Found! - My kind of Mexican Food, Chez Jose
I think I am beginning to figure out the food situation here in Portland. See, my wife and I come from the Midwest, specifically Oklahoma. Food is different there. I am going take the high road and not use words like “better” or “higher quality” because I think that is all relative and personal. In the South, butter is a main ingredient, portions are huge, and the service is bend over backwards. Things seem to be a little different up here. We have been struggling to find dinner that makes us feel good about it. Again, I am going to avoid starting an argument, so let’s move on to one of our new favorite restaurants.
Chez Jose. Funny name, great food. Reading the reviews actually got me excited when I read someone from Dallas saying this was the place they have been looking for in Portland. We found it too. Large portions of inventive “tex-mex” style platters are paired with a great selection of beers, wines and the best salsa we have had since leaving Oklahoma. The service was on fire as well. Really friendly folk always with a smile. It felt a little like home. Now if a place like Autentica is what you look for in Mexican food, this may not be your place. But for us who found Autentica to be a super hyped waste of time and money, you might give this place a try.
Special Bonus - Monday nights starting at 8:00pm they hold a trivia contest in the bar. Tables team up for a fun informal trivia slugfest. The woman who runs it is very entertaining and well researched. I do have to brag and say that our team, Team TinyMeat™, tied for second place. We received a gift certificate for our next visit, as if we needed that to bring us back. Meet us there Monday nights?
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This is my favorite Mexican place in town, too. Not really "autentic" or anything, but consistently good.
so you’re becoming Tinymeat’s new best friend? I guess I’ll have to up the ante!
I’ve never been the NE location, but have visited the location on SW Terwilleger many times as my sister-in-law lives across the street.
If this place is any place like the other, I would say you hate Mexico and the Mexican people.
I tried my best to prevent comments like that. Oh well, you are entitled to your condescending opinions. I don’t know what YOU were reading, but I was talking about a restaurant in Portland that I enjoyed. Thanks for reading!
I used hyperbole to convey how aghast I am. Chez Jose to me is what is wrong with cuisine in general. Uninspired, bland fare served in a sterile, contrived environment that seems to be tailored to what some guy with a toteboard envisions are the reponses of an imaginary test market.
I’ve noticed how since you’ve moved to Portland you’ve felt this burg falls way short of your culinary ideals. Fair enough — you seem to believe the restaurants here are not your cup of tea. It’s your opinion. But you appear to sugges it’s endemic to the location, a systematic ennui, that all of Portland fails to meet your lofty standards — I’m just not buying it. Especially after you hold Chez Jose as the gold standard? It’s basically Chipotle with tequila.
Maybe perhaps it’s you? I don’t intend to mean that in an overly harsh way, but there are plenty of happy diners amongst this metro-area population of over 2.5 million who eat well enough when they dine out. Maybe your palette is tuned a bit differently?
You claim Authentica is "super-hyped" and a "waste of money", yet the amuse they serve for FREE — a bolillo with bean mash and a trio of fiery salsas — is more far more interesting than anything Chez Jose turns out. I know Oklahoma is closer to Mexico than Oregon, but do you believe there aren’t Mexicans here in Oregon that can churn out authentic Mexican fare? I’m from Tucson, AZ, a place one would consider to have good Mexican food but, you know what, it’s tremendously overrated there too. Most platter-style Mexican places are ruses that try to get you in the door by promising you cheap liquor paired with caloric gut bombs. I’ll have to take your word that Chez Jose on NE does this well - hell, I like cantina Mex-American with endless free chips every now and then as well. The location on SW Terwilleger churns out platters of homogeny dictated by muted sauces and undistinguished flavors. Unsurprisingly, it is always crowded.
