XLB - Portland, OR

xiao long bao (soup dumplings <3)

hoisin duck baozi

PDX burgers: Killer Burger

i haven't been slacking on going out to eat, but somehow my eating adventures haven't led me by way of burgers recently. i finally was able to check one of the old list @ Killer Burger this past weekend. against all instincts i went with the peanut butter/bacon/pickle burger after hearing killer reviews about it. and it was exactly as described...something that shouldn't taste good, but tastes shockingly delicious. the PB & bacon were a perfect sweet pairing (who knew?), and the pickle was the perfect counter balance to that. 

K & I split that and the Jose Mendoza, which was bacon, roasted green chilies, monte jack, smokey house sauce, grilled onion, and pickle. this was also divine, although toward the end it tasted a little bit yellow mustardy to me (not sure if it was just the pickle or the sauce) so i didn't finish it. that's no knock on the burger though, just a personal preference against evil, evil yellow mustard.


all in all, the burgers were great, but definitely more of a toppings place than a "purist" place... burgers are not cooked to order, rolls are not homemade, but it's still all good. if you're in the mood for a mouth party burger, this is a solid go-to. 

PDX restaurants: Apizza Scholls

there is nothing about Apizza Scholls i could say that hasn't already been said. this is not only the best pizza i have had in Portland, but could possibly be one of the better pizza's i've ever had, period (and this is putting it up against NYC and New Haven CT pies). 

every part of the toppings was just packed with flavor, and the crust tasted like a small slice of a fresh-baked, ooey gooey pillow soft artisan bread, but with char flavor from brick oven heaven. 

we ordered the margherita & the white (bianca) pizzas, two large pies between 4 people. (for the first time in my life, i ate 4 slices of pizza in one sitting. could. not. help. myself!) 10/10/10, so worth the wait. 

PDX burgers: Lardo & Davis Street Tavern

last night we decided to check a burger off the list and finally check out Lardo. since we were heading into a movie and didn't want to be over-stuffed we split one burger (double burger, but eeh we tried). i was served on an everything roll (yay!), made with cascade natural beef, porkstrami (i still don't know what this is, but it looked and tasted like bacon and i just know i loved it), cheddar, shredded lettuce, and lardo sauce. the patties were very loosely packed -- i felt like the burgers would be on the verge of falling apart if you manhandled them too much. they just kind of swam around in a sea of delicious burger juice, with a boat of bacony porkstrami and and intensely buttery/creamy combination of cheddar and lardo sauce (whatever that might be) all up on it.

this was one of those burgers that pleasantly surprised me in that, even though i've eaten 12083098023 burgers in my day, it tasted like none of the burgers that i've had before. and i couldn't place why. there was a buttery flavor to the burger i couldn't place (maybe in the sauce? maybe the bun), and other flavors just popping out of the ying yang - even the sesame/poppy seeds were chiming in. it's exactly what i love about burgering - they are SO incredibly simple in theory, but SO hard to pull off well, and can still just knock off your socks with new flavors - even when you're still dealing with the same 5 core ingredients (beef, cheese, bun, lettuce/tomato, sauce). i think i'm still on my Lardo burger high from this! (also - the jalapeno hush puppies with honey butter are a DOPE side) 9/10.

P-D-X! BURGERS

so finding the perfect burger in Albany, NY was a big quest, but one i felt i could reasonably conquer - there were a ton of restaurants we wanted to try, but, they were (for the most part) all achievable in the 5-6 years we were going to be staying there. i had a few left on my list when we moved away, but i felt good - damn good, that i have had albany's finest, and crushed all its burger scene had to offer.

then came the move to Portland. love the city, excited about the city, but SO MANY FOOD OPTIONS that it is/was damn near overwhelming. within a few block radius there are probably 5-10 restaurants/trucks i'd really want to try - throw a stone, pop into a place, odds are you're probably going to leave happy.  with that, i regret to say it took me this long, all of 9 months, to finally pull together my consolidated burger recommendation hit list / research. no more!

as of 9/28/14, i'm starting my list. i have no doubt the list will be ever-evolving since places are constantly popping up, but you've gotta start somewhere, gotta burger somehow. 

all the places with a star are the places i've tried; places in bold are my next targets, for personal reference : ) 

