Cheap Eats 2006 - Hot Chefs, Cheap Eats

[March 29th, 2006] We thought we'd heard 'em all.

We've been asking some of Portland's most enterprising chefs their top picks for inexpensive eats for five years now. And yet, once again, they've managed to surprise us—not to mention make us really hungry. Posole in a St. Johns

market? Budget Vietnamese stew? These kitchen professionals prove that you don't need a big-city bankroll to eat like a king in Portland.

Chris Israel, Saucebox

I still like El Burrito Loco (1942 N Portland Blvd., 735-9505). I love the

carnitas tacos ($1.35 each) there. I was gone [living outside Portland] since 1997, and when I came back [to town last year] they tasted exactly the same. It's the tacos' ratio of pork-to-salsa and the crispiness and saltiness of the pork that does it for me.

Value-wise, Pok Pok (3226 SE Division St., 232-1387) is the best in Portland, although I should make a disclosure: I did do the graphic identity for Pok Pok; [owner] Andy Ricker used to be the sous chef at Zefiro [Israel's legendary 1990s Northwest Portland restaurant]. What makes it special is authenticity; Andy spent so much time in Thailand learning to cook. He just brings a directness that I don't really taste in much Thai food around here. I get the khao soi kai ($6.95)—it's a Chiang Mai curry noodle soup. It's got everything: It's hot, it's spicy, it's sour, it's crispy...so many flavors going on. There are the undertones of the sweeter spice of the curry and then the taste of pickled cabbage and raw shallots and chili paste. It's the dish I'm addicted to.

And there's Binh Minh Bakery and Deli (6812 NE Broadway, 257-3868). They make Vietnamese sandwiches. It's right next to Pacific Market. They bake the bread there; it's like baguette, and they do all different kinds of [sandwich] fillings. They do a beef stew that they serve with the bread so you can dip it or make a sandwich. [The stew's] basically potatoes and carrots and meat, like a French stew. There's probably a little cinnamon in it too. A small bowl is really inexpensive, maybe $6. But the quality of the bread is really what makes it special. It's pretty under the radar.... Of course, Andy took me there.

Melissa McKinney, Criollo Bakery

I am a cheap eater. I don't always get to go out and have the white-tablecloth meals. We go to Du's Grill (5365 NE Sandy Blvd., 284-1773) for teriyaki. It's super yummy, they make their own sauce, and [the meat's] served with sticky rice and salad with poppyseed dressing all for under $7. It's really big, too: You probably get about two cups of rice and a big handful of meat. The sauce is on the sweet side and they don't use any MSG or gross stuff. My husband gets chicken and I get beef, and we go halfsies.

I love Cha'ba Thai (5810 NE Sandy Blvd., 282-3970). It's always a good thing when you go in and a Thai restaurant is actually full of Thai and Vietnamese people. I'm almost boring because I always get the tofu salad rolls ($3.50) and cashew chicken ($6.50 lunch, $8 dinner), which has enormous cashews in it—as big as your thumb. I love all the curries, the panang curry ($8) especially. The flavors are really complex and just...clean. You can taste the galangal and lemongrass and curry spices.

Ken Collura, wine director/sommelier of Andina and the Pearl Wine Shop

For a "value meal" I go to Karam , the Lebanese place on Stark (316 SW Stark St., 223-0830). That food rocks. It's so traditional and pure. I'll have the veggie mezza ($8.95)—it's the best hummus and falafel that I've had in town. What makes it great are the fresh ingredients and that the quality never varies. Every time, it's the exact same dish...made with love. The bread is off-the-charts good. You get the big flatbread coming outta the oven—you dip it into the baba ghanouj and you're set for the day.

Justa Pasta (1336 NW 19th Ave., 243-2249) is really cool, too. The first night I went there they were playing Miles Davis, so that's a good start. And the pastas are good and filling (generally around $4.75-$8.25). They've got some nice Italian wines that are priced correctly (most are around the $20 range). It hits all the bells. I often go there because I know I'll get my money's worth.

As for a great bargain Oregon wine...maybe those two sentences shouldn't go hand in glove. Most Oregon wines are, in context, fairly expensive. But a great pinot gris is from Coleman Vineyard (colemanvineyard.com), it retails for 12 or 13 bucks. It's very lively. It has a little kiss of sugar, but it's crisp. I don't carry it at Andina because they didn't have any left.

Adrienne Van Slyke, Siam Society

What's quick and convenient for us is Binks next door (2715 NE Alberta St., 493-4430). We usually order vegetarian nachos ($5-$7.25), we get the smaller plate, and it's still enormous: The chips are smothered in cheddar and Monterey Jack, as well as jalapeños.

If I have time on my day off, I do the happy hour at Pambiche (2811 NE Glisan St., 233-0511), where they have maduros, or sweet fried plantains ($2.75 during el hora del amigo, $5.75 normally). I love those. I have a big sweet tooth, and Pambiche has this fantastic dessert: guava cheesecake ($5.50, available seasonally). It's not too rich, has a nice sweet, tart flavor and nice pink glaze on top of it, with a nice big piece of guava. It's delicious.

Josh Blythe, Roux

I think the best-kept secret ever is a little taqueria in St. Johns that my sous chef turned me on to. I'm 99 percent sure it's called Taqueria Santa Cruz (8630 N Lombard St., 286-7302). It's inside the Panaderia y Tienda Santa Cruz, a mini Mexican supermarket and bakery. All the way in the back of the store is this room where they serve tacos and posole and burritos. It's really, really good and dirt-cheap. It's no-frills. There are just a couple magic-marker signs on the wall for a menu, and they sell old-style Coca Cola in bottles from Mexico. They've got the best tacos I've tasted in Portland. It tastes like the carnitas is actually poached in confit...fatty and yummy. I like the chorizo tacos because the chorizo isn't completely broken down into a paste...it's like chunky sausage, less processed. Everything is seasoned really well and tastes fresh and authentic. Like there's some love put into it. And really, it's just fun, 'cause it's like this little hidden gem in the back of this crazy supermarket.

I also used to go to Riyadh's Lebanese Restaurant (1318 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 235-1254). The lamb mezza plate is like $8.50 and you get tabbouleh and hummus and a lamb skewer and a sauté of veggies. They do a really, really good job, and they are cheap. It's a super-fresh, quirky little place.

Oh, and The Dog House (2845 E Burnside St., 239-3647). I love the Dog House. When it's nice outside, I sit in the car and have a dog. I always get the kosher beef "Chicago Style" that comes with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes and hot peppers, mustard, onions...celery seed. I think that about does it.