Shameless Review: Portland's Voodoo Doughnuts - Irreverently Delicious

Voodoo Doughnut - The Magic Truly is in the Hole



The original Voodoo Doughnuts is a hole in the wall in Portland that any lover of doughnuts must visit.  This place is irreverently hilarious with doughnuts like:

• The Voodoo Doll - a yeast doughnut with a raspberry filling in the shape of a person.  Topped with chocolate, it also comes with a pretzel stick "pin".  Unfortunately it doesn't come with directions on how to use this to torture random people...but I guess they had to draw the line somewhere.
• The Bacon Maple Bar - another yeast doughnut, but in bar form.  Coated with a maple glaze and topped with 2 strips of bacon.  Given my beliefs about butter and bacon making everything better, you can imagine how I feel about this one.
• The Diablos Rex - chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate frosting, red sprinkles, a vanilla pentagram and chocolate chips.
• The Texas Challenge - This is a raised yeast doughnut that is Texas sized.  It is equal to over 6 normally sized doughnuts and if you can eat it in less than 80 seconds, you get it for free...I was not man enough to try, but let me know if you do and succeed and I will post your picture on Shameless Foodie!
• The Old Dirty Bastard - A raised yeast doughnut with chocolate frosting, crumbled oreos, and peanut butter.

I have left off some of their more risque doughnut types, but if you are interested in seeing what else these mad scientists of doughnut making have concocted, check out their site here:  Voodoo Doughnuts Menu.

We heard about this place when we arrived in Portland and everyone was telling us, that this is the best place to go in the city.  I checked it out on urbanspoon.com and it is the number 1 rated restaurant in the city, so I had to give it a try.  We decided to take a stroll down there a little after lunch on a Sunday morning, thinking (naively as it turned out) that there wouldn't be much of a wait at this time of the day / week.  The line that greeted us was almost a full block long and wrapped around the corner. While this was a good sign, we were on a schedule so we decided to come back later.

FOOD:
When we finally got back around to Voodoo, I was almost sorry that I didn't wait in the line the first time.  I asked the young lady working behind the counter what the most popular doughnut they had was, and she reached into her confectionery case of magic deliciousness and produced a bacon maple bar.  Who am I to argue with the masses.  So, resigning myself to the inevitability of fate, I decided to give it a try.

Despite the late hour (it was 2AM...and before you ask, yes we had been drinking), upon my first bite the skies parted, and a heavenly light poured down as a host of winged angels sang music almost as amazing as the doughnut itself.  Maple and bacon is a traditional combination, but when added on top of a raised yeast doughnut, the human palette is not quite capable of keeping up with the doughnuty genius of this delightful bar.

One of my compatriots decide to try the Old Dirty Bastard.  This doughnut proved to be almost as delicious as the Bacon Maple Bar.  I was a little skeptical of the crushed oreo and peanut butter combination, the the richness of the peanut butter and the crunchy, slightly bitter aspect of the oreos off set each other beautifully and came together in a symphonic crescendo of doughnutness.

Shameless Review: Mother's Velvet Lounge & Cafe - Maybe She Will Adopt Me

Mother's Velvet Lounge & Cafe - Portland Scores Back-to-Back Wins



As I mentioned in my last review, the locals know where the good food is, but when it comes to where the best breakfast is...ask your bartender.  Since most of them work strange hours, their dinner is often our breakfast.  This was no exception and my bartender at Paddy's Bar and Grill (which has the largest liquor selection / wall in the city and probably the largest I have ever seen), didn't miss a beat when I asked about the best local breakfast joint.  He said Mother's instantly without thought...good enough for me.

I couldn't have been more pleased with the recommendation.  While it was a pretty good walk, maybe 10-12 blocks, from our hotel, it was well worth it.  When we arrived, there was a 20 minute wait with people milling around outside the restaurant.  Mother's conveniently offer free coffee for the wait, and unlike many places I have been with long lines everyone here seemed relaxed and friendly.  It was really like a bunch of friends were just hanging around outside of their favorite bar.

