Posts
Dr Pandemic, or:
How I Leaned to Stop Worrying and Love the Box.
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| Thai Gravy Noodle |
March 2020 was a month that will be talked about long after cockroaches inherit the Earth. Be that as it may, The Impatient Chef would like to talk about it now. Why, you might ask? Simple. With the movement from eat-in to takeout due to the pandemic, consuming food at restaurants has changed. And with that, the types of food that I buy at a restaurant has changed. Here are some examples:
There is a wonderful Lebanese restaurant in Gresham, Oregon with astoundingly delicious pita bread with each meal. When the food switched to takeout, the bread was always hardened by the time I got it home. When I get takeout there now, I don't order anything that requires the pita. I also don't order soup. It never goes well when it opens in the car. With the opening of more restaurants in Oregon, getting out to support local business has become easier. I'm amazed by the amount of money I have saved since March by doing more home cooking, but the need to get out more is growing.
With this in mind, The Impatient Chef begins a series of reviews of takeout cuisine.
We (my wife and I) were out and about in the eastern Columbia Gorge, where I love to roam to take pictures. When the subject of lunch came up, we decided to hit the Burgerville (a surprisingly good burger chain in the pacific northwest), but when we arrived, there were 10 cars in the line. What makes Burgerville good is that everything is cooked to order. What makes burgerville great also makes a line of 10 cars intolerable. A different locale was necessary. We opted for a Thai restaurant called Montira's Thai Cuisine.
We had been there many times before when we lived in Hood River, which is a lot closer. This time, no inside seating was allowed. There is a little park down by the Columbia River with a picnic table, which is where we decided to take the food. The wait for food was about 15 minutes, which is not bad. I ordered the Thai Gravy Noodle, and my wife ordered the Roasted Duck Curry.
The picnic tables was a mess, so we sat on a low wall nearby.
The Roasted Duck Curry has pineapple in it, so The Impatient Chef will pass on the review. Don't get me wrong. I like pineapple, just not in savory food. I willingly had pineapple on pizza for the first time ever only last week (it was a BBQ pork pizza, and it wasn't bad despite the pineapple). My wife said that the duck curry was good. That's good enough for The Impatient Chef.
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| Roasted Duck Curry |
The Thai Gravy Noodle had an excellent flavor. I tasted it before adding the chili oil and the sriracha sauce, and noticed a slight smoky flavor, like the pork was grilled over fire. After adding the hot stuff, the flavor changed dramatically, but it was okay. The smokiness was still there. I have one complaint: The wide rice noodles stuck together more firmly than the flimsy plastic fork and spoon could handle. It made the dish a little difficult to eat. I assume that they stuck together due to the 10 minutes it took is to the to the park and open up the boxes.
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| Thai Gravy Noodle |
We usually get the appetizer "The Dalles Ring of Fire," but we passed on it this time. It's 4 taquito-like sticks of melted cream cheese in a crispy cylinder, likely a wonton sheet, served with the fire sauce. The fire sauce is not too spicy, but it's peppery and a little sweet.
We've never had a bad meal there, and despite the pandemic, and eating in the park, we enjoyed it this time. If you're in the area, stop in and give them a try. It's a great, locally owned restaurant struggling to stay open like all of the others in this pandemic.
The Impatient Chef.
