Gastro Monkey // 美食家

A post about a Filipino restaurant has been long overdue on my part. I probably could think of a few excuses for what took so long, but I'll skip that part. Filipino food has a special place in my heart because my dad grew up in Cebu, and my best friend growing up was (and of course still is) Filipino. My dad loves sharing the Filipino part of his life, and I spent way too much time at my friend's house eating all of their food (I feel like I should be more embarrassed that I was known to everyone for eating a lot. It was embarrassing for my mom because it made it look like she didn't feed me). Not only did I grow up on some of the best Szechuanese and Taiwanese food around (my grandma used to teach classes in Seattle because everyone loved her food that much, and it really was that good. I'm not just saying it because she's my grandma); I also had the great pleasure of having some of the best Filipino food around courtesy of my best friend's Nanay, her mom, a...

I feel like every time I get caught up with my posts, I fall behind again. Well, except for the fact I am still trying to post all of the tasty restaurants from Taiwan. I supposed it's the delicious price to pay for going so often! With those, I definitely feel a sense of urgency as who knows when it will close for good? I know I am always disappointed when I hear about a restaurant and make the effort to go, only to find that it had shuttered already. In the case of Galatoire's, there is no urgency. It's one of those stalwart restaurants where it wouldn't matter. It was a change in pace for all of us since we had just eaten at  Compère Lapin  the night before. New New Orleans, and Old New Orleans. Since I was there with someone I believe I could fully trust with food in New Orleans, he ordered all of our appetizers, and suggested that I order the veal chops. While I can see Galatoire's being the kind of place that tourists will come to, I can see why locals come...

It's been super hot lately (today's high is 106F), and what better way to cool down (other than jumping into a pool) than to grab some ice cream? Usually when I want ice cream, I go to either Gunther's or The Parlor: but, I still like trying new places! Sometimes I just search randomly for new food and dessert places because you never know what will pop up! Devil May Care had been sitting in my Yelp to-do list for a while, so I finally made the effort to swing by. Using all natural ingredients, they are as close to Portland style ice cream I have had outside of Portland. Their flavors change constantly, and they like using local and seasonal fruits. So sad I didn't get to try the Bike Dog Milk Stout (as I do like that beer - which is incidentally brewed not far from Devil May Care) because it sounded delicious! I got to try quite a few of the flavors, but took her advice and went with the Girl Scout Cookie Lemonade paired with the Blueberry Sherbet. As I sit he...

I love these events that the SPCA has. Sometimes they're "Yappy Hour" but this time it was "A Dog's Night Out!" It's a partnership between local breweries and the SPCA. They bring some dogs (and like Wednesday night, sometimes they bring a feline friend) who are looking for homes. The problem with these events for me is that I can't adopt a dog right now (maybe if I could work from home?) because I wouldn't be able to give him the time I think he deserves, but seeing them there makes me want to take them all home. Honestly, if I could, I would just have a farm filled with stray cats and dogs. Special preference for unwanted chows. Back to Wednesday Night! I actually had never heard of Big Stump before. It's pretty fantastic that so many breweries are popping up over town. Even better when they have good beer and awesome brewmasters. The beer menu is posted outside, but it is also posted next to the register and taps. The space has high c...