https://abroad.m8k.io/ Notes from the road and from the table — what was worth the trip, what was worth the plate, and what wasn't. en https://abroad.m8k.io/five-guys-vancouver.html https://abroad.m8k.io/five-guys-vancouver.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000 National Cheeseburger Day, a Vancouver, Washington location that ran out of buns, lettuce, and pickles by six, and a two-hour wait made bearable by free peanuts and better company than expected — plus where this one lands against In-N-Out and Habit. (Vancouver, Washington) food burgers fast food bacon cheeseburger national cheeseburger day peanuts virginia washington vancouver road food https://abroad.m8k.io/pho-hathanh-portland.html https://abroad.m8k.io/pho-hathanh-portland.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Bún chả Hanoi at Pho Hathanh, a Vietnamese restaurant in a converted craftsman house in Portland, Oregon, run by a husband-and-wife team cooking in the style of their hometown. Five out of five, and one of my favorite Asian dishes done right. (Portland, Oregon) food vietnamese hanoi bun cha bun cha hanoi egg rolls rice vermicelli bun dau mam tom fried tofu herb plate portland oregon pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/dough-zone-vancouver.html https://abroad.m8k.io/dough-zone-vancouver.html Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000 A Dough Zone opened on Mill Plain in Vancouver, Washington, and the best dish on the menu turned out to be sitting in the noodle section, not the dumpling case. Five out of five, and worth the trip for the Dan Dan noodles alone. (Vancouver, Washington) food chinese dumplings dan dan noodles xiao long bao soup dumplings steamed pork buns dough zone chains vancouver washington pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/longview-apple-press.html https://abroad.m8k.io/longview-apple-press.html Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000 An afternoon in Longview, Washington running a backyard apple haul — one of them a real Cox's Orange Pippin — through a hand-crank press, well ahead of the actual cider. (Longview, Washington) apples cider cider making apple pressing cox's orange pippin homegrown washington longview pacific northwest fall https://abroad.m8k.io/ondus-vancouver-waterfront.html https://abroad.m8k.io/ondus-vancouver-waterfront.html Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Dinner at Ondus on the Waterfront inside Vancouver, Washington's AC Hotel — a Waterfront Burger a size bigger than it needed to be, a Mediterranean salmon that's good but not quite Oswego Grill-level, and a sizzling garlic shrimp cazuela worth driving across town for on its own. (Vancouver, Washington) food mediterranean seafood garlic shrimp salmon burger cocktails waterfront columbia river vancouver washington ac hotel https://abroad.m8k.io/bark-city-bbq-the-heist-portland.html https://abroad.m8k.io/bark-city-bbq-the-heist-portland.html Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Bark City BBQ, inside The Heist food cart pod in a converted bank building in Portland, Oregon, makes the best barbecue I've ever had — five out of five. The old vault door is still built into the furniture. (Portland, Oregon) food bbq barbecue texas bbq ribs pork ribs food cart food cart pod food truck bank vault bank robbery history the heist bark city bbq tacos fita carne asada ribeye tacos coca-cola woodstock reed college portland oregon pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/philly-bilmos-tiger-sauce.html https://abroad.m8k.io/philly-bilmos-tiger-sauce.html Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Tiger Sauce, grated parmesan and Italian dressing, on one of the best Italian subs in Vancouver, Washington. A second trip to Philly Bilmos, what Tiger Sauce actually is, and why a shop named for its cheesesteaks earns five stars either way. (Vancouver, Washington) food sandwiches subs italian sub hoagie cheesesteaks philly cheesesteak tiger sauce hot sauce parmesan italian dressing capicola salami provolone pepperoncini red onion amoroso bread boar's head deli philly bilmos vancouver washington pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/tacos-fita-woodstock-portland.html https://abroad.m8k.io/tacos-fita-woodstock-portland.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Tacos Fita is a food truck in a cart pod on SE Woodstock Blvd in Portland, Oregon, and the carne asada taco there is the best in the region — five out of five. The pickled red onions on top make it, and the habanero sauce is no joke. (Portland, Oregon) food mexican tacos carne asada asada pickled onion habanero hot sauce food truck food cart the heist woodstock portland oregon pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/pizza-roma-woodstock-portland.html https://abroad.m8k.io/pizza-roma-woodstock-portland.