In the International Food Court on Fourth and Yamhill
Wonton Soup
Cost: $5.00

I love this place, and have been meaning to write about it. With all my bean and bento making, I haven't been eating lunch out a lot.

Pho Saigon is just a tiny corner to the front-right of the International Food Court, run by what I assume is a Vietnamese family. The food is genuine, fast, and very good.

Pho is not ready to hand to customer as soon as they've paid--it must be assembled from broth and fresh ingredients. It is served traditionally, with bean sprouts, lime, and mint on the side for you to add. No, I didn't know this ahead of time--I asked friends. Next time, I'll do it right! Well, except for the chopsticks. I am hopeless with the things, and had to ask for a fork in order to fish out those wonderful noodles.

It is a dish to sit down with for your entire lunch hour. Bring a friend or a book.

1126 SW 18th
Veggie Pakora
Mulligatawny Soup
Vegetable Korma
Palak Paneer
Cost: about $35

Bill and I had passed Saffron on the MAX, as we went to the zoo last weekend, and decided we should try it. Just our luck, they were added to the D-Dish family of restaurants. Or maybe it wasn't our luck.

I just finished throwing away most of what we ordered. The food was very greasy, and the flavors almost non-existent. Even the naan was off--strangely textured and doughy--what I would expect from McDharma's. Frankly, I still feel a bit queasy from the whole thing.

Saffron gets a big two thumbs down.

Today is just bento for Spousal Unit, as I have the day off. In addition to rice, he has cherry tomatoes, dates, and soy-soaked eggs. You can't see it, but the eggs are in a bed of fresh dill from the farmer's market, so it all smells wonderful.

This time, I put the bento box in Spousal Unit's backpack myself.

For a change, the rolls are not Yuki leftovers, but homemade. They contain a bit of chutney, sauteed carrots & garlic, and red pepper. They're quite strong and sweet. With the rolls are an omelette and an orange cherry tomato or two.

On the left are dates, cantaloupe, and corn.

Blurry picture! Ack! I'm working on taking more artful pictures. Obviously, trying to do so in two minutes because I'm rushing out the door is not a good idea. The other shots I tried were even worse.

Pretty basic today: rice, beans, egg, peaches. This is hubby's bento. I got strawberries instead of peaches.