Besaw's: More Hype Than Substance

There are some places in this fair city of ours we have never been, places that when people talk about them and we say we haven't been there our statements are met with shock, as if we have somehow upset the speaker's delicate balance in their understanding of us as people.

"But you love food!" they say. "How could you have not been there yet?!"

Um, I don't know. Because there are tons of yummy places to go, with more popping up all the time, that it's almost impossible to keep track? And that it's hard enough for us to make it back to the places we know we like, let alone to try new ones on a consistent basis (and keep our foodie cred)?

Besaw's, located in northwest Portland at 23rd and Savier, is one of those restaurants. Open since 1903 (as they proudly note on the sandwichboard below and on their website), Besaw's is somewhat of a Portland institution, something along the lines of the Portland City Grill or Jake's Famous Crawfish. 

It's busy pretty much all the time and on weekend mornings the lines can stretch alongside the length of the restaurant and take hours to get a seat. We hadn't been there before mostly because of the line; this is a place you have to really plan to visit if, like us, you hate waiting for something you don't know will be worth the time. In fact, we tried to eat here once before but the line was already too long, so we went somewhere else.

A few weeks back we made a point of getting here early on a Saturday morning and were seated right away. Besaw's began as a bar and the bar is still a very prominent feature, though the atmosphere is assuredly family friendly. Families, couples and friends form small groups of varying sizes, with tables stuffed into whatever alcove the restaurant can manages.

Because of a craving we started off with a cinnamon roll, a 'how-convenient' special of the day. As you can see in the picture, it was pretty good sized.

However, it really wasn't very good. The dough was nicely baked, but the layers of the roll were too thick and didn't have enough cinnamon filling. It was as if the dough needed to be rolled flatter and layered with more cinnamon/sugar mixture. As a result the cinnamon flavor was almost nonexistent. The frosting had very little flavor. We ended up getting one at Fleur de Lis later in the day because this just didn't cut it and the craving still lingered.

Now the main dishes. Wifey ordered the breakfast burger - here is the description from the menu:

THE. BREAKFAST. BURGER. - sunny-side up egg, 100% grass-fed local ground beef patty, white cheddar, bacon, arugula, oven-roasted tomato, sausage gravy, on texas toast; rosemary-garlic potatoes

Which translates into this on the plate:

Now when someone says "rosemary-garlic potatoes" to me, French fries with whole cloves of garlic is not what comes to mind. Check out these monsters:

And there was a ton! I love garlic, but damn, that was  A LOT of garlic. And maybe it's just us, but we thought they were a tad underroasted. The burger was served on one piece of toast - it had no top. Maybe this is just our assumption, but unless otherwise stated we expected a top. The gravy was severely lacking in flavor on its own, but altogether this wasn't a bad dish. Nor was it special.

I ordered the farmer's hash:

FARMER’S HASH - three eggs scrambled with rosemary potatoes, bacon, roasted garlic cloves, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, arugula, cheddar cheese

It was...fine. Nothing special. This also had a ton of garlic and lots of cheese (so much the menu lists it twice!).

Nothing in this meal stood out; in fact, some of it was borderline no good. Many, many people seem to have a special place in their heart for Besaw's and I think that's because it has been around for so long. Quite a few Portlanders grew up with this place and made special memories there long before the city's food revolution, so it's placed in a higher echelon of restaurant than the food it produces. We won't be back.

Dog-friendly? There are a few outdoor tables along 23rd Avenue and I believe we have seen dogs there with their owners during the summer. We didn't ask specifically.

Happy Hour at Ping - Kobayashi Dog!

About a year ago Wifey and I tried out Pok Pok, a Thai restaurant owned by local (and now also in NYC) legend Andy Ricker. It was good, but not necessarily what we seek out on a regular basis. His restaurant in downtown Portland - in Chinatown to be specific - is called Ping and is more of a "drinking food" type of place. That is to say, right in our wheelhouse. Last weekend we stopped in for happy hour.

Ping serves dishes influenced from all over southeast Asia. Whether coming in for lunch, dinner, or happy hour you will get a different menu, and yes, for happy hour you must order one drink per person. Not in an alcohol mood we each opted for one of the very popular drinking vinegars Ricker has developed, called Som ($4 each). Som comes in many flavors and is mixed with one part of the base flavor and four parts soda or water.  I ordered raspberry, Wifey ordered pineapple. Both were very good with great fruit flavor, the raspberry on the tart end of things and the pineapple pleasantly sweet but not overly so.

We ended up ordering half the happy hour menu, starting with shrimp chips.

Just like at Pok Pok, these were fantastic. Light, fluffy, crunchy and bursting with shrimpiness. And only $1? They go a long ways too.

The second dish was salapao, a Thai-style steamed bun stuffed with shredded pork and topped with fried shallots for $3.

This was my second-favorite dish of the meal. The bun itself was light and fluffy, still moist, and the shallots added a great burst of flavor. And that pork? Oh my - see for yourself.

The meat melted in your mouth, just sweet enough that the scallions were a great contrast. I told Wifey I could eat these all day. It probably wouldn't be a good idea, but I'd do it.

One of the things Ping is known for are their skewers, so we ordered a chicken breast skewer topped with plum sauce and shiso (the greens in the picture) for $2.

It was...cute. Does it look tiny? It was tiny. The sauce was nice but the meat itself a tad on the bland side. Wifey and I agreed this was our least favorite dish.

Next up, a prawn skewer, also for $2. You get three grilled prawns and a dish with salt and pepper, plus two slices of lime. We were instructed to squeeze the lime into the salt and pepper, then dip the prawns in there (after shelling) to eat.

Wow. Just wow. These prawns were perfectly cooked, still very moist but not underdone, and the flavor of dipping the meat in the salt/pepper/lime mixture was excellent. These I could eat all day, too. Not only were they tastier than the chicken skewer, but you get twice as much - seemingly - as the chicken for the same price.

