This place used to be known as the Sushi Nazi, but apparently the attitude has mellowed over the years. They don’t take reservations and there is a constant line every night. When we arrive, there was a substantial line, but we were told that the line is “short” because it didn’t wrap around the building. The was a sign-up sheet on a clipboard hanging outside the door; first come, first serve. We were in a group of eight and our wait was about 25 minutes. Wasn’t too bad, but I would still advise coming as a pair and sitting at the bar.
The run-down interior was expected. If it were half the size, one could almost call it a hole-in-the-wall. This is not the place for a first date. Service was not terrible and at least it was prompt. You don’t come to Saburo’s for either the decor or the service.
So how’s the food? The quality was surprisingly uneven. Some items were mediocre but some items were as fresh as any I’ve had in New York and Tokyo. The cooked dishes generally fell in the mediocre camp. I would avoid them. The nigiri pieces were very similar to size to those at Yama in NYC. They’re downright monstrous. The length was longer than my index finger while the width was about double my thumb width. There was some variation in quality between the different sushi as well, but the price was better than just right ($5 to $7 for a plate of 6 pieces).
When you combine the three factors into a quality * quantity / price metric (of only the sushi), this place probably ranks #1 out of all the sushi places I’ve visited. I especially recommend the salmon nigiri and the soft-shelled crab rolls.
The biggest downside I could see is the lack of public transportation. But if you’re a sushi lover and you’re in Portland, find a way to get there. It’ll be worth the trip.
August 17th, 2006
| Updated: September 6, 2006
Jake’s Famous Crawfish is supposed to be one of the best seafood joints in town. I arrived in a party of 8 around 6:30pm. We had reservations, but there was a slight wait. The place was very popular; all the tables were occupied the entire night. The interior was poor man’s version of Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak, and Stone Crab in Chicago. The last time I was at Joe’s, I had an excellent blackened mahi-mahi, and given Jake’s reputation, I had high expectations.
We ordered a mix of appetizers, four etoufees, a salmon entree, a sturgeon entree, a sea scallops entree, and a wild king salmon entree. All the fish at the table were overcooked and only the etoufees and wild king salmon was properly portioned (the other entrees were too small). The etoufee was very good but overpriced ($21). The crab cake and coconut shrimp appetizers were excellent. I didn’t have any dessert, but it looked like the standard fare.
Next time I’m in Portland, I think I’ll try Southpark Seafood Grill or Dan & Louis’ Oyster Bar.
August 16th, 2006
| Updated: August 29, 2006
I flew to Portland, Oregon last Friday night for a Bachelor weekend that lasted through Monday. On Saturday night, we presented the Bachelor with a t-shirt that read on the front, “I’m getting married. This is my last weekend of freedom.” The back was left blank intentionally. We had a sharpie and the idea was to write in a checklist of items for women to do to/with our Bachelor. Sorta like this list, but better. Use your imagination.
We had a list of various clubs/lounges/bars in downtown Portland pulled from the internet that we checked with the concierge at the Hilton where we were staying. We walked by H2O first, which looked like a swanky, upscale place. There was no cover at that time (10pm), but we kept walking because it was a little too empty. Next, we stopped by the City Sportsbar, which was also fairly empty and they charged a cover. We skipped it and went to Dante’s. At this point we were sick of walking so we went in despite the cover charge and loud punk/metal? music. The group began filling in the list on the Bachelor’s back. After a few minutes, I had to step outside because the cigarette smoke and loud metal music was giving me a headache. Apparently, I missed some hot action, but fortunately someone had to foresight to bring a camera along to record videos for posterity.
After the t-shirt was filled out, we headed to Mcfadden’s. The concierge at the Hilton had given us vouchers for the cover charge. The place looked like a Irish pub, but behaved like a lounge/club. They played pop/hip-hop the entire time we were there. It was a large place with a mostly white crowd, and we went through looking for women (one was a bachelorette!) to check off items from the Bachelor list. I thought it would be hard to convince total strangers and wow I was wrong. Almost everyone we approached was friendly and interested, even if they were willing to do only the tame stuff. But the enthusiasm that a few had was amazing, like something out of Girls Gone Wild. We even got a waitress to participate. The only downside was the smoke-filled air, which killed my lungs. We spent the majority of our night here… and for good reason.
On our way to and from Mcfadden’s, I noticed a place nearby called Noche, which looked very popular. Saturday night was “fusion” night for them, which I guess meant the standard fare of pop/hip-hop music. On most other nights, they’re a salsa and latin music spot.
We ended the night at Bar Code, where there was a diverse crowd with a heavier asian concentration. It was a smoke-free environment, thankfully, with a long bar in the front and a second smaller bar in the back with walled-off rooms and a balcony with additional seating. The Bachelor was worn out by this point, and we spent our time there feeding him water and relaxing. All the night spots in Portland closed at 2am (early by New York standards), but we were pretty tired anyway.
If only I could share the memories. But, in the words of the Bachelor, “What stays in Portland, uh… stays in Portland.”
Note: I would definitely revisit H2O and Bar Code the next time I’m in Portland. I would also check out Noche, Aura (I walked by during the day, looked promising), and SoLo. I’m only interested in smoke-free places, so Noche might not make the cut.
August 15th, 2006
| Updated: September 2, 2006