Pok Pok

3226 SE Division St
Portland, OR
(503) 232-1387
Website

Sometimes you get to a place that is full of hype, and it lets you down. Pok Pok is not that place. Located in Portland, OR it is a landmark for one thing in particular, the wings, but it offers so much more.

Daily specials galore.

I went with friends, and we tried a whole host of menu options – all of which were insanely flavor-packed in their own way.

I do have to say, however, that nothing could touch the wings. Technically they are called "Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings." I just called them heaven. Marinated in sugar and fish sauce, fried crispy, and then tossed in caramelized fish sauce and garlic, these were some of the best wings I have ever eaten.

Spicy, sour, sweet and sticky the crunchy skin was unreal and underneath that shell, the tender meat fell right off the bone. The fat was so well rendered and the remaining meat almost melted on my tongue.

All of the items presented a host of seasonings, mainly the sweet, spicy, and sour profiles that good Thai should always cover. Below is your standard papaya salad, but it was elevated through their use of an exceptionally spicy-sweet-tangy dressing.

Below is the Da Chom's Laap Meuang: Northern Thai spicy hand-minced pork "salad" with aromatics, spices, herbs, cracklings and crispy fried shallots and garlic. Noted on the menu, this dish was learned from a friend's father who lives in a village near Chiang Mai. Not only is every dish perfectly complex in its taste, each one has also got its own story to take it to the next level. Amazing.

What I admired most about Pok Pok were the insane combinations and juxtapositions of flavor and texture. Everything was crunchy and chewy, yet salty and earthy. Fresh herbs and citrus were included with almost everything, and they helped to cut some of the offal and more iron-rich offerings.

The Khao Soi curry bowl with chicken and noodles was pungent, rich, and satisfying. They could have taken the meat off of the bone for ease of eating, but I get it – their M.O. is rustic style. And the fact that I had to work for it made me feel less guilty about eating 5 entrees and a cocktail at lunch.

Accoutrements below.

Chiang Mai sausage with chicharones and spicy green chile dip made for an interesting and salty-delicious treat.

The quick-poached green beans were tied into little knots! How thoughtful (and tedious).

The grilled corn special was very tasty as well. It was a daily special on the board (a spin on elotes, one of my faves) and as with everything else, it presented a complex flavor profile, and gave just enough food to keep you wanting more. As if everything else hadn't been filling already...

Well played, Pok Pok. I hope to be seeing you again very soon.

Cucina Zapata

Food Truck, University City
S. 31st & Ludlow St
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Twitter

There has been a lot of hype surrounding this truck, and after I heard that it was Asian/Mexican fusion, I figured it was worth a try. Oh, and they have a Cap'n Crunch crusted tilapia burrito for $6.

The line is longer than every other truck on Drexel's food truck row. Of course every other truck only offers regular Chinese food, cheesesteaks, hoagies, or all of the above.

When I was looking at the menu, I just couldn't figure out what to get. So I went kind of nuts.

I started with a chicken satay taco (top) and a short rib taco (bottom).

Both had an amazing amount of components for the price tag. The avocado was fresh and plentiful, the slaw crisp, and the Sriacha sour cream on the satay was absolutely delicious. The green chili sauce on the short ribs was also a winner. Of the two, however, I think I liked the satay just a bit better. The rich marinade cut through the rest of the ingredients, and was about perfect. The short rib itself was just a bit chewy, which was one of my few complaints.

The Cap'n Crunch crusted fish burrito was the best value of the meal. It was quite hefty, certainly a steal at six bucks, and made with the same love as the tacos, and although it had many of the same components, it tasted totally different. Crunchy, slightly sweet breading, with flaky fish inside. The spicy sauce mixed perfectly with the slaw, diced tomatoes, and avocado slices. I was probably most impressed with this offering, overall.

