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Name: Christen McCurdy
Job title: Interim Arts & Culture Editor
The meal: Dan dan noodles, pan-seared vegetable pot stickers, and spiralized sweet and sour cucumber at Dough Zone Dumpling House
What was so good about it: Last month was perhaps the most chaotic December I can remember, filled with deadlines, travel and a wave of pressing administrative tasks. A lot of what I ate was not worth mentioning, unless you want a rundown of over-the-sink meals and fast-casual chain dining. But one December night, when I felt completely overwhelmed by both work and domestic tasks, I opened my favorite delivery app and ended up with a truly standout meal.
Since opening on the South Waterfront in 2022, Dough Zone Dumpling House has opened locations in Clackamas and Beaverton. I’ve eaten at the latter location a few times while running errands in the westside suburbs, and have never been disappointed. As a vegetarian with a spicy palate, I particularly appreciate that Dough Zone’s dan dan noodles ($9.08)—a dish that often contains pork—are vegan. I also enjoyed the pan-fried vegetable pot stickers ($8.80), but the real star of the show is the spiralized sweet and sour cucumber ($8.80). The presentation is delightful, of course, but the dressing is perfectly balanced, and nothing cuts through the winter blahs like a fresh cucumber salad. Dough Zone delivered precisely what I needed on a stressful December night: a fast, economical, unpretentious meal that felt like a real, nourishing, exciting meal.
TRY IT: Dough Zone, 1910 S River Drive, 503-446-3500, doughzonedumplinghouse.com. 11 am–10 pm daily.
