate while she was waiting on rosemary and olive oil ice cream! So sweet I could eat her up too.

Figo bruschetta  with caramelized onions, goat cheese and apricots

Figo bruschetta with tomato and capers (and other things that I've forgotten)

Cheese plate: Gouda, honey-infused goat cheese, charcuterie and crackers

Duh, Grilled artichoke with remoulade

Kobe beef slider with brie

And P.S. I never claimed, nor ever will claim, that I am any sort of photojournalist. I can't take a decent picture to save my soul, but if anyone wants to teach me, that would definitely count as a "new thing" and I would be ever-so-grateful (hint hint).

Flip Burger

Mark and I are becoming novice foodies and definitely enjoy getting out and about Atlanta to try all the restaurants our budget can afford. We've been talking about going to Top Chef Finalist Richard Blais's Flip Burger Boutique forever, and finally made it happen today. We got standard fare--burgers and fried veggies and such, but today's highlight was that I drank a milkshake made with liquid nitrogen. The concept burger joint rolls out mixed milkshakes, flash-frozen with chemicals that could easily freeze your finger off of your body.

Out of all of my delicious options like foie gras, Krispy Kreme and Nutella with burnt marshmallow, I opted for the pumpkin and chai milkshake. It was like a super pumpkin-y pumpkin spice latte mixed with a chai tea latte. A special cool treat option for a state where their hotter latte cousins cannot be enjoyed in 90 degree September temperatures.