OCHO

Full disclosure: I don’t like burritos, especially those being slung at the newly opened OCHO at its miniature outpost on Congress Street. As for ramen dishes, well, here again, I’m not nuts over ramen of any kind (too many carbs), but there’s a great story of potential at Suzukiya that’s worth keeping an eye on beyond the inchoate muss and fuss. Should Pai Men Miyake take notice?  Will Kei Suzuki’s homemade organic noodles topple Masa Miyake’s domain?  I don’t think so.  They’re worlds apart and it’s nice to have a choice.

The dining room at Suzukiya and inside OCHO

The dining room at Suzukiya and inside OCHO

Here’s the snapshot wrap on OCHO.   Basically this is full-blown Americanized Mexican wrap that’s as common as a tuna melt, except the latter is more appealing.  But then I admit I’ve never had a real burrito, the kind that you’d find in a Tex-Mex or Cali-Mex kitchen or in various regions of Mexico.  What I dislike about the thoroughly American version as we know it in its ubiquitous Northeast guise is its doughy unctuousness, further assaulted when it’s stuffed to the gills with gook.  Yuck.  It’s like having a bubble gum sandwich on Wonder Bread.

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In the pantheon of Portland’s lunch and brunch jungle Sur-Lie is the sleeper in the group.  In fact it receives so little attention when it should be a bold-face contender.  They ‘ve already established their might at dinner, but I urge all you foraging diners to take a turn down Free Street for innovative food from their lunch and Sunday brunch menus.

The dining room is flooded in sunlight at lunch and brunch

The dining room is flooded in sunlight at lunch and brunch

Chef Emil Rivera’s particular sense of taste delivers some of the best cooking in town. At lunch, for instance, the prix fixe $15 4-course menu packs quite a wallop of flavor and value; I love the idea that you can walk out with a dessert packet to take back to your office or nibble on as you walk down the street.  See the menu below.

The lunch menu served Tuesday to Saturday; the dining bar

The lunch menu served Tuesday to Saturday; the dining bar

On Sunday, however, I had the chance to experience their food when I stopped in for a late brunch around 2:00 PM.  My original plan was to visit the new OCHO—Otto Pizza’s food iteration to launch burrito mania only to see a sign on the door saying in part, “Closed…to collect ourselves, regain our bearings and figure out how to better serve you.”

The 5 by 10 service counter at OCHO

The 5 by 10 service counter at OCHO

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