The Turning Peel

Ever since I visited Apizza Scholls many moons ago, we have seen Portland's pizza game level up exponentially.  One of the newer spots is The Turning Peel, which was actually not as new as one might think.  Owner Candy Yiu started experimenting with sourdough during the pandemic in 2020.  Her sourdough eventually transitioned to pizza dough and it has the benefit of being not as flimsy as typical Neapolitan crusts.  After debating as to which pizza place we were going to hit on this trip, The Turning Peel seemed like our best bet.

Before we got to our pizzas, we went for the Beet n Mint.  This was a fairly simple salad with cubes of beets with orange segments on top and fresh mint.  Nothing out-of-the ordinary here but solid nonetheless.  The beets were juicy with a sweet earthiness while the orange provided an extra layer of citrusy sweet tang.  It was in a red wine vinaigrette with EVOO and pickled red onion. The mint added that bright herbaceousness.

Onto the pizzas, we tried their Pepperoni Jalapeno Hot Honey.  Look at that crust, isn't it a thing of beauty?  There has been a recent debate as to what makes a great Neapolitan-style pizza where charring and leoparding isn't necessarily a prerequisite.  However, for me, I'm all about the nutty smokiness from this type of preparation.  Add in the sturdiness of the sourdough crust and we have a uniformly crispy crust that is well-seasoned and appealingly chewy.  We can't forget about the toppings on this one and it was a flavor bomb with saltiness, pepperiness, tanginess, spice, sweetness and heat.  Every bite was a blast.  Highly-recommend this one.

We went for the other highlighted pizza in the Truffle Mushroom.  Beyond the outstanding and consistent crust, this had the classic earthy and woodsy notes that was not overwhelmed by any cream base.  Rather, they merely employed EVOO with portobello and bella mushrooms.  This was complimented by fresh cultured mozzarella and finished with more EVOO and aged parmesan (we got it on the side).  You could imagine all the nuttiness and aromatics going on here.

They also have a selection of crust dips and we went for the Ricotta, Honey & Fruit.  This was a nice change from the usual dips we find everywhere else as this was lighter, but just as flavorful with sweetness.  Really complimented the sourdough.  About that...  We were presented with a loaf of Sourdough as we paid the bill.  It was a thank you for dining at The Turning Peel.  Such nice people and such a great product.  We will be back!

The Good:

- Excellent blistered sourdough crust

- Impactful flavors

- Super nice people

The Bad:

- Even though we thought flavors were strong, maybe just a bit more pepperoni would've put that first pizza over the top

Binh Minh Sandwiches

With not a lot of time for lunch since we woke up pretty late, we made out way to Binh Minh Sandwiches for some banh mi.  This place is pretty OG as it has been around since the early 2010's.  It's essentially a family-run hole-in-the-wall on SE Powell serving up not only sandwiches, but also a small menu of hot items as well as to-go Southern Vietnamese specialties.  They have a small and narrow parking lot in the front, but we opted to park around the corner instead as backing out onto Powell seemed a bit risky.

We started with the baseline or most well-known in the Combo Banh Mi.  This cold cut sandwich happens to also be my favorite consisting of ham, head cheese and pâté with house mayo, pickled carrots & daikon, cucumbers and jalapeño on house-baked bread.  We omitted the cilantro though.  Really solid starting with the crusty bread that had a great crunch giving way to a nice chewiness.  There was enough filling for the amount of bread.  Loved the creamy pâté.

We also tried the Grilled Pork Banh Mi that also came with house mayo, pickled veggies, cucumber and jalapeño.  Once again, there was enough meat for impact where it was tender with a meaty texture.  It was marinated and grilled where it was sweet and caramelized with a bit of brininess.  Add in the crunch and tang from the veggies along with the freshness of the cucumber and slight spice of the jalapeño, there was plenty of flavor to be had.

Our final sandwich was the Chicken Lemongrass Banh Mi.  This had all of the same items as the grilled pork, so it had similar textures and flavors.  However, since it was chicken thigh, the meat was more moist and tender.  Also, with the use of a lemongrass marinade, the chicken had a certain brightness. As you can see in the picture above, there was a good ratio of bread to meat, much like the other sandwiches.

I also decided to grab a Pâté Chaud.  This consisted of tender pork that was juicy and well-seasoned.  It was plenty sweet and savory.  It was encased in flaky puff pastry that had good lamination but was a touch doughy in the middle.  However, that didn't decrease my eating enjoyment by much as it was such a sinful treat with butteriness.  Overall, this was a satisfying meal and I would love to come back sometime to try their other items including a few hot noodle dishes.  I just will park around the corner...

