The Art of Eating Cheaply
Eating on a budget need not mean depriving one’s soul of good food.
Edited by Camas DavisBy Brian Barker, Kasey Cordell, Camas Davis, John Chandler, Bart Blasengame, Megan Callow, Stacey Wilson, and Camela Raymond
INDIAN
Chennai Masala
2088 NW Stucki Ave, Hillsboro
503-531-9500
Tue-Sun 11:30AM-2PM, 5:30-9:30PM
chennaimasala.net
To partake of a truly great meal at this South Indian eatery, diners may have to step outside of their comfort zones. And we don’t mean just their geographic comfort zones (the restaurant is located about a 30-minute drive west of downtown). To sample the very best dishes at Chennai Masala, we suggest forgoing the standard dishes that you’ll find in just about every Indian restaurant in Portland proper—like chicken tikka masala or samosas (though they are quite good here)—and opting instead for a couple of dosas ($9-15). Slightly sour, crispy, one-and-a-half-foot-wide crêpes, the dosas are filled with any number of savory delights, from curried chickpeas (chole dosa_) to seasoned potatoes and onions (_masala dosa). Meant to be eaten with your hands, one dosa can feed two people. But if you’re really hungry, opt for the family dosa ($15). Technically it’s meant to feed three, but if it’s just the two of you, you might as well see if you can stretch your stomachs’ comfort zones, too. —CD
JEWISH
Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen
1038 SW Stark St, 503-222-3354
Mon-Thu 7AM-midnight, Fri 7AM-3AM, Sat 8AM-3AM, Sun 8AM-10PM
kennyandzukes.com
Before a trip to Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen, it’s wise to practice a couple of jaw-relaxing yoga exercises, since the downtown Jewish eatery—famous for its house-cured pastrami—assembles towering sandwiches designed for someone with an open mouth the size of a reticulated python’s. While it’s fair to gripe about the inclusion of $12 sandwiches in a guide to cheap eats, suffice it to say that one of these massive meat bombs makes for two heart-palpitating meals. But in order for a carnivorous couple to get their fix for under $25—and wash it all down with a Sioux City Sarsaparilla ($2.75)—a little cooperation is in order. We recommend a generously slabbed pastrami sandwich ($11.25) and the Big Salad ($10.50)—a bounty of crisp veggies, egg slices, and bagel chips, bolstered with your choice of pastrami, chicken, or lox. Employ the wisdom of Solomon when divvying up this heavenly spread. And remember to stretch first. —JC
Published: June 2008