Triple D in the Pacific Northwest (Part 2)

After a very full day of adventures in Portland I had about a half a day in the city before I had to catch a flight to Seattle for work (of course I was also going to fit in a few DDD locations to try!).

I got up and headed off to my last two Portland places, both were in the downtown area and since it was a Saturday, traffic and parking were pretty much a breeze.  My first stop was a place that was featured in one of the early episodes and was a real interesting place.  The "Byways Café" is in the middle of a city block and is a pretty small place with may 15 tables and a small counter.  I got there a few minutes before it opened and when they did open there were about 6 or us waiting and the entire time I was there a steady flow of customers.  The place is adorned with all kinds of souvenirs and knick-knacks from all over the USA and they seemed to have auto license plates from every state, I took a seat near the Virginia plate!

I remembered in the episode that Guy loved their Corned Beef Hash, he also really enjoyed the baked goods that they make on premises, so I know I had to try one of those items.  I chose a hash dish called the Mt. Rushmore, which was chucks of Corned Beef mixed with peppers, onions and other vegetables and cooked with cheese.  I decided not to get the egg (both Guy and I are not fans of eggs!). 

The Mt. Rushmore at Byways Café

The meal was huge and the best part was the chunks of Corned Beef Hash, now I must admit that Corned Beef is not my favorite meat, but this was very tasty and flavorful.  They didn't load it down with cheese which made it even better.  As I finished the place was really hopping and the owner signed my book but couldn't leave the kitchen so I didn't get to meet her.  Byways seems to have a very loyal following as the staff knew just about everyone that walked in.  The staff there was great!  Everyone there was so nice and engaging and that made my experience there even better.

From Byways I headed to the "Blue Collar" area of Portland.  The "Industrial Café and Saloon" is in a small building surrounded by warehouses and maintenance buildings.  The place has a World War 2 metal factory feel to it with metals work decorations all over and the silverware seems to be Military surplus.  the kicker is they play 1940s music! 

Some of the cool décor at Industrial Café and Saloon

They had a large breakfast menu and when Guy visited the breakfast item he made was a version of Biscuits and Gravy that they call "Gears and Gravy" and I decided on the "Half a Gear and Gravy" which was one biscuit covered in Sausage Gravy.  I can only imagine how the full order must be because the half was pretty large.

"Half a Gear and Gravy" at Industrial Café and Saloon

This was hands down THE BEST Biscuits and Gravy that I have ever had.  It wasn't too spicy and the thing that really made it was the sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning on top.  Not sure if I will ever find it that good, again.  As I was about to leave, a few of the other customers saw my book and I had a nice conversation with them about their own food travel adventures, they were also there due to Triple D.  One nice surprise is there is no sales tax in Oregon!

It was time to get ready and head to the airport for a quick flight up the coast to Seattle.  I got to the airport about 1030a about 3 hours before departure and noticed that the 1030a flight was delayed about an hour so I asked if I could be moved to tat one and the agent moved me but told that die to Seattle weather the 920 flight was headed back and would cancel due to fog in Seattle and she wasn't sure they could put me on.  I waited and was trying to figure out if I should just go and rent a car for the 3 hour drive.  The flight came in and all the passengers got off and the agents were re booking them as the third agent started boarding for the flight.  the crew was anxious to get going and I thought no way for me, but they called me up and gave me a seat, so I just about ran to the plane!  The flight went out with empty seats, go figure!  The 40 minute flight was very scenic and I got some really great photos of the Cascades.

Mt. Hood

Mt. Hood in the background and Mt. St. Helen's in front (notice the volcanic crater on Mt. St. Helen's

Mt. Rainier

One of the many ferry docks in the Seattle area.  The ferries are a huge part of the Seattle transportation system

Downtown Seattle

Downtown Wharf area

Seattle's sports stadiums (Century Link Field on right home of the Seahawks and Safeco Field on left home of the Mariners)

I arrived into Seattle a day before my co-workers would arrive, I had planned that so I could get to a few places.  After checking into the hotel I headed off to a few places in the Tacoma area, which is south  of Seattle.  My first stop was "Bruno's European Restaurant".  This place is very German but is in an industrial park area so although it is adorned inside with photos and all types of German memorabilia, it is sort of non-descript outside.