Last up was the famous Kobayashi dog. This is a beef frank topped with teriyaki, wasabi mayo, cucumber relish, toasted nori, and bonito flakes for $5.

I'm not even sure where to begin with this dish full of awesomeness. Not only is it a pool of ingredients I wouldn't have thought to put together, but the wasabi mayo was not overpowering at all and the cucumber relish added a surprising freshness that just worked. Well no, it didn't just work - it was amazing. Not healthy, but amazing.

The total happy hour bill came to $21 and we were both full. Considering $8 of that was the two drinks, that's pretty much a steal of a meal. Saturday afternoon wasn't busy at all either, which surprised me a bit. Service was good, food and drink was good, parking was available, it wasn't busy...we will absolutely be going back.

Oh, and if you are from out of town and can't find Ping, just keep an eye out for this Portland landmark.

Ping is in the bottom left of this picture. And no, this sign never, ever gets old. Ever.

I Paid $17 For A Burger And Would Do It Again

We aren't huge on holidays around here and usually choose to celebrate them in our own way. When Valentine's Day comes most years we just stay home and cook, avoiding the mess of traffic and packed restaurants, but sometimes we just decide to move the day. February 15th is a fantastic day to celebrate because most of the time restaurants are much less busy. This year we decided to spend our annual obligatory Hallmark celebration of love at Paley's Place on 21st and Northrup in NW Portland.

This was our second trip to Paley's, the first being part of Dining Month Portland last June. We went specifically for two reasons: desserts created by amazing pastry chef Kristen Murray and to try out the burger. This burger is only on the bistro and bar menu (why I still am not sure - not fancy enough for the main dining room?) - which really means bar and bistro area, plus the porch area visible in the picture below - so I made a reservation for the bistro at 7:30pm. Paley's is one of the few places in Portland a reservation is just about a necessity, no matter what day of the year.

Front of the restaurant. It's the main part, up the short stairs. Beneath is a spa of some kind.

The restaurant was full like it is every night. You know what I said earlier about the day after Valentine's being generally less busy? That doesn't apply to Paley's. Continually regarded as one of the best restaurants in Portland it's a destination spot for out of towners as well as locals because of the great service that goes with the great food.

After being seated we were brought some bread (from Ken's Artisan Bakery just down the street and one of the few things not made completely in house) and an amuse bouche. It's hard to tell from the picture, but these tiny squares of a layered potato dish topped with romesco were on six-inch metal stands. And tasty.

Considering one of our entrees was going to be the burger I thought it a good idea to order a vegetable side dish, so I chose Brussels sprouts cooked with bacon and creme fraiche for $8. I tried to be healthy. Really.

All of the flavors were excellent. We typically prefer smaller sprouts because then the core is smaller, but these were very well cooked and the bacon pieces (more on that later) provided wonder punches of smoky flavor.

For my entree I ordered the winter vegetable cassoulet. It comes served in a stone pot (Le Creuset or something similar) and is HOT. It's not much to look at, but included large white heirloom beans, Brussels sprouts, beets, and a couple other vegetables for $18.

At first glance it seems small, but spoon some of that out onto your plate and see the size of the beans and you realize it's quite hearty. In fact, this came home and was part of three more meals. That makes the price tag seem dirt cheap.

Then came the burger. It's not cheap - $15, plus $1 each more for bacon or cheese (blue or gruyere) - but it does also come with a simple green salad with a citrus vinaigrette, house-made ketchup and pickled vegetables. The meat is ground to order, the buns baked in house, the mustard aioli is also made by Paley's, and the $1 piece of (yes, house-made) bacon is closer to a slab of ham than a strip of bacon you get most places. Heck, Burger King charges more to put bacon on a burger (I think - been awhile). Besides, if you are willing to pay $15, why not $17? We chose the gruyere this time.

And would you look at this thing? Are you drooling yet? Unless specified it's served medium-rare; we asked for medium.

The meat is loosely packed, not a tight patty, and is a well seasoned burger. The aioli, a little ketchup, the grilled onion, the cheese, the slab of bacon/ham...it's perfect. This may very well be the best burger we've ever had and regardless of anything else at the restaurant we would return just for this. We didn't order the side of fries but should have - the couple at the next table did and they looked fantastic, matching up with other reports we've read online. Next time.

Now it was time for dessert. Kristen Murray is one of the highest regarded pastry chefs in the region, but unfortunately for Paley's she is leaving at the end of the month to strike out on her own and open her own place, one at a location as yet unchosen on a timeframe as yet undefined, though supposedly she wants to open by fall of this year. Of course we were getting dessert.

Wifey chose the creme brulee (all desserts are $9).

The crust was very evenly toasted, easy to crack with a spoon without being so thick as to cause issues. Inside was thick, creamy, Tahitian vanilla yumminess. Is this one or the one at Le Pigeon better? Might be whichever one we've had last. I'm not really sure why they all seem to use Tahitian vanilla beans, rather than Madagascar ones. Is there a cost issue? I'd love to try this made with Madagascar beans. Or, better yet, I want a tasting flight of creme brulees made with Madagascar, Tahitian, Hawaiian and Mexican vanilla.Yum!

I chose a passionfruit creme caramel, which came with cara cara oranges and churros.

The passionfruit added a nice balance to the creme caramel, while the acid in the oranges complemented the entire thing quite well. One bite with churro, orange, and creme caramel was sublime.

All in all it really wasn't that bad of a deal, $61 for two entrees, two desserts and a side. When considering this meal really is one of the best we've ever had I'd call it a steal. Plus, the staff is extremely friendly without being overbearing and Paley's obviously puts a lot of emphasis on this aspect, something far too few restaurants in Portland seem to care about at all. Front of the house is run by Kimberly Paley while Vitaly (an Iron Chef America winner) runs the kitchen. Each of them, even on a night when the restaurant is packed, take the time to come out and talk to diners and always have a ready smile. The pair have also penned a book that is part stories of how they got to where they are and part recipes; we picked it up at the library to see what it's about and plan on buying a copy (hey, it has the burger recipe...).

