Where is the Best Japanese Food in Portland, Oregon?
I’ve eaten around at a lot of other sushi restaurants… and a lot of japanese restaurants and can honestly say, this is the best place around. The staff can get a little rushed… and the food can get to your table a little on the slow side on a busy night… but, when you look around the room, you can understand why. I’ve sat and talked to the sushi chefs, and they make all of the sushi by hand. The sushi rolls are made with the best nori I have ever had. They use real crab which is hard to find. Fresh fish arrive almost daily and it shows in the quality of the fish. The best dishes they offer from the kitchen are Butasyoga (stir fried ginger pork), and the very simple ZaruSoba (cold buckwheat noodles with a cold dipping sauce). For those who love Sake`, this place is the best place for the best selection. There isn’t a bad sake` on the menu! I wouldn’t recommend the Sake` Sampler… $12 for three 2oz glasses is a little too steep for my tastes. But, when the small sizes for almost e
Stop #2 on the Udon and Roe show….our 2-man sushi review tour of PDX. This is by far, the #1 kaiten-zushi (sushi-go-round) restaurant I have dined at. Upon arrival, the attentive waiter must have noticed us eyeing the recently emptied booth (as it was very busy). He quickly had it cleared and seated us straight away. Instead of the typical dissappearing act that many servers at kaiten restaurants do, our waiter took our drink orders immediately (two 21oz kirins, foregoing the traditional sake bombs). Roe first grabbed for the salmon. If this did not pass his test the review would end after one plate. The freshness and buttery taste caused him to shriek with excitement like a 12 year old girl w/ front row seats to Hanna Montana. I, as usual, first tried the tamago (egg omelet) which is always a good indication of things to come. It was soft and sweet, not chewy at all, so I knew we’d be in for a decent sushi experience. The maguro was excellent, the rainbow roll was de-lish,
Biwa has food that, frankly, I would eat every damn day of my life. For example:Hiyyakko: Cold Ota (Portland Local!) Tofu with Bonito FlakeHomemade Kimchi: Need I say more.Deepfried Homemade Kimchi: Even Better? Hell yes.Chicken Karaage: Melts in your Mouth. Chicken fat never tasted so good.Miso Scallop: Perfectly GrilledBeef Tartar w/Quail Egg: Order 2 of ’emOnigiri with Umeboshi Plum: The best I have ever had in any Japanese establishment. (Sorry, Seattle)Their wine and sake and shochu selections are fun and thoughtful and offer great deals as well as special rarities. Yes, portions can be small, but when sharing and ordering smart, you can leave full after spending less than $20. If you sit at the bar, even better as the bar offers certain menu items at a discounted price. If you go nuts, yes you can run up quite a bill. My loverman and I have eaten Izakaya all over the west coast, and Biwa takes the cake for quality, consistency and presentation. I take issue with
