Cheese A Day: Why Haven't I Gone To This Restaurant Before

Cheese Makers Forum FAQ Equipment part 1 Equipment part 2 History

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Why Haven't I Gone To This Restaurant Before

I've heard about it for several years, but I had never gone to Papa's Soul Food Kitchen before today. This is sad since I have read about and tried to cook Southern BBQ many times (mostly with success, I see in hindsight), so the better-half and I today decided to stop by for lunch after enjoying the Ninkasi beer tasting room. What can I say, this was a pleasant afternoon that will be remembered for the ages.

First off, Ninkasi is the rising star of micro breweries in Oregon. Just in care you don't know Oregon, that is saying a lot. We have *tons* of micros, and we are rightly proud of each and every one of them, but Ninkasi has captured the minds and spirit of the community. The beer is excellent, the culture is fantastic (fill your own keg for $55? Sign me up!), and the location is really helping to gentrify a great part of town. Ninkasi, the only reason I would ever have to hate you is if I started up my own brewery, so I think we are safe :D

After sampling the Tricerahops, Total Domination IPA, Spring Rein, and Vanilla Hop Otis (all were excellent), we headed down to Papa's. I didn't really know what to think until I was a block from the establishment.

Then it hit me.

.....gggghhhaaaAAAAAaaaahhhhh......

The lovely, lovely smoke aroma was incredible. I have only smelled that aroma at home, smoking my own meals. I didn't actually know if I had been smoking correctly, but the smell enveloping that block was positive reinforcement in the extreme.

My better-half had a soft shelled crab sandwich, and I had a North Carolina pulled pork sammie, and both were effing awesome. The service was just the right blend of attentive-but-not-annoying, the ambiance was beautiful, and the food was just the right amount of yeah-this-took-hours-to-make + we-pull-this-off-all-the-time.

I really have no comparison BBQ-wise, except 1) I know what I like, and 2) I know what peeps on the Internet say. So I gotta say this little journey, Ninkasi -> Papa's is life-altering. So, so, so delicious. If you are in Oregon, this is one of those things you *must* do, even if the details aren't exactly correct

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Creative Commons License

Cheese A Day by Jeremy Pickett is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at cheeseaday.blogspot.com.

Kicking and Screaming into the Kitchen
The Weekday Vegetarian
Washington Cheese Guild
The Dairy Show
Serious Eats
So Good
Schack Farm
Cheese Wire
FU Cheese
Cheese Forum
BBQ Bretheren
Savor PDX

Roasted Garlic and Onion Hummus
Simple, delicious, though non-traditional take on hummus. Whether you've made hummus or not, give this recipe a try.

Belhaven 90 Shilling
Ten gallon, all grain clone of the Wee Heavy Scottish ale Belhaven 90 shilling.

Theakston Old Peculiar
Ten gallon, all grain clone of the wonderful British beer Old Peculiar.

Squash and Tomato Tartlets
Two recipes, one for butternut squash tartlets, and the other for tomato tartlets. Two different approaches to savory pastry that are both delicious, and easy.

"Instant Ramen" From scratch
Do you like ramen? Do you like tasty ramen? Do you like to put a lot of work but not much money into a noodle based soup? Then this is for you!

All Grain IPA
An attempt at an all grain, 10 gallon version in the spirit of our favorite local microbreweries.

Newcastle Brown Ale
All grain, 10 gallon recipe for Newcastle Brown Ale that will make you famous and generally more awesome.

Asparagus Tartlets
These little tartlets are delicious, straightforward, and not your average pastry.

Easy Kimchi
Making spicy, fermented cabbage is easy and much cheaper than buying it. This simple formula will get you on the way to making world class kimchi in very little time.

No-Egg Chocolate Pudding
Chocolate pudding is a wonderful dessert, and this recipe is dead simple. There are a couple of things that you do need to do, and a few things that you absolutely must not do, but as long as you follow those directions it is pretty foolproof.

British Bangers
British sausages, i.e. bangers are delicious, and with the right equipment quite easy to make. This recipe explains some simple techniques for making your own authentic banger at home.

Bagels
Here is a modern take on how to make bagels, without the 12 hour fermentation that traditional recipes require, but still with a big full flavor and chewy delicious texture.

Russian Dressing
Once a popular condiment, Russian dressing is getting harder and harder to find. Here is a great recipe that can be used on sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie.

Caraway Sauerkraut
Kraut with a hint of caraway sounds like the perfect accompaniment to a Reuben sandwich in my opinion, and here is how you can make it.

Halloumi
Ever heard of a cheese that doesn't melt, and can be grilled on the barbecue? I hadn't either until I ran into the cheese called Halloumi.

Ginger Ale with Lavender
A delicious adult soft drink that packs a big ginger taste, but has about a quarter the calories of regular soda pop.

Fried Curd
Have more cheese curd than can fit in your press? Deep fry it!

Lasagna for One
A simple, delicious pasta dish perfect for spring and a snap to make.

Tilapia Fish Pie
So good, do not miss this one even if the term 'Fish Pie' puts you off.

Simple Hard Cheese
This is a recipe for a Jack like cheese that doesn't require a cheese press to make. The only specialized ingredient is rennet.

Techniques

The Pickett Press
Here is how to build a very large capacity cheese press for 10-20 gallon batches for less than $20 brand new. Warning--reading these instructions may result in an extreme obsession for Very Large Cheese (VLC).

How To Use Cheesecloth
Using cheesecloth for pressed cheeses can be a little bit frustrating. Here is a technique that is really easy to set up and gives great results.

How to cut curd
Baffled by cutting the curd and draining the whey? Well, wait no longer and check out this quick little tutorial on how to get the most whey out of your curd.