Wowza. It’s been a while since my last post! I’ve been all over the West Coast auditioning, shooting and visiting friends and family. Below is a re-cap of my gluttonous adventures.

Bunk Sandwiches
211 SW 6th Ave
Portland, OR 97205

Say hello to my little friend. This is the Pork Belly Cubano. Ham, swiss, pickles, mustard and pork belly. Also comes with fresh fried kettle chips for only $9.

This isn’t one of those “keep Portland weird” spots. It seems to be popular with the lunch and mom crowds. It wasn’t on par with the Swinery’s BLT, but a very good effort.

Tat’s Delicatessen 
159 Yesler Way
Seattle, WA 98104

Tat’s is located in Pioneer Square, so it’s over-crowded with Seahawks fans. It’s a little loud but the energy is fun. They are known for their Philly Cheesesteak, you are given an option of cheeses, but it’s considered “authentic” if you go with Cheez Whiz. Yup, canned Cheez Wiz that I loathed as a child. I pretty skeptical to try this since the “food in a can” mentality usually disgusts me, but I was wrong.
The Cheez Whiz melts beautifully their thin sliced beef and fresh Italian roll. I added sweet peppers to mine as well for a kick. The fries were also fresh tasting and reminded me of the now closed Ford’s in Sacramento.

BONUS – The left-overs heat up great the next day!

Pioneer Hot Dogs 
Outside Qwest and Safeco Field
Seattle, WA 98134

I was promoting Miller Lite and I learned about the tailgating culture. Tons of football fans invade the vacant Safeco Field (since it’s football season) and relish in beer and food. There were a lot of food stands tailored for the junk food junkie.

I tried the “Seattle Dog” which is grilled with onions and cream cheese. Honestly this was a bit overrated. I’m not a fan of raw onions, so I wish mine were cooked more. Also the dog itself tasted a little burned. Maybe they were busy listening to the game when they cooked it?

Po Dog Hot Dogs
1009 E Union St
(between 10th Ave & 11th Ave)
Seattle, WA 98122

This establishment is located next to a bar that plays a lot of indie rock, so it’s fun to people watch here. They have lots of options to wash the dogs down and there’s plenty of seating. What separates this place from other hot dog stands/spots is the bun. It’s made in house (not Rainbow brand!) and reminds me of a softer, sweeter pretzel that accommodates the dogs beautifully.
To my left is the PB dog, a hot dog topped with peanut butter, bananas and topped with more peanuts. I know what you’re thinking, it sounds awful but it was actually amazing. I like I made Elvis proud eating this.

Fried pickles are easy for a place to screw up. First off, I despise the pickle chips. They don’t keep the vinegar flavor and the crust slides off too easy. Second, most places that serve fried pickles don’t have many options for sides, you’re stuck with either ketchup (BLEH) or Ranch (DOUBLE BLEH!).

At Po Dog, they are fried as spears, the coatings actually stays on the pickle. Also, there are a lot of options for dippings. We got the wasabi and house aioli which was a nice switch from the usual condiments.

This is the Deep Fried Danger Dog. Oh boy. A hotdog wrapped in peppered bacon and deep fried to perfection, topped with sauteed onion and a chilli sauce. This is heartburn in a bun, but it’s so worth it. I don’t think the two of us could eat this in one sitting but it was delicious trying.

Po Dog does offer a Seattle Dog, which is topped with cream cheese and scallions. We didn’t try it but it gives me an excuse to come back and I will let you know when I do.

Happy eatings!