[Shade Malek]

Hey fellow Portland foodies,

Does anyone know what is going on with this change of name? They were "closed for renovations" according to a sign out 2 weeks ago, supposed to reopen on May 15th. Now there is a new sign up with a new name. I took a quick peek inside the open door during construction last week and saw a few of the Misohapi staff working on the construction. Are they just changing the format of the place, under new owners or what? Anyone have any insight?

Thanks!

[Amanda]

I don't know about the status of Misohapi, but welcome to the site Shade Malek!

Best regards,

Amanda

[Shade Malek]

Amanda, on May 21 2009, 12:00 PM, said:

I don't know about the status of Misohapi, but welcome to the site Shade Malek!

Best regards,

Amanda

Thanks! I lurk a lot, to find new and awesome places to eat. But decided I should finally join and start asking some questions.

[ASquared]

Can't say I'm sad to see the name go.

I always liked their Black Bean Garlic Pork at lunch, hopefully that won't change.

[M2inOR]

Shade Malek, on May 21 2009, 11:51 AM, said:

Hey fellow Portland foodies,

Does anyone know what is going on with this change of name? They were "closed for renovations" according to a sign out 2 weeks ago, supposed to reopen on May 15th. Now there is a new sign up with a new name. . . .

I happened to walk by today on the way to Kenny & Zuke's for a meatball sandwich.

The sign is up, and declares Red Onion Thai. A lot of workers scurrying inside and out, with a sign promising a May 25th opening.

Mike

[Prone to Hyperbole]

AH! I finally feel useful. I work near Miso Hapi and ate lunch there regularly. It was, by a significant margin, the finest pho anywhere in town for $5.75 (including a nummy cabbage salad or mediocre soup). Then it went up to $6.75. No complaints. The entire lunch menu contained 31 items or more, all for $6.75. Amazing!
(the trick was to get one thing and only one thing: the basic traditional pho) The other items where worth the money though.

At any rate, I had my last bowl of pho there right before they closed and got the lowdown. There IS a new owner(s). I do believe some of the staff is staying on to work under the new regime though. Joseph didn't want to say too much, but he implied that it would be a Vietnamese restaurant that is more upscale. He said that more authentic dishes like whole fish would be available. That's as much as I got out of him. I want my six dollar lunch back! Sucks too, that I waited so long to check it out because the name made me certain that it was, A. not good food, and, B. Japanese of some sort.
I was so glad I looked in the window at the menu one day. It really was very good for what I ordered, and the prices.

Quick side note, to the person who said they like the black bean stir fry, or something like that, a note: I got to be familiar with Jo(seph), the sort of gruff guy who worked the floor at lunch. I point blank asked him one day about why they had so much emphasis on (typical) thai dishes and stir fries when the family is Vietnamese, and those items are so much better than the Thai style ones. He basically said it is because most people don't like or understand Vietnamese food, and the Thai dishes and the Bento to Go are necessary to keep from being the last location of the small family chain to close.
One day I was reading a Saveur issue (the one with the gorgeous T-Bone on the cover - steak issue). It has an AMAZING Thai article in it with gorgeous pics of whole fish over fire, chinese chives, other whole spices and roots, and other stuff like that. Joseph said to me "OH! We make that!!". I asked, "Here???" And he said "No. At home!" and that no one would come in this neighborhood if they served that sort of thing. I said I would! But I'm only one person.

Sigh....

[loofahgirl]

I won't really miss this place. One day, when I was having stomach issues, I ordered a small, plain white rice to go. I got back to my desk and opened the box. There was a long black hair in it.

Misonauseated.

[ASquared]

Prone to Hyperbole, on May 21 2009, 11:19 PM, said:

Quick side note, to the person who said they like the black bean stir fry, or something like that, a note: I got to be familiar with Jo(seph), the sort of gruff guy who worked the floor at lunch. I point blank asked him one day about why they had so much emphasis on (typical) thai dishes and stir fries when the family is Vietnamese, and those items are so much better than the Thai style ones. He basically said it is because most people don't like or understand Vietnamese food, and the Thai dishes and the Bento to Go are necessary to keep from being the last location of the small family chain to close.
One day I was reading a Saveur issue (the one with the gorgeous T-Bone on the cover - steak issue). It has an AMAZING Thai article in it with gorgeous pics of whole fish over fire, chinese chives, other whole spices and roots, and other stuff like that. Joseph said to me "OH! We make that!!". I asked, "Here???" And he said "No. At home!" and that no one would come in this neighborhood if they served that sort of thing. I said I would! But I'm only one person.