We were told it would be 20 minutes, but it was more like 15 which was a nice surprise.  I learned later that they always do their best to give you a time and then get you in sooner than that.

FOOD:
While we were waiting I noticed they were making coffee fresh ground for every pot.  I am not a huge coffee fan, but one of the servers insisted that the french press coffee was a must try.  So, try it we did.  I may have changed my mind about coffee.  I don't think I will ever be one of those that has to have 3 cups to function in a morning or a common sight at my local Starbucks like some of my family, but I could get onboard with a cup of freshly gound, french press coffee on a lazy Sunday morning.

Being in Portland I had to try something with a local flair.  I was a little surprised to see several dishes with a southwestern flair, but that isn't what I think of as northwest eats.  I settled on the Wild Salmon Hash with eggs.  I was a little bit intimidated by this dish.  Being a southern boy at heart, fish for breakfast is not a common thing.  However, I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised.  The thick cut red potatoes were in a delicate cream sauce with leeks, and then tossed with the extremely fresh salmon.  This was so good, my mouth still waters thinking of it.  The locally produced, fresh blackberry jam that is on every table is also a nice addition to their toast.

Shameless Review: Portland's Veritable Quandary (VQ) - I am Not Confused

Veritable Quandary - As Charming as the City Itself



Portland's Veritable Quandary (VQ) and executive chef Annie Cuggino score a dining tri-fecta and sets a very high bar for any other dining experiences in the City of Roses.  The restaurant is a small affair, but the dishes and flavors it delivers are any thing but.

Anytime I am in a new city, I like to ask the locals what the best restaurants in the area are.  The problem with checking with a concierge is that in many towns there are agreements or even reciprocity for recommendations for a hotel's concierge.  The locals know, either though personal experience or word of mouth what places are really the true gems of regional cuisine.  While the answers varied in my discussions, the one place that was mentioned by almost everyone was VQ...so VQ it was.

The recommendations and the food at VQ were spot on.  The charming, tree-lined patio and the great weather may have colored my impressions a little, but anyway I look at it this is a wonderful establishment for well prepared, seasonally fresh food.

FOOD:

The starter here was an Oregon Albacore Tuna Bruschetta which had, as the name suggests, local Albacore Tuna which was incredibly fresh and perfectly cooked.  Added to this was a bright acidity added by a melange of quartered plum tomatoes, the brininess of black olives and anchovy fillets, and a light vinaigrette.  This was all atop a heavily crusted bread that was too fresh not to have been baked locally.  A great sized appetizer that struck just the right balance for an appetizer.

Now of course, this wouldn't be a Shameless Foodie review if I didn't have something a little more...heavy.  So, just for your friends, that is exactly what I did.  There were several items on the menu that struck me as interesting, but the Osso Bucco stood out as something I had to try.  A slow braised veal shank with carrots, tomatoes, and celery on a bed of Parmesan & basil risotto.  The veal was very tender, but had been pulled from the braising vessel while it still had some substance to it.  The risotto was probably one of the best I have had...ever.  It was al dente, creamy, and perfectly seasoned.  Being very proud of my own risottos, it is hard for me to say, but it was better than my own...high praise in my book.

Finally, came desert.  I would have had to turn in my Shameless card had I turned back at this point, so I trudged ahead diligently, and was aptly rewarded.  Again there were many delicious looking choices, but I wasn't in the mood for something overly sweet, so I opted for the Semi-sweet Chocolate Tart with Pistachio Ice Cream and Warm Macerated Cherries.  This was the only aspect of the entire meal that I might take a slight issue with.  The tart was wonderful and was perfectly complemented by the ice cream.  The cherries were tasty, but didn't really work as part of a cohesive dish.  But this is nit-picking...over all it was a very memorable first impression of the Portland food scene.
 

Shameless Review: Bravo's in West Little Rock - I Think Bravo is Overstating It

Bravo's Cucina Italiana - Inconsistent

Inconsistently good food is probably worse than consistently bad food.  When the food is inconsistent it is truly disappointing because it means that they have the ability to produce better food, but choose not to do so.  At least if the food is consistently bad, I might be able to write it off to a difference of taste or just not being my kind of food...though that is hard to imagine.