Acropolis (NSFW) - SE Portland 
*All-Way Burgers - SW Portland (8 / 10)
The Angry Unicorn - SE Portland
Ate-Oh-Ate - NE Portland
Bamboo Sushi - NW Portland 
Bar Bar - NE Portland
Biwa - SE Portland
*Boise Fry Company - NW Portland (6.5 / 10)
*Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries - Jantzen Beach Portland (6 / 10) 
Brunchbox - NW Portland 
*Burgerville - NE Portland (7 / 10)
*The Canyon Grill - Beaverton (6 / 10) 
*Carl's Jr - Literally Everywhere, OR (3 / 10) 
Clarklewis - Central Eastside Portland
*Davis Street Tavern - NW Portland (7 / 10)
*Deschutes Brewery - NW Portland (5.5/10)
*Dick's Kitchen - NW Portland (7.5 / 10)
*Doug Fir Lounge - NE Portland (7 / 10)
Ecliptic Brewing - North Portland 
Foster Burger - SE Portland
*Grain and Gristle - NE Portland (7.75 / 10)
*Gruner - NW Portland (9.5 / 10) 
Helvetia Tavern - Hillsboro
Humdinger Drive In - SW Portland
*Joe's Burgers - NW Portland (6.5 / 10) 
*Killer Burger - NW Portland (7 / 10) 
*Lardo - NW Portland (9 / 10)
*Little Big Burger - NW Portland (10 / 10) 
The Local Cow - Gresham, OR
*Lumberyard Rotisserie & Grill- Cannon Beach, OR (6.5 / 10)
The Old Gold - NE Portland
The Original - NW Portland 
The Original Wow! Burger - NE Portland 
Paley's Place - NW Portland
PDX Sliders - SE Portland/Sellwood 
Red Star Tavern - NW Portland
Rock House Grill - Cartlandia, SE Portland
Skyline Restaurant - NW Portland
*Slow Bar- NE Portland (8 / 10)
Slowburger - NE Portland
Stanich's - NE Portland
Tabor Tavern - East Portland
*Tasty and Alder - NW Portland (9.5 / 10) 
*Tilt - NW Portland (9 / 10)
Toro Bravo - NE Portland 
Trifecta Tavern & Bakery - SE Industrial, Portland (Pimento Cheese)
Yakuza - NW Portland

misc. PDX eats

1) East India Co Grill & Bar- Chicken Vindaloo & lots of garlic naan, not shown. they promised spice, they delivered - enough to get my nose runny, but not enough for it not to be an absolute delight. the garlic naan was GD divine. i was so full i felt sick, but kept shoveling it all in my face. we went during din, but hopefully i'll make it to a lunch buffet so i can eat um... everything.  

2) Son of a Biscuit - the hubs wanted to try this place for a while, cuz 1) fried chicken 2) owned by the same folks as Little Big Burger, and 3) the building is adorable. i could not disagree with any of those points. we split a spicy fried chicken meal which came with a few pieces pieces of chicken (obvi), 1 side (mac & cheese...ooomn), and a biscuit. + 1 extra biscuit. the chicken isn't your traditional fried chicken - it's mixed up with a lot of sweet & spicy seasonings. a little 5 spice even. of course fried chicken evokes strong feelings in many, because the reviews i've seen online are either "hate" or "love". i think that's because everyone goes in thinking of their cliche staple fried chicken... which this is not. and if you let go of that, on it's own this spicy fried piece of bird is delicious IMO. the mac & cheese was also reallly good (even a little sweet?), though super-heavy, of course. the biscuits were dense, but delish. we ordered one each, but after realizing they weigh about 5 lbs each realized we only needed 1 after the heaviness of the rest of the meal. that left sweet, sweet leftovers of extra mac & cheese and a biscuit for later, which is OK by me. would definitely go back. 

3) Sauvie Island Farms - we heard of this mystical land in Portland where you can pick-your-own anything. which was weird, since back in NY you picked pumpkins or apples, and nothing else. we went a little late in the season so it was a little picked over, but what we did find was delish. and not all that expensive, especially considering the quality vs. traditional grocery store groceries (i don't really buy organic Whole Foods fancy pants veggies). we got this lil haul for all of $13 bucks. blackberries were the winers of the bunch, though we had no complaints.



