The Eater Map to Portland's Best Bento (Including Bento Food Carts) In an uncertain world, it's good to know what's good: snow days, world peace, puppies dressed as Star Wars characters, and—of course—bento boxes, those compartmented, Japanese boxes filled with rice, meats, dumplings, etc. They're pretty much Japanese Happy Meals for adults. Recently, the bento scene in Portland has exploded, with restaurants and even bento box food carts. For those who are hell-bento on finding the best lunch boxes for grownups, we've put together a list of 10 hot spots. Don't see your favorite? Let us know in the comments. —Katherine Berman and Mattie John Bamman 1 #1 Bento Korean BBQ #1 Bento’s entrees come with a formidable team of accoutrements, including steamed rice, salad with a sweet mayo dressing, potato glass noodles, and kimchee. The Kalbi Bento touts soy sauce-marinated beef short ribs served bone-in. The no-nonsense bento cart offers just two dishes: chicken or veggie, served with white or brown rice, grilled onions, and choice of sauce.

The chicken breast is marinated overnight in house-made teriyaki, and the owners know an impressive following of regulars by name and order. 3 Big Dan's West Coast Bento An original gangster of the PDX bento scene, West Coast Bento adds shrimp and lamb to the usual suspects of beef and chicken. It offers boxes loaded with delicacies, and the pork shumai, gyoza, and steamed bun add-on options are worth investigating. 4 Chef Naoko Bento Café It's a hole-in-the-wall serving some of Portland's best upscale bento. Hailing from Tokyo, chef Naoko Tamura uses mostly local and organic ingredients, and the creative options include the Salmon and Shiitake Mushroom Miso Bento. It's open for lunch and dinner, and for those in a hurry, it offers takeout and delivery. [Chef Naoko Bento Cafe/Yelp] With seven meats to choose from, it’s no wonder that customers opt for the “Trifecta”—a choice of three proteins (otherwise known as the cure to lunch FOMO)—at this Hawaiian bento adventure.

The side-dish hero that is the homemade macaroni salad earned its nickname “crackaroni” due to its unique powers of converting non-mac-salad lovers to daily devotees. Insiders swear by the grilled chicken in scratch-made garlic honey sauce. New kids on the bento block, owners Shawn and Cathy Shuai recreate their grandmother’s traditional Chinese comfort food made from scratch daily to produce Chinese-style bento. The rice is sushi grade and workdays start at 8 a.m. to ensure that dishes like the “Grumpy Pig,” braised pork belly in a Chinese-spiced sauce, fall apart at the touch of a fork. You had us at free dumplings. Well, free with any entree Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. When the entrees in question include dishes like stewed pork in pineapple gravy or crispy chicken breast with zucchini, rice, and lime aioli—all made from sustainable, local ingredients—the bonus dumpling incentive is borderline unnecessary. 8 Phil's Uptown Meat Market Phil's states that it's been serving bento since back when it was just called kebobs and rice.

The gourmet deli marinates the meats overnight, and it serves skewers of Carlton Farms pork, St. Helen’s hanger steak, and Cascade Farms chicken. Its sauces are made and sold on premise, and should not, we repeat, should not be ignored.sushi tei bandung all you can eat 9 Samurai Lunch Boxsushi making kit kohl's In a world of basic bentos, Samurai is a brave warrior, unafraid of generous portions and boldly seasoned proteins, confidently adding yakisoba noodles to the typical brown and white rice line-up. jiro dreams of sushi for rentThe spicy ginger beef, evocative of Chinese short ribs, has a sweet decadence tempered by heat and zesty ginger. jiro dreams of sushi berlinale

Large helpings = post bento strolls around beautiful Sellwood + yummy leftovers. This beloved grocery store turns 100 in 2016 and is known for its hand cuts of fine local meat. Its small bento menu lives up to the market’s standards of fresh, no-frills loveliness, and on the grill are marinated Painted Hills beef, organic chicken tenders, and veggies—all served with the “rice of the day” and steamed broccoli.chinese food delivery london w12 The 38 Essential Portland Restaurants, Winter 2016sushi conveyor belt florida The Hottest Restaurants in Portland Right Now, January 2017how to make sushi rice zojirushi 21 Spots for Portland's Most Finger-Lickin' Fried Chicken Portland's Hottest New Cheap Plates, Mapped

3 1/3 cup short-grain sushi rice, rinsed 5 1/3 tablespoons sushi vinegar, or 5 1/3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 5 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons 1 (4 to 6 ounce) piece sushi-grade tuna or salmon Wash the rice until the water rinses clear. Drain the rice in a colander and let it stand for 30 minutes. Place the rice in a pot or rice cooker, and add 4 cups of water or follow the instructions on a rice cooker. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, place a damp towel over the rice, and let cool for 10 minutes.You can find sushi vinegar prepared at a grocery story or you can easily make it by pouring the vinegar, sugar and salt into a pan under low heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved. If you like sweeter vinegar, add more sugar.Pour sushi vinegar over cooked rice and mix it gently. You can do this in a wooden bowl for making sushi rice or in your rice cooker by turning off the cooker and pouring the vinegar and mixing gently and evenly and leaving it until it cools down to room temperature.