Fully Involved, at Firehouse Subs
A New York Steamer ordered "fully involved," a hot sauce bar named after the founders' own father, and the case for why a sandwich chain's branding can be this good and its app can still be this bad.
The Librarian Abroad
Travels and meals, kept by Mr. Librarian
Notes from the road and from the table — what was worth the trip, what was worth the plate, and what wasn't.
👁 — visits to this page
The Egg Coffee at Trung Nguyên Legend
A tray, a bowl of hot water underneath to keep it warm, and a whipped egg-yolk foam dusted with cocoa — Vietnam's answer to tiramisu in a cup, plus a whole rotating board of specialty drinks worth its own second visit.
The Prosciutto and Brie Panini at St Honoré Boulangerie
A grilled panini of prosciutto and brie on the boulangerie's own baguette, eaten at a sidewalk table in downtown Lake Oswego — worth traveling across the city for, and I did.
Reading the Flavor Board at Salt & Straw
Third stop of the day, twenty minutes after lunch — and a case for why "adventurous" isn't automatically the same thing as "better," at least where ice cream is concerned.
The Sandy Sauce at Cactus Ya Ya
A steak yaya roll and a fried fish taco to close out a Sunday food crawl at a Vancouver institution I've been driving twenty-five minutes to for years — and a case for why the happy hour burger, with a little-known sauce most people never ask about, might be the better order.
The Pink Lady at Artisserie Fine Bakery
A hand-sized dome of almond cake and mirror glaze, a few doors down from lunch — the kind of pastry that looks too good to cut into and tastes better than it looks.
The Chashu at Ramen Ryoma
Three slices of pork in a Hokkaido miso broth, in a strip-mall shop behind a Japanese grocery in Beaverton — and the best bowl of ramen I have eaten on this coast.
Opening the Kitchen
A first entry, and a plain statement of what this notebook is for — roads, tables, and the honest verdict on both.
The Trick with the Peppers, at In-N-Out
A brand-new location on SE 3rd Way, a Double-Double taken apart and rebuilt with pickle brine and pepper juice, and an argument for why nothing else in fast food beats In-N-Out on the ratio that actually matters.
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Archive
- Fully Involved, at Firehouse SubsVancouver, Washington
- The Egg Coffee at Trung Nguyên LegendPortland, Oregon
- The Prosciutto and Brie Panini at St Honoré BoulangerieLake Oswego, Oregon
- Reading the Flavor Board at Salt & StrawLake Oswego, Oregon
- The Sandy Sauce at Cactus Ya YaVancouver, Washington
- The Pink Lady at Artisserie Fine BakeryLake Oswego, Oregon
- The Chashu at Ramen RyomaBeaverton, Oregon
- Opening the KitchenVancouver, Washington
- The Trick with the Peppers, at In-N-OutVancouver, Washington