Chef Zhao

(Joey/Flickr)
Firing up on North Lombard in May 2018, Chef Zhao brought quality takes on mostly Chinese-American staples to a neighborhood otherwise starved for Chinese food. For the uninitiated, the trick is finding the housemade plates, which are not always clearly marked on the menus. A massive serving, the house special noodle ($13.95-$14.95) is a refreshing dish filled with juicy mushrooms, wilted fresh spinach and your choice of pork, chicken, beef or shrimp. Wontons ($6.95) in Sichuan mah lah chili oil are some of the hottest in Portland, with supple wrappers and crunchy pork and vegetable filling.

GO: 4828 N Lombard St., 503-477-807211 am-9:30 pm Monday-Thursday, , 11 am-10 pm Friday-Sunday

Mattie Bamman

Mattie John Bamman grew up in a remote fishing village in Maine before writing about culinary adventures around the world. He moved from Italy to Portland in 2010. Beyond food and drink, his obsessions include grindcore, avant-garde poetry and long walks through the dystopian American landscape.

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