Back in Portland, after our waffle breakfast, Roommate #1 and I made our way back to home base just in time to meet Roommate #2 for a discount-matinee showing of Whip It, Drew Barrymore’s ode to roller derby and female friendship, at the Laurelhurst Theater. The best three dollars I spent in the City of Roses, that movie pushed all of my guilty-pleasure buttons. Great soundtrack? Check. Girl power? Double check. Underdog-to-champion storyline? Check again. We came out of the theater hyped beyond belief; if elbows could’ve been thrown, they would’ve been, but in lieu of starting a fight with strangers on the street, we decided to work out our energy and aggression in a much more socially acceptable way: with whiskey and a basket of french fries.
We brought our robotic companion along for its very first hot toddy; the pleasures of a warm drink on a cold day weren’t lost on this hunk of metal. (You wouldn’t think something like that would turn heads in a city like Portland, but you’d be mistaken.) Our (second) round finished, we were back at the house in time for me to meet a ravenous Matt for dinner at yet another spot on the itinerary: well-regarded Thai mainstay Pok Pok.
I wasn’t in the mood for more alcohol after the afternoon’s indulgences, and besides, the fizzy drinking vinegars came highly recommended.
I’m a sucker for anything tamarind, so when I saw that that was one of the day’s flavors, I ordered it immediately. Tangy and sour, with just enough carbonation, I’d take this drink over high-fructose corn syrupy soda any day of the week.
The rest of our choices required a little more deliberation; Matt’s boyfriend, a vegetarian, quickly requested the papaya salad, available in veg form with the elimination of fish sauce and dried shrimp from the preparation. Our waitress informed us that this dish was spicy, which only made it more appealing.
Tangy with lime juice and its namesake green papaya, the slow, burning heat of Thai chilis only slightly tamed by tomatoes, peanuts, and palm sugar, the salad was a great counterpoint to the rich dishes that were to follow.
Matt’s pick was the kaeng hung leh, described on the menu as a classic Northern Thai curry of sweet pork belly and pork shoulder, punctuated with ginger and pickled garlic.
Richly flavored broth cradled both the unctuous belly meat and the leaner shoulder cut; we used sticky rice to sop up every last bit of the liquid goodness, and when we ran out of that, used our spoons to handle the rest. Delicious.
For our third item, we referred back to our faithful checklist; fortunately, the khao soi kai proved to be every bit as tasty as promised, even without the inclusion of the succulent-sounding chicken on the bone.
Also a Northern Thai dish, the vegetarian version of this coconut-milk-based curry noodle soup was mild and sweet, served with an array of condiments with which to customize your personal serving. I added cilantro, chilis, crispy yellow noodles, and a squeeze of lime to mine and drank it down with abandon.
Our final choice was another spicy one, the neua naam tok, an Isaan-style steak salad.
From our seats by the door, we watched as the grill guy—braving the frigid temperatures in a knit hat, shorts, and a T-shirt—tended to the Cascade Natural flank steak for our dish. It arrived perfectly charred, surrounded by fresh lemongrass and shallots and dressed with the holy trinity of fish sauce, lime juice, and mint.
As the full weight of the meal began to encroach upon my appetite, I attempted to push through but ultimately had to give in. Pok Pok’s food was so good that I seriously regretted compromising my hunger with that afternoon snack of hot-out-of-the-oil, beautifully crisp french fries: words I wouldn’t have anticipated writing. Ever.
I’d be willing to bet that the robot never has this problem.
Pok Pok
3226 Southeast Division Street
Portland, OR
503.232.1387
January 21, 2010 at 10:30 pm |
Never trust robots.