It is very German inside as the service staff is in authentic German outfits.  Most of the staff is either family or of German heritage.  I chose a smaller meal called Curry Wurst with a side of Spaetzel.   Curry Wurst is a homemade sausage with curry as the predominate spice.  It was very good and curry wasn't too overpowering.  Spaetzel is a German style pasta and was very good.

Bruno's Curry Wurst and Spaetzel

I asked to get my book signed and Christina, Bruno's wife came out and took my book with a big smile back to the kitchen and she had Bruno sign it for me, he was busy cooking so could not come out to visit, but I appreciated him taking the time to sign it!

I headed off into the city area of Tacoma and ended up in what can only be described as the "bar district" of Tacoma.  I headed into a bar with pub grub called "Dirty Oscar's Annex" or DOA by the locals.  It really was just a bar with some restaurant seating.  I got a place at the bar and ordered the Pretzels and Cheese appetizer. 

My DOA Pretzel and Cheese Appetizer

The plate came with one very salted pretzel and one non-salted (I preferred the non-salted one) and a crock of Beer infused cheese sauce.  It was delicious!  The place is a lot of fun, a very lively place.  From DOA I headed into a town nearby called Puyallup to a place called "Crockett's Public House".   The area where Crockett's is was bit like Mayberry (or at least that's how I saw it).  When I arrived the place was packed and I was told there would be about a 2 hour wait but I could try the bar area, well there was not a sea to be found at the bar so I decided to leave, not sure if I could get back there on this trip.

I headed back to the hotel to end a very full day. 

Now for the fun!  About 4a I woke up and noticed that while sleeping I knocked over a cup on the night stand that had a few ice cubes.  The melted ice had seeped onto my phone and killed it!  I don't get many calls on my phone, but with the team coming in and I had to pick them up, this was now a big deal.  I was able to communicate with them before they left Dulles and it worked out, but it was something that I didn't need. 

The team didn't arrive until 11a so I decided to head back to Crockett's for breakfast.  The place was busy but I got right in and chose the old favorite, Biscuits and Gravy.  The difference was the biscuits were described as scones and that made it a bit different.  The Gravy was good, but they use a lot of crushed red pepper flakes and that really gave the dish a kick. 

Biscuits and Gravy at Crockett's

I headed back to start the work portion of my trip.  This was the Sunday one week prior to the Seattle Seahawks playing in the Super Bowl and let me tell you Seattle was Super Bowl Crazy!  As I approached the airport there were about 10,000 people gathered to watch the buses of the team driving to the airport to board their Delta Airlines charter to Newark!  I would not get to another DDD location for a few days, but our team was able to go into the city and visit the Space Needle and took the Alweg monorail from the 1962 World's Fair.  We also got to the Pike Public market but it was too late to see the Flying Fish and all the fun stuff!

Seattle's Space Needle

Alweg Monorail from the 1962 World's Fair

Lake Union as seen from atop the Space Needle

Monorail from the Westfair Station

Riding the Monorail

Seattle's iconic structure

Pike Public Market in downtown

"The Big Wheel" at night on the Seattle Wharf

The next two days were spent at Boeing's Duwamish Operations Center and the training was excellent.  They surprised us with a tour of the Renton factory where the Being 737s are assembled.  Boeing does not allow photography so the only shots I could take were from the bus in the  parking lot but I did get some ok shots so here some of them are.  The fuselages for the aircraft are built in Wichita, Kansas and sent by rail to Renton, that trip takes about 7 days.

Two recently arrived fuselages

Landing Gear Assemblies

Soon to be painted Delta 737-900

The Boeing back lot

 I had one more place to get to.  A few years back on my first Seattle DDD trip I met up with a friend from high school.  Kim brought her friend, Jeanelle with her and we had a great day together.  Kim has since moved from Seattle but I have stayed friends with Jeanelle and we met for dinner on my last night in Seattle.  Jeanelle was gracious enough to bring me to a store to take car of my phone issues and afterwards we headed to the northern part of the city to a place that lived up to it's name, "Bizzaro's Italian Café".  This is one wild place.  the walls and ceiling are adorned with all kinds of stuff, funny pictures and knick-knacks.  This place made the décor at  Byways seem very tame!  I got the Gnocchi in cream sauce and it was really good.  The Gnocchi was very light and I know that light and Gnocchi usually don't go together, but in this case they did!

My Bizzaro dinner

When I told my DDD story to the waitress she told some of the staff and one came over just to verify my story and then the owner came over to sign my book.  It was a great dinner and time with a good friend.

