The Egg A Day Experiment, Part 42

I first tried Bibimbap in Memphis. Everybody thinks of barbecue and fried chicken and Elvis and his peanut butter and banana sammies when they think of food in M'town, but I've got to say I was very impressed with the diversity of the global fare in that village by the Mississip!

I loved the sushi at Sekisui and Do. There was a tiny Vietnamese place I loved going. Oh, the claypot catfish... And my first Korean rice bowl with an egg on top was at a place called the Petra Cafe on Madison that had a wildly eclectic menu featuring a mix of Korean and Mediterranean. Fellow writer and brilliant musician Bill Ellis talked me into trying the bibimbap. He had lived in Japan and LOVED Korean food and he was a good guide.

But it's been a long time since I've eaten this dish. Never tried it in Seattle. Snapped this shot in Portland at the amazingly wonderful food carts you find around that crazy creative town. So, I'm on the hunt for a good Bibimbap. Know the way?

The Egg A Day Experiment, Part 41

Thank you Melissa Clark, for your excellent egg recipe in today's NYTimes!

The Egg A Day Experiment, Part 40

Loco moco baby!! Ono kine grindz, right brah? You got your rice, your hamburger patty, a fried egg on that and a whole mess of gravy.

I never order the loco moco when I got to Hawaiian plate lunch places. I cannot get past the katsu chicken. Oh, man, there was a place in Spokane that made a killer katsu chicken curry. Hot dang, I still crave that even though I do not remember the name of the long-defunct joint.

Went to Kauai Family Restaurant with a couple of gal pals the other day. They had never eaten Hawaiian plate lunch, so they asked the server for advice. First of all, I dug her because she told us to call her Auntie. Now, that's living Aloha!

The loco moco was on the breakfast menu and I liked it a lot. I might order it again. But what I loved was the mac salad and the kimchi cukes. And the guava cake! Da kine!!

The Egg A Day Experiment Parts 36, 37, 38 and 39

It's been a good egg run the past few days, starting from the bottom and moving up with homemade biscuit sammie, a terrific happy hour pizza at Serious Pie, asparagus flan with an egg on the side and an egg tucked into a ravioli, the latter two at Saffron in Walla Walla. I saw Tom Douglas make that ravioli last summer at his culinary camp and couldn't stop thinking about it. So incredibly rich. I'm gonna learn to make that!

Again and again, eggs show off as stunningly versatile ingredients. They're chameleons. They're the stars of so many recipes, but never scream: Hey, look at me. Well, maybe on the plate with the asparagus flan. Another dish that inspires me to get in the kitchen and try to copy it.

What do you think? See anything here you'd eat?

The Egg A Day Experiment, Part 35

Curried eggs!

Never would have dreamed of trying this knock-out recipe from the absolutely awesome 660 Curries unless I was embroiled in this egg exploration. Mighty glad I stretched my wings on this one, though. It was so delicious. The chalkiness of the cooked yolks turned velvety when simmered in the intense curry sauce.

The finished eggs were nested in brown rice, alongside stir-fried pea vines and red cabbage, onions and shallots I finished in a shower of balsamic vinegar in the wok. Kind of turned out like a warm slaw. Darned tasty, fairly healthy dinner, which was what I was craving after a weekend of really rich food in Portland. (See below.)

This success has inspired me to go on the hunt for more world-food egg recipes. Can you help?

Read how this experiment was hatched in Part 1.

The Egg A Day Experiment, Parts 31, 32, 33, 34

The challenge with this experiment is the natural tendency to gravitate toward the familiar. I went into the weekend determined to shake things up; to seek out some wild eggs.

I found some gems in Portland, Oregon, one of my favorite eating cities. I went there to check out the cool deals offered through the Portland Perks package, including lots of breaks at area restaurants. I love the diversity of the dining scene there. The city is home to stylish venues as well as hundreds of food carts that stretch the limits of culinary creativity. I stopped at Swamp Shack and Violetta, a new truck that features local meat and produce. I was nuts about the nacho fries at Big Ass Sandwich. Now, if only they could have put an egg on top. Nuts! I guess I should have asked.

First fantastic egg of the trip was served at the lovely dining room of the Heathman Hotel, which I would make my second home if/when I win the Mega Millions. It was a poached duck egg served with trotters. Holy cow! That dish was rich, rich, rich. The duck yolk, extra golden.

Next two eye-openers were served at exotic Ping. Throughout dinner, Johnny and I kept wondering aloud: Why isn't there a place like this in Seattle? It's so fresh, so original. Asian street food done with tons of style and a great value, too. I can't say enough about the raging hot egg salad, a vinegary mix of greens and chili with sliced eggs on top. YUM!

Then, the tea-marinated egg. WOW! This hard-boiled egg took on a smoky/salty flavor. I've got to try making this at home. Is this what some cookbooks call the "100-year egg"? More research is needed!

Before hitting I-5 North, we ate a swell Sunday brunch at Nel Centro. Johnny ordered a fluffy omelette, fattened up by goat cheese and sweet spring asparagus. I got the corned beef hash topped by a pair of poached eggs. This was probably the most traditional egg dish I ordered all weekend, but it came with a twist. Not truly a "hash", this meat-and-potato saute was a refined variation of the diner specialty. A fine pedestal for those eggs.

Nothing like a couple of days out of town to stir the pot, providing fresh inspiration. Next up on my egg agenda: curried eggs.

An Egg A Day Experiment, Part 30

Years ago, I interviewed a Memphis Grizzlies player named Bo Outlaw. I heard he was a chowhound, so I said, let's break bread together.

It was challenging. He was a one-word answer kinda guy. And when I asked why some folks didn't consider his native Texas part of the South, I thought he was going to thump me. He drew me a map on the placemat of the Barksdale, a diner in Midtown, where we met.

But finally, he cheered up when the food was set in front of him. He slid his fried eggs into a bowl of grits and stirred furiously. Hmmm. I was new to the South and had never seen that done. Well, that was the first and last time I saw a wild scramble of eggs into grits.

Now, a beautifully poached egg nestled onto a heap of rustic polenta-like grits is a whole 'nother ball game. I am madly in love with David Chang's version of shrimp and grits, which calls for an egg and bits of bacon on top. The egg serves as the sauce for this dish, the golden yolk spilling out and adding richness.

I wonder what Bo Outlaw would think of Momofuku's shrimp and grits.