About Us

We are four friends that have known each other since college. We enjoy going out in Portland for drinks in the afternoon and thought we would document our findings on the web for others to use.



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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Empire Chinese Kitchen

 
http://portlandempire.com/kitchen/

Empire is more of a modern Dim Sum restaurant.  They have the traditional small plates intended for sharing plus larger entrĂ©es and seating is not family style.  Regardless, the food is really good and satisfying.  We had a lot to eat this time.  We started with the boneless BBQ'd pork.  This had thick pieces of pork in a sticky sweet sauce.  We could have had four orders of this and been very happy.  The sauntered bok chow was cooked really well.  It was fresh, crunchy and full of flavor.  We then moved on to the pork steamed buns and the pan fried dumplings.  The steamed buns were little pillows of deliciousness hiding sweet pork. The dumplings consisted of pork and shrimp which we dunked in soy. The dumplings were really cooked well.  They were browned on the bottom and soft on the top providing a really enjoyable texture.  When we saw the bacon fried rice on the menu, the decision was made.  The dish had bacon with corn and onion.  The bacon with the corn was a really good combination of ingredients. 

The staff, and the bar and at the table, were very friendly, accommodating and easy to talk to.  The beer and wine list was what you would want.  The beer list had several local beers.  The wines had four red and four whites so there was plenty to choose from.

We rolled out the Empire full and very happy. 



 
boneless BBQ'd pork




 
 sauteed baby bok choy
 




Our ratings scale
Atmosphere: 4
Staff: 4
Drinks: 4
Mount Gay rum: Yes
Food: 4
Parking: 4