29 Sunday Nov 2015
10/19/2015
We had to stop here on our last morning and try their coffee. I guess this place was more like an espresso drinks kind of place, because there was no sign of fancy machines or pour over. Overall a good coffee.
We concluded our trip with a stop at this place. My husband tried their 70% chocolate drink, I tried the 100% and oddly enough I didn’t find it bitter at all. My brother tried the spicy one. Overall, it was a fine experience, but we have had better.
25 Wednesday Nov 2015
Posted in Bollywood Theater, Eating and Drinking by city, Portland
10/19/2015
When I first heard about Bollywood Theater and how much everyone enjoyed their take on Indian street food, I was intrigued. Upon closer look at their menu, I realized it was very carb heavy and was not sure I wanted to dedicate our last lunch to this place. Since my brother had a light breakfast at Seastar Bakery he was already hungry around 11 a.m. While strolling on NE Alberta Street, I spotted Bollywood Theater and pointed it out to him. He said he wanted to get a snack from them. My husband, his partner in crime, agreed and since it was drizzling outside, I obliged and decided to have an early lunch. It is not often I have breakfast and lunch within two hours of each other. We placed our order and hoped for the best. The experience was OK at best and the value was definitely not there. Oh well, you can’t win all the time.
Bhel Puri Potatoes, Vegetables, Onion, Cilantro, Peanuts, Spices and Puffed Rice with Green and Tamarind Chutneys
It sounded better on a paper than it actually tasted. I packed most of it and ate some of it on the plane.
Dahi Papri Chaat Housemade Crackers topped with Chickpeas, Potatoes, Yogurt, Cilantro and Tamarind Chutney
This snack was much better than the previous one. It was kind of like an Indian nachos. It had lots of flavor.
Pork Vindaloo Pork braised with Red Chiles, Garlic and Vinegar with Buttered Rolls
A Portuguese influenced dish from Goa was the description on the menu. It was a hearty dish and perfect for a rainy day. The pork was tender and the buttered rolls rounded out the dish.
Lamb Samosas Two Savory Pastries filled with Lamb, Spiced Potatoes, Mint, Onions, Ginger and Peas served with Tomato Raisin Chutney and Green Chutney
My brother ordered this carb bomb and really liked it. Not my kind of dish.
Goan Style Shrimp Shrimp with Curry Leaves, Chile, Coconut Milk and Lime served with Saffron Rice
A very disappointing dish because the shrimp was overcooked and it was pricey for what it was. My husband liked the saffron rice though.
Dal and Coconut Curry Coconut Milk and simmered Lentil Curry with Seasonal Vegetables with Saffron Rice
My father’s choice and it did not impress because non of us remember anything about it.
23 Monday Nov 2015
Posted in Eating and Drinking by city, Portland, Seastar Bakery
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10/19/2015
This was our last day in Portland and we finished strong by having our last breakfast at Seastar Bakery. I read about this bakery in one of the best bakery lists and I am glad it did not disappoint. The main reason I picked it was their use of more hearty style breads using unique flours for their breakfast offerings. Service was friendly and I even picked up some goodies for home so when we come back from Portland, we would not be too sad. The lady that took our order even threw in a bonus cookie and that was a very nice gesture.
Black Sesame Chocolate Cookie
We ate this one on the plane and it was pretty good and not too sweet with a nice nuttiness from the black sesame.
Millet Raisin Cookie
This cookie was the free one we got. At home I took a bite not realizing it contained raisin and saved the rest for my raisin loving husband. I love the fact that they used millet though.
Cocoa and Yogurt Muffin
Pretty good light muffin with a good chocolate flavor.
Laura K’s Sweet Rosemary Cornbread
This was a very substantial treat and had a nice rosemary flavor. The texture was perfect and moist.
Apple, Fennel and Cheddar on a Seeded Rye Bread
I did not have any of this beautiful toast, but it sure looks good.
Rajas with Cornbread
My family enjoyed this dish. It had fried egg, tomatillo salsa and cilantro.
Coppa, Oven-Fried Egg, Bread & Butter Pickle, Parm on Polenta-Semolina Bread
My husband’s pick and he seemed to enjoy it.
Marinated Roasted Zucchini, Fresh Herbs, Toasted Seeds, Labneh on Focaccia
Marinated Roasted Zucchini, Fresh Herbs, Toasted Seeds, Labneh on Red Fife Wheat Bread with Sunny Side Egg
I really enjoyed the crusty bread and everything else was secondary to that beauty.
