Late Bird Gets the Awesomeness: Aviary

We had a late dinner at Aviary our first night in Portland.  It kinda knocked our socks off.  This remains my favorite meal in Portland to date.

Aviary disproves the old saying, "Too many cooks spoil the broth."  Three co-chefs -- Sarah Pliner, Jasper Shen, and Kat Whitehead -- combine their extensive New York (Ducasse, Aquavit, Jean Georges, Tabla, Aldea, 5 Ninth) and Portland (The Heathman, Giorgio's, Couvron) experience to bring you exquisite dishes without pretense.

This is NYC-quality with Portland pricing and freshness.  In other words, it's a dream come true.

Housemade sodas.

Very bubbly.  Very refreshing.  Not too sweet.

Charred octopus, scallion pancakes, green papaya, long beans, cashews ($15).

Smoky and tender paired with fresh and crisp to make bright and tasty.

Duck confit, salted black beans, figs, fennel ($17).

Gloriously salty and juicy with just the right amount of sticky and sweet.

Crispy pig ear, coconut rice, Chinese sausage, avocado ($15).

Oh.  My.  God.  This is the dish to get.  This is everything in one hot mini wok.  This is happiness and comfort on a late Friday night.

Buttermilk panna cotta, mango, passion fruit sorbet, fennel crisp ($6).

Tangy and creamy and how-is-this-only-$6?!

Cardamom rice pudding, cashews, pomegranate, saffron gelee ($6).

When this arrived at our table, I got really worried.  It reminded me of the ridiculous concoctions that my seven-year-old niece makes at Yogurtland (not good, folks, not good).  But you know what?  It worked.  It worked so incredibly well that I scraped every little bit out of the bowl.  I guess sometimes a combination of all the flavors and textures you can think of actually succeeds.

Don't miss Aviary.  Put it on your list when you go to Portland.

Cure Your Bored Palate: Red Medicine

I resisted Red Medicine. I didn't want to try Vietnamese-inspired food made by a white guy. I didn't like the way the restaurant treated S. Irene Virbila.

But insomniac raved about Red Medicine so much that I set my feelings aside and finally tried it. In fact, I trusted insomniac's opinion enough that I suggested Red Medicine for a belated birthday dinner for Mr. Monkey. The Cruisers treated us!

Campo de Encanto Pisco, Galliano, pineapple syrup, lime, soda, Fee O.F. Bitters shaken with purple basil, grapefruit peel, candied pineapple and rolled into a tall glass ($10).

I loved this drink. Exquisite. The Cruisers loved their drinks, too. The cocktails here are top-notch, and they should be part of your prescription for a good time at Red Medicine.

Pork rillette, crispy chicken skin, lychee, clove, pistachio, spicy herbs ($11).


A running theme at Red Medicine is the hiding of the good stuff under something else. Take away the greens to unveil the rich, salty, meaty spread!

Brussels sprouts, caramelized shallots, fish sauce, vermouth ($9).

Surprise! There are Brussels sprouts underneath those shrimp chips! Tangy and sweet!

Chicken dumplings, caramelized sugar, pork fat, lemongrass, confitures ($9).

Wrap these li'l nuggets in leaves smeared with Sriracha and hoisin. Green pockets of chicken delight!

Crispy spring rolls, Dungeness crab, lime, pea pods, fines herbes, chili ($15).

I've never met a spring roll that I didn't like. And these were stuffed with crab!

Heirloom rice porridge, egg yolk, hazelnuts, ginseng, echire butter ($17).

This may not sound or look like much, but this was hands down my favorite dish of the night. Stir it all up, and you have a warm bowl of pure happiness. You must order this!

Beef tartare, water lettuce, water chestnut, nuoc leo, chlorophyll, peanuts ($15).


Scoop up the beef and pile it high on a shrimp chip. So weird. So tasty. So artistically carnivorous.

Rabbit, five-flavor berry, pandan custard, roots, tubers, black currant, sesame leaf ($31).