If it's not clear by now, we can't recommend Paley's Place enough. The food and presentation is fine dining, but the people are down to earth. We can't wait to return.

Oven and Shaker: A New Portland Pearl

We are huge fans of pizza, Italian food in general and anything Nostrana owner Cathy Whims does. Anything. Nostrana is one of our favorite restaurants because everything is just really damn good (review here). We go there when we want pizza, when we want a reasonably priced nice dinner, and to check out fresh olive oil every year for their Olio Nuovo (link to the 2010 version we had) series of dishes that highlight the flavors.

So when we found out Whims was opening a new place, a small plates bar with pizza, in Portland's Pearl District, OF COURSE it went to the top of our neverending list of restaurants we need to try. While Oven and Shaker, on NW Everett between 11th and 12th, took much longer to open than many (including I'm sure Whims herself) expected to open, it was well worth the wait.

Wifey and I checked it out on a Tuesday around 4:30pm (open daily 4-midnight). When we got there there were only a couple other tables taken - it's a decent-sized space, much bigger than it looks from the outside - but by the time we left an hour later it was probably well over 3/4 full. It's an open space, with some tables, bar seating, and communal tables as well. The kitchen is open at one end with the pizza oven dominating the area, not unlike the setup at Nostrana.

Food is served as the kitchen finishes it, just like at Toro Bravo and Tasty N Sons, rather than in traditional courses. We ordered three dishes to share and the first one that came was the cazzilli - potato and parmagiano croquettes that are then fried.

Yum! Despite the frying these weren't greasy in the least and the potato mixture inside was soft, practically melting in your mouth. The parm and chives made these little bites quite tasty, and for the $5 price you get seven of them, roughly the length and thickness of two-three fingers.

Our second item was the arancini with saffron risotto, pork, and pea ragu. We had our first arancini at the Garden State food cart. Those were small - golf ball sized - and stuffed with mozzarella and a bit of veggie of some sort. The O&S version is similar, but it's the size of a baseball.

Again, very nicely balanced and even the peas were tasty. The pool of olive oil at the bottom was a nice touch. When we were finished this plate was clean. At $4 this was also a solid value.

Lastly, we had to order pizza, choosing the wild fennel sausage pizza with potato, tomato, chilies, scallions and smoked mozzarella.

Unlike at Nostrana, this pizza comes from the kitchen cut into six slices. It also seems to be a slightly sturdier crust than the Nostrana version. That's not better or worse, just nominally but noticeably different. The middle, for example, isn't nearly as soft and holds its form better at O&S.

We weren't sure about potatoes on pizza at first - and honestly, I'm still not sure - but this worked. The sausage had great flavor and overall the pizza had a great balance. The smoked mozzarella really shined. At $16, this is the most expensive thing on the menu (four other pizzas are also the same price, but many are less also).

All of that for $25 was a very satisfying meal. Between the two of us we polished off everything but two of the cazzilli and one slice of pizza. The service was attentive and seemed to have a solid understanding of the menu, which is always appreciated.

Funny side story: Our waitress took our leftovers back to the kitchen to be wrapped. After what seemed like unduly long amount of time, plus us having to ask for them because the restaurant became very busy, we saw her talking with the manager, who then came over to our table and handed us our wrapped leftovers. He was all apologetic (paraphrasing here). "I hate to tell you this, but I dropped one of your slices of pizza on the floor while wrapping it up. Can I make it up to you by firing a brand new one for you, at no charge?"

Um, yes. Of course you can. Absolutely.

But after he walked away to put in that order for a full pizza to go (remember, $16 value), Wifey and looked at each other funny. "Um," I said, "we only had one slice left over, right? And that's it right here, all wrapped up?" Wifey agreed. Oh, and I seriously doubt it was him who dropped anything, because I never saw him off the main restaurant floor, let alone wrapping up food. That's a strong managerial move, even if it's a blatant misdirection. As a customer I appreciate the manager, who presumably can rectify anything, taking the lead.

So what happened? Did they drop the one piece and wrap it up anyway? Or did they drop someone else's and think it was ours? If we get a free pizza, do we care? Heck, if we are worried about it, we could just throw the one piece away, because we are getting a whole new one, right? No matter what - score!

As it turns out, there must have been something lost in translation. When we opened up the leftovers at home, there was only a single cazzillo (singular of cazzilli?) instead of two, so we assume the one piece of pizza is fine and the other cazzillo was what fell to the floor in the kitchen and likely thrown away. If you are keeping track of home, a single cazzillo cost us about 72 cents...and one dropped on the floor netted us a $16 pizza.

That is more than anyone should reasonably expect, but you can't deny it's awesome customer service. We would have made it a priority to return to O&S anyway because the meal was excellent in every sense, but free pizza? Can't top that can you?

Another Brunch at ISK

A while back we had a fantastic brunch at Irving Street Kitchen in Northwest Portland, so last weekend we went back for another round.

I ordered the French toast bread pudding, which came with vanilla whip cream and warm plums.

Not only was it pretty, but it was damn tasty. With the whip cream it might have been a tad on the sweet side, but those plums melted in your mouth.

Wifey ordered the "Smothered Southern" with sunny side eggs, a biscuit, grits and chili creole. Fried chicken was optional and after the waitress assured us it was a breast and not brown meat, she added that as well.

It's a pretty plate, isn't it?

We finished with their butterscotch pudding, which we were told didn't come with cookies for brunch, only at dinner (never mind the visual evidence from our last visit in the link at the top of this post - but yes, it could have changed; on the bill it's listed as a "to go" pudding...hmmm). They did bring us out a molasses cookie, which smelled fantastic but ended up being dry and bland. The taste fell way short of the smell's promises.