The Bizzaro owner and me

 

My friend Jeanelle and I

What a great trip, I got to go to two cities and try a lot of cool and delicious places and see a few old friends, what more can you ask for?  My DDD count is at 340 and 400 isn't that far off, I hope!

Triple D in the Pacific Northwest! (Part 1)

In the fall of 2013 I was told that in the early part of 2014 I would be going to Seattle for some work training.  When I was told the days and that it coincided with my regular days off, I thought that it might work out to go a few days early and try to get to some Triple D locations in the Seattle area.  I got permission from my manager to go a few days early and decided to fly to Portland, Oregon before heading to Seattle for the training. 

After working my shift I got on a 530p nonstop flight from Dulles to Portland.  The flight was pretty light and I was able to stretch out and relax for the 5 hour flight.  After the movie was shown (some Justin Timberlake movie about college gambling) an episode of "Diners, Drive-In's and Dives" was shown and one of the places featured was one that I would be visiting! 

After landing I got a car and went to my first DDD stop.  "Pine State Biscuits" is not too far from the airport and has an interesting backstory.  The owners moved from North Carolina to Portland and after some time became homesick for the cuisine they were used to from their home state, so they decided to open up the restaurant!

Their menu is filled with down home Southern food.  They also carry bottles on Bubble Up and Cheerwine, which are two of North Carolina's favorite soft drinks and of course feature the unofficial drink of NC;  Sweet Tea!  I decided to try the most popular biscuit meal that Pine State serves and the meal that Guy made on his visit, the Big Reggie.

Pine State's Big Reggie Biscuit

Inside the Big Reggie

 This huge biscuit features a breaded chicken breast patty with cheddar cheese and topped with their own homemade sausage gravy.  The meal was delicious and I washed it down with some sweet tea.  The gravy was unusual to me as it was a bit on the spicy side, but very tasty.  As I left for my hotel, after a long day of work and flying, I knew that my Portland visit would be a fun tasty adventure.

After a restful night I headed out to start my DDD trip in earnest.  My first stop was a small place just outside the downtown area called "Bunk Sandwiches".   I looked over the menu they had very limited early morning offerings but had a very full lunch menu, I guess I had chosen the wrong time to visit!  I decided on a ham and cheese breakfast sandwich and it was very tasty.

Bunk Breakfast sandwich

 I headed to my next stop, a little café in a very quiet neighborhood in Southeast Portland called "Arleta Library Bakery Café".  This small café had a very interesting décor.  All along the borders of the café were rows of books making you feel like you were in a library!  The menu looked great and the meals sounded delicious, but I decided to go real light and ordered a slice of their coffee cake, which was filled with berries and topped with some powdered sugar (I decided against the whipped cream).  I really enjoyed the sweet breakfast and I would like to return sometime to try one of their breakfast meals.

Arleta's Berry Coffee Cake

My last stop for my morning adventure was at a place just a few miles away called "Edelweiss Sausage and Delicatessen".  This wasn't really a restaurant at all, but a German Market where they make their own sausages and meats.  I decided to try one of their homemade sweet rolls and a German malt brew. 

After a short break I headed into Downtown Portland to try a place that I have wanted to visit for a long time.  As soon as I saw their episode I knew that I had to get there at some point.  In an office building just over the Morrison Bridge is a small place called "Blue Plate Lunch Counter".  This place has no big stoves or huge kitchen but produces some very tasty meals and also features hand made sodas, shakes and malts.  On their episode hey made a good old fashioned lunch classic, Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.  I knew what I wanted even before I got there! 

Blue Plate Lunch Counter

The don't make a Campbell's style of tomato soup, their soup is loaded with vegetables and has a small spice kick, very tasty and best of all it was served in a mug!.  The grilled cheese is gooey and has a great cheese pull!  The cheese was seeping out of all sides of the sandwich, one of the best I have ever had!  I tried a Hibiscus based soda that had a great flavor that included the spice, star anise.

My Blue Plate Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup lunch

Gooey Cheesy Goodness!

I was extremely happy that I finally got to Blueplate.  As I got the owner and chef to sign my book, he thanked me for supporting small restaurant businesses and that was very nice to hear!