Sigh....

I think you'll find that a good portion of the Asian restaurants (of all regions) in this town are run by Vietnamese and that most of them mix cuisines on their menu's for the reasons you state. While this may bring into question the authenticity of the food, it doesn't neccesarily mean it's bad.

[Shade Malek]

Prone to Hyperbole, on May 21 2009, 10:19 PM, said:

AH! I finally feel useful. I work near Miso Hapi and ate lunch there regularly. It was, by a significant margin, the finest pho anywhere in town for $5.75 (including a nummy cabbage salad or mediocre soup). Then it went up to $6.75. No complaints. The entire lunch menu contained 31 items or more, all for $6.75. Amazing!
(the trick was to get one thing and only one thing: the basic traditional pho) The other items where worth the money though.

At any rate, I had my last bowl of pho there right before they closed and got the lowdown. There IS a new owner(s). I do believe some of the staff is staying on to work under the new regime though. Joseph didn't want to say too much, but he implied that it would be a Vietnamese restaurant that is more upscale. He said that more authentic dishes like whole fish would be available. That's as much as I got out of him. I want my six dollar lunch back! Sucks too, that I waited so long to check it out because the name made me certain that it was, A. not good food, and, B. Japanese of some sort.
I was so glad I looked in the window at the menu one day. It really was very good for what I ordered, and the prices.

Quick side note, to the person who said they like the black bean stir fry, or something like that, a note: I got to be familiar with Jo(seph), the sort of gruff guy who worked the floor at lunch. I point blank asked him one day about why they had so much emphasis on (typical) thai dishes and stir fries when the family is Vietnamese, and those items are so much better than the Thai style ones. He basically said it is because most people don't like or understand Vietnamese food, and the Thai dishes and the Bento to Go are necessary to keep from being the last location of the small family chain to close.
One day I was reading a Saveur issue (the one with the gorgeous T-Bone on the cover - steak issue). It has an AMAZING Thai article in it with gorgeous pics of whole fish over fire, chinese chives, other whole spices and roots, and other stuff like that. Joseph said to me "OH! We make that!!". I asked, "Here???" And he said "No. At home!" and that no one would come in this neighborhood if they served that sort of thing. I said I would! But I'm only one person.

Sigh....

Awesome info. I used to go there once or twice a week, mostly for Pho, but the lemongrass beef was also really tasty. The servers were always so nice and the Pho was REALLY good, almost on par with my fave Pho Hung (I really love organ meat and tripe) so I am sad to see it go. I wonder what the new thai place's lunch will look like.

[Prone to Hyperbole]

ASquared, on May 22 2009, 07:45 AM, said:

Prone to Hyperbole, on May 21 2009, 11:19 PM, said:

Quick side note, to the person who said they like the black bean stir fry, or something like that, a note: I got to be familiar with Jo(seph), the sort of gruff guy who worked the floor at lunch. I point blank asked him one day about why they had so much emphasis on (typical) thai dishes and stir fries when the family is Vietnamese, and those items are so much better than the Thai style ones. He basically said it is because most people don't like or understand Vietnamese food, and the Thai dishes and the Bento to Go are necessary to keep from being the last location of the small family chain to close.
One day I was reading a Saveur issue (the one with the gorgeous T-Bone on the cover - steak issue). It has an AMAZING Thai article in it with gorgeous pics of whole fish over fire, chinese chives, other whole spices and roots, and other stuff like that. Joseph said to me "OH! We make that!!". I asked, "Here???" And he said "No. At home!" and that no one would come in this neighborhood if they served that sort of thing. I said I would! But I'm only one person.

Sigh....

I think you'll find that a good portion of the Asian restaurants (of all regions) in this town are run by Vietnamese and that most of them mix cuisines on their menu's for the reasons you state. While this may bring into question the authenticity of the food, it doesn't neccesarily mean it's bad.

Oh, yeah. They totally are! I didn't mean to imply that is a problem for the cuisine or quality. I just meant that it seems that places like this do their home cuisine best, and was pointing out that that may be why the Thai influenced dishes were just pretty good, where the Vietnamese ones really stand out with quality and execution.
Reminds me of two others I feel that way about: My Cahn, and believe it or not Ho Ho "Oriental Cuisine" on 39th at Powell. Wow!!! I had avoided this fusion-looking place for years judging it must be a sweet and sour joint. I have since had the single best catfish hot pot I've ever had there. LOADED with pungency and authenticity. Very great! And VERY cheap. Well, typical pricing, but on the cheap side, and better food than most.