22 Sunday Nov 2015
Posted in Eating and Drinking by city, Portland, Salt & Straw
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10/18/2015
The first night in Portland we drove by their SE Division location and could not believe the long line. Then again it was a Friday night. When we returned on Sunday the line was much shorter and the service we got from a very friendly guy was outstanding. He was so enthusiastic about his job and you could tell he was happy to be there, unlike the guy from Fifty Licks. He gave us a lot of samples and because we loved so many flavor he suggested we get the tasting which consisted of four half scoops.
The Ice Cream Tasting
A great concept and I like that each flavor came in their separate bowl so you taste then individually and each flavor can shine on their own.
Freckled Woodblock Chocolate
A very interesting flavor. They combine chocolate from Woodblock with Jacobsen sea salt and then use a freckling technique so the chocolate would stay in an untempered state.
Arbequina Olive Oil
Loved this peppery floral olive oil ice cream. A must order flavor.
Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper
Another lovely flavor with sweetness from strawberries and honey balsamic and a nice kick from the black pepper.
Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons
It was pretty good but not as amazing as the one from Bi- Rite from San Francisco.
20 Friday Nov 2015
Posted in Eating and Drinking by city, Portland, Taylor Railworks
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10/18/2015
We were looking forward to this dinner very much since I had read a great review from a reliable source on Chowhound. First off if you are driving from downtown, the GPS will send you to the wrong location. At least that was the case with us. We were supposed to meet a relative of my father for dinner, but there was no sign of her. We waited for a while and placed our order. At the end of our meal our waiter told us the dinner was paid for by the no show relative. I joked, had we known that, we would have ordered more!! Kind acts like that are rare nowadays.
Service was friendly and informative. What we chose was great, flavorful and very high quality.
Yes I wish we had a place like that in our area.
My carb loving mom asked for the second round of these delicious rolls.
Noodles Alla Johnny Spicy Crab, Grilled Prawn, Tomato
My mom’s pick and she enjoyed it. It was packed full of flavor and the prawn was cooked just right.
Escarole Caesar, Wagyu, Mackerel
My brother ordered this and he liked it enough, but did not love it. I found it unique and flavorful. Basically a surf and turf Caesar salad.
Scallop, Cucumber, Jalapeño, Perilla, Pistachio, Spicy Mayo
I asked where the scallops were from and our server said Atlantic, possibly Newfoundland. It was cooked beautifully on one side so it would be a perfect medium rare and tasted sweet. The combination of the perilla a minty herb, cucumbers and crunchy pistachios gave this dish texture and lots of flavor.
King Salmon Special
My husband and father both ordered this and really enjoyed it. The salmon was cooked perfect. They sure know how to cook seafood.
Grilled Octopus, Yogurt, spicy tomato, Greens
Three of us got this amazing dish. The octopus was grilled flawlessly and the yogurt and spicy tomato were the perfect compliments to this dish. Mint added a pleasant herbal note, almost Middle Eastern. I could eat this dish every day.
Poached Pear, Brown-Butter Almond Cake, Yuzu-Mascarpone Ice Cream
My brother ordered this and everybody took a small bite. Not my kind of dessert. The almond cake was good though and the ice cream was refreshing.
18 Wednesday Nov 2015
Posted in Eating and Drinking by city, Garden Bar, Portland
10/18/2015
After a day of feasting our eyes on the nature and a little hiking, we needed something to hold us over until dinner time. I googled in the car searching for a healthy place in downtown Portland and came up with this place. Four out of five of us were happy with our selection. That is not bad for a place that was picked at the last minute. Their salads were large enough that two people looking for a light meal could easily share. So, with the exception of my brother’s salad, Yucatan, the other two pictures are half portions.
Bliss Detox
Kale, Carrots, Raw Beets, Radish, Apple, Pickled Onion, Pepitas, Avocado, Chia Seeds, Cider and Pink Peppercorn Vinaigrette
My mom and dad’s choice and they really enjoyed the freshness of the salad. Actually I was going to get the same salad, but at the last minute changed my mind.
Yucatan
Roamine, Roasted Kitchen, Tarragon Corn, Avocado, Black Beans, Jicama, Radish, Tillamook Cheddar, Lime and Roasted Shallot Vinegar
My brother’s choice and the only one in the family that did not care for his food. He said the chicken was OK and the salad as whole was bland.
Autumn Harvest Salad
Spinach and Arugula with Roast Delicata Squash, Shaved Fennel, Pepitas, Crispy Bacon, Chevre, Mustard Greens with a Beet Cider & Sumac Vinaigrette
My husband and I were happy with our choice. It had saltiness from bacon, tanginess from goat cheese, a little heat from the mustard green and sweetness from squash. A well balance salad.