4)Pine State Biscuits - we finally tried the legeitnd. my sister was in town, so since it was an 'occasion', it made me feel a lot less guilty for this heavy fat-laden treasure.  i ordered the sausage egg & cheese, with a peppering of hot sauce. biscuit was delicious, the sausage tasted a little weird to me, but that may be because i'm used to out-of-the box bad part of the cow/pig sausage as opposed to a housemade (not from garbage) sausage patty. i felt a little guilty after eating this, but the satisfaction outweighed the guilt. even after having a voodoo doughnut for desert. cuz you know, house guests ; ) 

misc PDX burgers

i still have yet to make my official hit list of Portland burger targets... one being lack of time, two being the overwhelming amount of good burgers in this city. the perfect burger quest is much larger here than it was in good old Albany. this past week i decided to stop being intimidated, refocus, and get all over it. no more random burgers - i need burgers with a purpose. a few misc randoms from the last month or so:

1 ) Boise Fry Company. This little gem opened down the street, with a focus all on fries, and burgers on the side. contrary to everything i believe in, but i love the concept. they have several different types of potatoes, served unseasoned but with your choice of a ton of different salts and fry sauces. we had the purple potatoes, and i ordered a buffalo burger with lettuce, tomato, red onion gastrique and garlic aioli. it wasn't an uber-juicy drippy meatfest since it was buffalo, but it was still a tasty little nosh. i'd definitely go back again.

 2) Doug Fir Lounge. Portland Burger week. imagine my surprise when i heard of this magnificent week. a slew of great PDX restaurants (20 in total?), all offering their most creative little burgery creation for a mere $5. heaven. we hit up Doug Fir Lounge (which i wanted to try regardless, #burgerfates), which featured a 6oz hand-formed Wagyu patty, candied bacon, mozzarella cheese, smoked and candied jalapeño aioli, shredded iceberg lettuce, all on a Portland French Bakery bun. so good. my only complaint was that the bun was a bit too bready for the burger and drowned it out a bit... i think it was designed for their regular sized burger. picky yes, but i hate when i have more bready edge than i have burger, stresses me out trying to reposition my patty & such. pure drama. net/net: drop the bun down a notch, let the burger & fixins shine, and my gawed great burger. jalapeno artichoke dip and thai spice tots were AMAZING on the side. 

3) Burgerville. we needed something quick, and -thought- that infamous wala wala onion season had kicked off at Burgerville... seemed like a perfect time for some onion rings and to officially hit up their burger. we initially scoffed at "burgerville" since we're ~sorta~ leaning in the burger snob direction unfortunately, and assumed a cliche sounding burger chain just couldn't be good, BUT the more and more good reviews we heard, the more we were intrigued. at that, i had no expectations going in, but was pleasantly surprised with the experience. first by the fact walla walla onion rings didn't start until the following day (booo!), but second by the fact that they offered a mighty respectable burger for a fast food joint. it was very clean - similar to In & Out (which i liked, but do not obsess over my any means) - it's just a straight up burger. it felt healthy, even though i'm sure it was not. burgerville can hold its own - well above Jack in the Box & Carl's Jr., i'd take b-ville over them any day hands down. the day i have to make a decision between b-ville and my BK bacon double cheese burger though... that will be a mighty fight. 

misc PDX burgers II: Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries; Tasty & Alder

another day, another burger. Boardwalk Fresh is a very cute little chain tucked away into a corner of the Jantzen Beach plaza. their menu is simple - burgers, fries, dogs, chicken & shakes. i hadn't checked any reviews prior to popping into the location, but by all appearances i was first struck by the adorableness of my perfectly plated little burger. it was juicy, had very fresh toppings, and a good old time. while it was tasty, the meat didn't pack a TON of meaty, seasoned kick to it. my only complaint was that the bun, albeit fresh, was just too dense and bready for my taste - it was a bit disproportional to the burger. would i have it again? yes. am i just being a picky pants? yes. would i order their fries again? yes yes yes - those stood out from among many a fry - they have that fresh cut thang down to a science. and amazing taste in honey mustard.