Please keep in mind everything I tend to type is off-the-cuff and rarely serious. I like your writing and your voice, Brewcaster, but I think your opinions of the Portland dining landscape is colored by a imagined ideal that doesn’t exist. Does Portland sometimes get a bit too intoxicated by its own fumes? Sure. But there’s plenty of overrated food and spotty service anywhere, period. Go to any Yelp! city site and read some of the comments.
hate to tell you, brewcaster, but it’s impossible to have a discussion about anything in this town without it descending into snide comments. portland is the town for people who think they know everything. just spend a few months reading posts here and you’ll see what i mean…
i agree with you that this can be a tough town to go get a meal in that doesn’t leave you dissatisfied for one reason or another (usually a combination of price, hype, and bad service). i don’t think Chez Jose is mind-blowing food, but i’ve been several times and it seems like the type of place where a regular family can go get a nice meal. this town needs more of that. only in portland would such an establishment be grounds for some kind of ridiculous culture/class pissing match.
Thanks Mike, I thought my first paragraph might have prepared those who feel there is a right and wrong answer to MY personal tastes. I stand corrected. I have terrible taste in Mexican food, officially.
Your first paragraph came off as snide and condescending. But that’s okay, ’cause that’s typical of the writing style of the new folks who move to Portland.
It doesn’t change after you’ve been here a few years, your nose just gets longer so’s you can look down upon the more recent immigrants better.
Tex-Mex, by the by, is not Mexican, should never be called Mexican, and any place that has a burrito on the menu is officially Not Mexican.
So sayeth this Mexican.
Geez, people take a chill pill. If you think Brewcaster’s first paragraph came off as snide and condescending then you are reading something into it that isn’t there. Maybe you’re so used to being snide and condescending yourself that you see it in everyone else…?
Personally, I think anyone who thinks food in Oklahoma is better than food up here is nuts, but that’s just his opinion. And that was my opinion on his opinion. Opinions are just like assholes - everyone’s got one, right?
I’m with you Brewcaster - I always like Guilty Carnivore’s reviews, but ‘a bolillo with bean mash’ sounds disgusting…
We went to a cute little restaurant on Alberta with friends the other night - but there were only 3 things on the menu I would eat…way to many funky sauces, and weird vegan toppings and such. Sometimes the unique is nice - but for everyday food - give me a really good simple grilled cheese, burger, taco, etc. anyday!
You’ve never had refried beans? These black beans were even topped with queso fresco! For free!
Listen to Mary Sue you will. Tex-Mex much much different from Mex. Confused the two never should be. Tell you this I do. talk like yoda I stop now.
Ah - see….bean mash and refried beans did not equate the same thing to me….although I still don’t know what a bolillo is…I probably would have asked about that - but the bean mash is the term that grossed me out.
I’ve always pronounced it "cheese hose." It’s more descriptive that way.
"Opinions are like bodily openings…." seems to ring true in this discussion so i’ll throw mine into the ring.
Ole Ole on E. Burnside and 23rdish (across from the all too smoky Standard) has become a favorite lunch spot for us at the "house of tiny". Inexpensive tacos packed with flavor, a bottle of Tamarindo Jarritos and a house hot sauce served in a simple squeeze bottle. Orderup a Tinga, Machaca and Chorizo taco with a bottle of the aforementioned soda and you’re out the door for 6 bucks. Bonus for the steady flow of people watching fodder and an aftertaste that will keep you satisfied until dinnertime.
Chez Jose - yumm. The lime chicken enchilada is unbelievable. I am craving to go back again.
I hate to sound snippy, but are you equating Oklahoma with The South? I certainly hope not.
Chez Jose is the definition of meh. The Mexican version of Subway where all the meats taste more or less identical. La Bonita is cheaper and better… Autentica, T9, and Nuestra Cocina is more authentic and actually tastes like something.
It’s a shame I take a few months off this site and the whiny "Well, like…it’s MY opinion and I’m ENTITLED to it, man…" mediocrity police has returned.
Oklahoma, ffs. Why don’t you just eat at IHOP and save us all the trouble?
Thanks for all the funny comments. Here is what I am taking away:
1. I have poor taste in food.
2. I should not share my poor tastes in food.
3. I am not entitled to an opinion as it will most likely be wrong.
4. Internet people are fucking insane.
Yeah, now you’ve got it.