The meal was very good, but we have a few beefs.

1) That was not breast meat. Instead, it was a drumstick and a thigh. And yes, this is typical for fried chicken, but that's why we asked the question. There are restaurants around town - Screen Door comes to mind - that use white meat for their fried chicken. If we had simply been told no, it wasn't breast, we wouldn't have ordered it. Considering it was a $7 addition that's noteworthy. We probably should have been wary after the waitress didn't really seem too sure of her confirmation. It would have been easy enough for the waitress to say she didn't know and go ask, and we would have appreciated that extra effort. But she didn't and she didn't know the product. That's not okay.

2) Service in general was fairly slow. I'm not talking about how long it took to get the food, but at the end of the meal when it came time to bring out bill. I don't understand why any restaurant would take so damn long to bring a bill after diners are clearly finished with dessert, and then why it would take so long to process and return the receipt to be signed. It was busier than our last brunch, but the restaurant was far from "busy." Also, I should note she brought the bill without even asking if we wanted dessert, which we did.

3) Packing up the leftovers was a complete failure. In general I prefer to package my own leftovers because then I can pick and choose what I want, but many restaurants do it for you. Normally that's fine, but not for this meal. I finished my food, but Wifey only ate about half of each piece of her meal, and less than half of the chicken. Our waitress took away the plate and brought out a box which seemed small but we didn't really think much of it. After we got home and opened it up, we saw all that was in there was the leftover biscuit and just the thigh piece of chicken (the drumstick was partially eaten). No egg, no grits, and none of the chili creole. Not only did we spend an extra $7 for the chicken that wasn't what we were promised, but half of the leftovers didn't make it in the box.

And yes, my tip was less than I would normally give, but probably higher than was deserved.

Maybe our waitress was new, I don't know, but it left a bad taste in our mouths. We will probably still return at some point because the food really is very good - and we want to check out dinner - but we might be a little less patient if the same issues crop up again.

In the meantime, ISK is doing a take-out menu for Thanksgiving we are thinking about ordering from. At least then we don't have to wonder about service.

Paley's Place For Dining Month Portland

Last week Wifey and I decided to take advantage of this pretty cool thing Portland does called Dining Month Portland. Participating restaurants offer up special menus - appetizer, entree, and dessert - for $25. Usually this is a good deal, but it depends on the restaurant, of course.

The idea of Dining Month Portland is to encourage out of town visitors to check out the restaurants, but - and this is just a guess on my part - I think locals partake in it just as much or even more.

Paley's Place, in Northwest Portland, is one of the top restaurants in the city, with owner Vitaly Paley recently appearing on Iron Chef America (and winning the radish challenge) and also authoring a book. Paley's prides itself on sustainable, local food done with a French twist (Paley's background).

The restaurant also does half and full portions of many of its entrees, something we love because it means we get to taste more things without getting stuffed.

With the Dining Month special it worked out the dessert was free based on the menu list prices. The offered a salad, a dessert, and an entrees. We ordered another entree and another dessert and shared everything.

We were started off with some fresh bread from Ken's Artisan Bakery, which is just down the street.

Then came the salad.

George's Gathered Greens - with lemon and extra virgin olive oil

This may be the best salad I've ever eaten. The lemon aided a whole new dimension for me. See those white things on top? Radishes. He's good with them.

The first entree, the one as part of the Dining Month menu, was a half-order of grilled pork shoulder.

Grilled pork shoulder with fava beans, raab, and apple cider pork jus

Again, this was excellent. The vegetables on the side were just as tasty as the pork, and apple cider jus provided the right amount of sweetness.

Our other entree was a half order of grilled salmon. Our waiter - who was very, very helpful and courteous - told us it came from the Quinalt Indian Nation in northern Washington (yes Twilight fans, the same Quinalt, but no, I don't think our fish was caught by a shapeshifter/werewolf), on the Olympic peninsula. Apparently rules state 90% of the fish caught there must stay with the nation and Paley's has a deal for a decent chunk of the final 10%. Our fish was caught by a fisherman named Sonny, so - thanks Sonny!

Quinalt River grilled salmon with pesto, braised leeks, roasted potatoes and turnips, and greens.

The skin on this fish was amazing - crunchy and salty. Wifey doesn't like fish skin so I ate the whole thing. And it was heaven.

Here's another view. The fish was cooked medium rare, but the flavors were excellent. I've never put pest on salmon - might have to try that at home.

Then it was time for dessert. Paley's pastry chef is Kristen Murray, also widely regarded as one of the best in the city. Since we love our desserts, we were excited to try her treats. This toasted coconut cake came with the Dining Month menu.

Toasted coconut cake with salted butter ice cream and pineapple

We weren't sure about salted butter ice cream, but it was done with a light touch and worked perfectly with the coconut cake, served warm.

Wifey ordered the chocolate souffle cake after agonizing between that and the creme brulee.

Chocolate souffle cake with toasted hazelnuts and honey-vanilla ice cream

Everything on this plate complemented everything else, even the hazelnuts - and neither of us are super excited about nutty things.

My only gripe is I was still a tad hungry at the end, which just meant we should have chosen the full order of salmon. Duly noted for next time - and there will be a next time. Paley's Place is one of those Portland restaurants that can't be missed. (And we might have to try another restaurant or two before Dining Month is over.)

Brunch at Irving Street Kitchen

Irving Street Kitchen, in Portland's Pearl District just west of the main downtown core, has been on our list of places to try since it opened about a year ago. The menu looks good for dinner or brunch, which they serve on the weekends. A couple weeks back we decided to hit it up on a Saturday morning for brunch.

Irving Street side of the building.

Wifey and I got there just after it opened, hoping to not find a line we would have to wait in. We shouldn't have worried.

13th Street side, main entrance.

