Alrighty-O
Well I've finally managed to get back onto my Blogger once again. I've been having a need to write recently, though for no particular reason. Just to write, type, think on paper kind of deal. I checked my latest stats and somehow (god only knows) I've had around 600 page views. I think its time I got my butt in gear and started documenting all the fun spots I've been to over the last year being back in Portland city limits as I suspect my page views are solely contributed to these foodie posts.
It's amazing to see all the many web sites, smart phone apps, and other tools that people use when searching for said food spots. Some are better for beer, wine, distilleries, food, vs type of environment, service, and most importantly taste, but I always feel that these are lacking in one item or another and never have I found a complete combination of all of these items (it is entirely possible I simply do not agree with their ratings either). I assume that it is challenging at best to rate any spot based on all of these criteria because one always seems to lean towards one feature compared to the other, but if this blog aims to cover all of these, even in the smallest way, then I will feel that I've succeeded.
So over the next couple of weeks please come back and check to see where I'm at in my list of food spots to check out in the Portland area!!
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Thursday, November 17, 2011
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.
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
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
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.
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
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 :)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, October 3, 2011
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!
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!
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