Tasty & Alder had been on our hit list for a while - it always

pops up in PDX reviews. they had a fun, varied menu, and i was almost disappointed to see they had a burger - as soon as i see that and i have good faith in a restaurant, it's almost impossible for me NOT to try it. even if i'm craving lamb. or short ribs. their burger is served with Cascade beef, chabut cheese, hazelnut romesco, and a big hunk of perfectly cooked bacon. the meat was cooked perfectly medium rare, juicy, well seasoned; cheese was balanced and thick enough to stand up against the burger & bacon; bacon was sweet, salty and to die for; and the bun was so bakery soft and perfectly proportioned - and substantial enough to catch all the juices from the burger. here is where we're assholes. every part of the burger was just right, pretty much perfect - too perfect. there wasn't one thing that jumped out and smacked us in the face because it was insanely over the top. every element almost cancelled out the rest. and yes we are jerks for turning up our noses in the face of a delicious burger. we remember it as perfect, wouldn't change a thing, but if i were to name my top 5-10 burgers, it may/may not hit the list. does that make sense? no not at all. do they have an amazing burger? absolutely. is this the least helpful review ever? yes probably.  

Smokehouse 21 - Portland, OR

i've walked passed Smokehouse 21 a few times, and every time i do

i become instantly hungry from the AMAZINGLY delicious smokey bbq smell that is pouring out of it. it's cruel. what was supposed to be a double workout night this passed Tuesday night turned into a quadruple meat night as we had an impromptu dinner with friends. 

the hubby & i split two entrees - one being the brisket sandwich, the other being a platter of 3 meats + 2 sides (pork cheeks, lamb ribs, roast chicken, roasted brussel sprouts, bacon mac & cheese). holy high hell it was all so good. brisket is my usual go-to BBQ order, and this could have easily been the best i've ever had. so tender, smokey, seasoned, and juicy (the juicy part being where most places usually fall off). we've never had pork cheeks (or any cheek for that matter) - they just fell apart on my fork, and tasted like little patties of delish fall apart rib. aaaaah i can't say enough great things about this place, can't wait to go back. and now i'm super hungry from even thinking about it aaaaaaaaaaagh. 

misc PDX burgers: Joe's Burgers & Carl's Jr.

marketing 101: there's nothing like a really good sign to get your place noticed. we had passed by Joe's Burgers lot in downtown PDX, and always felt compelled to try them just for the solid, compelling, classic, stand-up sign outside the place. based on the striking signage alone, we expected a large, formal-ish burger spot, but when we finally popped in for a taste we found a small counter-service fast-food style joint. the menu is simple but features all the classics (just a few varieties of burger, hand-spun milkshakes, dogs), all seeming to be focused on stand up ingredients.

the burgers look just like a quintessential simple burger... no fuss. and the lil guys delivered - they had a lot of flavor. and killer sauce. and really good fries. what looked like plain old fast-food style burger was actually delightful... and good enough to get the "i'd totally go back" rating. 
****
Carl's Jr., at the other end of the spectrum. Carl's Jr. ads are all over town, declaring the wonder of their fresh-baked buns. we had to try em. the bun was... just a bun (honestly i think they probably just heat them up on site vs. bake them from scratch...they didn't seem like homemade buns. but anyway). i ordered the Western X-tra Bacon Thickburger.  the toppings had a lot of flavor... the 4 strips of bacon, the onion rings, the super-strong tasting slightly offensive BBQ sauce. which was good. because the burger patty itself had NO flavor at all. it was kinda in there just as filler, a small plate to hold the toppings. the hubby was equally unimpressed with his (and mind you, we're not fast food snobs... and not comparing this to a $15 fancy pants gourmet burger. it just sucked for fast food standards). i'd go back, but only to see  if the chicken nuggets are any good. meeeeep. 

PDX burgers: Tilt

yesterday afternoon we met up with friends for drinks and a lil nosh. i didn't know where we were going, but was pleasantly surprised to realize when we got there it was a place that was known for it's burgers, Tilt. major bonus. everything on the menu is "handcrafted", and everything on it sounds ridiculously good. crazy comfort food.

K & i split 2 burgers, one being the the Woody Royale: a fresh ground patty, beer batter onion rings, housemade bbq jalepeno slaw, hand-carved prime rib, honey smoked bacon, and cheddar on a house baked bun. YOWZA. this burger was the biggest mofo mouth party ever. the meat was cooked a really nice medium rare, had amazing flavor, but somehow you could completely and distinctly taste the well seasoned prime rib. all that salty meat just blended so well w/ the sweet bacon / slaw / bbq... holy cow. nothing was overpowering but everything had a ton of flavor. i love a good "fun topping" burger but usually it's either purist burger flavor OR fun toppings... when both are executed well together it's a delicious unicorn of events.