SE PDX with NE Irvington Under Review

Met up with a friend in PDX after work on Wednesday night and have this to say about the places visited....

Costello's Travel Caffe is definitely one of my "Go-To" spots when I want to show someone a truly Portlandia spot.  Their coffee is one of the best I've had to-date living in the Portland area and their food is truly amazing.  The atmosphere is warm and inviting - a cafe trying to simulate Europe.  Costello's combines interests such as travel, European culture, and maintains a chic style not only in their food and drink, but also their physical building.  All in a way that it keeps its patrons coming back - no matter where they move to.  People visit from all over the world - all in respect of this well balanced and delicious cafe.  

A charming, unique characteristic that adds to the traveling experience are the tour movies that are featured daily.  Whether you are sipping on a drink, sinking your teeth into a freshly grilled panini or simply nibbling a freshly baked cookie, Costello's finds numerous methods to entertain:  through live music, foreign featured films, or just the tour movies - Costello's is a great spot to simply unwind!

Next time you are around the Irvington District in PDX stop by for a raspberry mocha and molasses cookie - I promise you, you won't be disappointed!    costellostravelcaffe.com

Furever Pets isn't a food stop for humans by a long shot, but if you are a canine or feline this would be paradise!  I made a quick pit stop for the Bravo Tribe and this pet store deserves a quick moment to review. 

A go to spot for Black Friday - Furever Pets will be having their annual sale on all merchandise - including food.  They had some adorable sweaters which has Theo's name written all over them...

Another spot to check out while in the Irvington District.

fureverpets.com

Oregon Hop House was a new location for me and one that didn't disappoint!  They serve a variety of micro brews found both locally and state-wide with an ever changing tap.  They even provide some with a twist - literally.

One beer that I tried was a Cherry Cider mixed with a stout.  At first I was hesitant, but after a recommendation from my friend I tried it and was impressed with it's originality and great taste.  Oregon Hop House apparently has a knack for mixing beers into even better tasting beers - something that is hard to do - but when done properly you can be pleasantly surprised! oregonhophouse.com

Belmont Station located right off of SE Stark is a beer haven for all.  Selling not only domestic beers, but the station is a great go-to spot for hard to find imported beers - something a beer connoisseur or even a novice can both appreciate.
 
belmont-station.com

Old Town Pizza

A Supplier is bring Old Town Pizza today for lunch which I'm super stoked about!  One of the better pizza spots in town - Old Town Pizza has really become a Portland Food Staple, much like Voodoo Doughnuts.  

Their pizzas are light on grease without losing any of the flavor.  They have a wide range of selections for the vegetarian to the hearty meat lover.

And to keep true to the Portland Green Spirit they have a green delivery service, only delivering their pizzas to customers who live within a specific mileage radius as they bike deliver all of their orders.  You can of course order to take out or choose to eat at one of their two locations.

A great pizza spot and highly recommended!

http://oldtownpizza.com/

Seattle Weekend Trip

Ok restaurant review!  This past weekend I went up to Seattle to visit Kristin.  She took me to a few great spots which I wanted to share with all of you - ratings and all.

*****Friday night she ordered a take home gourmet pizza from Zaw which in the end was AMAZING (for multiple reasons)!

The pizza had some of the freshest ingredients I've ever had, especially on a "take 'n bake."  If you check out their site (www.zaw.com) one of their claim to fame is their freshness, something that they take seriously.

Kris ordered the Arugula Patch which contains the following fresh ingredients: freshly sliced prosciutto, halved cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil served atop a bed of Parmesan and mozzarella which is then topped with fresh arugula after baking. (pulled from website).


The pizza has a super thin crust and apparently while cooking it you were suppose to keep the wax paper on underneath of it.  Definitely be sure to read all documentation that comes with the pizza!! Otherwise you end up with a pizza falling through the rack in your oven...haha well needless to say we learned that the hard way.  

I will recommend Zaw for a few reasons but one of the most important of all of them is due to their awesome costumer service - besides their great tasting pizza!  I explained to them what happened and they were very willing to supply us with a new pizza, no questions asked.  

Not only was the food AMAZING but their customer service is what you have come to expected  from a GREAT business - therefore I provide Zaw with the highest rating and recommend them for any pizza lover!!  They receive 5 "spoons" - and a personal favorite!!

*Saturday we spent the day shopping at the Tulalip Outlets, but before we headed out we stopped by Kirkland to eat at a Mexican Restaurant called Milagro Cantina - www.milagrocantina.com

The atmosphere was impressive, but unfortunately I cannot say the same for their food. As you can see in the below photo the space was very well decorated with some memorable  pieces adorning the eating area.  A particular favorite of mine was the water fountain with the fire pit located in the center, as shown below.  I also found the many LED Lighted Candles to add a certain touch to the location, something I might try to incorporate into my own home.  


But again all of this mattered very little as the food was not impressive - not by a long shot.

Kris ordered a quesadilla and I had the ceviche which consisted of mostly shrimp, but was suppose to include mahi mahi - if it did it was barely traceable.  Not to mention the dish had literally no salt.  The chips were unique as they were served as one large toasted tortilla, but unfortunately the dipping sauces were bland and flavorless. 