It’ll probably take a couple years for you to cycle the Folgers crystals and Steak’ums out of your taste buds so you can start to appreciate food again.
Here in Portland, a colorful awning and promise of at least a dozen different blended drinks is not a sure fire indicator of quality.
You’ll figure it out eventually.
As much as I enjoy trying out new places around town that charge too much for their high-quality eats, I’m with you on this one, Brewcaster. Long live uninspired, un-authentic, un-adventurous but always reliable Portland restaurants like Chez Jose. Sometimes you just want a cheeseburger, a burrito or a plate of spaghetti without having to over-think what’s on your plate.
Hey Brandon, you’re not that friend of Rusty’s who complained about a $7 cheeseburger, are you?
Now THAT was an awesome thread.
I’d like to weigh in because I suspect this thread has lost its energy and so when the aliens come and dig up old bits of the internet and find this, I will have had the last word.
I’m from San Diego. I haven’t eaten at Chez Jose or Authentica. But I should probably be the judge of Mexican food around here, so who wants to treat me to some free food so I can let you all know what’s what? And I’ll need a free Margarita and a foot massage too.
Do you take your margaritas blended or on the rocks?
While I (a native Texan) cannot help but side with the Mexican food snobs here (besides, what sort of Texan would I be if I didn’t act better than an Okie?), I think we’ve all missed a much bigger issue.
Namely, since when was Oklahoma considered part of the "Midwest"?
If I were you, Todd, I’d blame Bob Stoopth.
And while I’ll wholeheartedly own up to being a premiere food snob, I’ll also say there’s a pretty thick gap between food snobbery and simply not accepting pre-shredded lettuce fresh from a 15 lb sack off the back of a Sysco truck.
This is getting so awesome. If you read the comments, I was scolded for calling it in the South, AND now scolded for calling it Midwest.
So I dunno, you tell me Portland, what part of the country is Oklahoma in?
I love you all, really I do.
Don’t worry brewcaster, we’ve no shortage of recent transplants telling us everything that’s wrong with the city and how much better things are in X.
Having spent a not inconsiderable amount of time in and around Lawton, I’d say Oklahoma is in the part of the country you drive at a high rate of speed through without stopping. It’s not Amarillo bad, but it’s close.
And I’ll throw in a gratuitous "Thanks for Inhofe and Coburn".
Brewcaster, Wikipedia says "Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America." I’d buy that. I also agree with Wikipedia’s (fluid) definition of the Midwest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States).
hee hee - I’ll chime in - I’m from Kansas and I’d call Oklahoma the South..but not the scary South - that’s much farther east :D
Of ‘course I’m also not a huge fan of "real" Mexican food…not enough SYSCO cheese!
Please reread original post. I avoided saying one city/state is better than the other. If I thought Oklahoma had any redeeming qualities I would still be there. I got out of there for a reason. I thought I tried hard enough in the begining to state that I was not saying one was better then the other, mereley stating there is a difference, and it is a personal taste thing.
"See, my wife and I come from the Midwest, specifically Oklahoma. Food is different there. I am going take the high road and not use words like "better" or "higher quality" because I think that is all relative and personal. In the South, butter is a main ingredient, portions are huge, and the service is bend over backwards. Things seem to be a little different up here. We have been struggling to find dinner that makes us feel good about it. Again, I am going to avoid starting an argument, so let’s move on to one of our new favorite restaurants"
Wow. That’s all I got from this…. WOW!. To those who think Brewcasters first paragraph is condescending really need to not read to much into things. He was laying the groundwork for why he felt how he felt. Lighten up.
Also, when did it become acceptable to be mean to people in comments. Would you say these things to his face? If so, come on down to the Green Dragon tonight and we’ll chat. Seriously.
Regarding FOOD in Portland. I can count on two hands places where I have been blown away by food. And I go to many many different restaurants. Most places we go to are fine and acceptable, but nothing mind blowing. Nothing that really makes me say - WOW, I am coming back here tomorrow.