When we arrived only a couple other people were there, already seated, and we pretty much could have been seated anywhere. Our table was on the 13th Street side of the restaurant, up against floor to ceiling windows. Like most Portland spring mornings it was overcast, but there was plenty of light.

Notice the bookcases in the picture below? There are a few of these, stocked with (I'm guessing) old books from local libraries, but books one might find interesting if bored and waiting for food. Some old, some newer, some full of pictures and recipes.

Our server was very helpful in describing the dishes and answering questions, taking time to make sure we had what we wanted. Then again, it wasn't busy at all - we overheard another server telling her table they are much busier on Sundays - so she had the time.

Looking towards the bar area from our seats on the 13th Street side.

It was later in the morning and we hadn't eaten anything, so we may have gone a little overboard with our ordering. First was a side order of the Irving Street breakfast potatoes. The potatoes are flash fried, giving them a nice crunch on the outside and leaving them soft in the middle. They are nicely seasoned with a bit of red pepper mixed in to give a mild kick. Yep, they were fantastic.

Wifey ordered lobster soft scrambled eggs with truffled mascarpone on toasted brioche, with a side of chickory salad.

This really had great flavors and everything was cooked perfectly. Even the salad was excellent. If I had any beef with the dish at all it would be that the truffled mascarpone was overpowered by the egg flavors - I didn't get any of the truffle flavor at all. Still, very, very good.

I ordered salmon gravlax benedict on buttermilk biscuits with spinach and dill Hollandaise.

Normally something like this comes on an English muffin, but ISK is southern-influenced, hence the biscuits. They held up pretty well to the weight of the perfectly cooked eggs and the moisture of the Hollandaise sauce, which had a fantastic flavor with the dill. I liked the flavor the spinach added, but my minor beef with this dish is the spinach should have been cut up a bit, because it sure doesn't cut easily. The end result is I ate the entire piece of spinach from one side of the dish in one bite. I would absolutely order this again.

After brunch, despite being close to full, we had to order dessert. ISK has become pretty well known around these parts for their butterscotch pudding, but the vanilla bean ice cream - which, yes, they make themselves - with chocolate bourbon caramel sauce sounded too good to pass up.

It's a good thing we didn't, because it was very, very good. The bourbon flavor came through but didn't overpower the chocolate and the caramel, and the ice cream was well done. We definitely recommend this.

But no, we couldn't stop at one. Eating at ISK and not ordering the butterscotch pudding with roasted banana caramel and creme fraiche would have been a crime - so we did. And look how it's presented! It comes with the jar closed, waiting for the server to open it and display the goodness. Two caramelized banana slices topped the caramel, but they had already been eaten before we remembered the camera.

And, bonus, two pecan sandies on the side. Pick your adjective for fantastically creamy dessert and this pudding fits. People rave about it, we will rave about - you just have to go there and get it for yourself. And you can stop in any time they are open and pick one up to go, so there are no excuses (though I don't know if you get the cool jar or not).

Both of these desserts were amazing, but too much for just two people. The pudding by itself would have been borderline too much for two, but we managed to finish them off anyway (we aren't totally crazy - half of each entree came home with us for Sunday brunch).

So, in the end, yes we absolutely recommend a visit to ISK. We will go back for brunch and eventually will hit up the dinner menu at some point.

One bad thing, though. In the summer they open up the patio with a few tables, but we were told dogs are not allowed. Sad. Misaki does not approve.

Seriously? No cute Shiba? What are they thinking? Huff!

But go anyway.

Fishing the Frying Scotsman

We're big fans of fish here at the blog. Wifey and I love the fresh salmon and halibut - some of the healthiest fish, not to mention the yummiest - you can get here in the Northwest. And while we love the salmon on a cedar plank on the grill or a foil wrapped pouch of halibut with lemon, butter and some spice, deep fried fish and chips is never a bad thing.

Enter the Frying Scotsman, a food cart run by a bona fide Scot over in the NW Industrial Area of Portland. It's in an area without food options directly nearby, tucked into a garage. The handy part about that is if its raining, customers don't have to worry about waiting in the elements for their flaky fish to finish frying. Say that five times fast.

The cart offers a few different kinds of fish - cod, halibut, red snapper, haddock - as well as a daily soup and chips (or fries, or cooked potatoes - whatever you want to call them).

Wifey and I decided to go for one each, so she ordered halibut - something we both love - and I ordered haddock, a fish neither of us had ever eaten. Each order came with two pretty good sized portions of fish and what looked to be an entire potato each. The breading is light and not oily, something I'm a big fan of since that overly oiled fish and chips you get some places just makes my stomach turn.

The halibut was every bit as good as one should expect from halbut - flaky goodness. The haddock surprised us. We weren't sure what to expect but it has a sweet flavor to it that gives it nice contrast to the rest of the meal. Note to self - keep an eye out for haddock in the store... This is apparently the most traditional fish used, so it's good to know we can be appreciative of the classic.

The chips were plentiful and yummy. Not a lot of seasoning, but just the right amount. It also came with a tartar sauce and some coleslaw (strong on the onion). We also ordered a cup of the soup of the day, a vegetable barley which was very good.

So, two thumbs up from us. But, don't listen to what we say, know this: The two people who ordered before us in line were both from the UK (I'm sorry, I don't know the accents well enough to place them exactly, to know if they were English, Scottish, Irish, Welsch, etc.) and both were extremely appreciative for this cart existing because it reminded them of food from home (my interpretation - they seemed happy). One guy even bought his food to "take to the pub" with him, which I thought was interesting.

The prices are also good. Halibut is the most expensive at $7.50 an order, but that's a lot less than you usually find it around town. Cod and snapper are $6.25, and haddock is $6.50 (prices include the chips).

Good stuff - go and enjoy.

