Radio Room

www.radioroompdx.com

The Radio Room, located in the arts district of Portland, was packed two Fridays ago! Our party of four had literally nowhere to sit in the large indoor/outdoor, upstairs/downstairs, this-room/that-room plus bar smorgasbord of seating arrangements. Whew!



Where we sat.
From Radio Room photos.

 Apparently the spot serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and from what I can tell by the looks of it, is that it is crowded during all of those meals. We enjoyed a nice, post-happy hour dining time of 7pm and sampling their seasonal beer on tap while waiting for our meal to arrive. We managed to squeeze in to a nice table situated on the backside of the main room next to a lively party of 8 who were welcoming to our wetness and close proximity. With us that evening was a bottle candleholder we were bringing on our way to an auction, which got many warm comments from the wait staff and the table next door. Friendly place!

For my meal I ate the salmon club, which was recommended to me and two other people at the table dined on as well. It was out of this world! It tasted totally fresh and not fishy, so much so that I would even recommend that a non-fish eater dabble into fish with it. The description of my dish says that it includes “sizzlin’ salmon” and some fresh thick-cut bacon, which I happily gave out as I’m not a bacon lover (I know that’s sacrilege) and some scrumptious red pepper aioli, as well as sandwich toppings. That red pepper aioli really made the meal – it tasted similar to a creamy spinach spread or a good baba ganoush in the sense that what I tasted was a fresh salad concoction and not the individual ingredients.

The stuffed butternut ravioli tempted me, I admit. “Brown butter, sage, hazelnut” all served in a gorgonzola sauce with a baguette. Yes! Additionally, the mix of brie and apples on a chicken sandwich sounds like a winner, as does the turkey cranberry sandwich.

This girl was not a friend of ours!
From Radio Room photos.

If I had to go back tonight, I think I’d eat the whole menu instead. No, in all seriousness I think I’d try out more of the “corners” of the menu. For instance, I think I’d sample the desserts and appetizers. Maybe investigate the macaroni and cheese with its wonderful toppings.

The ambience was slightly noisy, or waitress was slighty airheaded, but with the friendly mood and dark lighting, none of that seemed to matter. The night was destined to be a dark and storm night warmed by friends and good food!

Bunk Sandwiches

http://bunkbar.com/

Right now I'm listening to a Portland podcast and trying to find out more about the city full of good eats! My friend Julie posted on my blog asking me about restaurants in Portland and thus, here I post! I have acquired quite the list of good eats - from the microwaved Bosnian cuisine at a food cart that happened to appear in Bon Appetit (that never happens in the real world), to the food network featured donut shop whose location closed the day after we visited (camera crews were present assessing the to-be-incured damage).

So alas I arrive at a review of Bunk Bar, better known according to their website as the bar form of Bunk Sandwiches (http://www.bunksandwiches.com/). It's like a sandwich club, except it takes its sandwiches seriously. I never realized that Portland takes its meats seriously. I was surprised by the lack of vegetarian dishes on the menu, but alas the meats in town are sensational. All taste really fresh and home-cured; however, that could be pure bologna on my part. Food and Wine magazine raves that they "reinvented" the tuna melt and features their oxtail-confit and meatball sub sandwiches. And, after watching the diners, drive-ins, and dive's food network episode on the place, I realize that yes, it's true (my bologna) - they do cure their own pork belly. And it looks really good.



When I dined there recently everyone ingested the cuban sandwich except for me. I should have just taken the hint. I got a roast beef sandwich with real horseradish on it, which I love! The bread on the sandwich was really good ciabatta and my sandwich came with a smattering of chips alongside. The cuban sandwich, which features their pork, was astoundingly good and filled with wonderful peppers tasting of rich olive oil. If I had to return I would definitely hunt down a cuban sandwich, which I normally dislike due to the swiss cheese.

The locale was very cool and calming, although the music was a bit odd. The lights were dim and the main lighting was just provided by candlelight. The interior is a warehouse type of interior and there are pinball machines in the corner. The way you order is by approaching an etched out corner in the wall and placing your order there. You get a number and then they bring the food to you.  The prices are at about 8 dollars a pop (pretty standard actually for portland, a few cheaper for food carts, a few more for full service of the places we went to).

I think all of the food I ate in Portland was stellar. I couldn't put it down it was so good. But I think due to the walkability of the city I didn't gain a point. My wallet lost weight and I gained enjoyment.