Archives
Lucky Strike
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
My relocated Bay Area husband is always on the lookout for good Chinese food, so it was sooner rather than later that we headed out to the Sichuan restaurant, Lucky Strike, way way out 122 blocks on the east side, that was just featured as a top restaurant in Portland Monthly. A favorite food accomplice, Kathleen, and her family joined us for our adventure which allowed us to order liberally from the menu. The setting was not what I expected- the restaurant is extremely small but big shall we say in “character.” Oregon Lottery signs feature prominently, and one TV screen was featuring a reality police show in the background. But we came for the food and we were not disappointed on that count- we ordered seven dishes for the five of us and all were very different from your Chinese local. The cuisine being fiery Sichuan notwithstanding, many of the dishes were surprisingly complex: the cumin beef was cooked with both slender celery stalks and their leaves, the Guinness ribs were sweet, but not overly so, and many of us remarked that we could make a meal of them on their own. Even the green beans with black beans (the Beans with Beans) had the intriguing tongue numbing effect of the prickly ash used in this cuisine. The Kimchee Rice built up a fiery heat that seemed to have no limit, but we noticed other tables had ordered the Hot Pepper Chicken Bath that appeared to be nothing but a plate of red peppers. No deaths were reported. We were just as pleased with our bill- a total of $80 even with our adult beverages- note look at the pictures and order the Sapporo beer.
Kathleen Admires the Decor
Guinness Ribs
Green Beans with Black Beans
The House "German Lager"
This place is quite a find in that “totally not Portland” sort of way. It was more like a set straight out of Bladerunner…I kept expecting Harrison Ford and his cyber girlfriend to walk in the door! Amazing food and intense setting.
It did have that gritty Bladerunner edge with the TV and Oregon Lottery signs glowing in the background. It’s worth driving past the “PeepShow” on 122nd to get to.