Simon and Helen Director Park is only a block from Pioneer Courthouse Square, but it resonates to a completely different vibe. Quieter, and somehow more private, sunlight shines down between the FOX tower and the Paramount Hotel to illuminate the park with surprising warmth. In the shadow of the buildings the brisk breeze sucks away the heat, and steals napkins and wrappers that aren’t held down.

The park is populated with folks on lunch break. They’ve brought their brownbags, snagged a cup of tomato-orange soup at Elephant’s Deli, or a gourmet hamburger at Violetta, and they eat in the sun while still bundled for the chilly temperatures. Winter hats frame sunglasses, and sensible leggings are worn under short skirts. It’s not warm, by any stretch of the imagination. But it’s warm enough, just barely enough, to sit outside for lunch because you can’t stand being trapped inside for another day.

The fountain is now in operation, and the cleverness of its design is become apparent. What first seemed to be a low semi-circular bench is now the edge of the reflecting pool, a pool clearly intended to be easily accessible to all, and which is already a magnet for small children.

Gradeschoolers move across the park. They’re chaperoned in small packs, hopping up and over obstacles, instead of walking around them. One boy proclaims to his buddies “I got skillz!”, and none of his homies contradict him. They are a burst of noise and life threading through the noontime diners.

It’s a beautiful day. It’s a beautiful park. You can purchase slow food from a van, admire the public art, and enjoy a break from work in an indubitably pleasant public space.

It’s another spring day in Portland.

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• October 3, 2008 -- Real taste of India food cart (1)
• September 16, 2008 -- What happened to O’Bryant Square (1)

Red coach
Originally uploaded by dieselboi

The Red Coach Restaurant, famous for their hamburgers and shakes, is indeed still open. A coworker and I ventured in there earlier this week and after lunch, spoke with the owners who informed us that they keep hearing that the restaurant is closed. I’ll re-iterate – it is open. Shout it from the rooftops.

See, last September, the owners – Bob and Jeanne Durkheimer, decided to retire after 50 years and passed the restaurant on to their daughter who now runs it. The Oregonian article at the time reads like an obit for the restaurant and it seems many took it that way. Talking with the staff on Tuesday, they told us of countless regulars who came in thinking the restaurant had closed.

So, as my duty to hamburger and shake lovers in downtown, I said I would let my people know. The Red Coach is open for business. They make great hamburgers, fried and milk shakes. If you’ve never been, check ‘em out down on SW Broadway in the Charles E Berg building.

Red Coach Restaurant
615 SW Broadway

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Russian food cart

Originally uploaded by dieselboi

Yesterday, after a pretty brisk walk up into NW Portland to reserve some jeans, we were on our way back to work when I got the munchies. We were in the vicinity of the carts on SW Alder between 9th and 10th, so we swung by. Whole Bowl and Zibas Pitas were both crowded as were many of the others. In a rush, I decided to try the Pierogis at Julia’s Mobile Cafe. I am a huge fan of Russian and Eastern European food and don’t get enough of it.

The pierogis are $1 each and there are 3 different kinds. I opted for meat and potatoes. There was a veggie option, but I didn’t think to grab all three. I ordered 3 but she actually gave me 4 because I think she was concerned about my eating habits. A young man like me needs more food right? The potato pierogi was actually very tasty. It was like having savory mashed potatoes inside a bun, but the bun wasn’t bread. The meat and onion pierogi was amazing. I wanted more. Whatever was in there gave it a savory flavor that made me actually eat them faster than I should have. Yum.

If you’re out and on a budget, check out Julias’ Russian Food cart. Next time I may try the borscht.

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Real taste of India

Originally uploaded by dieselboi

I am a creature of habit. I’ll go a whole week and get nothing but the Whole Bowl as my lunch cart choice. I know, there are 20 other carts there on Alder and 10th and another 20 down off 4th ave, why don’t I mix it up. The other day, I chose to mix it up and picked up Chicken Tiki Masala at The Real taste of India food cart off 4th ave.

I have walked by this cart for years. It is different from the others by the way it sits. Instead of facing the sidewalk, it takes up two spaces and has picnic tables for patrons to eat at. I ventured in and picked up the $5 special. As she packed it, I knew I was getting a deal.

The meal was pretty good. There was very fluffy basmati rice, chicken in the masala sauce and then veggies in masala sauce. In addition, I got a large piece of what I think would be called naan – the bread. I loved the naan and almost ate it exclusively. It was moist and flavorful, especially if you dipped it in the sauce. The chicken was ok, a little dry. The veggies were fine. The rice was perfect. I’m a rice guy. Give me rice, some naan and sauce and I’m happy.

In the end, it was a great $5 meal and I will return. It wasn’t heavy with oils or fatty pieces you would find at other carts. They were prompt and friendly and well, that makes for a great lunch visit. Oh, and they are only a block from the US Bank tower where you can enjoy your meal inside on the second floor during the cold weather.

Real Taste of India cart – SW 4th ave pod

Related Posts

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Today, I went to one of my favorite sandwich spots near the waterfront. On the East side. I love this place, and I eat here a lot. Sometimes co-workers and I walk down for coffee and the free Wi-Fi for meetings. Sometimes our office orders many sandwiches for business meetings. All in all, I really like this place. BUT…

Today I was disappointed. The lunch rush was on, and I was hungry. I arrived at approximately 12:38. There was no line at the counter, so I ordered the special sandwich and an iced tea. The friendly person at the counter delivered my tea and receipt quickly, and then I began to wait. And wait. And wait.

While I was waiting, I noticed a few things. First, the person making sandwiches is the only one doing so, which I find odd for a place that gets a lot of orders during the lunch rush.