Not as interesting as the other dishes but still quite yummy.

Lamb glazed in tamarind, hibiscus onion, Swiss chard, pomegranate ($24).


Another hidden treasure! I loved the meatiness of the lamb combined with sweetness of the tamarind and punctuated by the pop, pop, pop of pomegranate seeds throughout.

Vietnamese iced coffee -- El Diablo Dark Roast, Blue Crane Rooibos, condensed milk, crushed ice ($6).

Red Medicine really doesn't mess around when it comes to its beverages. This includes its coffee drinks. Strong. Creamy. Fabulous.

Coconut bavarois, coffee, condensed milk, Thai basil, peanut croquant ($9).

Man. Man! I really adored this dessert, and that is a big deal because I don't really like coconut. All the different flavors and textures really worked. Such a creative combination of ingredients!

Bitter chocolate, kecap manis, oats, parsnip, brown butter, soy milk sorbet ($11).

I liked how this dessert looked more than how it tasted, but it was still a pleasant end to our inspired meal.

Mr. Monkey commented that Chef Jordan Kahn looks like a hipster Jesus.

Consider me a fan of Chef Kahn's modern culinary miracles.

Cheap Asian for the College Crowd: Trio House

Trio House is decent grub for hungry USC students.

The boba drinks are actually better than decent.

Fried tofu and sweet sauce with crushed peanuts ($5).

Chicken satay marinated in coconut milk and spices, peanut sauce, cucumber relish ($7).

Shrimp wonton and BBQ pork egg noodles ($8).

Tom kah noodles -- chicken, coconut milk, mushrooms, chili paste ($8).


Not terrible for the prices but not exactly a run-there-right-now destination.

Eighties Fusion Chic: Chinois on Main

Last year, we celebrated Ms. Cruiser's birthday at SAAM. This year we went to Chinois on Main. We really love Ms. Cruiser. Obviously.


Chef Wolfgang Puck opened Chinois in 1983. Is it possible that the restaurant has kept the same decor this whole time? You be the judge.

For many years now, people have raved and told me that I should try Chinois. I've avoided the place because of my general aversion to inauthentic Asian food. It seems, however, that I'm kind of a fan these days. What has happened to me?

The Cruisers swore that Chinois was great, and it was Ms. Cruiser's birthday, so we went to the granddaddy of all Asian fusion places.

Well, what the Puck? It was great! If you doubt this like I did, doubt no more! I'm a believer, Wolfie. I'm totally a believer now.

Chinois chicken salad ($19.50).

The original. The salad that began it all. The salad that every Chinese chicken salad aspires to be.

Sizzling calamari and rock shrimp salad served in a wonton cup with Chinese chili paste ($27.75).

Dare I say it? Even better than the O.G. chicken salad.

Roasted black cod with spicy miso glaze served in tea leaf ($29.95).

This tasted like your Japanese grandma made it. Translation: oishii! Translation of translation: yummy!

Duck fried rice ($11.00).

Fairly standard yet not! Some damn good glistening grains.

Shanghai lobster with curry sauce and crispy spinach (market price).

"Market price" means "expensive," but it also means "really worth getting" and "best dish of the night" and "this will cause you to be delirious when you reminisce about it and use a lot of quotation marks for no apparent reason."

Stir-fried haricots verts with black bean sauce and garlic ($10.95).

Mr. Monkey and I don't even like green beans that much, and we gobbled these up.

Grilled lamb chops with cilantro vinaigrette, warm potato salad ($48.50).

Mr. Cruiser is the biggest lamb fan we know, so we always get lamb when we're together if it's on the menu. So beautifully charred and tender and juicy. Yes, there was some unabashed gnawing of bones.

We skipped dessert and went back to The Cruisers' place nearby for Ms. Cruiser's favorite ice cream cake -- mint chocolate chip.

Posting a picture on the blog of Ms. Cruiser blowing out candles is now an annual tradition! We're so happy you're our friend! And, of course, that goes for you, too, Mr. Cruiser!