Chef Martin's Bistro Burger (at Pinot Wine Bar)

I know Chef Martin is working on rolling out his food truck. I haven't spoken to him about timelines or if he's going to work at Pinot and his truck. 

However, I did stop in to have a burger and a beer a couple weeks back at Pinot Wine Bar in the Tower. I must say, an outstanding burger Chef! I don't know what Martin's menu is going to be on the truck or if he can bang out burgers; but if he can knock them out of his truck as good as the one I had, Chef Martin will have no trouble being THE force to reckon with in the food truck scene. 

I know, I know, lots of competition for a burger in Fresno. Lots of other sandwiches to choose from. Lots to prove once Martin gets rolling. I know. He'll be judged again in the truck.

Let's just hope that Chef Martin and others thinking about joining the foodie scene is a preview of how good the competition is getting and why I keep writing Open Letters to the first wave of gourmet food trucks and blogger cafes; there's always a fresh face looking to take down last year's number one.

Selma Flea Market and Tacos

I have driven by the Selma Flea Market dozens of times and never stopped. I was probably in a hurry to get back to Los Angeles and miss traffic. I hated living in LA, but that's another story.

I went with my Dad, T.L., for a couple hours of browsing around for supplies and eventually eating at the market. I could have even gotten my hair cut here, which I found out was a spectator sport.

Angel’s Mexican (lengua was tender but flavorless and cabeza was very tasty)

La Mexicana (cabeza good but the carnitas were dry. Also they were out of onions) from Sanger

Los Toritos (al pastor, best of the day) from Orosi

Frito Boats also are available.

The People's Pig in PDX Expands

The People's Pig is the king of sandwiches in the PDX cart scene (at least according to The Cured Ham). Upon each visit from The Bay Area, I make it a point to get at least one lunch sandwich here. The only other restaurant I have this rule for is Frontera Grill in Chicago.

Cliff actually has 6 pork sandwiches to choose from now, rather than his highly specialized single sandwich, the original porchetta with arugula and lemon.

At the suggestion of Cliff, I ordered the Cuban sandwich. The Cuban has a lightly dressed slaw on top with a pinch of cumin on it. The pork is moist, well seasoned and delicious. He’s getting quality bread for the sandwich as well, no cheap hoagie, but durable well made artisan bread.

Simply put, I love these sandwiches. Keep it up Cliff!

Portland in Review

I had a great mix of out-to-dinner and dinner-in on my latest trip to Portland. Portland is a great food city, no doubt. But Downtown Portland only represents a slice of the city. Neighborhood places are all over. Sure there are food trucks, but there are also some great brick and mortar places too. Similar to The East Bay cities of Oakland and Berkeley, Portland has some "Gourmet Ghettos" throughout town specializing in charcuterie, cheese, and ethnic cuisine.

I was also fortunate enough to dine with some great home cooks. The bagels you see aren't from a bakery,they're my friend Edwin's creations. The brother/sister team of Edwin and Mary helped craft dinner one night, and I couldn't have felt more welcome. A wood fire for our sausages (Tails and Trotters), fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market (tomato lady), fresh bread from the rudest (and best) bakery in PDX Little T, and a personal food discovery for me, Wooly Pig Proscuitto from North Carolina purchased at the Cheese Bar. And might I say, The Cheese Bar was fabulous! Tons of beer, wine by the glass, salumi (beautiful salumi) and it's namesake, CHEESE!

 

 

 

 And then there was this kind lady at the Farmer's Market. I basically touched as many as I could before I purchased several. They were top quality. And she even threw in a extra one after I paid. Maybe the bark on the sign is worse than the bite.

Until the next time PDX, it's time to fly.

The Reggie, Pine State Biscuits, Portland

I was up early for a Saturday, 7:00am to be exact. I got a workout in, showered up, and took a walk up to the Portland Farmer's Market with one thing on my mind (before I did my shopping for a wine dinner tonight) The Reggie from Pine State Biscuits.

The Reggie is a signature biscuit sandwich from the Portland institution. A flakey biscuit with freshly fried chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, and topped with a sausage gravy. It's a gut buster frankly and it's delicious. The biscuit didn't disintegrate, but retained it's basic shape from first bite to last. The fried chicken was moist on the inside, crispy on the outside. The bacon, well I didn't taste much of it, because the sausage gravy was even better than bacon (yes, hard to believe but true). I loved this breakfast! The Full Resolution Photo is Here