The Honey Paw

78 Middle Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-8538
Website

On a recent trip to Maine, I had some of the most innovative and delicious Asian style food I can remember. It made me long for a Honey Paw in Philly. Alas, I will have to head back up north to get my fix.

A small but bright and airy corner space. with loads of windows, it was inviting and though parked next door to the famous Eventide Oyster Company, the food here made it a destination on its own.

The scallion pancakes were first, deep fried to a perfectly airy, crunchy, light, salty miracle. These were hands down the best I have had, and I have eaten quite a few.

Look at the texture on these. I am drooling thinking about them.

In keeping with my carb-tastic snack course, I had some fry bread with Thai butter. My god. I don't remember having a better fry bread either. Again, the texture and airy pockets of dough were perfection. Sliced hot peppers and chives, with the rich butter just made this one for the books.

The kimchi. I mean, it's kimchi. It's always pretty good. Like pizza. But this kimchi was again, everything it should be. Spicy. Tart. Crunchy. I would have bought this in a five gallon jar if offered, and likely eaten it before getting back to the car. Can you die from eating 18.9271 liters of kimchi? I am certainly willing to try.

Next? Oh just an AGED BEEF CORN DOG. Did I mention I like sauces? Meat? Food on a stick? Fried meat on a stick covered in sauce? Be still my (slowing) heart.

The slight funk of the aged beef let you know it was there, unlike most corndogs where you taste breading and only breading.

If you are familiar with Dan Dan Noodles, do I have a dish for you. Look at the balance on this.

ALMOST too good to eat.

Bok choy, with ground pork, noodles, nuts, and scallions. Spicy, rich and satisfying.

Starting to slow down, but no where near the finish line, I moved on to the fried chicken sandwich. Can we also take a moment to admire the house made chips? They are sprinkled with some sort of heavenly dust (peanut dust?). Stuffed in this roll was napa kimchi, iceberg, mayonnaise, AND american cheese. I love the play on po'boys.

Perfectly fried, on a great slightly crusty roll, with more kimchi. Yes please.

I obviously had to sample the banh mi, right? Sporting chicken liver mousse, fish sauce caramel, cucumber, jalapeño, pickles, cilantro and served on another of these perfect rolls. Maine sure does know bread.

Last but hardly least. I had to sample the house made noodles. Here is the mushroom udon, with miso, bok choy, togarashi oil, and tempura crunch. The ability to control your crunch with the side of tempura was key. Otherwise you would be eating soggy tempura.

The smooth warming miso broth was packed with umami, and filled with earthy mushrooms. Soul soothing indeed.

The bar was also no slouch, and a couple of fancy cocktails never hurts to punctuate the meal.

Stockyard Sandwich Co.

1541 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 977-9273
Website

Stockyard has been on my list for a while, ever since my friend over at Better Home Chef told me about it. I finally got a chance to partake, and I was not disappointed. Don't mind the Long River photo bomb back there.

The first two sandwiches were the whole pig banh mi, and the white fish po' boy.

The po' boy had cornmeal crusted whitefish, cabbage, carrot, onion, and remoulade on a baguette. This was a delicious riff on the original NOLA po' boys with a nod to the venerable Philly fish cake.

The cornmeal crusted fish was fried perfectly, and the batter made for a nice textural contrast.

As much as I liked the po' boy, the suckling pig banh mi was even better. The pork was rich and sweet, with carrot, cabbage, cucumber, cilantro, onion, jalapeno and XO mayo served on another delicious baguette. 

Look at the juice, and the sprigs of cilantro to freshen it up. Cabbage brought the crunch.

At this point, I was feeling over stuffed, but I persevered. There was still a braised beef to try. A farm-to-table cheesesteak of sorts. Tender beef, house-made Whiz, onion, mushroom, and yet again, all packed nicely into the same crusty baguette. The beef was tender, flavor packed, and well rendered. 

The cheese made for a perfect suspension to keep all of the ingredients firmly in place.

This place reminded me of a farm style Paesano's. It is in an area that is underserved for a truly great sandwich, and I think it fits the bill quite nicely.