Bravo's is relatively new to West Little Rock.  While it is a chain, Bravo's in general is probably one of the better Italian chains I have eaten at before.  Which is probably why I was disappointed in my visit to this new Bravo's location.  It certainly has potential with nice decor and a pleasant wait staff.  Maybe it was a bad day or maybe they are just working out the kinks, but they don't have it nailed yet.


FOOD:
A friend and I visited Bravo's recently.  She told me that she had eaten there recently and that it was really good.  I generally agree with her assessments on restaurants so we made plans to check it out.  I had the Spaghetti Carbonara, which was pretty good...but certainly not exceptional.  I will admit that when it comes to pasta I can be a bit picky.  In my opinion, if you are running an Italian establishment, there is really no reason you should be serving pasta that isn't fresh and made in house.  I know...I know, it is a chain, but come on, boxed pasta?!?!  Not only is the pasta boxed, but they actually list it on the menu as Barilla pasta as if that is a good thing.  I guess I should give the points for being upfront about it.

Okay, getting past that for a moment, the pasta was well cooked.  Correctly al dente.  The carbonara included asparagus, pancetta, egg, and black pepper.  Thankfully, the asparagus wasn't over cooked, but the pasta sauce was a bit congealed.  This can easily happen in a carbonara if you don't use enough of the pasta cooking liquid.  While the overall dish was flavorful, it fell short of being completely successful.

I might have been able to overlook the carbonara because it can be difficult to execute correctly and it was pretty good, but then it got worse.  My dining companion chose the Cheese Ravioli al Forno and insisted that i try it.  The dish is cheese ravioli in an alfredo sauce topped with stripes of pesto and tomato sauces.  These sauces were bright and flavorful and would have made a nice contrast to the alfredo sauce had it not been bland to the point of tasteless.  Worse still probably was the filling in the ravioli.  It was supposed to be ricotta and parmigiana cheeses...but maybe they ran out of parmigiana when they made that batch.  It was texturally okay, but even less flavorful than the alfredo sauce, which must have been challenging to accomplish.

As I mentioned, inconsistency is a very bad trait in a restaurant.  The food on this day definitely did not make us want to cheer "Bravo".

Shameless Review: Gina's Chinese Kitchen & Sushi Bar - Hidden Gem

Gina's Chinese Kitchen & Sushi Bar - Great Food

I am truly a beef fried rice fanatic...shamelessly so.  Imagine my excitement when I found an out of the way location in West Little Rock that had fried rice on par with the best restaurants I have eaten at...anywhere in the nation.  Gina's  fits that bill without missing a beat.

I couldn't bring myself to give Gina's a less than five knife rating, even if I wanted to.  Outside of the fact that Gina's is in a strip mall, everything else is exceptional.  The restaurant has great food, great service and very reasonable prices.  It is exactly the kind of place that I was looking for when I started blogging, a little known gem of a restaurant that I could share with everyone.

FOOD:

Admittedly I have not tried the entire menu, but everything that I have had is excellent.  As I mentioned, they have wonderful fried rice.  With such a simple dish, you would think that fried rice would be hard to screw up, but it is a delicate balance.  Not too salty from too much soy sauce, enough egg to carry the flavors used (its one of the secrets to great fried rice) and not over cooked so the meat doesn't get tough; it is the baby bear's porridge of fried rice.

Recently, Gina's changed their menu...and quite frankly, I panicked.  Since it was one of my favorite Chinese restaurants I was terrified that the new menu wouldn't be as good.  However, I was proven utterly wrong.  While I won't say the new menu is better, it is still Gina's and still exceptional.  The Bento Boxes are amazing and the egg drop soup is silky and delicious.

The sushi here is very good as well.  While strictly speaking there may be a place or two in Little Rock that exceed Gina's on this particular front, I can't say anything negative about the sushi.  It is not inventive or heavily sauced, it is just good straight-forward traditional sushi.  There are times when that is exactly what I want.  Bottom line...it is awesome food.