After a great meal I headed to my next stop, another place that when I saw the DDD episode I knew that I had to try if I ever made it to Portland.  "Otto's Sausage Kitchen and Meat Market" is a very unique place.  It is very much like Edelweiss in where they are more of a specialty shop than restaurant, but Otto's features a grill out in front where you can buy hot dogs, brats, and sausages, very reasonably priced and hot off the grill. 

I went in and just explored the shop and they sell a lot of German wines and sausages that are made in house.  The place is run my one family and most of the employees are related in one way or the other.  I got my book signed by one of the owners and proceeded to the grill to sample on of their signature hot dogs.  I felt really bad for the young man who was manning the grill as it wasn't all that cold temperature wise but very windy and he was having some trouble keeping the fires burning. 

Otto's outdoor grill

 

Watching the Grill Master at work!

I got my hot dog and proceeded to the condiment center which had about 4 or 5 different types of mustard and 2 different ketchups along with sauerkraut (also made in house) and onions.  Just about anything you need to dress a hot dog.  I did the sampler plate, as I tried many of the different dressings, most were tasty and some were quite spicy!  The hot dog was a natural casing hot dog and when I bit into it I could hear the snap of the casing, which is the sign of a "great dog"!  I written before that I wish that Northern Virginia had a great hot dog place, Otto's would be great in Leesburg!

Otto's condiment bar

One great hot dog!

I then proceeded to a very unusual place (at least for me).  Driving in some of the worst roads I encountered in Portland (mostly due to heavy road construction) I arrived at "Pok Pok", a Vietnamese restaurant.  I had been planning to try something small and light, but when I arrived I noticed that they serve huge family style meals and I wasn't sure what to do.  I had noticed on their board that they had a small dessert menu, so I decided upon trying one of those.  The place was packed for a Friday lunch crowd and I was seated at the last seat at the bar.  I chose a dessert called Sangkhaya Thurian, which was described as "Sweet Sticky Rice with Durien fruit scented Coconut Palm Sugar Custard".  The dessert had one of the most unique tastes I have ever encountered.  The sauce on top had a very saltly finish and the custard was sweet.  The sticky rice was described as sweet, but to me it was almost neutral and really balanced the dish.  I know that I am now sounding like one of the judges on "Top Chef" but it really was that unusual to me!  It was very tasty and I was glad that I tried that because it was very light dish.  As I left, I knew it was time for a break before heading to dinner.

Pok Pok Restaurant in Portland

My Sangkhaya Thurien dessert

When I was in high school I was very active in a group called DeMolay.  It is a youth group for young men sponsored by the Masons.  I was in a chapter called Lord Fairfax.  One of my friends from the chapter relocated about 16 years ago to the Portland area and although we have reconnected through Facebook we had not seen each other for over 30 years.  I contacted him and he agreed to come from his home Oregon City (about 40 miles to the south of Portland) and meet up for dinner at a barbecue place just outside of the city called "Podnah's Pit Barbecue".  The joint is sort of Spartan but who cares, it's time for some good barbecue and catching up with an old friend!  We each chose a brisket plate called the St. Helen's, named, of course, for the volcano that is just north of Portland in the Cascades.  I chose the Green Mac and Cheese and Cole Slaw as my sides.  The brisket was very good.  Brisket is always a tough call for me as I have gotten some brisket in the past that was less than good, that would not be the case at Podnah's!  The meat was delicious, some of the best I had ever had.  Catching up with Steve was great!  I really appreciated that he took the time to drive up and he also treated me to dinner which was extra nice!

Steve and I outside Portland's Podnah's Pit Barbecue

My "St. Helens" dinner

I hope that the next time I see Steve won't be another 30 years, it is always great reconnecting with friends! 

As I left I had every intention of going back and calling it a night, but as I got in the car and checked out the GPS I saw that there was another DDD location less than a mile away so I figured that if I am that close then why not!  I headed to a little bar/restaurant called the "Tin Shed Garden Café".  They were doing a pretty good business and I was seated at the bar and decided that it was time to try a dessert.  I chose the Cookie Sundae, which was a hot chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and candied walnuts.  Do I really have to explain that it was good???  The thing that made it was the walnuts.  I had my bartender waitress sign my book and when I told about what I do she got excited and told me she felt honored to do it.  I must admit that was an unusual reaction but it made me feel good!



My Dessert at the Tin Shed

I went back to the hotel to relax and get ready for my second day in Portland, which would be a few hours in the city before heading to the airport for the quick flight up to Seattle, but that will be part two of this story!