Bamboo Sushi

I recently got a new job and to celebrate my Little Spoon wanted to take me out to dinner. She had recently been out to a great sushi place and decided to take me there. I really like sushi, so when I hear of a new place getting praised, I am eager to check it out.

This place was called Bamboo Sushi and when we got there, there was a line out the door. Fortunately there were a few large groups in front of us so we were seated in about 20 minutes. When you enter the restaurant, there are numerous accolades along the wall. Most of which are articles praising the restaurant, but there were a few that made me take a closer look. Turns out that Bamboo Sushi is the first completely sustainable sushi restaurant in the nation. That's right, I said NATION! This was determined by the fish they buy and who they buy it from; making sure that fish are purchased from fisherman that do not over fish. I also found out that Bamboo Sushi was one of 3 sushi restaurants in Portland that never freeze their inventory. The fish is purchased fresh and used immediately. Shocking and sad to hear, but your favorite sushi restaurant most likely buys in uber-bulk and then freezes their fish.

I guess I'll start talking about the sushi now...

This place was really great. The fish was fresh and practically melted in my mouth. Here's a couple tips: Fish is never supposed to smell fishy. If that's the case, then you are probably eating something a little closer to the expiration date than you would like. Also, when you are eating sushi, you want to start with the fish containing the least amount of fat first. So for example, if you have a salmon, red tuna and tuna belly rolls, you want to start with the red tuna and finish with the tuna belly. The more fat, the more it coats the mouth which can alter how your taste buds react to the flavor of the fish.

An exotic roll including pears soaked in sake.

It has the traditional options as well.

Anyways, I'm finding myself rambling on again. The moral of the story - Bamboo Sushi is a great place to get fantastic Japanese cuisine. It's a little pricy, but you know that you are getting a great product. Also, don't be shocked if you have to wait 30-45 minutes, but in my opinion its worth it. Give it a try; you wont be disappointed.

-Tony

Big Horse Brew Pub - Hood River, OR

I guess this would be a great post to introduce a character that I may reference from time to time....

My girlfriend, now to be named "Little Spoon," happens to have a house in Hood River, Oregon. We tend to make a couple of trips up there from time to time and visit some local eateries. A few weekends ago we made a trip up there with a few friends and it was no different.

We walked down 10 long flights of stairs into town to a place called Big Horse Brew Pub. Good food and great beer! I had the Spicy Spaghetti and Meatballs. Really great flavor with a kick! This place was pretty straight forward so I'll just show you the pictures. My apologies for the poor photography; it was a little dark in there. 

Beer Sampler (top left and clockwise) Easy Blonde, Pale Rider I.P.A., MacStallion Scotch Ale, Nightmare Stout, Brown By Law, Chocolate Stout, Batch #666 (barley wine) - I thought 5 of 7 were fantastic

Spicy Thai Spaghetti and Meatballs

Fish Tacos

Fish and Chips

Chicken and sun-dried tomato Gyro

This is just a pub with good atmosphere and great beer. Check it out the next time you're in the "Hood." Enjoy!

- Tony