All together Milagro Cantina earns zero credit for food and some for decor - one "spoon"

And a thank you to Kristin for taking me around :)

Me me me - yeah what about it?!

Alrighty - looks like I've let another couple of weeks pass by without any post - except from earlier this morning - but I feel it's time to throw some thoughts on some...electronic paper.

For Pablo's 29th birthday I took him to Ristorante Roma‎ off SW 12th street - one of our favorite Italian spots in PDX.  Check out their menu at ristoranteromaportland.com‎ - great atmosphere and the food is amazing.  Pablo accidentally knocked his glass over of champagne which was quite comical at the time.

Before dinner we stopped at a relatively new lounge called Gruner, http://www.grunerpdx.com/gallery.htm, just on the corner of 12th and Alder.  Their bar was full so they directed us to their sister lounge just on the other side which I'm afraid I didn't catch the name - though I think it might be the same..anyways I personally loved this lounge because it combined Bend with hipster.  One of the COOLEST things about this lounge that I LOVED were the ice cubes - yes, ICE CUBES.  They were like these large chunks of squared ice - reminding me if a logger were to make ice cubes these would be them - large "mini" chop blocks of ice.  It was really cool and added a little something to the drink - which sucked.  But then again it might have just been the particular combination of alcohol I had...their mixed drinks does not begin to compare to the Saucebox - saucebox.com‎ - at least not from the one time we were there.  I will give them another shot and will decide then.  Again the environment was awesome though - like Bend meets SE PDX.

Word of the wise...

Owning a home is a huge pain in the ass.

1st Anniversary 10.01.11

Hello all - ok so I'm going to give a snap shot of our first wedding anniversary - I will include more pics on FB so I would also check there.

We headed out for Eagle Crest this past Friday for a two night stay at the golfing resort, located in central Oregon.  We figured it would be a great half way point to go see Crater Lake - something I've always wanted to do!

Ok so grr...I had uploaded some specific pics to discuss and I had a computer melt down apparently...so with that said just check the photos on FB and I will discuss here what we did.....

Friday morning left for Eagle Crest which is in central OR.  We went through HWY 26 through Madras to Redmond then to the resort, about 10 mins outside of Bend I believe.  That day we stopped at this little cafe right outside Warm Springs (I believe, the Native American Res.) and it was simply AMAZING!  It had the BEST homemade biscuits that I've had in a long long time - definitely would recommend to anyone stopping through.  We then stopped outside of Madras at this little winery called Margas - and we finally found a winery we both agreed on to join.  The wine selection was great with limited distribution throughout the country.  Should hopefully getting our first shipment soon...will share more on that later.  The winery was also cool cause we got to feed the chickens haha

We got to the resort early afternoon where Pablo proceeded to play a round of golf and I got to experience my first facial - it was amazing!  Somehow planning on incorporating some sort of facial for Cori before the wedding :)  Then relaxed in the hot tub with a bottle of Argyle champagne (which was also amazing - been saving it) and then off to dinner where I had a filet mignon rare with Alfredo noodles and Pablo had some tasty tortellini - both great dishes at the resort.

Saturday we got up early and headed over to Crater Lake with Chomper.  It was freaking cold when we got there so we didn't end up hiking the rim like we had thought to do - poor Pablo wore only shorts so we made the trip quick - in and out for some pics of the lake + lodge there (which will be another vacation plan as the pics of the lodge were beautiful! All on FB).  The lake was of course beautiful and a must see site of OR.

From the lake we went back into Bend and took a tour of the candy factory, Goody's, which needless to say we bot gained a few extra pounds of chocolate onto our waists....headed back to the resort for more hot tub, wine, and then food.  This time around I got the clam fettucini which I REALLY need to try making at home...it was so good I stuffed myself.  Pablo wasn't hungry (toooo much chocolate) so it was a solo thing.  Though I also want to add here that the "DJ" for this bar/restaurant was pretty amazing as well since he not only took my requests but played them immediately - got the "crowd" going with who of course Elton John and Billy Joel - not hard as most of these ppl were over 60+ - remember GOLF RESORT

Sunday morning we packed it all up, stopped through Sisters, OR, which is "like" Virginia City in MT but a little more money involved and not so much like a living museum (I personally like the authenticity of VA City, but Sisters was cool too - just "newer" and wasn't sure on the "realness" of some of the buildings...) we went to a diner in Sisters for breakfast to get the same meal we had coming in...but it wasn't good at all.  The biscuits were gross and my corn beef hash - well that part was good :)  but then again just a can ppl - not hard to screw up!  Pablo's breakfast was good though - he lucked out ;)

After Sisters drove home via "Scenic By-way" through Detroit Lake back around MT Hood and though it was pretty...there were some rather large sections of power lines - sorta funny we thought ;)

Over all it was a great mini-vacation and a great first year anniversary - can't wait for another year!

Weekend Fun

Alrighty so there are a few things going on this week, but I'm only going to check out these two:

Industry and Art - this is taking place down on Swan Island actually where I work.  Going to check it out Saturday.  Something they started right when I left last year, so this time I will be able to enjoy it - hoping it will be full of fun and interesting art work!

