The boys act like they own the world, the women keep their stupid diaries.

I ate at PING the other day. I spilled palm sugar on my shirt and the handsome bartender offered me soda water for the clean up. Ping is basically the ex-boyfriend of Pok Pok, a very attractive ex-boyfriend. Owned by the same innovator, Andy Richter,  Ping diverges from Pok Pok’s ”reel you in and nurture you” style.  You are allowed to hang with Pok Pok’s ex because she is a really cool lady who wishes you the best. She’s also glad he chose to locate across the river so she doesn’t have to watch him flirt with you all night.  

Delicious Quail Stain

See that sauce? Picture it on my shirt. . .delicious. The meat and structure of this quail was impressive, juicy and BIG. You take some quail, dunk it in the sauce and then take a bite of raw ginger and pepper.

Toast with Kaya

 Kaya is basically a coconut jam. . .more like a coconut curd? I liked this even though I have no idea why we ordered it, but that is what happens with good-looking ex-boyfriends, you do strange things you can’t explain.

Wild-caught prawn skewer.

For example, I sprinkled the Vietnamese sea salt and pepper on a shrimp and ate the crustacean with the shell still on because I am an ANIMAL. There in so much flavor in the shell. Try it sometime, you have nobody to impress.

Baby octopus skewer.

 These little guys were carefully grilled. . .and they’re addictive. I could not shake this Ping dish from my mind and ate squid for lunch the next day because I have real problems.

I drank a Singapore Sling and something else that I can’t remember. BUT, Ping is the sort of guy who mixes you strong and highly drinkable cocktails. If you want nuance and intrigue, go see Pok Pok.

After dinner I ran around the city with an awakened fervor and zest for life, because Ping is just that attractive.

First Festival

I went to the Spring Portland Wine and Beer Festival on Saturday.

airstream trailer, vodka tasting

This was a lot of fun. I drank a few beers and Old Chub Scottish Style remains a top personal favorite. I also really enjoyed Rouge’s new line of spirits. They are famous for their beer but the Dead Guy Wiskey will definitely be present in my liquor cabinet.

After the festival. . .

Ethiopian Food!

This was a treat. I never made it to the Ethiopian restaurant in Durham, NC and I have long standing love for injera. Queen of Sheba is so vegetarian friendly. I can’t wait to take visitors! The mustard greens with flax seeds were my pick and I was impressed by the clean flavor and mild spice. The chicken was deliciously spicy in a crisp/green sort of way and cardamon notes rounded out the flavor. I cannot report on the beef or lamb because I didn’t partake.

YUM.

In 72 hours I will be reunited with the kitchen appliances and cookbooks that I have not seen since November! Cast iron! Juicer! I already have my grocery list planned and I am ready! I’ll post about my new kitchen, I promise.

The Dream Life of David Chang

Steamed pork buns, pork shoulder with all the trimmings, sustainable ingredients, unstoppable motivation, unparalleled genius – all of these words are used to describe the godfather of the Momofuku empire in New York. I’ve never been to his restaurants, probably never will.

Anna traveled to New York this past week with the mission of seeing Amebix at the Bowery Ballroom.  She made time to visit David Chang’s newest venture MILK.  After sampling crack pie and polenta/blue cheese cake she purchased the gold standard to bring back to me. . .KIMCHI BUTTER!

MOMOFUKU PEACH

The trifecta of butter, red pepper, fermented cabbage, and PORK. This is the work of Christina Tosi, Chang’s pastry queen and creator of cereal milk. Te butter is truly awesome and the chunky bits of “the other white meat” possessing this churned delicacy give the spread depth and complexity.  Instead of refrigerating this jar of joy Anna stored it on the brow of this nautical beauty for two nights. . .

steel hull - southport

Her friend Josh is the captain of this ship. He lives in the base and guides tourists through the museum section 2 days a week. The Peking  has been docked at the southport museum since 1975 and MY jar of kimchi butter weatherd 48 hours on her deck. So incredibly delicious – even better on banana bread.

don't knock it 'til you've tried it