That said, respect other’s opinions on stuff like this. And if you don’t know what some food is, instead of calling it yucky, maybe ask what it is before passing judgment.
Daaaaave: Nope, wasn’t me. That must have been some other Brandon. Is it even possibly to buy a cheeseburger for under $7 in this town at a place that isn’t a fast food franchise?
Regarding Oklahoma: For what it’s worth, I was chatting with someone from there last week and she bristled when I referred to the state as being part of "the south."
Pok Pok
Ken’s Artisan Pizza
Biwa
Apizza Scholls
Toro Bravo
Le Pigeon
Simpatica
Hiroshi
Podnah’s
Sel Gris
Pambiche
serving up WOW nightly. That’s more than enough for two hands, unless you have some extra digits I don’t know about. More than half of those are cheap enough that you can eat there pretty much anytime you want. None of them are little out of the way shacks or have menus that scare white people like Binh Minh or Bun Bo Hue.
You’re welcome.
I’m dying to have the last word on this post. I don’t even have an opinion to give. I take my Margaritas on the rocks. I said Margarita, not Slurpee. So Daaave, are you treating, because it’s on.
I like mexican food.
I hope that’s not too controversial.
I’m not even from or currently residing in Portland. I really don’t care much about the food there. I just wanted to make sure that everyone noticed that DAAAAAVE is "back" and he’s the most intelligent and clever person on the internet. He really needs you to notice this. I’m sure that you all really missed him when he "took a few months off from this site".
Thank gawd he’s back! The douchebag to human being ratio around here was dangerously off kilter.
Imagine if we directed all this misguided fury at the rash of fixie poseurs about town. Please explain to me how 10 inch straight bars, ultra pegged black levis and a chain wallet makes you cool-as-shit.
It just wouldn’t be the best blog in town if it wasn’t saturated with sensitive lads.
Thank you for correctly spelling my name with the proper number of a’s, even if it was a c&p job.
Melissa, if you come to the first Timbers game in 2-ish months I’ll buy you enough beer to float all the sanctimony in this thread. Bonus points for answering the margarita question correctly.
Imagine if we directed all this misguided fury at the rash of fixie poseurs about town. Please explain to me how 10 inch straight bars, ultra pegged black levis and a chain wallet makes you cool-as-shit.
It wouldn’t be a blog at all if it wasn’t populated by at least a few people who need a virtual place to be more cool and witty than they ever have been in real life.
Glad to have you back, DAAAVE.
"cheap liquor paired with caloric gut bombs" - sounds glorious, a grand union of two countries with a proud tradition of drunken obesity or something…fantastic.
Went to Chez Jose a couple months back and I thought it alright. I was surprised at the fact, tho’, that every table in the dining area but ours had at least one kid at it. Guess we hit it at the right time…
Daaaaaave, while all of those are probably great places, I have to disagree with them being accessible. See, I don’t like standing around waiting for a table. If I can time it right, we hit a place. If not, we go on somewhere else. Shoot me.
Been to Toro Bravo and didn’t like it. Been to Podnahs for Lunch and loved it, but wasn’t blown away. I think I need to try other bbq before I pass judgment. All the rest are on the list, but I gotta say, if they have lines, me no go.
Places that have blown me away as of late: Tebol, Gino’s, Green Dragon (Fries), Grolla. There was a place in the Pearl awhile back that made my tastebuds tingle, but now long since closed.
Oh, and personally, for Mexican food, I think the carts around town are way better than anything in the restaurants.
so divebarwife, do you only approve of tater tots and cheeseburgers? is the only sauce you want ketchup? jeebuz, do you like anything other than what makes America obese? try something new for a change and don’t immediately think anything different (either by sight or name) is "disgusting."
What I don’t understand about this discussion/argument is that some of you seem to be arguing your personal taste and opinions which simply does not make any sense to me. All that Brewcaster expressed in this post was his culinary background and how he found a restaurant he enjoyed. Within his first paragraph, he simply tried to explain his objective for the post and to avoid the negative argumentative comments that have been posted any how.