The chicken Katsu, which is a traditional Japanese dish, for anyone who is going to dispute my saying this truck is Thai/Mexican fusion, was also pretty good. An extremely crispy, thin flat cutlet of chicken, served over a bed of slaw, with a fried egg, rice, and Sriracha drizzle. My only complaints were that the egg yolk could have been just a bit more runny, and this dish could use a side of one of their amazing sauces. I ate a lot of plain white rice that was hiding under the egg, and needed something to jazz it up a bit. I am sure the owner, who was ridiculously accommodating, polite, and funny, would be more than happy to fulfill my diva-like requests for extra sauces in the future.

This is now one of my favorite trucks in the city. If you liked how good Tyson Bee's USED to be, you will LOVE Cucina Zapata. Get the fish, get a Thai tea, hell, you can't really go wrong. Just get something.

Circles Thai

1516 Tasker St
Philadelphia, PA 19145
(267) 687-1778
Website

Thai food is lacking in Philadelphia for the most part. When I think of Thai, I don't think upscale, expensive food. I think flavor packed, reasonably priced and somewhat exotically spiced dishes. Circles is apparently coming to Northern Liberties, so I felt it was only proper to make a pilgrimage back to my homeland, down south, to eat at the much adored Point Breeze king of Thai.

One thing that is incredibly strange is the fact that the food at the eat-in place is brought across a Point Breeze alley from the takeout restaurant. They use a strange buzzer system and call the orders over. I suppose I would not have noticed it had there been more than one other group eating-in at the time.

The alley in question below.

So anyway, I ordered the summer rolls (I just love those things), Tom Yum soup (beats chicken noodle for soul satisfaction 10 times out of 10), the chicken satay (meat on a stick is always a winner) and the Pad Thai (for a constant). I assume you can figure out which is which below.

The Tom Yum was probably my favorite thing there. Not to say the other items weren't delicious, but there is something about that soup (when executed properly) that is pure comfort. This was a mighty fine offering. I ordered it hot, and it had a perfect punch to it. Tender pieces of chicken, mushrooms, and the lemongrass/kafir/fish/sauce/ginger/chili pepper broth brought the fermented funkiness that I crave. I need this soup within a couple blocks of me for those days when I need to atone for the previous night's transgressions or am battling a cold (much more likely to be the former than the latter).

The chicken satay was another home run. Rich tumeric really made the nicely charred chicken skewers pack some mean flavor. The deliciously acidic cucumber relish and traditional peanut sauce were perfect partners, though the meat was seasoned enough to stand alone.

The shrimp summer roll was great, not that there is any magic to summer rolls. The shrimp were well-cooked and the sweet chili peanut sauce was like a delicious hoisin dip. +1 on the presentation.

The Pad Thai was the best I have had in Philly, and a steal at $11. There were at least five jumbo shrimp nestled into this heap of noodles, and they were perfectly cooked. Sweet and sour tamarind sauce made for a teeter-totter between flavors working in harmony. A generous helping of crunchy peanuts and crisp bean sprouts rounded out the textural tour de force.

All that I can say is that I am incredibly happy there will be an outpost of this delicious food closer to my neighborhood soon. Especially because I only get down to Point Breeze once a week, and that is too long to go between Thai feasts.

Couch Tomato Cafe

102 Rector Street
Philadelphia, PA 19127
(215) 483-2233
Website

I LOVE the Couch Tomato Cafe. It is my favorite place to stop for a healthy bite when my weekend rides end up in Manyunk. It is relatively cheap, somewhat healthy and completely delicious.


I normally get a salad or some pizza (or both depending on how the ride was), but I happened to try the salad in wrap form last weekend. It was soo good. They really make some fresh creative salads, and they transferred well to the wrap format. Below is the Thai-phoon, which consisted of chicken, peanuts, carrots, cucumbers and cilantro, and a Thai peanut dressing. A little tip, order extra dressing on the side. The fresh cilantro really shined in this one, and I throughly enjoyed the combination of fresh crisp ingredients (shown with free cape cod chips on the side)


This one was the buffalo chicken wrap, which had some tomato, chicken and gorgonzola. A side of bleu cheese was a perfect dipping companion.