The Impatient Chef Can’t Sit Still at 3 Rivers Grill, Hood River

The Impatient Chef Can’t Sit Still at 3 Rivers Grill , Hood River

The Can't Sit Still series of reviews is normally from a single visit to a restaurant while out on the road.  This one will be different.  3 Rivers Grill in Hood River, Oregon has been a favorite for many years.  So, here goes...

The Impatient Chef first reviewed 3 Rivers Grill in 2018.  You can find that here. 

3 Rivers Grill in Hood River is upscale without being snooty, and the food is always good. The Impatient Chef and Spouse sampled its eats in early June 2024 as an early summer downpour let up long enough for us to get to the front door.  

A few words about Hood River:  The Impatient Chef began this blog duing his much too brief tenure as a resident of that fine city in the heart of the Columbia Gorge.  It is built on the cusp of Oregon's dry side, where rainfall decreases, and the western lush foliage slowly gives way to boney white oaks, and finally to grasslands within the space of twenty miles eastward.  The city rises from the banks of the mighty Columbia River, and climbs the gorge walls like a tiny San Francisco until arriving in "The Heights" where it flattens out before giving way to the orchards of the Hood River Valley.  3 Rivers Grill is perched on the hillside between river and Heights, on a road that more resembles a ski jump.  If you want to get to its door, bring along some rope and a few crampons.  

On the June visit, shrimp cocktail was first on the must have list. It came served in a cocktail glass for a nice touch. The shrimp was perfectly done and the cocktail sauce, while being light on horseradish, had something spicy going on to give it some zing, so it did not suffer from the omission. The Impatient Chef suspects that they used siracha.  

Show Us Your Tails!

The entrée was the day's special:  Strip steak with crab and shrimp.  Everything was piled up like a rugby match on mashed potatoes, with the crab sprinkled generously over top.  The sauce was delicious, but cold.  The Impatient Chef is not sure if it was supposed to be that way, but it didn't matter much.  The steak was a perfect medium rare.  Everything played well together, and the pile contained enough food to split between two people, and still be satisfied afterward.  

The Pile of Yum

Another View of Yum

The reasons that The Impatient Chef boomerangs to 3 Rivers Grill are that the food is always excellent, and the staff is friendly. You can also see Mt. Adams from the deck.  

Thanks for looking!

The Impatient Chef

The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still at Creekside BBQ in Vancouver, Washington

The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still at Creekside BBQ in Vancouver, Washington

Disclaimer: “Can’t Sit Still” is a series of reviews based on a single visit to a restaurant while traveling.  Your results may vary.  

Because The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still, he stopped in at Creekside BBQ in Vancouver, Washington for the first time today with a hankering for anything smoked and savory. Upon arrival, the first thing of note is the unassuming strip mall vibe, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  Lots of good meals can be had in such places.  

Creekside BBQ Counter

Exiting the car, The Impatient Chef immediately caught the wiff of wood smoke.  There is really no smell like it when the stomach is growling, assuming that one is not a vegetarian (to be perfectly frank, The Impatient Chf was a vegetarian in the 80's and 90's, but sill thought that the smell of smoke from BBQ pits was intoxicating). 

Ordering is perpetrated at the counter.  The staff was friendly and helpful, all one of him.  Hunger demanded the Tri-Mountain Plate, which has three meats and two sides.  The meats:  brisket, pulled pork and chicken.  The sides:  mac and cheese, and a horseradish coleslaw.  Add in some sweet tea, and things were looking up.  

How Sweet It Is

At the table was a basket of four different sauces. Things were looking even better.  Excitment crackled like static electricity in the air.  

The Sauces

The meal arrived shortly. The portions were good, and presented well. 

The Meal (Already Split Between Two People)

The brisket was the star of the show. It was tender, juicy, and The Impatient Chef could cut it with a fork.  

The chicken and pork, however, didn't quite live up to the brisket's example.

The chicken was a little dry. It had a decently smoky taste, but needed something to counteract the dryness.

The pulled pork was also a little dry.   It was missing the smoky, caramelized flavor that good pulled porks have, and The Impatient Chef has had some amazing pulled porks over the eons, so he knows the difference.  It also needed a good sauce to give it a little zing.

Which brings us to the sauces. The sauces were disappointing.  The flavors did not seem complimentary to the meats. They called attention to themselves instead of playing nice. The sauces were as follows: 

• Texas Red. Too sweet. Bright but overpowering flavor.
• Kansas City Sweet - opposite problem. Timidity flavored, but still odd on the palate. 
• North Carolina Vinegar was the best of the lot. It was not too vinegary, and had some interesting flavors to back it up. It stole the show on the brisket. That said, it clashed with the other meats. 
• South Carolina Mustard - not bad on the pulled pork. Better when mixed with the vinegar sauce.  It clashed mightily with the chicken and brisket.  They drew swords at each other and growled, metaphorcally, of course. Thankfully, nobody was run through.

