Cooking with LMNO

[LMNO]

And when you can adjust the seasonings yourself...


That's one of the things I'm finding: American Thai food is just too... American.  They dumb it down too much.

This is why living in a refugee relocation city is kind of awesome.  We get the real thing.  And then your face melts like that Nazi dude in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

We have some really honest Vietnamese food here.  Some incredibly good Pho, etc.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

And when you can adjust the seasonings yourself...


That's one of the things I'm finding: American Thai food is just too... American.  They dumb it down too much.

This is why living in a refugee relocation city is kind of awesome.  We get the real thing.  And then your face melts like that Nazi dude in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

We have some really honest Vietnamese food here.  Some incredibly good Pho, etc.

I have a crippling pho addiction. I have to have it at least once or twice a week. Usually I corner the BF into meeting me for pho lunch but now he's going to be working in Vancouver so that won't get to happen anymore.

[LMNO]

One night, I was feeling adventurous, and ordered the beef tendon and tripe pho.  It was a revelation.  The only problem with my favorite pho joint is that it doesn't have a liquor license, so I can't chase it with one of those funky beers.

[East Coast Hustle]

Portland has a bemusing proliferation of Thai restaurants, and I'm not really sure why.

Yeah, and I never found a single one thatwas better than mediocre when I lived there. hard to find good Pho too. People there think Than Bros. is the real deal, and that makes me a little sad.

[East Coast Hustle]

Though in all fairness, the best Bahn Mi on planet earth are at An Xuyen.

My impending drive from Everett to Maine will have a Portland detour just for the purpose of loading up at An Xuyen before we head out into flyover territory.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Portland has a bemusing proliferation of Thai restaurants, and I'm not really sure why.

Yeah, and I never found a single one thatwas better than mediocre when I lived there. hard to find good Pho too. People there think Than Bros. is the real deal, and that makes me a little sad.

There are a ton of good Thai joints, just stay out of NW. The combination laundromat and restaurant on Mississippi is solid, and that place on upper Belmont is still one of my favorites.

I've never heard of Than Bros, where's that? For decent pho in Portland, just stick to the Pho Belt along Sandy.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

And Sweet Basil on Broadway. Fuuuuuuuck I love that place.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Portland has a bemusing proliferation of Thai restaurants, and I'm not really sure why.

Yeah, and I never found a single one thatwas better than mediocre when I lived there. hard to find good Pho too. People there think Than Bros. is the real deal, and that makes me a little sad.

There are a ton of good Thai joints, just stay out of NW. The combination laundromat and restaurant on Mississippi is solid, and that place on upper Belmont is still one of my favorites.

I've never heard of Than Bros, where's that? For decent pho in Portland, just stick to the Pho Belt along Sandy.

Now that's what I call eclectic!

[East Coast Hustle]

Sweet Basil is probably the best Thai food I found in PDX, but I'd still consider it to be on the high end of mediocre. Pok Pok is good at what they do but so overpriced that I don't consider them a Thai restaurant, more of a hipster joint that serves Thai food. Best goddamn wings on the planet, though.

TBH, I never found any pho on Sandy that didn't taste like it came from the ubiquitous pho spice packets that so many places use. Obviously I didn't try them all though, so I'll take your word for it. Best pho I found in PDX was.....nah, I never found any pho that didn't pretty much suck. I still love even mediocre Thai food but I'm a goddamn picky bitch about my pho.

[LMNO]

Hey ECH, if you're interested, the PokPok cookbook has their wings recipe. I can send it to you, if you feel like your new place could handle stealing appropriating LIBERATING the dish.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Sweet Basil is probably the best Thai food I found in PDX, but I'd still consider it to be on the high end of mediocre. Pok Pok is good at what they do but so overpriced that I don't consider them a Thai restaurant, more of a hipster joint that serves Thai food. Best goddamn wings on the planet, though.

TBH, I never found any pho on Sandy that didn't taste like it came from the ubiquitous pho spice packets that so many places use. Obviously I didn't try them all though, so I'll take your word for it. Best pho I found in PDX was.....nah, I never found any pho that didn't pretty much suck. I still love even mediocre Thai food but I'm a goddamn picky bitch about my pho.

Well, maybe my taste buds just suck.  But I really like the pho on Broadway and I am also fond of Pho Jasmine.

[LMNO]

Don't listen to that food snob. Enjoy the food you like to eat, until you uncover something else.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Don't listen to that food snob. Enjoy the food you like to eat, until you uncover something else.

I ain't a fancy lady. Pho is like street tacos; cheap, tasty, and filling. I'm happy with my six bucks worth, most places.

[LMNO]

Boston is currently going through a Ramen phase.  Virtually every place that even hints at Asian food (and a couple even that don't) are offering some sort of Ramen dish, either as a special or as a featured item.

I mean, you can't go wrong with noodles, broth, pork, and soft-boiled egg, but there's something about it I can't 100% get behind.  It's most obviously been Americanized, a bit, but... Even though it's considered Japanese, there's a strong Cantonese element here, and the subtlety of its signature mild, rich flavor is almost impossible to achieve, even by trained chefs.

I want to enjoy this dish, but it's usually just flat.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Boston is currently going through a Ramen phase.  Virtually every place that even hints at Asian food (and a couple even that don't) are offering some sort of Ramen dish, either as a special or as a featured item.

I mean, you can't go wrong with noodles, broth, pork, and soft-boiled egg, but there's something about it I can't 100% get behind.  It's most obviously been Americanized, a bit, but... Even though it's considered Japanese, there's a strong Cantonese element here, and the subtlety of its signature mild, rich flavor is almost impossible to achieve, even by trained chefs.

I want to enjoy this dish, but it's usually just flat.

I do not like the ramen I've had, either here or in the Bay area. At all. It SOUNDS like it would be good, but I don't care for it at all. My friend who grew up in Japan says the cart on Skidmore is good, but I can't stand the stuff and won't eat it if I have an alternative.