Kỳ Duyên Cafe

488 N Salina Street
Syracuse, NY 13203
(315) 471-5207
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On a recent road trip that took me through Syracuse during the lunching hour (anytime between 10AM and 4:30PM), I decided to check out a banh mi place I had been told about. Although you may think of Syracuse as a thriving metropolis, I assure you it has not since returned to it's (debatable) former glory. Luckily there was parking out front so no one stole my bike out of my truck. Although some guy wearing pajamas pants with no shoes or shirt asked me if I had any recyclable cans when I was feeding the meter. Maybe they are just eco-friendly. As you can see, the exterior of this shop announces "affluence" and so I was expecting a hipster to be serving fair trade tofu on gluten free rolls. Luckily I was wrong . . .

The interior was clean, cared for and definitely used to be a dive bar. You could tell by the yellowed drop tiles and the bathroom location. Oh, and the fact that behind that white wall there is still a bar. With people hanging out. Possibly smoking and 'playing games.'

The sandwiches were served on more of a torpedo roll than a French baguette, but to the same effect.

I went with a shredded pork and a BBQ pork. Because one pork just wouldn't cut it. These were $5 a pop, and worth every penny. The BBQ pork was the winner, as usual, with tender sliced meat, smokey sauce, and crisp vegetables.

Plenty of cucumber, julienned carrots, and fresh cilantro added the requisite crunch and fresh contrast to the protein. I also loved the butter/mayo mix helping to grease the skids.

The shredded pork and super dry, kind of like that old beef jerky chew I ate as  kid. I liked it, especially with the sliced pork sausage thing in the bottom. The pate on this one came through more, likely because it didn't have the flavorful BBQ sauce like its competitor.

You can see the pate leaking out the bottom.

If you are in the Syracuse area and find yourself in the mood for a cheap & tasty sandwich made with love and tendered with friendly service, you could do much worse than Kỳ Duyên Cafe. One of the better deals I have had in a while.

Wok Street

1518 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 693-3010
Website

I was invited to visit Wok Street recently to see what they have to offer. It is the same folks as Hai Street (which makes the sushi burritos I love), so I figured it would be a good meal and well worth my time. Tucked behind the tree here on Chestnut, next to the venerable Popeye's, you find Wok Street.

They specialize in Southeast Asian-style street food.

The interior had the industrial loft thing going on – nice and roomy with that city living feel.

It looked like a hip Chipotle (I can't help but use my old fave as the bar for comparison with all fancy-ish fast-ish food joints). But there was tons of counter space and for being so deep, the dining area was well lit.

As fast/fresh casual restaurant frequenters will recognize, you pick your option, soup, bowl, or sandwich, and work your way down the line customizing your order. If you prefer, you can go with the established favorites as an alternative.

I went with the staff favorites, chicken banh mi and the pickled peanut pork bowl. On the side, I was told to try the tofu cheesecake and the ginger lemonade, so I didn't deny those extras.

The pork bowl had white rice, brussel sprouts, braised pork, peanut sauce, pickled red onion, scallion, cilantro, and roasted peanuts.

The tart and tender pork was perfectly braised, and melted when picked up with chop sticks, or pushed around to scoop up some of its compatriots. It was a filling and quite delicious bowl, with a variety of flavors and textures to keep you interested. I would eat a lot of lunches here.

The chicken banh was small but well done, with teriyaki chicken (a total guilty pleasure of mine), hoisin mayo, cucumber, jalapeño, pickled red onion, and cilantro. Ask for extra mayo on the side, and add some chili sauce if you want to spice things up. At less than $7, this was a great quick meal, and the portion size will keep you honest. Enough to be full, but they certainly won't be rolling you out of there.

All of the veggies were fresh and crunchy, and I loved the pickled red onions.

A surprise was the tofu cheesecake. Thankfully it was served in a small container, not because it wasn't delicious, but because I was so full. I was pretty shocked with this tofu-based dessert being so delicious, it had a sour and sweet play going on that was addicting. I would definitely recommend checking out this local "Chiptole of Asian" for a quick and cheap lunch or dinner, especially if you are craving something fresh and healthy-ish.