The sides: Horseradish coleslaw - fresh and crisp. Great flavor. Mac and cheese - a Velveeta-like flavor with sad bread crumbs (possibly panko) on top.

Cornbread muffin - acceptable. Unusual, but good texture.

Overall, it was average bbq. The Impatient Chef was hoping it would be one of those diamond in the rough places that put out wow food from unlikely digs. It was not to be this time.  

All these things said, It was not a bad meal, merely average, so you wouldn't be wrong going there if you crave BBQ. Just don't expect to have your socks knocked off.

Thanks for reading!

The Impatient Chef.  

The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still at Ixtapa Hood River

 The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still at Ixtapa Hood River

The Impatient Chef Meets the Burrito

“Can’t Sit Still” is a series of posts featuring a single visit to a restaurant while out on the road. It is not meant to offer an evaluation of the restaurant's menu on the whole.

This meal happened on a very windy day in the Eastern Columbia Gorge in Oregon. The Impatient Chef blew into Hood River from Points Yonder with a carload of camera gear that was not used to photograph wildflowers because they couldn’t sit still either.

Ixtapa is a small chain of 5 Mexican restaurants in Oregon and Idaho. The Impatient Chef breezed through the one in The Dalles, Oregon about 6 years ago, and so was interested in seeing what the Hood River location had to offer.

It was good to be back in town. Having lived in Hood River for a few years, and still missing the place, it really was a wonderful town.

We were seated, and the prerequisite chips and salsa appeared on the table. The Chips were fresh, and the salsa was mild but surprisingly good, featuring tomato, cilantro, onion, and peppers.

We ordered the Ixtapa Burrito with an extra plate, and another dish of salsa for the remaining chips. The waitress called it the Burrito Ixtapa for a refreshing burst of atmosphere authentic and charm Mexican, which matched the music Mariachi on the sound system.

The Impatient Chef is questing for the best carnitas in the usual stompin’ grounds after having some incredible stuff in Sacramento, and from a taco cart in Mosier (link). If the joint is surrounded by Mexican farm or construction workers, you will find flavor there.

Gaia ordered a Margarita. She said it was good, and the tequila was “not gasolineish”.

The burrito. This burrito sinks or swims on the flavor of the carnitas. Some places do it better than others. The burrito also contained rice, melted cheese, guacamole, sour cream. Onion, scallions, refried beans.

The carnitas verdict:. A bit bland, with signs of attempted, but not successful caramelization. Overall flavor is not bad, but suffers from an apparent attempt to make it palatable for Americans. Music and adjective placement aside, the burrito had none of the prerequisite zing. 

We had cheesecake for dessert. Chocolate with shaved chocolate and whipped cream and a cherry on an Oreo crust. It looked awesome. The reality was again quite different. The cheesecake filling was whipped - more mousse than cheesecake. It did not seem like it was made on site. It was light on chocolate flavor. The Impatient Chef is beginning to wonder if the taste buds have failed.

Overall, it was burrito disappointing.

The Impatient Chef Can’t Sit Still at China Gorge, Hood River, Oregon

The Impatient Chef Goes Vegan (for a meal)

The Impatient Chef stopped in at China Gorge in Hood River, Oregon for the first time in a few years.  He and the Spousal Unit used to live in that pithy, happening burg astride the Mighty Columbia River, but unfortunately had to move away in 2019.  It was nice to be back in town.  

China Gorge has a good reputation locally.  The Impatient Chef has often seen its parking lots swelled to capacity, and stopped in when the line was less daunting.  

The order: 

The Impatient Chef ordered the Hot and sour soup, and the Kung Pao Tempeh.  

The Spousal Unit ordered the Hot and Sour Soup, Imperial Chicken.

The soup:  Spicy and teeming with umami, with Tofu, peppers, pork strips, egg drop, mushrooms, and a thick broth.  The flavors work together, and do not crowd each other out.  This is a stand-out soup.  

Kung Pao Tempeh

Kung Pao Tempeh:  Featuring peanuts, tempeh, zucchini, celery, and fried rice.  It looks like rice tempeh. The Impatient Chef sometimes gets tempeh or tofu when he’s feeling mortal, and needs to line his aorta with a little less fatty deposits.  Tempeh is a cultured cake, usually of soy, but sometimes of rice, that has vitamins like B12 that you can't find in other vegan foods.  

Tempeh is difficult to flavor.  It normally sits like a dull thud on the taste buds without extreme measures.  It would seem a travesty to visit a restaurant with a loyal, local following, and review a tempeh dish instead of chicken or shrimp, but The Impatient Chef can report that they made a valiant effort.  The sauce was spicy and stuck to the ingredients nicely.  A little soy sauce was all it needed.  

