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Astral and Duality

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Welcome to the ultimate hotspot of the week, where teamwork takes center stage! Picture this: Duality Brewing crafting sensational beer and playing host to natural wines, alongside Astral’s mastery of fresh, delectable small plates. We recently experienced this dynamic duo on a sun-soaked day, and let me tell you, the patio was an absolute paradise.

We started off with a glass of pinot gris, perfectly complementing the sunshine. The rice lager that we tried out next surprised us with its hoppy twist, and felt like a great balance of flavors.

Now, let’s talk about the food – on this visit we tried so many delicious dishes! The Dungeness crab tostada was outstanding, with a swath of avocado mousse, tons of fresh crab, and bursts of rainbow trout roe atop a blue corn tostada. It was sunshine on a plate, fitting for an Oregon spring day. Following suit, the dry-aged Kanpachi crudo was bright and fresh, served with an aguachile of carrot habanero, serrano oil, and shiso, with a rice crisp to scoop it up. For a heartier small plate, we added the nixtamalized sunchokes – rich, earthy, and accompanied by a green goddess dressing and bonito flakes that danced in the breeze. And oh, the grilled fish taco! A generous filet of striped bass, grilled to perfection on their tiny outdoor grill, was a testament to their dedication to freshness and quality.

Every bite and sip at Duality and Astral was a pure delight, heightened by the unbeatable patio setting on a beautiful Portland day. We’re already counting down the days until our next visit, eager to explore more of their menu or simply unwind with a refreshing drink.

You can find more info about Duality Here and Astral Here. Have you checked them out yet? Let us know in the comments!

Miyamoto

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Hot Spot of the Week is delicious Montavilla sushi spot Miyamoto! We visited Miyamoto recently to celebrate a birthday and sample their wares, and it was positively delicious.

Miyamoto is tucked on a little side street in Montavilla. The location is excellent as they can have a spacious covered outdoor seating area, yet you aren’t right on busy SE Stark. We started, of course, with a sake flight! I went with the Miyamoto flight as I wanted to see what their signature choices had in store. Luckily, we were sharing because those were some healthy pours! All three sakes were not only delicious, but distinct. I also found the tasting notes on the sake card to be incredibly accurate. The Tears of Dawn was bright and fruity with notes of melon. And yes, the Bride of the Fox WAS rich and nutty! My dining companions actually changed their minds about sake as a whole after this flight. They had both thought that they didn’t care for it, but tasting these was a revelation for them!

We also got some starters going right away, as we were quite hungry on arrival. The chicken karaage and the pork gyoza came out of the kitchen fast and went into our bellies even faster. The chicken was perfectly crisped with a nice spicy sauce. The gyoza were just the right combination of steamed and fried, plus tender and juicy on the inside.

After starters, we went on to rolls. We decided to try the Miyamoto roll, which had 4 types of wonderful fresh fish, pickled jalapenos, and a chili ponzu sauce that I wanted to lick off the plate. We also got the Billy Low Roll which had salmon, tuna, spicy mayo and tempura crunch and it was so yummy. To round out the table and our tummies, we added a simple tuna roll and some inari.

We really loved everything at Miyamoto and are so excited to go back to try the rest of the menu! I love that they have such a great selection of hot and cold plates, a lot of great sakes, and really beautifully prepared fish. Check out their menu Here!

Yalla

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This week, our Hot Spot is phenomenally delicious Mediterranean BBQ spot Yalla! As Spring gets started and the weather becomes more forgiving, we have been trying to find great outdoor dining options. Both of us independently saw an Instagram post by the one and only @foodiesnitch that featured Yalla’s adorable dining cabanas and decided we had to go!

First of all, we thought these cabanas were so perfect! With one fully open side and a small directional heater, they are totally equipped so that we felt both safe and comfortable. Food was delivered in to go-style boxes to our end table that we then distributed family-style.

We started with drinks of course. Yalla has a nicely curated list of beers and a few canned wines, plus a couple of solid cocktails and their own house-made sodas. I ordered the Prime Manhattan for an opener and Jessica tried out the Ginger soda. Both were great for sipping.

For our meal, we were so excited to try the food that we ordered a bit of everything. For our salad course we tried the Gathering Together Greens with dill, radish, ricotta salata, and walnut vinaigrette. Let me tell you, I don’t normally get very excited about salads, but this one had me scraping the bottoms of the box!

The next course, we tried the Hummus with Burnt Ends and the Yellow Falafel. The falafel was so nicely crunchy on the outside but tender inside and the flavors were on point. The burnt ends seriously melted in your mouth with that perfect amount of smoky fat and the hummus was a great accompaniment. That dish also came with some delicious roasted poblanos that further elevated the flavor profile. We also had a side of the oven roasted carrots with harissa and they were delightful. Cooked perfectly with just the right spice and sauce.

Next was a battle of the fried chickens! We ordered both the chicken wings served with pomegranate molasses and the fried chicken with harissa honey and pickled cauliflower. Both were absolutely top notch, with super succulent meat ensconced in crispy batter with a touch of sweetness. Comparing notes later, we discovered that while we thought both were excellent, I leaned slightly towards the fried chicken and Jessica leaned slightly towards the wings.

We cannot wait to go back and try all of the rest of the menu! In particular, we are very excited to return for the short ribs (a dish recommended for 2-4 people) and the desserts! If you want to decide what to order when you stop in for a visit, check out the menu here. If you want to see where else we have eaten lately, you can find our other Hot Spots here.

Do you have somewhere we should feature next? Let us know in the comments!