Yay for Asian cuisine of all types! I am SOOOO down! Especially Vietnamese though, and all of the French influenced versions too. The one "fusion" that has lasted through the generations and is always so yummy.

[JWN]

As a former regular customer of Misohapi I'm very upset by the changes. No more My Favorite Chicken! Are you serious? Also, no more bento to go is a huge letdown. I've walked by during lunch a few times and the place has been dead. If I didn't used to eat there so often it wouldn't be a big deal but to lose one of my favorite restaurants in Portland sucks.

[Prone to Hyperbole]

JWN, on Jun 13 2009, 11:00 AM, said:

As a former regular customer of Misohapi I'm very upset by the changes. No more My Favorite Chicken! Are you serious? Also, no more bento to go is a huge letdown. I've walked by during lunch a few times and the place has been dead. If I didn't used to eat there so often it wouldn't be a big deal but to lose one of my favorite restaurants in Portland sucks.

Totally different owners now. So comparisons aren't really relevant.
But, yeah, I work right there and REALLY miss having the Miso Hapi family there. It was awesome pho!

[Jill-O]

Welcome to the site JWN! Sorry about the loss of your fave...

[Flattail]

Has anyone been here yet? According to the Northwest Examiner it is owned by the same Dang that owns the allegedly VERY good Dang's Kitchen in LO. (Formerly part owner? of Chaba Thai) Hoping it IS as good, I need a decent to-go place on my way back to the hinterlands.

[ExtraMSG]

Thank goodness that's out of the bag. I was told the same, but asked to keep quiet about it unless it came out. (Had a feeling it wouldn't last.) Didn't see that in the Examiner. (I was too busy noticing that somehow in a big article about how NW Thurman is growing, there was no mention of Sandwichworks. Maybe if their ad guy had returned my calls we would have made it in the article. )

I went yesterday, talked to Dang a bit, and got some gai hor bai toey (pandanus leaf chicken) and po pia sod (fresh roll with sausage, shrimp, and crab). Excellent. The chunks of chicken (5 for $7) seemed a little small, but tasted great. Menu is pretty much the same as Dang's except they give you a choice of "Thai spaghetti" on several dishes -- in other words, khanom jiin -- plus he'll be doing some specials. Dang said that he trained the guy who bought his restaurant in Lake Oswego, which will retain the name, and said he's really good and doing an excellent job. The guy is responsible for several of our best Thai restaurants. Cha Ba is still good. Authentic Thai Cuisine does some things well. I imagine Dang's will continue to be good. And now there's Red Onion, which is a hell of a lot closer to work for me, and has the added benefit of having the master there to oversee the food.

[Flattail]

ExtraMSG, on Jun 16 2009, 01:34 PM, said:

Thank goodness that's out of the bag. I was told the same, but asked to keep quiet about it unless it came out. (Had a feeling it wouldn't last.) Didn't see that in the Examiner. (I was too busy noticing that somehow in a big article about how NW Thurman is growing, there was no mention of Sandwichworks. Maybe if their ad guy had returned my calls we would have made it in the article. )

I went yesterday, talked to Dang a bit, and got some gai hor bai toey (pandanus leaf chicken) and po pia sod (fresh roll with sausage, shrimp, and crab). Excellent. The chunks of chicken (5 for $7) seemed a little small, but tasted great. Menu is pretty much the same as Dang's except they give you a choice of "Thai spaghetti" on several dishes -- in other words, khanom jiin -- plus he'll be doing some specials. Dang said that he trained the guy who bought his restaurant in Lake Oswego, which will retain the name, and said he's really good and doing an excellent job. The guy is responsible for several of our best Thai restaurants. Cha Ba is still good. Authentic Thai Cuisine does some things well. I imagine Dang's will continue to be good. And now there's Red Onion, which is a hell of a lot closer to work for me, and has the added benefit of having the master there to oversee the food.

This sounds like excellent news!!! Something decent that I don't need to drive another 20 minutes for. WOOHOO!!!!

[polloelastico]

That's good news. Misohapi was the first place I ate at in Portland back in the late nineties, so that location holds a lot of nostalgia for me.

[loofahgirl]

Oh yay! And close to the office! No more hairs in my rice, I hope!

[Quo Vadis]

Late to the party... where is this place?
Maybe an address on the heading would be helpful?

[ExtraMSG]

Red Onion Thai Cuisine
1123 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97210
503.208.2634

Open 7 Days
Monday - Friday: 11am - 3pm, 5pm - 9pm
Saturday & Sunday: 12 noon - 9pm