The Spousal Unit said that her chicken was uninspired.  The Impatient Chef has apparently spoiled her, but isn’t that what Impatient Chefs are all about?  

All in all, it was a good meal.  China Gorge is solid, American style Chinese food.  It is not adventurous, or even inspired, except for the soup.  Go elsewhere for that.  However, we got a meal for two with food to take home for under $40.00 including tip.

“Can’t Sit Still” is a series of road food reviews based on a single visit.

Thanks for reading!

—The Impatient Chef

The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still at Tokyo-Ya in Portland

The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still at Tokyo-Ya in Portland

The Impatient Chef Noodling About

    Having watched food shows over the last ten years like Chef’s Table, Ugly Delicious (with David Chang), and anything starring Anthony Bourdain, The Impatient Chef has become infatuated with the idea of ramen. In the hinter years before ramen culture swept the US, it consisted of dried noodles and a flavor packet in a plastic wrapper.  Realizing that there was more to the oodley noodles than previously suspected, The impatient Chef thereby endeavored to make a higher form of ramen, starting with homemade dashi, various veggies, a hard-boiled egg or two, and very thin noodles.  Oddly enough, a breakfast tradition was born from these fishy beginnings.  Even more recently, The Impatient Chef decided to try some ramen restaurants. Tokyo-Ya was the second one: A fact that will come into play later.   
    The Impatient Chef and wife stopped for lunch at Tokyo-Ya on SE 82nd Ave in Portland on a fine (for ducks), drizzly afternoon in the wee hours of March, 2024.  The atmosphere inside, and out of the rain, is strip mall, but not of the squalid sort.  It was, frankly, fitting. The aforementioned ramen culture in Japan relies heavily on smallish slot spaces like the one this one occupies.  There is plenty of wood, hanging lights, and Japanese stylings.  An odd, Asian-inspired version of The Mamas and the papas' song “California Dreamin’” played on the sound system. It was not unpleasant. The follow up song was “San Francisco”, originally by Scott McKenzie, done in the same style by the same artist as the previous song. It was not not unpleasant (double negative intended). The drum beat was exactly the same for both songs.
    Enough about the music.
    My wife ordered gyoza appetizer, and a side salad.  The Impatient Chef ordered the Miso Ramen. We asked for all of it to arrive at the same time. The gyoza arrived a full ten minutes before the ramen. 

The Gyoza

The Salad

    The pork and chicken gyoza arrived browned on one side, oozed umami, and came with a teriyaki-like sauce on the side.  

    The beautifully arranged salad adorned a triangular plate, and was swaddled in a flavorful, but slightly sweet, dressing.
    Then the ramen arrived amid high expectations, unfortunately after my wife had mostly finished her meal.  
    The first ramen restaurant we visited was Kenji’s Ramen and Grill in Vancouver, Washington. The Impatient Chef mentions this because it set the bar very high. Their ramen came with marinated eggs, spicy kimchi, and some spectacular pork belly.  The flavors were bold and extroverted.  There may have been angels singing in the distance.  The rating system for ramen will be known as the "Kenji Scale", as they are a ten.

The Ramen

    The expectations did not survive the comparison with Kenji’s. Don’t get me wrong:  The Ramen was good. It was not, however, sublime. According to the menu, the broth is cooked for 12 hours - it has lots of umami, a little taste of sesame oil, and good miso flavor without being too sweet. The pork belly was sliced like bacon, and it tasted good, but it lacked a unique spin that a more adventurous establishment would deliver.  If the eggs were marinated, it was not for very long.  
    The portion was big enough for two people, so part of it went home.  
    Overall, it was a good meal. The Impatient Chef rates it a 7 on the Kenji scale.  You can certainly do worse. You can, however, do better.  

    Thanks for reading!

    The Impatient Chef

The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still at the Rogue Pier 39 Public House

The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still

at

The Rogue Pier 39 Public House in Astoria, Oregon

The latest installment in The Impatient Chef Can’t Sit Still finds him visiting Rogue Pier 39 Public House in Astoria, Oregon. Astoria occupies a unique patch of land astride the Mighty Columbia River near where it slams into the Pacific Ocean. As such, Astoria has a rich history of fishing, canning, navigation, and shipwrecks, all of which its restaurants reflect.

The Impatient Chef’s alter ego, Gary Quay Photography, made the trek to the Astoria, Oregon in February 2024 in search of fluffy clouds and bridges. By all reports, he was not disappointed. 

Courtesy Apple Maps

Out of necessity, Astoria has changed focus over the years. The canneries have long been shuttered, but a few piers remain that now sport restaurants, museums and, hotels, Among them is Pier 39, where Rogue is housed. According to the pier’s website. it is “Astoria’s largest and oldest waterfront building, boasting 84,800 square feet features the Fisherman’s Suites, a 4 Suite luxury mini retreat that when combined is more than enough room to sleep 24 people, each with spectacular views above the Columbia River. The Captain Suite, the largest of the three has a Jacuzzi tub, a gas fireplace, full kitchen, dining room, and living room with beautiful Asian mahogany hardwood floor and restored original fir beams.”

