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.