The Food That Keeps Portland Musicians Playing - Portland Mercury

"Ethiopian food has lots of protein and fiber. Enat (300 N Killingsworth) is great. I am an absolute fiend for doro wat, which is the Ethiopian national dish, a chicken stew. They make the sauce out of a shit ton of onions, which I love. I grew up in an Italian-American family, and Italians have a pasta called genovese, which is also a shit ton of onions. If it has lots of onions, I'm usually pretty sold on it."

"We've gone to Short Round/Crying Tiger (3962 SE Hawthorne) a few times. It's Vietnamese style street food. They have one of my favorite dishes in the world, which is bo la lot. It's like beef kebabs that are wrapped in betel leaf and grilled, so you get all this char."

"Pie Spot (521 NE 24th) has this breakfast sandwich, and you can get it with Spam. Sunrice (4090 N Williams) has a whole fried fish that you can get with a side of rice, but you can also get it on a milk bun, like a breakfast sandwich. I almost felt embarrassed because of how often I was going to get it."

"I love Kau Kau (2026 NE Alberta). If I go with friends, we'll each get a plate and split everything up. I love having your rice, your mac salad, meat jun, mochiko chicken, or lau lau all on one plate. You just pull in a bite from this, a bite from this, you get the savory, the sweet, the tangy."

Musicians name local restaurants and specific dishes used for energy before performances and long recording days. Ethiopian food is valued for protein and fiber, with doro wat highlighted as a chicken stew made with many onions. Vietnamese street food is praised for bo la lot, beef kebabs wrapped in betel leaf and grilled for char. Breakfast spots are recommended for filling sandwiches, including options with Spam and fried fish served with rice or on a milk bun. Comfort food favorites include Kau Kau, where friends share plates of rice, mac salad, meat jun, mochiko chicken, and lau lau for a mix of savory, sweet, and tangy flavors.

Read at Portland Mercury