Melt In Your Mouth

Last month I did an entry about finding sandwiches in Portland and my thoughts on what are considered the best spots in the city. Literally a couple days after posting that entry someone posted on Twitter (it might have been Barista, might have been Coffeehouse Northwest, can't recall) about a new sandwich place up on NW 21st, between Irving and Jefferson they claimed was excellent.

So natuarlly Melt Sandwiches shot near the top of the must visit list (website here, but it's only a shell so read about them on Yelp).

Saturday was hair did day for Wifey, so I went out on the prowl for some good eats, with this place on the list to pick up lunch. After reading through the Yelp reviews we had already picked out what we wanted without ever seeing the menu - pot roast sandwich for her and the chicken for me.

When I walked in, not too long after 11am, the place was empty of customers, with just the cashier/order taker guy and a couple people in the kitchen, which is semi-open. Well, I guess it is open, just not right next to the seating. He explained to me the concept of Melt - hot sandwiches with high quality ingredients - and talked about their new Happy Hour menu (yep, they also serve drinks). I glanced at the menu for only a few seconds before ordering, which I think surprised him a bit since I also told him this was my first time in.

After I had paid for the sandwiches I happened to notice a tray of chocolate cakey-looking things. They were round - about two and a half inches diamater - and tall, roughly the height of one and a half cupcakes. I asked what they were and he told me mocha brownies, then also added all their desserts were homemade just for them. Well, I had to get one of those two.

Both sandwiches were excellent. Wifey's pot roast was perfectly cooked and came with a light amount of gravy and onions. If you think back to the yummy pot roasts mom or grandma made when you were young, then hack off a piece and put it on a sandwich, you have this. Oh yeah, it was good. Very good.

While the pot roast was a simple flavor done very well, my chicken sandwich was a veritable medley of goodness. The chicken was moist and well cooked, and along with that on the bread was avocado, apple-wood smoked bacon, onion marmalade, jalapeno orange mayo, and pepper jack cheese. It wasn't hot at all, just had a nice little kick, and I loved the orange flavor mixed in with all the others.

Both sandwiches also came with potato chips.

The mocha brownie was decent, but not great. There were bits of bean grounds in it, which were weren't expecting and are not quite sure we liked. It was also a tad dry for my tastes - I admit it, I love the gooey ones - but it was obviously done with a lot of attention to detail. If you don't like gooey you'll probably enjoy the brownie more than I did (but like I said, it was still good).

So yes, we loved Melt and we'll definitely go back. Of course, the question now is, where does it rank with the other big three (Meat Cheese Bread, Bunk, Kenny & Zuke's)? You won't like this, but much as I did with those three I'm copping out again. Here was my conclusion about those three:

So is there a winner here? I mean, after all of this I should pick one, right? That's the whole point of having a "throwdown" isn't it?

Well, I can't. See, in my view all three of these places - while all serving sandwiches - fill a different niche, a different craving.

Meat Cheese Bread is perfect in its simplicity, the place you go when you don't want something out of the norm but still want it to be good.

Bunk fills the need to challenge your taste buds, to present you with the chance to try something you never thought you would eat, or maybe just never thought of putting on a sandwich.

Kenny and Zuke's is the place to go for variety, the place that harkens back to what many people think a sandwich shop should be (and after experiencing it, not having been to one in New York, it's hard to disagree).

All three of these places also serve various breakfast foods which I have not tried, but plan to at some point.

In all honesty, it just depends on your mood and what sounds good - all three are excellent and will make your stomach happy.

I have the same conclusion here. See, Melt has a different thing to set them apart from the other three - hot sandwiches. That's not to say the others don't have hot sandwiches or you might not go there for a hot sandwich, but this is Melt's trademark and from what I can tell they do it pretty damn good.

Simply put, you can't go wrong.

***

I checked out a food cart at the 10th and Alder pod of carts for lunch the other day, Addy's Sandwich Bar. I picked up the ham and gruyere sandwich. The ingredients were very good and worked excellent together - I love a good gruyere - but I think the star was the bread.

Addy's mini baguettes she uses for these sandwiches come from Little T American Baker (yep, if you read the blog you've heard me raving about them before) and they are absolutely perfect. A light crust on the outside, not too hard it makes your mouth raw, with amazing softness inside. This sandwich made me want to drive up Division to get some of these rolls myself.

Overall the sandwich was very good and it's quick and easy and cheap. I'm definitely going back because I need to try the chocolate, sea salt, and olive oil. Putting that on those baguettes sounds simply divine; just thinking about eating that makes me feel French.

Chocolate and Other Tastiness

Over the past couple weeks we've gotten our fill of tasty tidbits here and there (who am I kidding...we can NEVER get our fill!). Between Portland and Seattle we've found some places that are amazing.

Alma Chocolates (Portland): I had never heard of this place, but we were driving around last weekend and ended up not being far away so Wifey suggested we stop. Apparently there are brownies that are to die for here and they are only made on Saturday. And it was Saturday. Unfortunately, no brownies on this day - sad. But, what Alma did have was a fantastic looking chocolate cake, so we got a nice slice of that and a salted peanut butter cup. We ate the cake the next day and it was still very moist. The chocolate filling and the icing wasn't overly chocolatey - a perfect balance. And the peanut butter cup? Wow. Wow.

Pix Patisserie (Portland): Wifey and I have only been to the Williams Street location in Northeast, but we've been there quite a few times. Previously we had just ordered the special desserts, like the Shazam! and the St. Honore (both good), but this time we decided to check out their chocolates. We ended up going with two fleur de sel chocolate caramels (you know, one for each of us - they were small) and a pair of fleur de sel macaroons. The caramels were some of the best I've had, including the ones we tried from Fran's Chocolates in Seattle. As for the macaroons... Pix is known for their macaroons and I really had no idea what to expect. For some reason I expected something full of coconut and crunchy, but I must have been thinking of some other treat. These were soft and moist, with a wonderfully sweet filling and just the slightest crunch to it - amazing. Simply amazing. I love a good patisserie and this is absolutely one of the best in Portland - and apparently they do chocolate good as well.