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Pizza Roma is a slice-and-pie counter on SE Woodstock Blvd in Portland, Oregon, with a full bar, video poker and a back room lined with pinball machines. Three out of five for the pizza itself — fine, nothing more — but the room around it is doing a lot of the work. (Portland, Oregon) food italian pizza pizza by the slice pasta meat lovers pepperoni sausage arcade pinball video poker woodstock portland oregon pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/pho-hung-82nd-portland.html https://abroad.m8k.io/pho-hung-82nd-portland.html Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Most people never learn the actual mechanics of eating a bowl of pho — what the little cup of onion and vinegar is for, or how to build the bite. Five out of five at Pho Hung on 82nd in Portland, Oregon, and here's the method. (Portland, Oregon) food vietnamese pho beef pho hanh dam pickled onion hoisin sauce sriracha thai basil bean sprouts 82nd avenue portland oregon pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/pdx-worlds-most-beautiful-airport.html https://abroad.m8k.io/pdx-worlds-most-beautiful-airport.html Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 PDX's new main terminal actually won a real World's Most Beautiful Airport award — a nine-acre wood ceiling built from timber sourced within 300 miles. (Portland, Oregon) notes architecture airports mass timber portland oregon pacific northwest pdx https://abroad.m8k.io/jack-in-the-box-vancouver.html https://abroad.m8k.io/jack-in-the-box-vancouver.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 A Friday-night run to the Jack in the Box on NE 117th in Vancouver, Washington — decent fast food, three out of five, the honest kind of meal you eat because you're busy rather than because you're excited about it. The Sourdough Jack earns its keep. The two tacos might be the cheapest food on the planet, and nobody at the company will actually call them beef tacos. (Vancouver, Washington) food fast food burgers tacos sourdough jack washington road food late night food https://abroad.m8k.io/chuckie-pies-lake-oswego.html https://abroad.m8k.io/chuckie-pies-lake-oswego.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 I went back to Chuckie Pies in Lake Oswego for the pizza I had been bookmarking since July, and came away talking about the rigatoni Bolognese instead. Ten-inch Neapolitan pies out of a wood oven, a seriously Italian wine list with a Barbaresco on it, and the best Bolognese I have had since the south of France. (Lake Oswego, Oregon) food pizza oregon lake oswego neapolitan bolognese rigatoni pasta sausage pizza wood-fired oven italian wine patio https://abroad.m8k.io/habit-burger-vancouver.html https://abroad.m8k.io/habit-burger-vancouver.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 A free Double Char that showed up in the app for my birthday, a surfboard bolted to a brick wall two thousand miles from the nearest one, and the honest case — onion rings and spicy ranch included — for why Habit edges out my beloved In-N-Out, strictly at the fast-food level. (Vancouver, Washington) food burgers fast food double char onion rings spicy ranch california washington vancouver road food https://abroad.m8k.io/saburos-portland.html https://abroad.m8k.io/saburos-portland.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Saburo's Sushi House in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood is a once-or-twice-a-year drive across the river, and the Seared Salmon is the reason. Five stars, huge portions, prices that aren't terrible for what shows up on the plate. (Portland, Oregon) food sushi japanese seared salmon nigiri sushi rolls sellwood portland oregon pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/philly-bilmos-vancouver.html https://abroad.m8k.io/philly-bilmos-vancouver.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Philly Bilmos is a cheesesteak shop in Vancouver, Washington, and the sandwich that got five stars here wasn't the cheesesteak — it was the Italian sub, dressed at the table with its own oil, vinegar and parmesan. The best one I've had. (Vancouver, Washington) food sandwiches subs italian sub hoagie cheesesteaks capicola salami provolone pepperoncini deli philly bilmos vancouver washington pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/broken-rice-portland.html https://abroad.m8k.io/broken-rice-portland.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Broken Rice is a Vietnamese cart off 82nd Avenue in Portland, Oregon, serving grilled pork over com tam — broken rice — with a fish sauce that's milder than expected and genuinely good. Five stars, indoor seating if it's raining, worth the drive despite the block it's on. (Portland, Oregon) food vietnamese broken rice com tam grilled pork fish sauce food cart 82nd avenue portland oregon pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/black-angus-vancouver.html https://abroad.m8k.io/black-angus-vancouver.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The New York strip was okay at best, the ribeye was dry and thin — ironic, for the cut that's supposed to be the fatty one — and both landed on the table only a little warmer than the room. Everyone who worked there was kind about it. Three stars: glad I went, and next time I'll ask them to hurry. (Vancouver, Washington) food steak steakhouse ribeye new york strip cowboy cookie loaded baked potato soup campfire feast tri-tip burnt ends avocado dip pineapple upside down cheesecake chains vancouver washington pacific northwest service https://abroad.m8k.io/anoush-deli-vancouver.html https://abroad.m8k.io/anoush-deli-vancouver.html Sat, 08 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The lamb and beef gyro at Anoush Deli in Vancouver, Washington might be the meatiest one I've had in this part of town. Three stars: I wouldn't drive across the city for it, but it's a generous, genuinely good gyro from a place that's part halal deli and part Eastern European grocery. (Vancouver, Washington) food gyro lamb beef feta dolmades stuffed grape leaves tzatziki halal deli armenian international market borscht pelmeni vancouver washington pacific northwest fourth plain https://abroad.m8k.io/uptown-barrel-room.html https://abroad.m8k.io/uptown-barrel-room.