Shameless Recipe: Undercover Margaritas - Watch Out!

My wife is a huge margarita lover.  Shortly after we were married, she found a local Mexican restaurant near our house that had margaritas that she really liked.  So, being the chivalrous guy that I am...I bribed one of the bar tenders to give me the recipe. 

I then spent several years perfecting the recipe...many combinations and countless hangovers later I got it just right.  This is not a traditional margarita recipe and it has a lot of alcohol by volume in it without tasting like it.  Let me warn you friends, these margaritas are the stealth bomber of the margarita world.  People have found them selves laying in strangers lawns and talking to inanimate objects because of this recipe...not to mention the not uncommon spontaneous disrobing.

This is my gift to the world...drink and be merry!

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 1 Pitcher - 5 to 6 large glasses
24oz of 1800 Reserva Reposado Tequila - You could substitute for a higher grade, I would not recommend anything less.
15oz of Cointreau
1 Can of Frozen Concentrate Lime-aid (thawed)
3 Cups of Water
2 Limes - Juiced
1/2 Cup of Orange Juice

Mix this all together...order does not matter...and enjoy.  I would recommend that if you are going to keep it in a pitcher and you want it cold, refrigerate the pitcher.  If that is not possible, place ice cubes in a plastic bag and submerge it in the pitcher...you don't want to water these babies down.

You have been fairly warned that these margaritas will sneak up on you.  Enjoy shamelessly, as I do, but do not hold me responsible if you wake up in a strange location without your clothes...

Shameless Recipe: The Best Carnita Tacos....Ever

I frequently look for excuses to have people over.  Given the season, an adults back to school celebration seemed like just the reason I needed....and what screams back to school more than margaritas and carnita tacos.  When it comes to tacos, carnita is the only way to fly.  The slow braised pork just melts in your mouth, and the best thing about this recipe is that it is super simple.

INGREDIENTS:

5lbs Pork Shoulder (Also called Boston Butt) - Cut into 2-3" cubes
32oz Chicken Stock
(2) cups of Orange Juice
(1) Lg Yellow Onion roughly chopped
(10-12) peeled Garlic Cloves - Smashed
(2) 4.5oz can of chopped Green Chilies
Salt
Pepper
Ground Cumin
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Olive Oil

Step 1:  Pre-heat oven to 275 on bake.
Step 2:  Remove any large fat caps or silver skin on the pork shoulder.  Cut the pork shoulder into approximately 3 inch cubes.  Generously coat the Cubes with Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder.
Step 3:  Place olive oil in pan and heat a pan (stainless steel or cast iron if available) to medium-high heat.  Once oil is almost to the smoking point, place several pieces of pork cubes into pan.  Do not over-crowd the pan...leave at least an inch of space between the pieces.  You will probably have to work in batches until all the port is done.  Sear the pork cubes on all sides and then set aside.  You are not trying to cook the cubes all the way through, all you want to do is get a nice carmelized sear on all sides.
Step 4: Once all the pork is seared, drain off any excess oil in the pan.  Return the pan to the burner and deglaze the pan with the orange juice.  Keep the pan on the burner until the liquid has reduced by about half.
Step 5: Place the pork into a dutch oven or similar heavy cooking vessel with an oven safe lid.  It is fine to crowd the pork here.  Once the pork in the dutch oven, poor the orange juice over the pork.  Add enough of the chicken stock so that about 1/4 of an inch of the pork is above the liquid.  Top this with the smashed garlic cloves, onions, and green chilies.  Cover tightly with lid and place in the oven.
Step 6:  Cook the pork for 2 hours, pull it out of the oven and turn over the pieces of pork.  Return to the oven and cook for another 2 hours.
Step 7:  Once the pork is fork tender, remove from braising liquid and set aside to cool.
Step 8:  Strain the braising liquid and place in a pan over high heat.  Bring to heavy boil and reduce the liquid by half.
Step 9:  Once the pork is cool, shred it with a fork.  Place the pork into a bowl or back in the dutch oven and then poor the reduced braising liquid over the top.  Cover and keep warm until you are ready to serve.