The Polish Festival - always a favorite festival for good beer and sausages.  We missed out last year because of wedding plans, so this year we are making it a goal to go.  Always a good time to see everyone and usually packed full with people of all types.  And of course the best part is the polka dancing at the end of the night!

and...

Geek Trivia Night

Ok so I'm a few days off from this...but went to Geek Trivia night over at the Kennedy School Tuesday night, 9/20 and it was a lot of fun.  I think it's safe to say the questions seemed to be a little bit harder this time around...but overall our team did ok.

Comics are not really a strong point with me or even apparently our team haha but we managed.  And of course the ONE question about LOTR we all drew a blank...Meg - we needed you!! 

Will post more later about other random non-going-out related topics shortly.

Overall I would definitely suggest for anyone who has a little Geek in them to at least go and check it out!  At least ONE TIME!

Some fun links to check out:

http://www.mcmenamins.com/events/89968-Geek-Trivia-Night
http://www.facebook.com/PortlandGeekTrivia

Cricket Cafe - and many goodbyes...

This morning a couple of friends got together to say goodbye to Meg - (Blog: Bow Ties Are Cool) before she leaves us and PDX for a year over in London - at an awesome little cafe in the SE called - Cricket Cafe.

Highly recommend this cafe for multiple reasons the first being that the environment is totally typical Portland and I love it.  A mix of hipsters and DINKs (dual-income-no-kids) (a better term for the "yuppy") all come together to enjoy that small town cafe feel in a larger city.

The menu also rocks!  They have your basics, eggs, toast, etc.  but they also provide a large selection of specialty items e.g. challah french toast and numerous "scrambles" that have poached eggs in lieu of scrambled eggs - at least for some dishes.  All together a great experience with great drinks to match.

$$ - They are a little less spendy as Cadillac Cafe but as this post isn't about CC I will dish more on that at another time.  So for now I'm going to start the whole monetary rating scheme...$ being cheap and $$$$ being freaking ridiculous (but totally worth it hopefully!)

The service was very good as well - another plus in my eating world.  Though our server reminded me of my mom a little back in the 80s...haha but that's cool cause it is totally Portland!  Wait...maybe I do like the 80s and 90s more then I think....!

Coffee on the go and quickly!

Ok so to get back to the whole reason I created this Blog in the first place..to give a recommendation either for or against a particular "Portland Eatery."

Now I'm an avid coffee drinker, which most of you can attest to.  I have an entire cabinet in my kitchen dedicated to the art of coffee.  Between Turkish coffee, Italian Espresso, French Press, and just regular drip coffee I'm a fan of it all! 

So when I need a quick coffee in the mornings....well I would now recommend Coffee Rush as they are speedy and tasty.  I use to go to Dutch Brothers all the time in Newberg (which I still love) - so this for Beaverton is the next best thing.

Reasons why I liked them:

1- FAST - too often there are long lines and the service is slow.  In the mornings its all hell to go go go so I appreciated their fast service

2- Taste - a difference from Starbucks every now and then can be a good thing! Yet still holds a kick...

3- Place looked clean and modern...trust me on this one - no one wants to go to a coffee shop that looks like someone's trailer park bedroom.....!!

Go check it out if you are in the neighborhood -
http://www.coffeerush.net/

New Horizons....Definitely New Chapter

Alright so a lot has happened since April - go figure - but of course never enough time to accurately record everything.  So this is it in a nutshell:

Offered my old position at the ship yard in August, accepted and I'm now a commuter back into PDX.  Missed seeing my city Portland - plus it was a good move career-wise in the right direction.

I'm afraid Meg is leaving for London - which is going to be great fun for her, but I'm also sad to lose a friend.  Had a going away party for her last Saturday which was a good, drunken time.  Going to miss you Meg!!

Had our first Home Repair - well technically it's still going on since i need to call the repair people to plug our hole back up...but definitely a first out of more to come I'm sure...reminder to self - find home owner insurance with deductible of $500! 

We got a puppy...Theo who is a Great-Dane-a-Doodle - working on training him atm.

Planning a trip out to Europe/Serbia hopefully within 6 months for Malika's wedding - that is still in process.

Annnnd that about sums it up for now...will post more as I get time.

The Montage

No more hapless drive bys, hoping to see a line of people snaked around the building waiting to get in - the Montage is officially serving brunch and surprise surprise will be OPEN on the weekends during the day!  Only from 10am to 2pm, but still better than the once every other full moon on second Tuesday of the month....

Ok for those not familiar with the M, it is seriously the best place in PDX for killer macaroni and anything pesto.  Horrible service (supposedly) but never really had any major run ins my self.  The joke between me and my husband was how they were never opened as we use to do frequent drive bys - I might add at what would be normal business hours for dinner - hoping to get a plate of some of their amazing food.

And to top it off any left overs you have they wrap for you into fun tin foil animals ;) always a treat!

Their address is:

301 SE Morrison St

Portland, OR 97214

I would HIGHLY recommend this restaurant!  - 5 Stars