The Good:
- Solid Banh Mi
- Inexpensive
- Really nice owner

The Bad:
- Love that they have a parking lot, but nah, too dangerous to park there

Ringside

The last time we were in Portland, I had to make some hard decisions as to where to eat and what to cut out from our schedule.  Unfortunately, Ringside didn't make the final schedule and we never got to try the steakhouse that has been around since 1944.  This time around, we made a reso to ensure we got to try the place out.  Besides, it has glowing reviews online and it is an institution right?  When we arrived, we knew this was special as a Ferrari and Porsche were pulling up to the valet line.  Not that nice cars matter to food right?

Apparently, THE thing to get here is the Onion Rings.  No joke.  Not only is it mentioned online, but our server encouraged us to order them.  So we did and this was only a "small" portion.  Normally, I'm not a fan of battered onion rings as I like the breaded version more.  But oh my, these were excellent!  The batter was so thin and super crispy, I was completely sold on these.  I'm not even that big a fan of onions in general!  This was served with a side of sauce that was tangy, sweet and creamy.

Originally, we considered ordering the prawn cocktail, but noticed they had a Dungeness Crab Cocktail too.  Well, it didn't take a lot of debate to get that instead!  What a great decision as this thing was chock full of fluffy and briny crab meat.  Lots of body and leg meat here.  There was no filler beneath it either!  This was served simply with some tangy cocktail sauce and a wedge of lemon.  Really enjoyed this!

Since we were here on a Monday night, I took advantage of their 3-course Prime Rib Special for only $57.00.  It included a salad of Mixed Greens with melon, prosciutto, mascarpone and lemon honey.  This was a pretty sweet salad due to the dressing but also the fruit and creamy mascarpone.  It felt like I was eating dessert instead of a salad.  However, the crispy prosciutto helped balance that to a degree.

So all of their steaks are served atop a sizzling cast iron plate, so the intoxicating smell of searing meat tickles your senses even before it hits the table.  We had a 8oz Tenderloin with a side of Lobster Mashed Potatoes.  Yes, the steak was only secondary here to the mash.  Look at it!  The entire thing was doused in a lobster bisque sauce and topped with claw meat.  That has to be the best lobster mash we've ever had.  So creamy, buttery and aromatic with big hits of briny lobster.  Oh, the steak was tender and nicely-seared too.

Just because it was on special, they didn't skimp on the Prime Rib.  It was a full 12oz portion and was around medium, so maybe a bit more cooked than I would've liked.  However, it ate really well being tender and well-seasoned.  It was served with Yorkshire pudding, freshly grated horseradish and demi-glace.  I added 3 prawns as well and it came with some lobster bisque sauce.  Prawns were excellent being bouncy and meaty.  Loved dipping it into the sauce.

As if this wasn't enough food already, we got some sides in the BBQ Heirloom Carrots and Sauteed Spinach.  Carrots were outstanding with a beautiful smokiness and blackened exterior.  They were also naturally sweet and not overcooked.  Same with the spinach as they only lightly touched heat and wilted.  Hence, they were tender but had somewhat of a crunch still.  They were simply sauteed with EVOO and lemon.

As part of my 3-course meal, I originally was to have the Creme Brulee, but I was given a choice to have the Salted Caramel Corn Ice Cream instead.  They didn't have to ask me twice!  This was tasty as the salt elevated the sweetness of the caramel and also the corn.  It was also hard and creamy.  We also tried the Salted Pecan Dark Chocolate Toffee.  This was a smaller dessert and it was welcomed as we were pretty stuff.  This was bitter and had rich sweetness from the toffee.  Overall, our meal at Ringside was excellent.  Food was well-prepared and delicious.  Service was also outstanding.  Definitely a must-try.

The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- Large portions
- Outstanding service

The Bad:
- Asked for medium-rare for the prime rib and it was medium, possibly forgivable since the roast is already prepared and maybe that is the closest they could slice for me

Phuket Cafe

Ever since we had a great experience with Langbaan and it's delicious Thai tasting menu, we were rather curious with their more casual outfit in Phuket Cafe.  Situated in a train car-like dining space just outside of Langbaan, the menu is more typical Thai, Southern-inspired in this case, with plenty of share plates.  Reservations are recommended as the space is small and it is quite popular.

We ended up with a bunch of items including the Mon Tod.  This was essentially a bunch of aggressively-fried fingerling potatoes that were glazed with yellow curry.  They were further topped with chili, fried garlic and fried Thai Basil.  Despite being coated in creamy curry, the potatoes were crispy while creamy soft inside.   I thought the flavors could've been more intense but the textures were great.

