GorMehta

A Food Blog

10/21/2026

Screen Door: Portlanders love lining up at wee hours of the morning for mediocre breakfast food. Being one of them, I chose to do the same. After waiting in line for 30 minutes and taking a stroll through the Chic Pearl District, I finally had got a table at the famous Screen Door, the “best” fried chicken in Portland. Unfortunately being Portland, it was ass. As you peruse the following pictures, only one conclusion can ultimately be made. The simulacrum of aesthetic culture is bound to break when it encounters any sort of living experience. I am not near the South anymore. Dare I say it, this meal was an insult to Southern breakfast. - - 6/10

I started off with the Southern classic, fried green tomatoes. Towards the end of the growing season, these unripe fruits are harvested before weather takes them, creating a delicacy that has apparently diffused all the way to Pacific Northwest. Despite being served hot and heavy, the thin starch heavy breading could not adhere to the solanaceous bounty, dissecting itself in my own hands. Breading deserves at least some crunch, but the modus operandi of the Screen appears to be crispness, rather than that overt crunch I was missing. The tomatoes seemed good quality at least, no idea why they needed a remoulade.

What I was looking most forward to was the chicken with gravy. You know how much I love gravy. I could write a novel about my love of the viscous ichor emulsion of fat and flavor but instead I will write about my dissatisfaction. Despite my order being called “Chicken & Biscuits,” it was more like chicken parm and biscuit. The boneless chicken, which seems to be a pattern in this city that fears self-reflection and conscientiousness, came breaded like the tomato, far too thin and with a distinct lack of crunch. Maybe the trend of overengineering food has reached its zenith, as despite the moist interior of the chicken, bones would have done it much better and allowed me to reflect on the chicken sacrificed to my stomach. What was worse was the gravy that smothered it was overwhelmingly herbal. I am used to the traditional, maybe a hint of sage in a sausage gravy. What I received was a more akin to an alfredo, w

10/20/2026

Canard: In humans, fatty liver disease is a global pandemic. Induced by civilization and the diseases that come with so called “progress,” humanities cruelty also forces this pathology using its cruel but “life-sustaining” practice, domestication. Fattiness and therefore fatty liver has been purposely induced in fowl for millennia as well, but more recently, ethical qualms, not about the concept of human centered domestication, but the particular practice of inducing overabundance to ducks and geese, has become controversial. The hypocrisy of Anthropocene ethics knows no bounds, as how can treating animals as human become controversial? This practice has also induced another extremely virulent disease: Foie Fever. The unearthly sweetness of this “natural” meat butter is unreplicable but difficult to describe to the uninitiated. At this poultry, or should I say foie gras, themed restaurant it was hard to miss. Overall, Foie Gras is to die for, just ask the fowl. - - 8.75/10

My appetizer dumplings came filled with it, while being served over a savory, slightly smokey leek broth, adornished with pear and scallion. An al dente chew with just a hint of sweetness was then enveloped by a wave of sweet, meaty richness, the ubiquitous foie gras. This was a foie gras soup dumpling and it may have been the best bite I have ever tasted.

Thematically, I had to the “Duck Stack,” a conceptually Quebeçois pancake and gravy platter, with the ubiquitous foie gras of course(despite the $20 dollar surcharge). Unfortunately, a Michelin star pancake is still a pancake. It came pre-syruped and ended up tasting like a McGriddle bun but make it bourgeois. A rich, irony, duck meat gravy was heaped over this stack à la poutine, with the yolk of the egg running over all this. I later found out it was a duck egg, but it was indistinguishable on the plate. The line cook, who was definitely having a stressful evening, almost forgot my foie. The foie had difficulty in this dish, being already so rich and sweet, its delicate flavors were easily masked by the already rich plate. The fat did not render all the way despite its crusted exterior, which also masked its innate goodness. The plate

10/14/2026

Pig Patas Tacos: This place is somewhere in North Portland, not exactly sure where. The end times are upon us anyway, as it was $4 dollars for one serving of chips and salsa. The measly portion of chips was fresh, but the fresh salsa was one dimensional tomato sweetness and cilantro heavy herbal notes but not much else. Somehow, tacoflation was less, as a taco still ran $4. Unfortunately, no tripas, lengua, or suadero here, just the classics. Because of this, I opted for the smoky sweet al pastor burrito, in an attempt to maximize my dollar. Sadly, the burrito had no definitive meat flavor but some char and no pastor sweetness. No notes of pineapple at all, rather some grainy bites of hard collagen which made me question whether this had even come from a shawarma. There was an abundance of other toppings, yet the beans added no depth or flavor, not even salinity. The only positive was the extremely spicy salsa de arbol, which obfuscated my taste buds enough to tolerate this $14 dollar disappointment. I was less of a fan of the smoky, slightly sweet salsa de morita, but it did have a unique flavor profile. You know it is a bad sign when you fail the beans test, and I don’t think I was the desired clientele despite the league MX on the TV. In fact, I wanted some Pig Patas, but even that was false advertising. - - 6.5/10