Sahagun (Portland): Sahagun is another place I've been to multiple times, also not far from where Wifey gets her hair done in NW Portland, right on Burnside. It's a tiny shop and we had always gone in there for drinks. We ordered the iced chocolate once - single origin chocolate and coconut milk - and it didn't really excite either of us. It was probably the coconut milk, something we don't get too excited about. However, their single origin drinking chocolate is very, very good. The last time we were in it was a Michel Cluizel (whose solid chocolates are very good if you have never had them - so are ones by Valhrona) and it was very, very good. There are other places to get drinking chocolate in Portland, but the ones we've had have been way too dark and bitter for our tastes (Coffehouse Northwest does a hot chocolate using Cluizel chocolate that is out of this world). The last time in we also finally tried their chocolates, each getting a Luscious Caramel and a Sun Drop. We were warned to eat them as a single bite and that was definitely a good recommendation - these suckers are full of gooey goodness, so attempting to take a nibble would have made a huge mess. They were both good, but I personally liked the Luscious Caramel better - the sunflower butter of the Sun Drop takes a little getting used to. Good place for a chocolate fix.

Fleur de Lis (Portland): I think we might have just found a bakery to rival Nuvrei. Seriously. Fleur de Lis isn't exactly close by being way out on off Sandy Boulevard, but we found this place through looking up good doughnut shops in Portland. They have yeast-based and potato-based doughnuts, so we had to try them out. Both were good, not greasy, not overly done, with excellent flavor (we opted for cinnamon sugar topping on one each of the potato and yeast, as well as a yeast with frosting). I liked the yeast one better - not sure about the potato one - but Wifey preferred the yeast one frosted, thought she liked the potato one much more than I did. This place seemed to have a very nice vibe, plenty of tables, tons of different breads, pastries, and baked goods. The next time we go back it will be for breakfast to hang out a little bit, rather than a stop and run.

Old School Frozen Custard (Seattle): If you haven't had custard you must go. There are places to get it in Portland (we've been to Tart - it was pretty good), but I don't think they could match this place. Wifey and I got there just as it opened on our Seattle trip and found out the special of the day was orange cream. Yeah, you know, like those vanilla and orange ice cream cups from elementary school everyone love? Well, we did anyway. They also do chocolate and vanilla every day. He offered us a taste of each one - very nice of him, we appreciate that - and even though we thought we'd be getting orange cream, we ended up getting one vanilla and one chocolate. However, that's not a knock on the other orange cream. If I could get this whenever I wanted, I may never eat regular ice cream again. A must visit.

Husky Deli (Seattle): This place out in West Seattle was supposed to be the cat's meow. It's a deli that does sandwiches in addition to all sorts of normal deli stuff, but also does their own ice cream. And is very, very popular for it. We ordered chocolate chip cookie dough - a favor we both agree on and love - and yes, it was good. But it's not like it was the greatest thing I've ever eaten. For one, the custard above was better, and then I don't necessarily think it was any better than Tillamook, Portland's local favorite and one readily available just about anywhere. Again, I want to stress it's not bad - but it's not drive-to-Seattle-good either.

Theo's Chocolates (Seattle): I'll admit it - we went here expressly for one thing the Big Daddy chocolates. We've had and liked various Theo's chocolates here in Portland and from other stores in Seattle (Chocolate Box Cafe is excellent), but nowhere other than Theo's own store do they carry these Big Daddy Peanut Butter cups and Smores bars. Was it worth the driving all over Seattle? I'm not sure. I mean, we liked both of these (I actually like the Smores one more, Wifey likes the peanut butter cup more), but I'm not sure it's worth the drive. I'm still trying to decide that...maybe I'll have to eat more of them...

So there you go - get out and there and increase your blood sugar!

Cupcake Frenzy!

Is there anyone out there who doesn't like a good cupcake? Or, really, is there such a thing as a "bad" cupcake?

I'll admit - before recently I never thought of cupcakes as much more than a homemade snack, but like with most everything else we've been trying out just about any food can be taken to the next level with a little bit of desire, attention to detail, and plain old love for the craft, whatever that craft is.

And, apparently, cupcakes have gotten huge - as in, popular and cutting edge. Who knew? There is even a great blog that updates people on cupcake goings on daily and shares recipes (and this one too!), so anyone can try out some of the new and unique combinations in the comfort of their own home - which is handy, because not everyone has one of these fresh new cupcake places in their backyard (that, and cupcakes don't travel all that well).

Lucky for Wifey and I - we both love ourselves some cupcakes - the Northwest seems to be a hotbed of cupcake inspiration, both in Portland and Seattle. The following two places in Portland we've been to multiple times (like, count on your fingers and toes multiple times), and the two in Seattle were from a recent day trip.

Saint Cupcake (Portland): Located on a surprisingly quiet street in the NW section of Portland, on the walk between the trendy Pearl District and the upscale NW 23rd area (they have a second location we have not visited), Saint Cupcake produces all sorts of goodness every day of the week. You can check out their menu and, rest assured, we've tried just about all of them. My favorites are any of their chocolate cupcakes because the cake piece is so most, and I love their cream cheese icing. Wifey gets her hair did not too far away from here, so it's pretty much a guarantee we hit this place up every 6-8 weeks.

Cupcake Jones (Portland): Cupcake Jones is the first of these four we had ever tried and they bring something pretty unique (not completely, but to the area) to the table; they fill their cupcakes. A small amount of cake is hollowed out from the middle and then filled with another kind of filling - not the same as whatever is on top. They have six different cupcakes a day (the smaller versions have no filling, but are otherwise the same) and the menu changes daily - three are the same every day, three change depending on the day of the week, and every month the whole menu switches up. Their Red Velvet cupcakes really are pure decadence, as is the Peanut Butter Cup. We've found that of the two here, St. Cupcake has slightly moister cake than Cupcake Jones, but it's not like Cupcake Jones is really a slouch - their innovation with flavors and combination are outstanding.