Now if we were looking for a flavor bomb, the Miang Plaa Ta Deaw was it.  This featured deep-fried sole that was tossed in a Miang Kum sauce.  Much like the one we got at Langbaan, the combination of ginger, lemongrass, lime, dried shrimp, shallots, peanuts, palm sugar and fish sauce made for an explosion of everything that tickled our palates.  We wrapped the crispy fish with lettuce and betel leaves for extra freshness and crunch.  This was a pretty large dish and definitely needs to be shared.

Not far behind in terms in overall impact was the Crying Tiger.  This large piece of marinated Wagyu flank steak was beautifully-grilled to rare.  Normally, anything Wagyu that isn't cooked to at least medium-rare, it can be chewy due to the fat not being rendered.  It wasn't the case here though. It was super tender with a strong beefy taste.  Of course it wouldn't be a Crying Tiger without the sauce and it was so flavorful.  Lots of sweetness with tang and brininess.  Combined with the side of sticky rice, this was great.

Another excellent dish was the Goong Yang or grilled head-on prawns.  These were beautifully-charred where the prawns were smoky and the inherent brininess was concentrated.  Meat was moist with sweetness.   It all sat in a turmeric and peanut curry which was thick and tangy with some spice and earthiness.  The shell had been cooked so well that I was able to eat the prawn whole without deshelling.

Onto our next set of dishes we had the Pad See Ew with fried tofu.  The dish was subjected to a good deal of work hei which meant things were caramelized and smoky.  There was intense sweetness from the palm sugar and possibly a bit more saltiness was needed for balance.  Noodles were chewy and charred as with the firm tofu.  Veggies were still crunchy but we would've liked to see gai lan but maybe they couldn't source some good quality ones.

The Pad Thai was pretty good as well with chewy noodles and a sweet & tangy sauce.  Loved the small dried shrimp on top for texture and seafoodiness.  I would've liked a bit more sauce as the noodles were somewhat clumpy and dry.  Mind you, that is subjective as some people like the noodles drier and subjected to more wok hei and searing, which was the case here.  We found some crunchy pork rinds on the side for texture.

We had to add more veggies (Pad Pak) to our meal as we weren't getting much lately.  Same as the pad see ew, the veggie of choice was Shanghai Bak Choy.  But that didn't bother me as I happened to like the vegetable and also, it was prepared so well.  Cooked through, but still plenty crunchy, the bak choy was caramelized and a bit smoky.  The oyster sauce used in the stir fry was flavorful and there was plenty of garlic.

Onto dessert, we Sacuu Piek that consisted of tapioca pearls, lychee and strawberry jelly.  This was somewhat like a mango sago except without the pomelo.  The creamy coconut was sweet and tropical with the pops from the tapioca pearls.  Crunch came in the form of meringue and of course the fruit helped layer in some fruitiness.  Fairly straightforward but refreshing nonetheless.  Overall, the meal at Phuket Cafe was really good and had great wok hei.  Things were caramelized and smoky.  Flavors were impactful and delicious.  Totally a return visit candidate, much like Langbaan.

The Good:
- Things had wok hei
- Flavorful
- Generous portions

The Bad:
- Sitting outside is neat, but I can imagine it being a bit stuffy on a hot day

Hiyaku Buffet

Okay, here we go with another Asian buffet, but this time, it has pretty good reviews.  In fact, it has a 4.1 average rating on Google.  Yes, yes, I know that Google may not be the most reliable place to get a restaurant review, but I decided to check it out myself.  The place is fairly new and sports a pretty large parking lot.  That is completely necessary because the restaurant is fairly large and for the time being, it is generally packed (for all the times I drove by, which was 8 or 9 times). 

Upon walking into the place, it was pretty clear they do a good job in keeping things clean.  Sure, the place is new, but for all the time we were there, the food was replaced quickly and the counters were kept relatively clean (until the next person messed it up).  The buffet started with a selection of Fruit (Watermelon, Orange Slices, Honeydew, Banana Salad and Lemon Wedges).  It was okay, but the fruit was a bit lackluster.  Right next to it, we found Jello, Mango Jelly, Canned Peaches, Banana Pudding and Tapioca Pudding.  Once again, not super inspiring, but I liked the mango jelly (despite not tasting too much like mango).  Next section over, we had some Asian Appetizers including Edamame, Sliced Beef Shank, Seaweed Salad, Marinated Pig's Ear, Cucumber Salad and Cold Chicken Feet.  Yes, this would not be everyone's fancy, no matter what ethnicity.  However, I'm strange and I ate everything here.  Pretty decent.  