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The Black and Bleu Burger at the Uptown Barrel Room on Main Street in Vancouver, Washington is eighteen dollars and the best burger I have had in a long time — a blackened Angus patty under melting bleu cheese and bacon. Five stars, which on this site means worth crossing a city for, and I would. (Vancouver, Washington) food burgers black and bleu burger cheeseburger bleu cheese wine bar steaks pizza uptown barrel room uptown village main street vancouver washington pacific northwest service https://abroad.m8k.io/muchas-gracias-ne-76th.html https://abroad.m8k.io/muchas-gracias-ne-76th.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The quesabirria at Muchas Gracias Mexican Food on NE 76th in Vancouver, Washington is genuinely good, and the consomé that comes with it is thinner than it ought to be. Three stars: glad I went, and I wouldn't cross town for it — plus a sun turned red by wildfire smoke on the way home. (Vancouver, Washington) food mexican quesabirria birria tacos consomé torta street tacos carne asada fries muchas gracias chains orchards vancouver washington pacific northwest wildfire smoke https://abroad.m8k.io/applebees-mill-plain.html https://abroad.m8k.io/applebees-mill-plain.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The new O-M-Cheese Burger at the Applebee's on Mill Plain in Vancouver, Washington, earns its name — melted into a skillet of queso, it's one of the best cheeseburgers I've had in a while. The room around it has had a harder time; the old bar that used to be the neighborhood's actual water hole isn't, quite, anymore. (Vancouver, Washington) food burgers o-m-cheese burger cheeseburger wonton tacos applebee's chains mill plain vancouver washington pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/wendy-bohon-lmt.html https://abroad.m8k.io/wendy-bohon-lmt.html Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Five stars for Wendy Bohon, LMT, a massage therapist working out of a converted house in Vancouver, Washington, that smells like essential oils. (Vancouver, Washington) massage massage therapy wellness self-care vancouver washington https://abroad.m8k.io/la-provence-vancouver.html https://abroad.m8k.io/la-provence-vancouver.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 A French bakery on Mill Plain with a line out the door, a mezzanine, and a bottle of house sauce said to hold twenty-four ingredients. I ordered the salmon Benedict, which was very good, and spent the rest of the meal quietly wishing I had ordered the ham one. (Vancouver, Washington) food french bakery brunch eggs benedict salmon hollandaise hot sauce croissant strawberry jam hash browns canelé kouign-amann papillon macarons pastry vancouver washington pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/red-robin-mill-plain.html https://abroad.m8k.io/red-robin-mill-plain.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000 A national chain in an East Vancouver strip is precisely what a travel notebook is supposed to skip. Except this one started at a corner in Seattle, there is a photograph of that corner hanging in the lobby, and the MadLove is one of the best burgers I have eaten anywhere. (Vancouver, Washington) food burgers madlove jalapeño relish steak fries chains vancouver washington seattle pacific northwest https://abroad.m8k.io/our-lady-of-sorrows.html https://abroad.m8k.io/our-lady-of-sorrows.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The morning after a padlocked gate on SE Woodstock, driving back down the same street to collect my car, I looked up and found a church that had been named for the occasion. (Portland, Oregon) notes portland oregon signs https://abroad.m8k.io/dicks-primal-kitchen.html https://abroad.m8k.io/dicks-primal-kitchen.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The kitchen here is doing something genuinely uncommon — 100% grass-fed and finished beef, a menu built to be taken apart and rebuilt. Then some time after nine they padlocked the back gate with my car still behind it, and that is why this entry has one star instead of four. (Portland, Oregon) food burgers grass-fed brussels sprouts goat cheese balsamic portland oregon https://abroad.m8k.io/firehouse-subs-vancouver.html https://abroad.m8k.io/firehouse-subs-vancouver.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000 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. (Vancouver, Washington) food sandwiches subs fast food washington road food https://abroad.m8k.io/trung-nguyen-legend.html https://abroad.m8k.io/trung-nguyen-legend.html Sun, 26 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000 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. (Portland, Oregon) food coffee vietnamese oregon portland https://abroad.m8k.io/st-honore-boulangerie.html https://abroad.m8k.io/st-honore-boulangerie.html Sun, 26 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000 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. (Lake Oswego, Oregon) food bakery french oregon lake oswego