Secondly, this person’s hair was held by a round-the-head headband, yet the hair was not pushed back—it was pushed down on their face—precariously dangling directly above the sandwiches they were making.

Lastly, the friendly counter person, who was taking money from customers, would walk to the back to help the sandwich person package everything up. This would have been fine had I seen this person wash their hands—but that never happened.

12:59: my sandwich arrived. I walked to a nice sunny bench to eat. I opened the wrapper and found that the bacon was quite undercooked. Really? After 21 minutes?

You see, when you wait a while for food, you tend to notice things that you wouldn’t normally notice. This would probably be fine if it weren’t at least the third time this has happened. I wish my sandwich would have come out immediately, because now I’m not sure I’ll be going back.

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As I roamed downtown today at lunchtime, I spotted balloons and banners. Surveying the scene, I immediately realized that a new restaurant, Daphne’s Greek Cafe had recently opened. I’m observant like that. Being the dedicated public servant that I am, I knew that I had to try their food and give you a first-hand report. I’m willing to make that sacrifice for you, our dedicated readers.

The place was hopping, with folks dining in, waiting for their take-out orders, and standing in line to order. Plates and platters were assembled in the kitchen and sent on their way at a breakneck pace, and they still had customers milling around and waiting. I can only hope that the crowds die down as the novelty wears off.

The menu is fairly impressive, and goes way beyond the typical Greek fast food standards (here’s a PDF version of the menu). You can get a variety of pita sandwiches, including gyros, salads, kebabs, and even half a chicken. Sides include salads, fries, and rice pilaf. You can even get a cup of Avgolemono (egg-lemon) soup.

In order to make a fair comparison, I ordered the standard lunch: a Gyro and fries. You know how sometimes you order a “Gyro”, and what you get is a pita filled with microwaved strips of some kind of pressed meat product? Well, at Daphne’s, you may still be getting a pressed meat product, but at least it’s being sliced off the traditional rotating cone ‘o meat, sizzling and popping as it browns. The lettuce, tomatoes and onion on the Gyro were plentiful and crisp, which was a nice surprise. The tatziki was served on the side, and it was much thicker than is typical. The flavor was quite good, though. And the fries were…fries. But they had a good flavor, and you got plenty of them.

The owners call Daphne’s “fast-casual” to distinguish it from fast food, and I think it’s a fair statement. Certainly the quality of the food is better than you can expect from the standard food court Greek place, but service is still pretty fast. Or will be, when the crowds die down. All in all, I give it a thumbs up, and have high hopes for future visits.

You can find Daphne’s Greek Cafe downtown at the corner of SW Alder and 6th Ave, but there’s also one at 3435 SW Cedar Hills Blvd in Beaverton, and one at 19300 NW Cornell Road in Tanasbourne.

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Local blogger Metroknow has taken the big jump. He decided to become a professional blogger, and started a website called AlmostFit.com to record his efforts to “lose weight and improve his health using a slow, holistic approach.” The advice he gives is good, and the goals reasonable, I urge you to check it out. He’s already helped me to start changing the way I eat. In particular, the way I eat lunch.

Most weekdays I get lunch out. I’m downtown, there’s a banquet of tasty deliciousness all around me, and I hate to pack my lunch. Furthermore, making healthy choices is hard, when deep-fried whatever is so much more tasty. I fight this fight nearly every day. Needless to say I pay a heavy price for this habit, both monetarily and health-wise. So when Metroknow published a three-part series “How I quit eating fast food,” you will realize that this is a topic near and dear to my plaque-encrusted heart.

Although the series is a good one, there was one tip in particular that jumped off the screen and hit me smack between the eyes: Buy the coolest, most useful thermos and lunch box you can find. The theory is, if you have a lunchbox that you LOVE, you will be more inclined to actually use it.

Then he mentions in particular the Zojirushi Classic Stainless Lunch Jar.

Oh my God, this is the best thing ever. It’s an insulated container with four separate bowls that stack inside. The two larger bowls sit at the bottom of the jar under an insulated lid, so they stay hot (or cold) all day. The other two stack on top. This is made for bento, except you don’t have to put it together in a single tray and cut out seaweed anime characters to put on top of the rice.

I went to Uwajimaya and bought one that night.

Metroknow is right. If you have a cool lunchbox, you will want to use it. But it goes deeper than that. The containers are sized and stacked for particular contents. The meat/soup goes in the small bowl on the bottom. The rice or other starch goes in the larger bowl on top of that. Above the insulated lid the medium-sized bowl is for veggies. And the tiny bowl on top is for pickles, or dessert. Now, when I think about fixing a lunch, I’m not facing a blank page. Now I have particular niches to fill, which (surprisingly) makes the process infinitely easier.

So, the Zojirushi makes it easier to take a lunch, and makes it easier to decide what to take. Already I love it, but there’s another advantage: It also reinforces portion control. The Mr. Bento jar (above) is the largest one they make, and the bowls are still much smaller than the plastic containers I would usually pack leftovers in. If you can only put so much into the bowl, you can only have so much for lunch. Again, it’s about compartmentalizing. Compartmentalizing the food, compartmentalizing the way you think about the food.

I brought my lunch in my Mr. Bento lunch jar today. It will be far healthier (and far cheaper) than what I usually eat, and I’m actually excited about it. That’s impressive.

Related Posts

• March 18, 2010 -- Lunch in the Park (0)
• May 21, 2009 -- Red coach is OPEN (2)
• October 9, 2008 -- Russian Pierogis (4)
• October 3, 2008 -- Real taste of India food cart (1)
• September 11, 2008 -- I’m hungry, and I’d like to eat soon (3)