So let's get to the good stuff right?  They had Cocktail Prawns, Mussels and Snow Crab on ice right after the fruit, quasi-desserts and Asian bites.  They kept these stocked at all times and the snow crab was quite meaty and had a nice rebound texture.  We got our fill of that.  Right around the corner, we found the Sashimi.  The sashimi (as stated in the picture) is only available during dinner and featured Red Snapper, Atlantic Salmon and Tuna.  There was also some Wood Ear Salad, Fish Skin Salad, Seaweed Salad and Tako Wasabi.

There was quite the selection of Maki Sushi available.  Many were based on California rolls or Dynamite Rolls and then topped with various fish, fruit or vegetables. I found the rice to be just slightly gummy, but otherwise, had a good chew still and was mildly seasoned. The amount of rice was average, so it wasn't cumbersome to eat the sushi, but for an experienced buffet eater, you would be best to only eat a modest amount of these.

There was a small selection of Nigiri as well.  This included Kani, Tamago, Mackerel, Inari, Wakame, Red Snapper, Atlantic Salmon and Tuna.  The ratio of rice to fish was quite good.  Normally, we would find too much rice and a thin sliver of fish, not here though.  Around the corner, we found some Fried Sushi and also more fried things in the Glutinous Sesame Balls, Tempura Fish, Chicken Katsu and Tempura Vegetables.  Nothing out of the ordinary here, but the veggies were kinda of greasy though.

Moving along, we got to the meat of the buffet, literally.  We had Teriyaki Chicken, Beef Short Ribs, Grilled Salmon and Octopus.  Chicken was decently tender and flavorful while the shortribs were tender and sweet.  They were a bit fatty though.  Salmon was overcooked whereas the octopus was tender with a chew.  Right next to it, we found Chicken Gyoza, Pan Fried Sole and Beef Ribs.  I liked the sole as it was crispy but still flaky inside.

The next station featured the second best thing (for me that is) in the Salt & Pepper Crabs.  These were full of meat which was fresh being delicate with a slight bounce (and not mushy). The Salt & Pepper Shrimp were good too but without being deveined, it was slightly a turnoff.  The Salt & Pepper Calamari was good though with a chewy, but tender texture.  Baked oysters were great too being fresh (they were going fast!).  Rounding the corner, there was an array of steamers with mostly Steamed Buns.  I didn't try those.  I did sample the Deep Fried Shrimp, which were not bad as well as the crunchy Spring Rolls.  The Deep Fried Chicken Wings were juicy with crispy rendered skin.

I really love Steamed Scallops in the shell with vermicelli.  So I was happy to see them.  However, those must've been the smallest scallops I've ever seen.  No matter, it still tasted good and I had a few of them.  The Honey Shrimp were tasty, but the batter had gotten soft, so it wasn't crispy anymore.  We also found some Mushrooms and Potatoes (that I didn't try).  Shockingly, the Gai Lan was outstanding.  Not only were they fresh and cooked perfectly (being crunchy), the seasoning was on point.  So tasty!  The Chili Chicken, Chicken & Broccoli and Mongolian Beef were okay, but you could skip it for more seafood!

We had even more seafood in Steamed Clams, Cajun Seafood Boil, Stir-Fried Shrimp and Crayfish.  Really enjoyed the clams as they were buttery and plump.  Seafood boil was slightly spicy and garlicky but the blue crabs were difficult to eat.  Shrimp was alright being cold-water crunchy.  Didn't touch the crayfish as they are notoriously a lot of work for very little meat.  Yes, that is Orange Chicken you see in the picture and no, it wasn't as good as Panda Express.  However, they were serviceable, being not as flavorful.  We had the requisite Fried Noodles and Fried Rice.  Both were acceptable.

We finally got to the Desserts and there was a selection of cake squares and cookies.  I didn't have any of these because I was more interested in the individually-packaged ice cream and popsicles.  These were actually decent quality and I loved how they offered these rather than messy soft-serve machines and even messier scoop yourself ice cream.  Overall, I enjoyed Hiyaku Buffet.  Of course we need reasonable expectations when it comes to buffets in general, but Hiyaku's food was decent in quality and execution.  Seafood was fresh and refilled often.  I would come back if I was back in town.

The Good:
- Food is fresh
- Lots of selection
- Clean

The Bad:
- Fruit was so-so
- Desserts were so-so (except for the ice cream and popsicles