I must admit here that I am Brewcaster’s (Brian’s) wife and feel that I should respond to some of the negative feedback and misunderstandings. We (Brian and I) have the exact same taste in food and as opposed to popular belief, we do enjoy the high end gourmet restaurants. We are not ‘typical’ Oklahomans but we respect where we come from and how it has effected our pallets. We have struggled to find restaurants in Portland that are worth the price and hype but we are new to Portland and are still exploring.
As far as Oklahoma, I’m not sure why it matters what region it is located within but I will say that the restaurants are often southern fare (large portions, flavorful, often spicy, and especially comfort food). I say this as someone who has also lived in Texas and as someone that is very familiar with the South from travel. Again, despite popular belief, Oklahoma has wonderful gourmet restaurants. We also drive through Lawton with the exact same feelings as you Daaaaave (can’t believe I just wasted my time counting the number of a’s in your name} and we are both from large cities and specifically not from towns like Lawton. Daaaaave, just a bit of advice, don’t judge a state if all you do is drive straight through. I feel that it is also important to point out this is coming from someone that had a strong desire to get out of Oklahoma and come to the wonderful city of Portland. Brian and I are in no way trying to state that ‘Oklahoma’ is in any way superior to Portland, so Daaaaave and GuiltyCarnivore, relax.
Mikey, hating on fixies is passé at this point. Like making a Britney Spears joke. Being behind the times on the hate just makes you look like Andy Rooney.
dieselboi, go to Podnah’s for dinner. Try the $1.50/rib Tuesday special. Lunch is (I believe) essentially leftovers from the night before. They can’t prep the meat in time for lunches, only dinners (8-12 hours of smoking).
If you dig cart food, I like the one near Killingsworth and Denver. Great, handmade tortillas. Trebol is pretty good, but I think there’s better around town. Gino’s is good gutbomb Italian-American.
As for waits, waiting for a table at Ken’s Artisan is a perfect excuse to go across the street and get a glass of wine at Noble Rot. Or Doug Fir for Le Pigeon. Most of these guys have a watering hole nearby and don’t mind calling your cell when your table’s ready.
Missing out on a pizza at Apizza Scholls because of a worry about a wait is a real shame.
Rooney? Leave my bushy brows out of this. What’s passé?
My man Eric at Grendels tells me the burger at Le Pigeon is top notch. Go stand at the door at 5, sit at the bar and order up one of the 8-10 (only) they make per night.
Hi Melissa,
I thought the internet was for arguing personal tastes. After all, it’s pretty boring when everyone just posts their opinion and there’s no real interaction. Like when your friend only asks you what kind of superpower you’d like to have only because they want to tell you what they want. Hell, even Citysearch allows you to call a place crap. You know, before the restaurant makes 17 employees write reviews about how they’re originally from NYC and this place is as good as anything they had there.
And I said I had spent time in OK. Specifically the environs in and around lovely and picturesque Fort Sill. Including Lawton, Norman and the occasional trip to OKC. If it makes you feel better, I hate Texas (except you, Austin!) quite a bit more.
And as a final piece of literary criticism, I don’t believe it’s just blatant provincialism or hypersensitivity to read
"See, my wife and I come from the Midwest, specifically Oklahoma. Food is different there. I am going take the high road and not use words like "better" or "higher quality" because I think that is all relative and personal."
as
"I’m classy enough to not directly say where I come from is better, but not quite classy enough not to broadly hint at it in unmistakable terms."
Otherwise, what’s the point of the "high road"?
You used to be able to order that burger for brunch. Their burger with a side of that apricot cornbread with maple-bacon ice cream and wash it all down with a large french press of Stumptown and their ghetto mimosa of Sauv Blanc and Orange Crush.
Sitting at the bar is the best seat in the house. Love watching those guys work.
I miss Le Pigeon’s brunch. :*(
Mikey, your blend of knowledge and humor intrigues me. I will visit your website and attempt to subscribe to your newsletter.
Aportlander - Nope, it’s not that I only approve of tator tots, cheeseburgers and ketchup…it’s just that I don’t disdain them.
