Portland: Pok Pok

Less than 24 hours in Portland. Lunch before we headed back to the beach was at Pok Pok, which I heard pretty much everywhere was not something to be missed. The chef, Andy Ricker, won best chef northwest in 2011.

Even though they opened at 11.30, Josh was worried about being able to get a table, so we ambled up to the gates closer to 11 and hung out, strategizing what to order while a line formed behind us.

Probably the only odd part about the seating is that they asked for everyone's name, party size, and seating preference (inside/outside) before seating anyone. However, I'm sure they have their process for a reason. A co-worker mentioning that there was a 45-minute line just to put their name down at the Vortex comes to mind, actually.

But we were the first seated, and we got a nice covered seat "outside". The sky threatened rain -- as it probably does in Portland -- but it didn't rain while we were there.

They have quite a selection of alcohol at Pok Pok, even some cocktails. But I opted for the naam manao, a freshly squeezed limeade that the menu described as "fizzy, sour and sweet". Sounded great.

And it was. Josh said that the lemonades with soda that we ordered at Pho were inspired by this drink. I wouldn't be surprised if they were related. The drink was everything it promised to be and delicious besides.

We ordered a few things to try out the menu. After much discussion, we decided to focus on the published specialties of the house, the things that really had made them famous.

So here we have Ike's Vietnamese fish sauce wings, and we got that mild, not spicy because I'm wussy. This is probably the signature dish, especially since I saw another Pok Pok spot that seemed to feature the wings exclusively.

They were delicious. Richly flavored, stickily sweet. I thought a small portion was probably all I could handle, but I munched happily on the lightly pickled vegetables to cleanse my palate, too.

Next, the kai yaang, a charcoal rotisserie roasted game hen stuffed with lemongrass, garlic, pepper, and cilantro. Two sauces come with this, a spicy/sweet/sour and tamarind. We also ordered the recommended sticky rice, which showed up on the table in a plastic bag in the little bamboo box in a picture earlier in this post.

The chicken was beautifully prepared. I did end up trying some of the stuffing which is not tasty on its own. I preferred the spicy/sweet/sour sauce, but did alternate between the two a little.

If I went back, the chicken is definitely something I would order again. And the whole thing, because the half really did seem kind of small.

Papaya pok pok , Josh's favorite. Spicy green papaya along with tomatoes, long beans, Thai chili, lime juice, tamarind, fish sauce, garlic, palm sugar, dried shrimp, and peanuts.

They do not mess around with this. Josh said this was just like the Lao papaya salad he had grown up having at friends' houses.

It was pretty tasty, but also really spicy, and I only ate two small servings, leaving the rest for Josh.

At that point, I wasn't quite full. And I had gone to the bathroom and read one of the reviews which stated that the cha ca "La Vong" was spectacular and not to be missed. So of course, how could I miss it?

Catfish marinated in turmeric and sour rice, fried in turmeric oil with scallions and dill. Served on rice vermicelli with peanuts, mint, and mam nem.

It arrives with the sauce on the side, as you see, and then you mix it up at the table.

This dish was really deliciously sour with the brightness of the herbs and crunchy peanuts. I would definitely get this again.

Sitting there at Pok Pok, I wished that I had one of these in my city as an occasional treat. And then I wondered if maybe I couldn't just work in more trips to Portland.