Mobile Chowdown III

A lineup of mobile food carts gathered next to Safeco Field for a foodie event last week.  When I heard that several Portland street vendors were going to be there, I made sure I circled the date on my calendar.  It also happened to be the first day that the Mariners game tickets went on sale so hubs, his little sis and I decided to head out early to beat the lunch crowd.  We learned our lesson from the first Mobile Chowdown event.  The lines were endless and we waited for over an hour just to get food.  We were not going to be fooled again.

We got there around 10:30 am and already saw lines forming for some of the more popular vendors like Marination Mobile, KOi Fusion and Potato Champion.  I've been wanting to try KOi Fusion (Korean Oregon Infusion BBQ) ever since our last Portland trip.  Their menu is very similar to Marination's without the Hawaiian influence.  We already tried Marination Mobile last time so we went straight for KOi.  We stood in line for about 20 minutes and ordered bulgogi taco, pork taco, short ribs burrito, and kimchi quesadilla.  We originally wanted K-sliders but they were all sold out.  Hubs said the food was overrated but I liked it.  However, we both agreed that Marination's tacos trumped KOi's.  I think it was Marination's signature slaw that gave it a nice kick.

While waiting in line at KOi Fusion, we took advantage of the other food vendors with little or no lines by sending one person to grab food while the rest of us remained in line.  We tried the mixed mushroom pizza with an ultra thin crust from Veraci Pizza.   The pizza was cooked in a wood fire oven on wheels!
 

Then we had a poutine from Skillet.  The poutine was a mish mash of fries, pulled pork, cheese, cilantro and gravy sauce.  The pulled pork was tender but lacking in taste.  Good thing for the sauce and fries!

After we finally reached the beginning of the line at KOi Fusion, we placed our order and tested our luck at a cornhole toss game right next door at Chipotle while we waited for our food.  We walked away with a gift certificate for a free meal, thanks to hubs.

I'm looking forward to the next foodie event!  Even better, it's finally spring and I can't wait for summer to be here!  

Shoki Ramen House

Shoki Ramen House was highly recommended from several sources I read especially from GO RAMEN!  When hubs suggested we go there before heading to the airport, I was game.  I love ramen.  I think noodles are the best food invented ever!  Anyone who knows me know that I dream of traveling to Japan one day to admire the abundance of cherry blossoms in bloom and eat authentic ramen.  I am praying hard for that day to come.

We arrived at Shoki around noon and all the tables were already taken. We waited for about 10 minutes before we got seated.  The service was fast and the staff was friendly. We brought our baby nephew with us and they were quick to accommodate our needs.  You can order the ramen in different sizes - small, regular, or large.  Hubs ordered the combo mini curry rice with regular tan tan men, a spicy shoyu based broth with minced beef and goma (sesame seeds).  Japanese curry is normally sweet but this had an odd sourness to it.  It was weird.

My sister-in-law ordered the combo mini chashu (roast pork) rice with regular shio ramen, a sea-salt based broth.

I was almost tempted to order the soy milk ramen but I opted for the tan tan men instead.  My ramen was topped with spinach, menma (bamboo shoots), green onions, and seaweed.  I was kind of disappointed that it didn't come with chashu.  Overall, it was good but not better than Aloha Ramen in Seattle.  Anyone hungry for ramen?

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings

I made these scrumptious chicken wings for my mother-in-law's birthday.  The chicken tastes good alone or with blue cheese dipping sauce.  I liked these because no frying was required and the combination of parmesan and basil was absolutely amazing!

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings Recipe
From Steamy Kitchen

Serves 4
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/2 tsp table salt)
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or melted butter)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (like Lawry's)
1 cup blue cheese dressing
1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (or to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 425F. In a small bowl, mix together the oregano, rosemary, cumin and salt. Lay the chicken wings on a baking sheet and season the chicken wings with this mixture. 

2. Bake the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes. While the chicken is baking, mix together the oil, fresh basil, garlic, parmesan cheese and seasoning salt. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the blue cheese dressing with the mustard (this is your dipping sauce)

3. When the chicken is cooked through, toss the wings with the garlic/cheese/butter sauce. Serve with the blue cheese/mustard dressing.
 

Cold Somen Salad

On Day 4 of our trip, we drove to Lake Tahoe for some sightseeing.  The weather was nicer than we had hoped for during our entire stay and that day was no exception.  I learned many fun facts about the second deepest lake in the U.S. that I never knew before.  This trip was quite educational.  Did you know that Lake Tahoe has never been known to freeze over because of the huge volume of lake water?  Also, the lake holds over 39 trillion gallons of water, enough to cover the size of California to a depth of 14 inches!  Very interesting, right?  

After a quick stop at North Lake Tahoe, we rushed back home to prepare dinner for my mother-in-law's birthday.  I was in charge of the salad and appetizer so I decided to make Cold Somen Salad and Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings. 

Cold Somen Salad Recipe

Somen salad is a Japanese noodle based salad served with a vinegar-shoyu mixture and variety of garnish.  I remember this as one of my favorite lunches back in the school days while growing up in Hawaii. You can eat this as a side or as a meal by itself and is very simple to make.  

Serves 8-9

1 package somen noodles

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 T seseame oil

1/2 head lettuce

1/2 lb. ham, slivered

2-3 eggs, beaten

1 pkg. komoboko, slivered (optional)

1 cucumber, slivered

1 stalk green onion, chopped

sesame seeds (optional)

Cook somen according to package, rinse and drain.  Be careful not to overcook.  In sauce pan, combine chicken broth, equal parts sugar, rice vinegar and soy sauce, and sesame oil. Bring to boil, let simmer for 5 minutes, turn off heat, add seseme seeds (optional), and let chill.  Cook eggs, let cool and cut into strips. Place noodles on a large tray or platter and garnish with lettuce, ham, eggs, komoboko (fish cake), cucumber and green onions.  You can add as little or as much garnish as you like.  Serve with sauce.  Bon appetit!