Tai Sei Ramen

Honolulu $ ***
Tai Sei Ramen is conveniently located on the edge of downtown. The food is decent, but they give a lot of freebies: a free drink if you spend over $5; a $3 kids menu... The service is friendly but a bit slow.
My ramen came with an abundance of vegetables, but the noodles were somewhat bland. However, I did appreciate the large portions. Our gyoza was delicious, but I have never had bad gyoza.
Tai Sei Ramen (downtown)
800 South Beretania Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Mon-Thu 10:30am-10:30pm
Fri-Sat 10:30am-11:30pm

Pick Up Stix

New York $ *****
The first thing my friend and I wanted to do when we arrived in New York was eat - and of course we wanted to eat Asian food. We were staying in the Upper East Side, so we had a little difficulty finding an Asian restaurant. In fact, when we went into a bodega to ask for suggestions, he kind of looked at us, smirked at our apparently glaring "tourist" stamped on our foreheads, and told us, "Madison Avenue does not have that." So we kept walking, finding our way to Lexington Ave. There it was! A little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant called Pick Up Stix. Looked authentic, i.e., the waiters were Chinese and it looked a bit dirty. Success.

This place definitely satisfied our Chinese food cravings. We shared dumplings and noodles. Delicious! Maybe we were just extremely hungry. Nevertheless, the food was steaming hot and tasty. What a perfect way to start our trip!

Pick Up Stix (Upper East Side)
1372 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10128

Pastini Pastaria

Portland $ ****
After a successful shopping day in downtown, my friend and I somehow thought we still deserved some dessert. Unfortunately, 7:30 pm is late in Portland, so we had trouble finding a suitable place. Finally, after roaming Broadway and a few more streets, we saw the neon sign of Pastini Pastaria. I had read about it before and had been on its website multiple times. It was a straightforward Italian place, not quite interesting enough to put it on my List. However, we were desperate, and so we walked in and asked to see their dessert menu.

Tiramisu AND chocolate tartufo - both for less than $6?! Okay, we're sold. The atmosphere was what I was expecting. Looks like a chain (because it is - there are 8 in total), and the crowd consisted of the typical annoyingly mainstream crowd with which I try not to mingle. But hey, we're here. Let's try their dessert.
I'm glad we did! I ordered the chocolate tartufo. Yummm. I'm sure all they had to do was microwave the cake and plop scoops of vanilla ice cream, but still. It tasted great. The warm center of the chocolate cake was oozing out and tasted great with the TWO scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and some whipped cream. Gluttony in a bowl. My friend also enjoyed her tiramisu, although she did admit that it did taste packaged and was nowhere near the authentic tiramisu we had at Veritable Quandary.
Service was decent, and the noise level was kind of loud because we were sitting next to two high school girls. Overall, I would recommend coming here when you, like us, are stuck in downtown craving dessert after 7 pm. Great price!
Pastini Pastaria (Downtown)
911 SW Taylor at 9th Avenue
Portland, OR 97205
Mon-Thu 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat 11am-10pm
Sun 3pm-9pm

Ramen Nakamura

Honolulu $ ****
Think it's impossible to find cheap, authentic food in Waikiki? Well... maybe it is. But Ramen Nakamura is probably as cheap and authentic as you can get.
This is a simple ramen place located on Kalakaua Avenue. It's right next to Burberry, but don't let that intimidate you. The waitress is extremely welcoming (but maybe that's because we're Asians?), and our ramen was delicious. I had the typical shoyu ramen. It was huge, with pieces of char siu, bean sprouts, and other goodies. My friend also ordered some gyoza, and our waitress made some sauce for it right in front of us.
If you're from Hawaii, they give you a discounted kama'aina rate. Now I know where to eat in Waikiki!
Ramen Nakamura (Waikiki)
2141 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
Does not take credit cards

Taylor's Automatic Refresher

Napa $$ ****

We passed by this roadside diner on our way from San Francisco to Napa and had to come back for lunch because my friend remembered she read about it in a magazine. If you're looking for burgers, milkshakes, and fries, this is the place to go. It was drizzling when we went, so we were lucky to get a table with an umbrella.

