HIGH EATS
STONER CUISINE TO THE EXTREME
80
MY BROTHER’S CRAWFISH
LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
RIP CITY ROOTS TIKI RUM CAKE IN A CITY full of food cart operators and restaurateurs, it would “The broth is addictive, people crave it,” Khang says, debe difficult to find someone more dedicated than Khang Nguyscribing why people keep returning to his eastside restaurant. “It en, owner and operator of My Brother’s Crawfish in Portland’s is a little bit spicy, it has that heat that keeps you coming back Jade District. Khang has the kind of resolve that comes from bite after bite.” The place seems split between regulars out for being a restaurant owner for over a decade, having navigated a leisurely dinner and groups dressed up to celebrate. Khang everything from near-closures to smashed windows. mentions, “It’s not like a steakhouse where you might go once a Now, even in the middle of a pandemic, the restaurant is year. It’s a more laid back and social experience.” operating smoothly – with a beautiful mural covering one side of The ladies at the table next to us were the perfect example – the building, a newly-built patio for outdoor dining and on the dressed to the nines, wearing complimentary plastic gloves to day we dropped by, a line out the door. keep their hands pristine. My Brother’s Crawfish opened its doors It wasn’t long until we had polished off MY BROTHER’S CRAWFISH in 2008 but its origin story begins in his a plate of fried lobster tails, knocked back 8230 SE HARRISON ST, PORTLAND childhood kitchen. Khang’s mother, a a round of hurricanes, and had generously MYBROTHERSCRAWFISH.NET first-generation Vietnamese transplant, contributed to the pile of growing seafood @MYBROTHERSCRAWFISH adapted the popular crawfish boil spices to shells on the table. We ordered our boil RIP CITY ROOTS suit her style of cooking. What started as a medium spicy, which Khang tells us is both RIPCITYROOTS.COM loosely structured mix of dried bay, allspice, the most popular and his personal favorite. @RIPCITYROOTS coriander and red pepper flakes, shifted over At medium, we get a buzzy heat. Nothing the years with a bolder blend of herbs and a second round of drinks couldn’t fix. Any spices, chilies and Southeast Asian aromatics. The end result is a hotter and I’d be pleasantly sweating, waving our server down little cajun boil and a little Vietnamese hot-pot, more about the for another glass of water. broth than heavy-handed seasoning. The Tiki Rum Cake did an excellent job of putting us into The three of us prepared for the feast with an aperitif of Tiki relaxation mode and kick-starting our appetites. Rum Cake cultivated by Rip City Roots. Like most good meals, time seemed to take on a different Perfect for standing up to the big flavors of a seafood boil, quality as we joked and fought over who would take home the the TRC has a diesel-rich, savory profile with tiki-appropriate last few crab legs. Khang has built a place that shows off his spice notes of clove, fruit and black pepper. A refreshingly clean love for good food and strong drink. The least we could do is exhale with lingering citrus aromas scented the nearby block as show up, get a little stoned – and try to pack away as much of we took a short walk before settling into a booth near the bar. his craveable food as possible.
apR. 2022
“It wasn’t long until we had polished off a plate of fried lobster tails, knocked back a round of hurricanes, and had generously contributed to the pile of growing seafood shells on the table.”
REVIEW by RYAN HERRON @THELOUD100 for OREGON LEAF | PHOTOS by RYAN SANATEL