A well-prepared, piping hot tater tot is one of life’s great pleasures.
Next month’s MetBlogs meetup at Chez Jose? Who’s with me?
Count me in Pete, I love great authentic Mexican food.
Let me get this straight. The author is entitled to his opinion, but we aren’t entitled to our reactions to his post? Just turn off the comments already.
Here’s the crux of your intro: "Where I’m from, we get reacharounds with our meals that have been soaked in butter, and Portland is teh suck (but I didn’t say that! Really!) In Portland, nobody makes us feel like we the special people we are. I blame you. Well I don’t, because I don’t want to start any flame wars, as I am taking the high road…I could have said what I really wanted to say, which is that the mindless rubes of Portland need to demand fried butter and reacharounds with their meals so it will be more like what we’re used to. But let’s put that behind us, because I’ve found a restaurant that serves the pablum we seek."
And the faux fainting here ("oh my, somebody is snarky…the vah-pors!")…are you guys new to the Internet?
I guess I can’t argue with your interpretation. But know that was not my intention. Looks like a lot of others felt differently about what I said than you.
I think people are just a little put off in the way you express your opinion. It became an attack on the writer, and just plain obnoxious. Comments are on always so people can react. But it would be nice if reactions were done respectably.
Guilty Carnivore - Snarky is fun. Who doesn’t like snarky. It’s even fun to say out loud. Snarky, snarky, snarky. Fun! But when you ended your first comment by saying to Brewcaster that "you hate Mexico and the Mexican people.", you really left the land of Snark and entered Flameville.
I’m surprised anybody would take that statement at face value. Lighten up. It’s not like I called him a Republican.
Seems like an appropriate response to a circuitous quest (one that has seemed to singularly denigrate all of Portland by association) for the elusive, perfect meal that ends up at…Chez Jose?
It’s like constantly complaining about Stephen Malkmus’ downward career arc since he left Pavement, only to proclaim Josh Groban Artist of the Year.
Lameville
Why didn’t take your comment at face value, we just thought you were a dick for saying it.
Of course I was - again, a reasonable response to anybody who implies Portland needs more Chez Jose’s.
Guilty Carnivore-
Right on.
Last word!
This thread once again confirms mt belief that puddletown was the perfect choice for Mona and I to relocate our business. Honestly was I clouded by youth/piss n vinegar to ever leave 10 years ago for Vermont? Let me tell you the best so-called mexican in VT (tomato paste as enchilada sauce, oh yes) doesn’t hold a candle to even a rice n beans joint such as Muchos Gracias.
I propose that Brewcaster use his well seasoned "midwest/southern" palette to bring us his idea of tasty fixins and let the flamefest ensue. It’s fun and will thicken his sensitive pale skin.
Sign me up. BTW, we’ll all be at Chez Jose once again next Monday for the pub quiz. Join us.
Hi Brian and Melissa (and Melissa),
Felt like I could join the full circle of this blog by saying: Thanks for coming to Chez last Monday! Also, as the manager of Chez, I agree with most people on this site. I’ve dined at many of the restaurants mentioned above and as far as Mexican food goes, Nuestra Cocino is one of my faves, as well as Taqueria Nuevo. But if you want comfort food or great happy hour food, dine here. (And always order your margaritas on the rocks!) For those who want to skip the crazy kidfest that comes with our restaurant (especially from 4-7 when kids eat free), then check out the bar area. Hope to see you guys again!
Hi Brian and Melissa (and Melissa),
Felt like I could join the full circle of this blog by saying: Thanks for coming to Chez last Monday! Also, as the manager of Chez, I agree with most people on this site. I’ve dined at many of the restaurants mentioned above and as far as Mexican food goes, Nuestra Cocino is one of my faves, as well as Taqueria Nuevo. But if you want comfort food or great happy hour food, dine here. (And always order your margaritas on the rocks!) For those who want to skip the crazy kidfest that comes with our restaurant (especially from 4-7 when kids eat free), then check out the bar area. Hope to see you guys again!