Taylor's Automatic Refresher (Napa)
644 1st St
Napa, CA 94559
Mon-Sun 10:30 am-9:00pm

Tom Yum Thai Cuisine

Portland $$ *****


This place is so convenient for me, it's ridiculous. About two blocks away from my school, great Thai food, cheap prices, large portions, and friendly atmosphere. What's not to love? I usually get the beef noodles and always have leftovers for the next day.
Tom Yum Thai Cuisine (Eastmoreland)
4309 SE Woodstock Blvd
Portland, OR 97206

Pho Van

Portland $ *****

This place made me realize my love for pho, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup dish. Pho Van is a Portland chain. I usually eat here on Friday afternoons before 5 because the pho is only $5 instead of $8. Large portions that taste even better when you add one of the many hot sauces available, Pho Van is perfect for rainy Portland days. My friend and I have become regulars at the one on Hawthorne.

Pho Van (Hawthorne)
3404 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97214
Tues - Sun 11am - 9:30pm

Saburo's Sushi House Restaurant

Portland $ ****

This place is definitely quantity, not quality. The sushi at Saburo's are MASSIVE. Let me repeat that: MASSIVE. Be prepared to wait about 45 minutes before you're seated. You'll have to write your name on a list and wait to be called. Luckily there is a Starbucks close by (why is it that I always seem to be using Starbucks either as bathrooms or as Saburo's waiting areas?). Once you're called, some guy will seat you in a cramped table right next to other people. They have a pretty good variety of sushi for cheap prices. This isn't exactly the best sushi I've had (although I must say, the salmon is fabulous), but like I said earlier, the sushi is MASSIVE. Expect leftovers.

Saburo's Sushi House Restaurant (Sellwood)
1667 SE Bybee Blvd
Portland, OR 97202
Mon-Thurs 5:00pm-9:30pm
Fri 5:00pm-10:30pm
Sat 4:30pm-10:00pm
Sun 4:30pm-9:00pm

Daphne's Greek Café

Portland $ ****

I will be blunt: Daphne's is a Greek fast food chain. Once you admit that and get over your "I'm never going to a fast food chain again" mantra, Daphne's becomes a great place, especially if you're like me and enjoy studying off-campus on a Friday. On a few Friday afternoons, I have come here, sat down at my favorite booth in the back, read Kant, and ordered Greek food every so often. Their $1 baklavas are a good deal. The one good thing about chains is that you will get free refills.

Daphne's Greek Café (downtown)
538 SW 6th Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
Mon-Fri 11am-7pm
Sat-Sun 11am-6pm

Shirokiya

Honolulu $ *****
Undoubtedly one of the best deals in Ala Moana. Shirokiya is a huge Asian store with a mix of upscale clothing, home appliances, and entertainment. As if it didn't have enough, it also has a food section in which you can select from a buffet-style section or already-packaged meals. All are great bargains and authentically Asian.
Shirokiya Food Corner (Ala Moana)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Yogurtland

Honolulu $ ****Hawaii is finally getting into the yogurt craze - soon we'll be seeing more gelato and creperies. This particular yogurt place is right next to UH. You get to customize your own yogurt, add whatever you want on it, and pay according to its weight. There are some pretty interesting flavors, such as green tea, Irish mint creme, and toasted coconut, but since I am a wuss I got chocolate.


Yogurtland (Manoa)
1810 University Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96822
Daily 10am-10pm

Escape New York Pizza

Portland $ *****A typical day on Nob Hill consists of getting a "low-class" lunch/dinner at Escape New York Pizza and then a "high-class" dessert at Papa Haydn. Despite Escape New York Pizza's "low-class" status, their pizza is delicious, and has been approved by fellow New Yorkers.
Get a slice for about $2-3, sit on one of the stools surrounded by pictures and newspaper articles of New York and liberal propaganda or, if the weather allows, sit at one of the two tables outside and watch (s)Nob Hill shoppers pass.

Escape New York Pizza (Nob Hill)
622 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97210

Waiola Shave Ice

Honolulu $ *****This is possibly the best shave ice I've ever had. Shave ice, in case you are not a local, is the same thing as snow cones. Smooth and flavorful, Waiola's shave ice are on another league, not to mention dirt-cheap. Just be prepared - seating consists of two benches right outside the order window and a little grocery store.

Waiola Shave Ice (Kapahulu)
2135 Waiola Ave corner of Paani Street
Honolulu, HI 96805