Serve with tortillas (corn or flour - your preference) and then all of your favorite taco toppings.  The pork should be extremely tender and melt in your mouth.

Enjoy...

Shameless Review: Sushi Cafe - East Meets West....GET IN MY BELLY!!

Sushi Cafe - East Meets West



Generally speaking, sushi is not as unwholesome as my typical fare, but I do love a well prepared roll.  Sushi Cafe does this in spades.  While it is not a traditional sushi establishment...I mean they have Kobe hot dogs for crying out loud...it is just the kind of great food with a unique, interesting environment that I simply can't pass up.

Okay, a truly critical person would point out that I usually eat western style rolls and not more traditional styles, but so what.  Good is good regardless of style.  So, with that in mind, if you are looking for a great meal with interesting style, you should really check out Sushi Cafe.

Normally, I would probably have given this restaurant a slightly lower score due to the limited seating, but I was happy to find out that they are in the process of doubling the size of their establishment.  This pretty much puts aside any negative things I could say about the cafe.  So happily, I give my first five knife rating.

                                                                                 FOOD:

I mentioned that the food is a bit...non-traditional, but that is one of the intriguing things about this restaurant.  While I understand the Kobe hot dogs and burgers are excellent, when I go to the cafe, I am there for one thing....sushi.  More specifically I go there for the Super Cafe Roll.  It is probably the second best piece of sushi I have ever had, and for the middle of Arkansas...that is saying something.  The combination of the delicate fish topped with a tangy mayo and spicy siracha sauce is great.  Throw in the firm texture of the rice contrasting the crunchiness of the panko topping....okay I am gushing....but its pretty dang good.

Beyond that, the beef tataki is really great as well.  It is pepper crusted and lightly seared.  Served with a rich ponzu sauce, it is another must try on the menu.

Shameless Review: Larry's Pizza in Bryant - Family Fun

Larry's Pizza in Bryant

I am something of a pizza snob.  Having lived near Chicago for a couple of years, I find most other pizzas pale in comparison to those of Windy City lore.  However, I have to tell you I absolutely love Larry's Pizza.  Larry's is a chain that has over a dozen stores throughout Arkansas; the Bryant location being just the closest.  I have eaten at a couple of their locations and they are consistently good, though there does seem to be a little variance...possibly ingredients or just the people making them.  I am not sure.

Regardless, if you like pizza...or even if you don't, Larry's is a must try.  The combination of their pizza buffet, with the most unusual combination of ingredients combined with the relaxed, family friendly atmosphere make it a great place to take the family.

FOOD:
First, the pizza at Larry's is thin crust.  I know there are a lot of opinions of thin vs. thick and the definitive answer is....thin wins!  I know that may sound a little confusing given my statements about my love of Chicago pizza, which most people think of as deep dish.  Truth of the matter is that traditional Chicago and NY pizzas both have thin crusts.  They are completely different types of crusts and yes, Chicago is known for deep dish, but deep dish in Chi-town is mostly about the toppings not the crusts.  If you want to eat bread with cheese on it, but don't blaspheme the pizza gods and call it a pie.

Just like with my favorite restaurants north of the Mason-Dixon, Larry's pizza is all about the toppings.  I am not certain who was the inspiration for the numerous pizzas on Larry's menu, but they should be commended.  Some of the unique and delicious flavors include:

• Chicken Honey Mustard with Bacon - Sauce: Honey Mustard
• Chicken Ranch Mushroom - Sauce: Ranch
• Cheeseburger - Sauce: Mustard  Toppings: Hamburger, bacon, pickles, onions, and tomatoes
• Loaded Baked Potato - Sauce: Ranch  Toppings: Sliced potatoes, butter, bacon bits, chives, mozzarella and cheddar cheese
• Cheese Alfredo - Sauce: Alfredo
• They also have several dessert pizzas including chocolate chip pizza.  Before you question my wisdom on this matter...all I have to say is give it a try.  You will absolutely find yourself converted!

There are numerous others, and these are just a few.  I have yet to have a bad pizza at one of their establishments.