The river at the pier looks placid, with container ships anchored in the main stream, or on their way to Portland and points yonder, or heading back to the ocean. At 6 miles across near this point, it seems hard to believe that it is, indeed, a river, but it very much is. Just ask the boats on the bottom. 

Four Tall(ish) Ships a-Sailing

The Impatient Chef has been well aware of Rogue Brewing from the Before Times, AKA “when he lived in Portland”. Their beers have always been well-crafted, and bold. Their seasonal ales like 7 (with 7 types of hops) and Dead Guy Imperial IPA are always a treat. The Impatient Chef was sad to find out recently that 7 would not be produced again, but that’s the way the cookie bounces.

You can find Rogue Public Houses in Portland and on the Oregon Coast. The food is usually very good. It is pub food, as their name suggests, and in keeping with The Impatient Chef’s aversion to food served with tweezers, that’s just fine. When there is fish and chips on the menu, and if the restaurant does not seem like the kind that serves directly from the food services truck, it is very hard to pass them up. The Spousal Unit had the Prawns and Chips. 

Wot We Got

Rogue serves a choice of rock fish or salmon fish and chips.  Rock fish can take a hike when Salmon is on the menu.  

On this outing, The Impatient Chef opted to substitute clam chowder for the fries, but from past visits the fries are just fine. 

The chowder tasted good, but had an oddly herbal flavor, possibly using thyme, that was not necessarily a bad thing, but took away from what should have been the focal point, namely the clams. 

Da Zoop!

The salmon was yummy. 

Inside

It was perfectly done, and flavorful. The only downside was the breading, which was not crispy. It did, however, manage to adhere to the fish throughout the meal. The tartar sauce was runnier than The Impatient Chef is used to, but the flavor was good.

The photo trip concluded with some pictures of the Lightship Columbia, and of the container ships on the river. It was a good day. 

The Lightship Columbia

Thanks for reading.

The Impatient Chef.

 The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still

Volume 1: Introduction and Sushi

     The Impatient Chef will be embarking on a new effort to track all of the places he eats as part of a new series called The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still.  As readers know, The Impatient Chef not only speaks about himself in the third person, he is also very impatient.  This leads to an industrial strength case of wanderlust that knows few bounds, other than trips that test his patience behind the steering wheel.  He has been known to get wanterlust while wandering.  The wonder of it all.  So, ADHD is the tall ship, and restaurants are the star to sail her by.  

     The Impatient Chef is a fan of not cooking at home, except for when he is cooking at home.  While out on photography trips, when visiting relatives, or just running errands, local restaurants are perfect places to explore what any given location has to offer.  When going to any new town, city, berg, hamlet, hole in the ground, or unincorporated wilderness, The Impatient Chef always inquires of the locals where are the best places to eat.  The target is normal people food.  If it is plated with tweasers, or comes with a 2" plate worth of food arranged on a 12" plate, forget it.  This method has served well, and while there have been a few duds over the years, they have been few and far in between.  

     These will not be full restaurant reviews.  They will be snapshots of a place and its food as experienced on one visit.  

     The first installment is Sushi Hada at 3808 N Williams Ave in Portland, Oregon. The Impatient Chef was heading home after visiting Blue Moon Camera in Portland's St Johns neighborhood for his other alter ego: Gary Quay Photography.

The Soy Must Flow

     Nestled in a row of shops and restaurants that include Thai BBQ, a southern cuisine oyster bar, and a middle eastern place, Sushi Hada is one of those wonderful converyer belt sushi joints. You eat while the plates breeze past. No rush. No pressure. Anything you don't like is your fault.  

     You can even order off of the menu if inspired to do so.  

Breezin' Past

     Sushi Hada serves the usual sushi rolls, nigiri, and seaweed salad that any self-respecting sushi joint has. The prices are not too high, and the flavor is above average.  It was not knock-your-socks-off delicious, but it was satisfying.  

 

     The Impatient Chef is fully partial to Nigiri, specifically with shrimp, salmon, or Tuna on it.  Throw on a small slice of pickled ginger, and a dab of wasabi, then dip briefly in the soy sauce, and enjoy.  

Salmon and White Tuna Nigiri

     Portland is still a great food town, even after all the upheaval of the past few years.  If you are in the area, stop in at a locally owned restaurant like Sushi Hada.  Forget the corporate holes with their reliance on an overabundance of salt, fat and sugar to trick you into thinking the food is good. Eat local wherever you go.  

Thanks for reading!

The Impatient Chef.