Costello's Menu

We discovered this wonderful little café on NE Broadway last weekend.

Cafe Mocha

Costello’s Travel Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as delicious coffee. They brew Caffé Umbria and serve bread from the Pearl Bakery. The place was delightful and the food, delicious!

Firenze Ciabatta Panini and Mykonos Wheat Levain Panini

It was just like the dream we’ve always had, to open a travel-themed coffee shop. For now, we’re happy to hang out in one.

Food Carts are very popular in Portland. I wish I could try all of them but my list of food carts and restaurants to try is endless! Here is one that I recently tried.

Nong's Food Cart

Nong’s have been praised by various food critics and the locals rave about it in online reviews. Marcel and I have been wanting to try it but they are only open on weekdays.

I finally got to try it on one of my days off. While Marcel was freezing on a ski trip at Whistler, I was warming myself up with the delicious broth from Nong’s. I must say, I totally agree with the reviews. This humble dish looks simple but the flavors are complex. I loved the garlicky chicken and the rice was infused with some broth too. The ultimate Asian comfort food.

Khao Man Gai (Chicken and Rice but oh so much better in reality)

Google shows a few recipes.

Portland Monthly magazine named it one of the best “restaurants” in 2009 and here’s what the locals say at Yelp.

Check out Food Carts Portland and this Portland Food Cart Scene video by the NY Times.

Swedish Pancakes

The Swedish knows breakfast. I will never forget the hotel we stayed at in Stockholm where they had everything you can imagine on their breakfast buffet. We had to get up early every day just so we had enough time to eat

Ingredients based on my calculated "formula"

In my attempt to duplicate the pancakes, I’ve tried different mixes and recipes but none of them had the right texture or flavor. So, I created my own version based on these ingredients. Now, I know these brands work so I cannot speak for substitutes. I’ve tried regular milk but the pancakes came out too thick. Another brand of buttermilk pancake mix was not smooth enough. Real butter burns too fast and besides Earth Balance (not to be confused with smart balance) is made with olive oil, a healthy fat.

Swedish Pancakes
Makes 4 thin pancakes

Ingredients:

2.8 ounces 365 buttermilk pancake mix
8 ounces Silk vanilla soy milk
Earth Balance buttery spread for frying

Method:

1. Pre-heat round non-stick pan to medium heat.
2. Add soymilk to pancake mix. Whisk until well blended and smooth.
3. Scoop about 1/2 teaspoon buttery spread on the pan. The buttery spread will sizzle. Rotate the pan to distribute the “butter”.
4. While sizzling, pour about 1/4 cup of mixture into the pan. Rotate to spread the mixture to make a thin layer. The sizzle results in random holes and lacy edges.
5. Once edges turn brown and starting to lift, turn the pancake over. Cook for another minute or so.
6. Serve with lingonberry jam or whatever you like.

Crispy, lacy edges

Broder in SE Portland serves awesome Swedish breakfast “bords”.

IKEA is a good resource for all things Swedish.

Pizza Margherita

I am constantly trying out new recipes, even some that are too complicated for my limited culinary skills. However, most days we eat simple meals that are quick and easy. Like a lot of you out there, I don’t always have time to spend  hours in the kitchen to make a great meal.  We don’t eat a lot of processed food but sometimes I need some help from those little boxes.

A weekend lunch might consist of pizza and salad. A favorite of ours is the refrigerated pizza dough from Whole Foods Market. We toss the dough, add tomato sauce (this time I used  leftover spaghetti sauce), add fresh tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and slices of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkled with red pepper flakes and parmigiano reggiano cheese,  I have just made a gourmet pizza in my own kitchen. A bag of salad greens with good quality store-bought dressing completes the meal.

Halibut Steamed in Onion-Ginger Sauce

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Sokbun and I went to Ocean City Restaurant for dinner. We ordered the steamed sea bass and it was delicious – delicate but flavorful. As I was searching online, I found this recipe on Steamy Kitchen. I am not going to post the recipe here as it’s hard to beat Jaden’s take on this classic method.

The only substitutions I made were omitted the cilantro and used halibut instead of rock fish. The fillet was purchased frozen from Trader Joe’s. After watching Alton Brown’s Good Eats (I’m a big fan), I was convinced that unless the source is local, fish is better purchased frozen. Obviously, live fish is ideal but most US markets don’t have them. Apparently, fish and other seafood are quick-frozen at the source. The stores thaw them out so unless you know the source, you don’t really want thawed out fish that could have been sitting in the case for several days.

My steamed fish came out good. I think my mom will be impressed the next time she comes to visit

Rasa Malaysia has another version of this recipe.

Lovejoy Bakers

When I first discovered Ken’s Artisan Bakery, I was extremely delighted to find such a place in Portland. It is so European and reminded me of our travels in the old world. I also admire the bakery’s philosophy of using local ingredients and sustainable practices.

Even though I am a fan of Ken’s, I am always looking for great places to eat. Today, I found myself strolling through the Pearl District when I discovered another European-style bakery, the Lovejoy Bakers. It had a contemporary style and was more of a lunch place than a bakery. Although they showcased different kinds of bread, the hustle and bustle of the lunch crowd made it less of a bakery.  I ordered a croissant and a lemon bar to go. I noticed the croissant was much smaller than Ken’s and lighter in color. I had a light bulb moment. How about I compare them side by side? On my way home, I stopped at Ken’s to get a croissant and a cranberry macaron.

Lovejoy Bakers < > Ken's Artisan Bakery

Croissants

Flakiness:
Both are nice and flaky but Ken’s had thicker flakes which made it a little too chewy.
Color and Texture:
I like the color and texture of Lovejoy’s. Ken’s is darker and had a hint of dark, almost burnt caramel flavor.
Inside:
Ken’s is lighter inside and has more air which I like. Lovejoy’s is more dense.
Butter-iness / Moisture:
Lovejoy’s is moist all throughout. Ken’s is on the dry side but less greasy.
Flavor / Sweetness:
Since Lovejoy’s is more buttery, it had more flavor while Ken’s thick flaky crust seems to take away from the buttery flavor.

Ken's Artisan Bakery < > Lovejoy Bakers

Desserts

Lemon Bar – Lovejoy Bakers
I’m sorry to say that I like the ones I make using Smitten Kitchen’s Recipe better. Theirs tasted like lemon candy. The crust did not have a bite to it, not crumbly like I expected.

Cranberry Macarons – Ken’s Artisan Bakery
I’ve never had macarons before, not anywhere in Europe or here. This one from Ken’s is so delicious! Lightly sweetened with a nice chewy texture. I am so going back there to try the other flavors.

Lemon Bar < > Cranberry Macaron

For me, Lovejoy Bakers makes the better croissant. It’s been a while but I think their version is closer to what you would get in Paris. The lemon bar from Lovejoy Bakers was disappointing while the macaron at Ken’s was wonderful. I know that’s not apples to apples but I wanted a different angle of comparison. With that said, I highly recommend both places and the next time I find myself in the neighborhood, I will be coming back for more.

P.S. If you haven’t already tried it, head over to Ken’s Artisan Pizza for some of the best pizzas in Portland.

How about you? Let me know what you think of Lovejoy Bakers and Ken’s Artisan Bakery.

I am glad you are here! I started blogging about 2 years ago at JavaFoto. Despite my lack of culinary skills, I found myself writing about food more than anything else. I have also learned a lot through reading food blogs where I saw ordinary people become culinary icons.  I started this new blog to document my journey on improving my kitchen as well as photography skills. Maybe we don’t need another food blog in cyberspace but as long as I am having fun, why not?

For more about me, visit the About page.

Cheers!

-Charlotte