Happy Hour at PING, Portland, Oregon

On my first day in Portland, Matt and I went to happy hour at PING, a restaurant featuring a blend of Asian snacks and bar food.
I started with a glass of yuzu beer, a drink consisting of Sapporo draft beer with yuzu extract & sugar. It reminded me of a shandy- very light and refreshing.
At Ping, they also have drinking vinegars made from their sister restaurant Pok Pok. I tried a the tart tamarind vinegar with soda. It was also excellent.








We ordered some snacks to tide us over until dinner time.
First up was a Chinese tea egg, a hard boiled egg made in black tea, soy sauce, ginger, star anise and cinnamon. It was a straightforward and faithful version of this snack.

My favorite item was the baby octopus skewer. They were marinated in lime, chilies, garlic, fish sauce, and cilantro. The flavor was a fantastic mix of sour, spicy, and savory.

On special that day, they offered duck liver skewers. They came with a spicy dipping sauce.

I finished off with ju pa bao, a dish from Macau, that was simply a fried pork chop seasoned with salt, pepper & garlic served in a bun that's similar to a torta. It was simple and tasty.





102 Northwest 4th Avenue
Portland, OR
(503)229-7464

Scossa Restaurant, Easton, MD

I was driving through Easton, MD and stopped in at Scossa Restaurant for dinner. I selected the Calf's Liver Alla Veneziana off their seasonal prix fixe menu. The started was a decent vegetable minestrone soup. However, the liver was really delicious- lightly cooked in olive oil, and the portion was very generous.
I would return sometime to try their housemade pastas.

8 North Washington Street
Easton, MD
(410) 822-2202

Zingerman's Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, MI

I was lucky to make it to the famous Zingerman's Roadhouse this winter for dinner with some good friends in Ann Arbor, MI.
We started with an order of Chopped Liver, made of Amish free-range chicken livers broiled in schmaltz with onions and ground with hard boiled egg and pepper.
We also ordered their Chili and Cheddar Fries- twice cooked fries topped with ancho beef chili and with grated 2-year-raw-milk Vermont cheddar.
Based upon the smell of the restaurant, I could not resist getting the BBQ Pork Entree made of Cornman Farms hogs, pit smoked for 14 hours with mashed potatoes and greens. I opted for the Carolina style vinegar sauce.





My friend See ordered the Cornman Farms Chicken Fried Steak made with sirloin topped with chicken gravy. It was pretty delicious.
There was not question about me getting, for dessert, Ari’s Original Doughnut Sundae-
a housemade Dutch doughnut covered with bourbon-caramel sauce topped with vanilla gelato, whipped cream, salted Virginia peanuts and a cherry. Unbelievable.


2501 Jackson Ave,
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(734) 663-3663