10/13/2026

Rosales Taqueria: I love tortas. Their sweet and fluffy bread stuffed with a veritable cornucopia of life giving nourishment. Unfortunately, it was a Tuesday, so no meat. I instead opted for a delicious vegetarian torta: beans, onion, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and aguacate(avocado). Knowing my olfactory and gustatory nervous system would likely require further stimulation, I requested it extra spicy. The lovely owner-operator, lets call her Mrs. Rosales, so obliged. At first bite, I was hit with a potpurri of crunch, smoothness, delicate crumble, and most importantly immense capsaicin induced heat. The rush of both endorphins and flavor created quite an addictive feedback loop. Bite, sip, bite, rest, bite again etc. I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed this sandwich without this salsa picante, as it was as bland as one would expect out of a bunch of vegetables on bread. But with the mere addition of a liberal amount of her spiciest salsa, Señora Rosales created an addictive treat, eaten till it crumbled under the weight of its own sauciness. Now imagine if I got meat. - - 8.5/10

10/13/2026

Toya: So I ended up at a ramen spot in East Portland. Basically, I watched a youtube video and got astroturfed, but they did advertise handmade noodles. Starting off with green beans and mushrooms, these were a combination of sweet and savory. Lightly tossed in a starch thickened sauce with mild salinity, an aftertaste of burnt barbeque melded with the slimy texture of mushroom and hints of seasame. Not bad, but a crunch could have really elevated this light starter. Not feeling to brothy, I went with the “OG” soba. The type 2c hair textured noodles had quite the bite, resistant to the first chew before slowly homogenizing with mastication. A perfectly cooked egg thickened the noodles like a carbonara. In fact, the addition of lightly crisped pork chasu played the role of guanciale, while light seaweed and sesame oil notes added some complexity in the back of this bland dish, despite the hints of garlicky allium at its finish. It was relatively hearty, and I did try the broth of a shoyu black ramen. This could be described as funky, as it had a unique slightly fermented and bitter taste, otherworldly in character and unrelated to any meat I have ever consumed. Overall, I think I just find Japanese food kind of bland, but I do appreciate the effort towards the bite. Maybe it is my disagreement with the Imperial palate, but I wasn’t too impressed. - - 7.5/10

10/10/2026

Andiamo Pizzeria : The closest food to me happens to be desi pizza. Actually it’s just pizza, ran by desi’s of unknown origin, which happen to have Indian and Pakistani style pizzas on their menu. The only difference? Pakistan gets meat while Indian’s are stuck with butter chicken rather than tandoori. Being the nationalist, nation-statist that I am, I had to go for the Indian. Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Now that the idolatry is out of the way, the pizza itself was on a bed of extremely sweet chili sauce, typical Indo-Chinese flavor. The chicken tasted more like paneer or maybe that was just the melted mozzarella. The garnished of tomato, red onion, and cilantro were like the typical side salad of any desi fare, unfortunately salads are better raw. The crust really brought the desi flavors together with a level of yeastiness akin to a naan. It ran quite expensive, definitely priced for the uninitiated gora but not bad. - - 7.5/10

10/08/2026

Grassa: Fast casual lives. This may be a surprising statement. The magniloquent moaning from the media, mentioning the millennial murder of mediocre morsels is mistaken. The impression is the average American cannot afford anything beyond fast casual, so how can it die? This establishment is, of course, not the traditional multinational chain, the very few that can afford the real estate and operating cost required to operate an empire of mediocrity. Rather, it is a tenant in a mixed use urban building providing reasonably priced(in this economy) of Italians inspired fare. Being fast casual, there are obviously other locations, but the fresh pasta’s low barrier to entry makes it both profitable and inviting for the quasi-haute patrons. I ordered the Sunday rigatoni ragu, which can be many things depending on one’s interpretation of ragu. The barely al dente rigatoni pipe was a good conduit for the mellow tomato sauce with chunks of tender, fatty pork providing richness and dulling the acidic intensity of tomato. The cheese added more thickening texture than flavor with the garnish of basil being fresh but sparse, unsure if it is just for the pictures or is intended to actually accentuate the flavor, either-way it was lost in the meaty depths. Texturally, the sauce was not homogenous with meat by any means, with little discernible vegetable chew. Overall, it ran like $16 bucks, a competitive price compared to frozen filler you can get at the national competitors, with a decent portion at that. - - 7.5/10

