February 22: Writing Prompt #53-Seconds

Describe the most satisfying meal you’ve ever eaten, in glorious detail.

I’ve considered this prompt all day, and I’ve decided I cannot write about one particular meal or even in “glorious detail,” but I can share with you some of the best restaurants I’ve eaten at and the best meals I’ve ever had cooked for me, and hopefully it will entice you to try something new!

Outstanding Restaurant Meals in Recent Years:

1. Urban Farmer Steakhouse in Portland, OR

Their aged steaks and bread served in a soup can are absolutely delectable, and everything comes from local farmers, ranchers, distillers, and winemakers.  It will not be an inexpensive meal, but worth every penny.

2. Don Juan’s Mexican Kitchen in Tenino, WA

I haven’t had a dish here that I didn’t drool over and talk about afterwards yet! We have taken multiple friends and family members here already, and we didn’t even discover it until this past summer. Some of my favorites are the chunky tomato and avocado guacamole, the street tacos, and the flan.  You’ve never had flan like Don Juan’s family recipe! Come see us, and we’ll gladly take you there. Oh, and they have fabulous cilantro-cucumber margaritas, too!

3. The Fish House in Stanley Park (Vancouver, British Colombia) My husband took me here on our engagement trip, and we enjoyed it so much, we bought several bottles of their famous lobster sauce to take back with us (and horrified, watched it dumped in the garbage by airport security when we forgot to put it in our checked bags and not our carry on bags.  BIG WHOOPS!

4. The Growler Café in Lebanon, OR. This is my most recent venture outside of my house for food recommended by my mother-in-law.  It is less than a year old, I believe, but it is already a hit in its small town with tons of craft beers as well as a family friendly atmosphere and lots of creative and outstanding food options. I had a tempeh sandwich (Indonesian dish of fermented fried soybeans) on sourdough, and my son had a peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwich on homemade French bread.  I just love the options. They take traditional fair and punch it up with something different, yet delicious! Definitely recommend you go there if you are ever in the area. 

Friend and Family Favorites:

1. My husband’s Eggs Benedict because of his lemony hollandaise sauce. I have tried eggs benedict at multiple restaurants since he made this for me, and I have yet to find a hollandaise sauce I like and with as much flavor as his.  He also makes a very tender and yummy pork roast with gravy, spicy hot chili, very creamy potato leek soup, and wonderful Mexican fair such as chili Verde, tamales, and chicken tinga! I am VERY SPOILED and satisfied after every meal at my house! J  That’s why I gladly agree to clean EVERY dish daily!!

2. My friend Stephanie’s secret recipe spaghetti sauce and her sausage gravy! She won’t share the sauce, but I did have the opportunity to learn how to make her sausage gravy while sitting in her kitchen taking notes several years ago. Oh, and I also LOVE her Greek pizza! Again, I’m very lucky to have a family member and a best friend who are such excellent cooks!!

3. Ms. Angie’s pancit. One of my Filipino co-workers from my time on the islands makes the best pancit I have ever had! Oh, and her sister makes the best banana lumpia! And they are the sweetest ladies you’ll ever meet to boot! The Filipino ladies on the island are all fabulous cooks. We had them cater our work holiday party one year, and we all went home holding our bellies with leftovers in our hands. 

4. Tiffany’s petit fours.  A former Kwajalein resident and friend who made beautiful and delicious petit fours packaged in boxes and generally purchased as gifts for others.  I am no baker or pastry chef, so I truly admire her ability to put these tiny cakes together and make them look AND taste so awesome!

Food from my travels:

1. Japan-I had an excellent curry when I was on a business trip to Tokyo, Japan.  I believe it was a red curry, and it hooked me on the spicy hot deliciousness of this Indian dish, even though it was served in Japan! In recent years I have discovered Sushi, and I so admire their ability to present these elaborate rolls of fish, rice, seaweed, and various accouterments in bite size form. During my time in Japan, I had not tried much sushi, but we went to a sushi restaurant, and I fell in love with Tamago, which is a sugared, scrambled egg patty on top of sushi rice with seaweed wrapped around it. Yum!!

2. Marshall Islands-When on a visit for work to the capital of the Marshall Islands, Majuro, I had the privilege of eating at a place called Mama’s Kitchen. When there, I had pumpkin rice. I know it sounds strange, but it was so tasty. I tried to make it when I got home, but I guess I didn’t know Mama’s secret! Right before I left there was also a dish from a local restaurant (currently called “Sit-N-Eat) on the island of Ebeye, and they serve a wonderful dish of warm coconut soup. The things the islanders can do with coconuts! Amazing!!

3. Bali-Escape the World Yoga Retreat. During our week there, all breakfasts and lunches were served to us, and we went out to eat for dinner at wonderful restaurants around Ubud, Bali in the evenings. I remember loving EVERY meal. There were little things like the warm, lemon water in the mornings, as we were getting ready for our yoga sessions, and the sweetness of the black rice pudding for breakfast. The biggest surprise to me is that there was no cheese in any of it.  As an American, and one with a picky son who eats hardly anything but cheese or something with cheese in it or on it, this was amazing to me. Due to the lack of refrigeration options there, cheese is not a big staple in their diet like it is here, and I didn’t miss it one bit! We even took a cooking class at Bumbu Bali while there and learned how to make some of the wonderful Balinese dishes we were served daily at the retreat!

4. Spain-Surprisingly, my favorite dish when I was residing with Spanish families in Spain for 3 months was a mixture of cauliflower and potatoes with oil and vinegar. It was simple and inexpensive for my gracious host, and it was good! I also really enjoyed the bull we ate with another family in the south of Spain. I attended the bull fight the night before and saw the bull we ate killed by the matador, so that made it  a noteworthy experience for a young lady of 21 on her first trip overseas. Along with this, my host also served cold gazpacho soup as our drink. Pretty delicious!

Wow, detailing some of my food adventures here has really made me feel blessed to have been able to travel and try different foods as well as make so many wonderful friends who have a talent for cooking! I know I have left multiple good meals, people, restaurants, and experiences out of this post, and to those friends and restaurants, I apologize. My head is swimming with all the wonderful foods I have had the opportunity to enjoy, but it does not mean yours were any less worthy. Thanks for sharing your love of food and cooking with me over the years!