Roadfood_ Revised Edition - Jane Stern [257]
Fuller’s Coffee Shop
136 N.W. Ninth Ave.
503–222–5608
Portland, OR
BL | $
Off the tourist path but loved by locals, Fuller’s is a taste of the sort of high-quality urban hash house now nearly vanished from most American cities. A man sitting near us at one of the two U-shaped Formica counters mopped the last of some yolk off his plate with a forkful of pancake and declared that he used to eat at Fuller’s nearly every day thirty-two years ago, and as far as he could see, nothing has changed but the prices. “This is a diner where they know how to fry bacon!” he declared. Yes, indeed. An order of bacon is four medium-thick ribbons that are crisp but retain enough pliability so they don’t break at first bite. And the hash browns are a short-order delight, fried so they are a mix of golden crust and soft, spuddy shreds of buttery potato. The pancakes are good, too, and the cinnamon roll, baked fresh each day, is yeasty and tender.
Our favorite thing at Fuller’s is the bread, white or whole wheat. These slices are simple and perfect, especially so when toasted and buttered and accompanying a big, well-rounded breakfast. Jelly and marmalade are set out in ramekins along the counter.
Lunch consists of such blue-plate specials as hot beef and gravy (on the good bread) with mashed potatoes and a corned-beef sloppy joe. There is always interesting seafood: salmon steaks in season, batter-dipped fish and chips, fresh-fried oysters, and big, slightly scary (but easy to eat) egg-battered, fried razor clams with French fries and coleslaw.
Halibut’s
2525 N.E. Alberta St.
503–808–9600
Portland, OR
LD | $$
The best fish and chips in the West? This very well might be the place. When we walked in owner Dave Mackay was at the left side of the restaurant behind the counter, where the row of fry kettles are, proclaiming aloud the beauty of a particular side of salmon. Vivid pink with dense, meaty flesh, it was from the Copper River, of course (Alaska’s coldest). While broiling or grilling it would be grand, this restaurant’s deep-fry skills are equally brilliant, encasing the kingly meat in a thin, fragile crust that is amazingly grease-free and only enhances the essential taste of the fish within. Dave cut the side of fish with practical skill, creating chunks about 2 X 2 X 4 inches for frying.
All kinds of fish are fried here. Halibut comes as four heavy blocks that are moist and sweet, big white hunks of flesh flake off with pieces of crust when you poke a fork into the basket that also contains crunch-crusted French fries. (Malt vinegar is supplied for dressing the spuds.) Also of note on the menu are Dungeness crab cakes, four flat ones, very crabby and nicely spiced with a red-gold crust. The restaurant’s subtitle is “Fish/Chips and Chowder,” and the chowder is not to be missed. It is ridiculously thick with clams and potatoes and a surfeit of bacon, available plain in a bowl or with Alaskan bay shrimp added.
Halibut’s is a casual bar with raucous blues playing on the speakers (or performed live many nights). There is a happy hour menu and a long list of such whoop-de-doo cocktails as the ultimate margarita, a mai tai, and a refreshing lemon drop, made with fresh-squeezed lemons, Absolut Citron, triple sec, and Bacardi Limon and served in a goofy-stemmed martini glass.
Mo’s
622 S.W. Bay Blvd.
541–265–2979
Newport, OR
LD | $$
Surrounded by a dockside sprawl of fish markets, seafood-packing companies, and stores that advertise they will smoke any fish, meat, or fowl you bring in, Mo’s is famous for its chowder. Thick and creamy, it is stocked with pieces of clam and has a faintly smoky taste. A good variation on the theme is Mo’s slumgullion, which is the chowder enriched with shrimp—a terrific combination, and with a salad and a hunk of bread, a royal supper. Comfort-food aficionados will want to know about scalloped oysters, a lavish baked-together combination of butter, cream, crackers, and oysters. You