Yakuza in Oregon

[Mulboyne]

Yakuza Lounge

Japanese flavors, Portland flair.

"Only in Portland can a Japanese restaurant boast the Best Burger of 2009 (Portland Monthly Magazine). But that's Yakuza. On a quiet neighborhood street, nestled between equally renowned dining destinations D.O.C. and Fats, Yakuza offers unexpected cuisine that makes perfect sense to discriminating palates. Step inside and cozy up to Japanese-inspired hot and cold dishes, innovative martinis and so much more."

By some accounts, there is, or was, an Italian restaurant in Lima called "Mafia" but the place took it as a theme, and the walls were covered with posters for gangster films. As far as I can tell, Yakuza Lounge has no reference to Japanese organized crime in it's decor. I suppose one or two of the waiters might have a tattoo.

As the blurb above says, it's not just Japanese food. Here's the $12 "Yakuza Burger":

[Doctor Stop]

As the blurb above says, it's not just Japanese food. Here's the $12 "Yakuza Burger":

At that price, there better be a severed pinky or two in there.

[Mike Oxlong]

At that price, there better be a severed pinky or two in there.

Yakuza - Our Prices Are Extortionate.

[omae mona]

At that price, there better be a severed pinky or two in there.

I guess this belongs in the "You've been in Japan too long when..." thread, but my first thought was, "wow, what a great deal!".

[gkanai]

are you kidding me? That's disgraceful.

[den4]

Yakuza in DePortland...LOL
Am surprised Jake Adelstein hasn't done a review yet....
Only in DePortland do you find a J-restaurant named Yakuza, along with a food cart named Samurai, another food cart that claims it's Oishii on the side of its outer wall (facing towards traffic), and a former Korean-owned-but-no-longer-in-existence-J-restaurant named Arigato. Who the hell names their restaurant Thank You, and expect to have customers?
But DePortlanders the area over just love their faux sushi restaurants along with their faux Japanese cuisine, where skewering some chicken pieces on a stick is called Bento by DePortlanders who don't know any better....
Gotta love DePortlanders and their fetish for J-style restaurants, and the caucasian folks that line up for such restaurants...

[IparryU]

are you kidding me? That's disgraceful.

yessir it is.

CJ's kills that.

the 6 dollar burger... cant fug wid it!

[Bucky]

DePortland

DePortland??

[Greji]

are you kidding me? That's disgraceful.

Hey! You don't like? Hows about I send a couple of the fellows around and break your kneecaps? Just buy the burger and we don't have a problem, see?

[Taro Toporific]

DePortland??

Portland PDX Airport in the past had the reputation of having the highest rate of deportation of Japanese tourists with seemingly random justification.
Nowadays, thanks to abuse from the TSA, fewer Japanese tourists now notice arbitrary nature of the passport control at PDX.

[Bucky]

Portland PDX Airport in the past had the reputation of having the highest rate of deportation of Japanese tourists with seemingly random justification.
Nowadays, thanks to abuse from the TSA, fewer Japanese tourists now notice arbitrary nature of the passport control at PDX.

Taro, that is a blast from the past. I do recall the nickname now that you mention it. The reputation of the Rose City (Portland) does seem to have been cleaned up since this name was originally coined over 10 years ago.