10/06/2026

Amora: I found myself eating homestyle Ecuadorian cuisine prepared by tres aunties. Unfortunately, the restaurant was quite barren on an otherwise ideal Saturday night. Surrounded by equatorial artifacts and old National Geographics, I immersed myself into a plantain heavy menu. Starting off with platocones con queso, their iteration of tostones needed no introduction. A simple, starchy flat disk with just a hint of the musaceae’s sweetness. It did run a little bland without accompaniment and was not as crisp as I expected. My favorite was the corviche: a plantain dumpling stuffed with fish. A little crisper but with the same sweet, starchiness as the platacones, but the meaty fish it was stuffed with was superb. Flaking delicately with each bite, it was accompanied by a delicately herbal salsa verde with cream and a tomato salad. These were nice accompaniments but still light on the seasoning. The main course was good ol fashioned barbeque drizzled over with the same salsa verde. The assorted meats were cooked till quite well done, unfortunately without the char to make it worth but did finally have appropriate seasoning. I did love the hotdog style chorizo and the cutting bite of a sweet fried plantain in all its mushiness. A real aunty style joint, complete with the evolution of oppressive silence to the orchestra of the kitchen its all its glory. - - 8/10

10/03/2026

Dick’s: A late night dinner of Dick’s. Dick’s is a local Seattle late night burger spot akin to Steak N Shake or In N Out, open till 2 AM. I had prepared well for this excursion, not expecting a Ted Drewes style walk up kiosk of burger salesman. Unsure about what to get, I ordered their two signature burgers, the deluxe and the special. The burgers came real fast. The special was a single patty with lettuce, mayo, and their signature “chopped pickle” which is really relish. The deluxe was the same thing but with another meat and cheese. Unfortunately onions and other condiments cost money, so I thugged it out. The slightly dry patty contrasted with the soft, cloud-like bun. The mayo was much more powerful than the lettuce, adding a nice texture and contrast to the fat needing dish. I could hardly discern the cheese on the deluxe but what stood out was the sweet relish. It was the dominant accessory flavor of the dish, a unique accent I have never tasted before. The acidity and almost cassia like notes, really balanced the whole dish out. It is a taste to be experienced by itself,; a far contrast from the vinegary crunch of the standard pickle. Dick’s flaccid iteration of fries were quite floppy. They must be cooked at such a low temperature that they ended up being oil drums. They were actually pretty decent despite this, like a Five Guys fry for a quarter the price and more conservative seasoning. The almost liquid starch went well with a burger but could have definitely used a reheat in a convection oven. Overall, the pricing was similar to its competitors but probably a little better quality than a Steak N Shake, which I still think owns the cheap burger crown. In-N-Out was definitely blown out of the water, and this is unique sandwich should be relished. - - 8.75

09/28/2026

Duke’s: The Pacific Northwest is world-renowned for its seafood and Duke’s is the name brand local chain, serving up seafood classics. All of the product is sourced from sustainable Alaskan fisheries, as they are big into the ecology thing up here. As a result, it does run a little pricey but that is the nature of the sea. We made it tapas style, ordering some seafood dip and a terrine of classic clam chowder. The chowder came out in a big, shallow serving bowl with complimentary sourdough bread. Very thick with just a base seafood umami of light onion and garlic, the simple chowder was a concentrated essence of the sea. Little chunks of bacon added some salinity, while the small chunks of clam added the real taste of texture of the sea with their firm and sweet flesh. Not overtly spiced, just scattered with warm herbs, the balance on the dish was impeccable and paired well with soft, fresh sourdough and $1 dollar beers. The dip, on the other-hand, did come with nice homemade chips, but tasted like a savory buffalo dip without spice or meat. The dish relief heavily on cream cheese to keep the texture and was difficult to make out any seafood flavor at all. Overall, the chowder was delicious, and now I am inspired to make one at home. The quality of the ingredients did come through, despite eating lightly. - - 7.75/10

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