16 Monday Nov 2015
Posted in Bakeshop, Eating and Drinking by city, Portland
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10/18/2015
We came here for breakfast before heading to Colombia River Highway to visit all the beautiful waterfalls.
Everything looked great but as expected with any place some Viennoiseries fair better than others. Service was very friendly and they even cut a couple of our goodies in half. As we were leaving the very friendly pastry chef gave us a warm out of the oven croissant on the house. Of course rather than letting it cool down we ate it right away and had to come back for more!
Ham and Cheese Croissant
It was your standard ham and cheese croissant and nothing like my beloved Pain au Jambon from Tartine.
Croissant
Great croissant warm out of the oven. Amazing texture and very buttery.
Pesto Croissant
Very flavorful pesto and apparently the favorite of the pastry chef.
Kouign Amann
This was the only disappointing item we tried. The look and the taste was nothing like the classic kouign amann. It looked like it was left in the oven for too long.
Swiss Chard Ricotta Rustic
My brother grabbed the last one. It took a small bite and found it very tasty and substantial. A meal by itself.
Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Scone
My father’s pick and he seemed to enjoy it.
Twice-Baked Almond Croissant
My brother commented that it was a well textured croissant and the almond paste was good.
When I went back to get two more fresh out of the oven croissants, I asked them if they would cut them in half for us. The head croissant baker cut it for us and said since it was their first time cutting a warm croissant in half, they had to take a picture of it.
15 Sunday Nov 2015
10/16/2015
We stopped here after our dinner at Muselet Restaurant. I had heard so much about this place and honestly was a little disappointed with the samples I tasted. The only guy that was serving that night oddly went outside multiple times between serving people.
Coconut Lemon Saffron Sorbet and Cherry Bomb
The coconut lemon saffron was pretty good. It had a nice clean coconut flavor with enough saffron in the background and a little lemon for good measure. The cherry bomb was good but it needed more cherry.
12 Thursday Nov 2015
Posted in Eating and Drinking by city, Mucca Osteria, Portland
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10/17/2015
I picked Mucca simply because it was walking distance to our hotel and had a favorable review online. I knew it was not going to be anything amazing but even though I was not sure, I didn’t cancel. The lighting in the restaurant was very dark so my pictures reflect that.
Since we had a late lunch that day we all picked pasta dishes and with the exception of my choice, they were all OK. Service was cold and pushy.
Tortelli ai Funghi Mushroom and Ricotta filled Tortelli, Asparagus, Almonds, White Wine Cream Sauce
We all liked my choice the best. It was very rich and had a nice earthy taste.
Tortellini with Kale, lamb, prosciutto and Ricotta
My husbands choice and my second favorite dish after mine. It had a nice meaty filling but a little salty. The sauce was pretty good.
Pappardelle al Cinghiale Egg Pappardelle Pasta, Slow Braised Wild Boar Ragù
My brother picked this one and was not crazy about it. I took a bite and understood why? It didn’t have a depth of flavor you usually associate with a wild boar ragu.
Squid Ink Tagliatelle with Cherry Tomatoes and Shrimp
I encouraged my mom to pick this dish so we cover all the pasta dishes. She seemed to enjoy it.
Gnocchi al Ragù di Cervo e Funghi di Stagione Potato Gnocchi Pasta with Ragù of Venison, Plums and Seasonal Mushrooms
I picked this dish for my father since he enjoys venison and he seemed to be fine with it.
Cioccolatino Port infused flourless Belgium chocolate cake
It was a pretty good chocolate cake and a nice way of ending our dinner.
08 Sunday Nov 2015
10/17/2015
We were starving and needed something to hold us over until dinner. We circled around Ken’s looking for a parking for a few minutes and had no luck. Finally found a 10 minutes parking spot and ran to ken’s and placed our order. We had to eat it on the sidewalk next to the car and the pictures reflect that.
Tuna Salad
The croissant was very buttery and flaky, but the disappointing tuna salad was the basic stuff you can get anywhere.
Banh Mi
My brother mentioned that he liked the baguette and everything else was fine.
Pulled Pork
My husband’s pulled pork was a total miss and he only ate it because he was starving. I could not even take a decent picture of it because he was hungry like a wolf!!
Oregon Croissants with local Berries and Hazelnut Cream
By far the best item we tried. Nice and buttery croissant with tart berries and hazelnut cream, need I say more?
My mom had a kale cranberry soup and found it acceptable but pricy for the size. My father had the quiche and he seemed to enjoy it.
Overall as far as the sandwiches it was a disappointing experience. The baked goods and breads as expected faired much better. Service was OK.
