La Jarochita

La Jarochita is a Mexican food cart located near SW 5th and Oak in downtown Portland, Oregon. This cart has been around for quite some time (the first Yelp review came in October 2007).

A cart may be lucky to stay open for a year (hence why cart owners really like to celebrate these cart "birthdays"). La Jarochita is over four years old. Geez man, that's like...the equivalent of a human supercentenarian.

La Jarochita even has their own adjacent seating area

Even though I arrived around 11 a.m., I'm still a big breakfast person. Here, the breakfast burritos quickly stood out. I ordered the #8 chorizo burrito ($4.99). Diced Mexican sausage, scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, rice, beans, guacamole, and cheese encased inside a heated-up large flour tortilla. Again, I nixed the sour cream.

Breakfast Burrito menu
(January 2012)

Chorizo Breakfast Burrito
(La Jarochita)

Cross-section!

A delicious burrito! The flavors all came together here; a creamy, cheesy experience just wanted to burst onto the wrapping. The flour tortilla was browned up very nicely, a contrast from a steamed, extra pliable tortilla other Mexican restaurants may offer. The beans and perfectly melted cheese helped combine everything together. I would have wanted more chorizo, but it's probably my fault because I didn't ask for a second meat in the burrito. Yup, two meats is still $4.99. Shoulda doubled the chorizo. Or dammit, I should have asked for bacon. Oops. How the hell do you leave bacon out, Aaron?!?! That's basically a party foul!

I also got two containers, one with red salsa and one with green salsa. The red had more kick on the back end, while the green had a milder, cilantro-like taste (could be wrong on that). Not surprisingly, I prefer the red.

No wonder these guys have been around for a while. La Jarochita is open six days a week (closed Sundays) and they open early (7 a.m.). My kind of place! Check them out ASAP! 8.25/10

Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe (Yelp Elite Event)

On January 23, 2012, Yelp Elite members gathered in Beaverton to basically eat all the chocolate and alcohol at Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe.

Dangit, why can't I have reserve stomachs? Even one more stomach would be convenient for occasions like this.

Everything was amazing, as always. Don B. strikes again with another epic event! Already coming in with a full belly (bad idea, Aaron), I still sampled a few chocolates. My personal favorite was the dark chocolate and almond bark with sea salt. The use of dark chocolate allows the sea salt to punch the palate even harder, making it more of a savory experience. Even the bittersweet chocolate cake I sampled was awesome. "Gotta let the food speak for itself." It did. Time for this panda to go to his happy place!

Master chocolatier Julian Rose unveiled his latest truffle creation (available to the public February 1) that uses Pinot Noir. He will have a new creation every month, so be sure to keep going back! That Pinot Noir truffle (wine from Willamette Valley) was breathtaking. A slightly crunchy-hard shell encased a mind-blowing soft chocolaty interior. I'm surprised I didn't start dancing as I ate it. Maybe I coulda set off an impromptu flash mob. I still detected a fruity hint of the Pinor Noir in all that. A true testament to Mr. Rose's skill. Yes, he's one of the 10 best chocolatiers in North America. Now I know why. All the chocolates are stunning, some too beautiful to eat. I'd eventually muster the courage to nosh away, but damn.

I'm sure the milkshakes and the hot cocoa (each laced with House Spirits Coffee Liqueur) were off the charts. People raved about the wine. Heck man, there was beer there! But yeah, gotta be responsible...I had to drive home! Hold the phone...we could take chocolate home with us, too?! Winner winner, chocolate dinner! All we needed was the kitchen sink to make a Yelp appearance!

And see? There's a good reason to have chocolate at night. Enough sugar to stave the food coma off until you reach home. So my stomach felt like I ingested two medicine balls after about 10 hours of eating. No worries! Still had room for chocolate -- and I was up early the next morning for the gym as always!

Enough talk. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves now. Enjoy!

Along with this sampling menu, we could try ANY chocolate in the cases!

One of my personal favorites
Dark Chocolate Almond Bark with Sea Salt

Champagne Raspberry Moose Truffle (foreground)

Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bark

Master Chocolatier Julian Rose with his Pinot Noir Truffles!

Pinot Noir Truffles
Using wine from the Willamette Valley...breathtaking!

The wine that goes in those Pinot Noir Truffles!

Bittersweet Chocolate Layer Cake...amazing!

More free chocolate to take home!

Tried the Creme Brulee Heart Truffle
Again, just out of this world!

Don B. (Yelp Portland) thanking everyone!

Lucky Strike (Part 2)

I returned to Lucky Strike after a friend suggested I give their Szechuan items a shot (the non-Szechuan orange chicken dish was not very good last time). I stopped by on a Monday afternoon, around 4 p.m.

Again, the place was a bit dim as I entered, although brighter than my previous visit because at least the sun was still up this time around. The place had not been open very long, so predictably, only a couple other customers were present.

Spicy drinks!

Szechuan dishes!
(January 2012)

Happy Hour Menu
(January 2012)

Yes...I went for the gusto and ordered the Fish Bath in Spicy Soup ($15). Chunks of fish, enoki mushrooms, greens, and other seasonings in a spicy broth, probably with literally close to fifty red chiles (whole and diced dried chiles).

"Spicy Fish Bath" with Spicy Soup
(Lucky Strike)

Damn. "Would you like some fish and veggies with your chiles?"

Four bombs on the list means quadruple the asskicking. The fish broke down to an incredibly soft nature due to the temperature-hot, spicy soup. While the abundance of chiles left me with recurring coughs (hey, that means this stuff is for real!), I could still appreciate the great individual flavors.

The soup was oily to the infinite degree, and eating a ton of dried chiles is usually not my cup of tea. I think the oils and the chiles combined for an unruly stomach afterward. No worries, folks, I'm fine!

Anyway, if I wanted to do one of those Furious Pete videos (hmm..."One Man, Many Dried Chiles"), then I'd do that. This was overkill, even for me. It won't stop me from trying the other Szechuan items, but I'm not likely to get this one again.

I looked at the Happy Hour menu. 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.? Apparently, Lucky Strike opens an hour earlier now. I'll have to remember that. But dang, spicy drinks? OK, if I can get a friend to be DD, I wanna try one of those drinks! Or maybe all of them. Woohoo! Go for the gusto!

This experience was a vast improvement from the orange chicken debacle. I'd give the spicy fish bath soup an average rating, with a bump up for the spice. Jerald was my server, and I thought he did a good job. Looking forward to the next visit! 7/10 (significant rating increase)

Back to Eden Bakery Boutique

(Please also read Part 2 -- September 2012)

Back to Eden Bakery Boutique is an all-vegan bakery and coffee shop (selling both sweet and savory items) located on NE Alberta in Portland, Oregon.