Beckie's [Oregon]

Nodding in unison if often a good sign when it comes to a restaurant recommendation. Such was the reaction of three park rangers at the Crater Lake Information Center when asked for a mom&pop lunch stop on our way out.

Located along a tiny stretch of town called Union Creek, Beckie's was exactly my cup of tea--a gem in the rough for the locals. At first I got stares and attributed it to my exotic Asian-ness, but quickly spotted my brethren and realized that I was just as strange as the Caucasian city folk sitting one booth over. I'm sure it didn't help that I kept whipping out my camera to snap photos of the "authentic" bikers sitting at the bar.

Anyways, Beckie's is a hybrid of rustic charm and the hoarse reality of a waitress' raspy smoker voice. The menu is comprised of mostly sandwiches and burgers and after a 3-hour hike, I was ready to indulge.

-- Is the chicken sandwich fried?
-- The patty is deep fried.
-- Good. I'll take one of those.

My chicken was patiently drained of its excess grease and did the job of satiating my appetite. My boyfriend's patty melt was drowned by the grease of its grilled onions and while neither were extraordinary, they were within our expectations for a middle-of-nowhere break.

While we caught wind of the legendary pies, we missed the ball when it came to ordering. Apparently, marionberries and huckleberries grow in the fields outside the restaurant and are picked fresh and baked into pies every morning. Instead, we opted for a slice of peach pie that fell flat of our expectations. The pie crust while thin, wasn't cooked through and the gelatin that suspended out peaches, while functional, had no flavor. On the other hand, the peaches were abundant, ripe, and ready for the eatin'.

Beckie's Cafe
56484 Highway 62
Prospect, Oregon 97536
541-560-3565

Bakesale Betty [Berkeley]

Bakesale Betty - Better than yo' grandmama's secret family recipe

For being as brainy as they are, Berkeley students seldom venture far form the 2-mile bubble that the campus seems to be under. While this puts them in proximity of overpriced downtown eats for the theater set and passable dorm alternatives, they are far from the Foodaholic Anonymous concentrations of Elmwood, Temescal, Rockridge, the San Pablo Corridor, West Berkeley, and Fourth Street—in other words, they have overlooked everything that Berkeley has to offer an aspiring palate.

Perhaps it was that I lived too far (1.5 miles) to be bothered with campus parking (I never went to class) or the twenty minute walk, but I always made an effort to explore my neighborhood and its culinary communes.

Famished from my apartment and furniture hunt, I went in search of something to satisfy both my budget and well-honed Berkeleyan sentiments about food. I remembered an article about Bakesale Betty’s cult favorite Fried Chicken Sandwich ($7.25) and decided to celebrate my return with the non-diet-friendly indulgence.

I had been to Betty’s for a pastry and coffee one morning and while it was busy, it was nowhere near as bustling as the lunchtime crowd gathered on the sidewalk tables. As I was about to walk in the store, a baker came out and stopped at each table to deliver fresh baked cookies. Rats! I missed the free sampling!

Although I already had an item in mind, I couldn’t help but lust after the endless trays of peaches waiting to baked into today’s pies and the strawberry shortcakes gleaming from behind the glass cases. The guy at the cash register may have been flirting with me, but I was too smitten to hear a thing he said.

But alas, I was practicing moderation and went on my way after receiving my brown paper bag with said sandwich waiting inside. I made the mistake of ordering it to-go so I could eat while driving and ended up having to pull over because the darned thing was just too big and messy for my tiny little lap.

Bakesale Betty's Fried Chicken Sandwich

The sandwich is accompanied by the mildly spicy version of coleslaw that omits the mayonnaise in favor of a mustard vinaigrette. The heat in the flavoring is contrasted by the cooler temperature and texture of the cabbage. If that's crunchy or spicy enough for you, there's also the twice-fried, buttermilk-battered chicken to take into account.

The white-meat cut of chicken breast--or breasts, I should say (mine came with two)--doesn't skimp on moisture or flavor. The secret lies in the frying batter, which is generously seasoned with salt, pepper, and cayenne to give the chicken a kick worthy of an Emeril BAM. I was worried when I saw the trays of chicken waiting around to be served, but my de-boned, de-skinned, and de-feathered friends stayed crunchy till the last bite.

If that weren't enough to entice you, I've got four syllables: ja-la-pe-nos. Sliced fresh and served in the vinaigrette. The Acme torpedo rolls are a perfect choice to compliment the fillings.

While the recipe was recently published in the Chronicle, why would you risk burning yourself with frying oil when you could get the stuff made fresh from the source. Betty's fried chicken rings in at staggering 995 calories, so if your figure-concious like me, save half for tomorrow, making sure to bake all of the elements separately in the toaster oven before enjoying.

Bakesale Betty's
5098 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 985-1213

Porto's Bakery [Glendale]

Although we were right next door at Damon's for June's Yelp Elite event, we arrived five minutes after Porto's 7 o'clock closing. I wasn't about to let that happen a second time around and popped by on my way back from the Kwik-E-Mart down the street.

The demure storefront hides the megalithic 2-story party supply and cake shop that lie behind Porto's doors. Designed to handle downtown Glendale's lunch traffic, the bakery is divided into two sides with the left counter serving lunch orders for sandwiches and popular bakery items and the right being the full-service bakery. Just queue up if you're in line at the lunch counter, but remember to take a number if you're waiting on the bakery.

We started with a trio of strudels (guava cheese, apple and guava) whose pastry shells were slightly cookie-like and crumbled more than they flaked. The apples were generously dusted with cinnamon spice, though we couldn't taste the cheese in our guava-cheese strudel. The guava tasted firstly of sugar, but left a refreshing tart aftertaste in our mouths. We also tried one of the new Raspberry Kisses, which reminded me of the Verona cookies filled with raspberry jam. They're a little on the dry side, which begs for tea of milk and I will definitely go back to try the dulce de leche version, which I bet tastes like alfajores.

The Pan con Lechon, a roasted pork sandwich with garlic mojo and onions, was incredibly moist and flavorful, though there was too much meat and too little of everything else. When I did manage to get a bite of onion, the contrast was sublime. If they had used red onions marinated in lime, it would have been heavenly.

And lastly, the legendary Potato Balls, which lived up to the hype and so much more. The fluffy mashed potatoes are lightly fried and filled with a flavorful taco meat. I was already raving even before I discovered the seasoned ground beef, hiding like a buried treasure in the depths of the ball. At $.80 a pop, they are the ultimate comfort food.

Whether its breads, cakes, pastries, empanadas, sandwiches, or tarts, there are certainly enough options at Porto's to keep you coming back for more.

Porto's Party Store & Cake Gallery
315 N Brand Blvd
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 956-5996