Trophy Cupcakes (Seattle): Wifey and I hit up the Wallingford store - only doors away from Fuel - and opted for three cupcakes here: Lemon Cheesecake, Red Velvet, and Chocolate Vanilla (chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream frosting). All of them were good and I'd go back if I was in the area with a hankering for cupcakes.

Cupcake Royale (Seattle): This was actually our first stop of the day, just up the street from Caffe Vita. Here we ordered a Triple Threat (chocolate, chocolate, chocolate) and a Salted Caramel (chocolate cake, caramel frosting, topped with salt flakes). Both were solid cupcakes, but they were probably slightly dryer than Trophy's.

We didn't eat all five of those Seattle cupcakes in one day, which I will admit might play some into our perception of them - things are always better fresh. My feelings on both of the Seattle stores is that they were good, but not outlandishly have-to-drive-up-there-to-get-one good. Both of the places in Portland are just as good and quite possibly better. Which is good, because they are in my backyard...and bad, because they are in my backyard. Yeah, poor us. But it also means on our next trip up north we can try other places (unlike Caffe Vita, which has made it to must-stop status).

So get out there and try some real cupcakes...I promise you, you will never go back to box mixes.

Still Searching for the Perfect Cup...

If you know me or have followed the blog a bit you know I'm a big fan of coffee. Especially at 6am before work. Not only does it run in my veins - seriously, cut me and you'll know (that was a joke) - but I also just really like the taste. That statement right there should shock all my college friends, since I couldn't stand the stuff then and instead preferred the sugary caffeine of Pepsi.

Well, times change, you get older, and you realize soda pop is probably the single worst thing you can put in your body - and coffee has no calories. Well, until you add a dash of chocolate milk, as I do every morning.

Over the last few weeks we hit up a few different places for coffee during our travels (and somehow went the whole vacation without hitting up Portland's best, Coffeehouse Northwest). Here's a summary.

Rocking Frog and Spella Caffe: I touched on both of these briefly before since Spella is a cart and Rocking Frog is where Moody's doughnuts is located. A couple more notes on Rocking Frog: I love the building. It's an old house, probably close to 75 years old or so, in an older neighborhood of Portland. Each of the rooms on the main floor has been made into cozy areas for having coffee and a chat or just relaxing with a book. It's nicely planned, even if the design throws you off a bit. They also have a nice patio area out back (where Moody's is located) lined with bamboo and grape vines, which gives it a nice asctetic. The mocha, which they use Ristretto Roasters (more below), was average.

Ristretto Roasters: Speaking of Ristretto, we had heard good things but weren't that thrilled with our first experience with them at Rocking Frog. However, that doesn't mean we give up - instead, we went straight to the source. Ristretto roasts their own beans, but they also have two coffee shops as well. One hot afternoon we hit up the one on NE 42nd. We were just planning to get a mocha to sample the flavor, but they happened to be roasting some beans from Guatemala (which we have liked beans from there in the past from other roasters) so we bought a quarter pound of those as well. While it did seem as though the barista might have been a little, well, stoned, he made a very, very good drink. Honestly, it may be right there at the top as the best non-Cluizel mocha (tip of the cap again to Coffeehouse NW) in Portland. The beans also made excellent drip coffee at home. A few days later we were in the area and hit up the shop on N Williams. This store was in a new and very trendy stip mall, with lots of seating inside and out and a very modern feel (the other one was much smaller and while modern as well felt much homier). The mocha there was also good, but it was different. I'm not sure if it was the beans or just a nuance of having a different barista, but we felt the one from the NE 42nd store was better. Either way, good stuff.

Red Horse Coffee (Corvallis): We hit up Red Horse when we stopped in Corvallis on our way to Newport. They use a microroaster from Washington called Dillanos. We had planned just to get a mocha, but talked ourselves into something called the Red Horse Mocha, which apparently had four different flavors in it, one of which is "secret." It was sweet - sickeningly so. Honestly, I would never get that again...but I would go back. It seemed like a pretty nice little shop a decent ways from the Oregon State campus and I'd give it a second chance with something more basic. I should have known better...all those flavor syrups do not make my taste buds happy. But they were super nice, so they have that going for them. The barista tried to get us in on the frequent buyer card, which is fine, but I told her we probably wouldn't be coming in often. She says well, you never know. Nope, I'm pretty sure - maybe once a year at the most?

Nye Beach Market (Newport): We found this place on Newport's Nye Beach towards the end of the afternoon after visiting the aquarium and checking out this new area we hadn't visited before. The link was the only online presence I could find, from Trip Advisor. This little store was the only place around that had coffee mid to late afternoon on a Tuesday and they also had plenty of other meats, cheeses, and other fun stuff that would be great if you were staying in a condo nearby. The coffee was using Tully's beans, which was interesting because they sold other beans as well. And, well, it tasted burnt. Oh well. It's funny, I remember hearing how everyone used to say Starbucks always burnt their beans and I never got it because I hadn't tasted anything else. Now, after trying good stuff all over the Northwest, I get it. it's not the worst thing in the world - better than overly sugary - but it's still not a plus. Needless to say, this trip wasn't a good day for coffee.

Little T American Baker: We actually went here for bread but I needed a little pick me up so ordered a mocha as well (using Stumptown beans). The mocha was excellent. So was the salted slab bread (focaccia like), which makes very, very good sandwiches. Definitely will be going back.

Caffe Vita (Seattle): We hit the Capitol Hill location when we were in Seattle for the day. There was a line in this very uniquely decorated place - feels like an old rustic hotel entrance, with lots of dark wood - but it was completely worth it. In fact, I'm ready to call this the best coffee I've had in Seattle. The balance of flavors in the mocha, between espresso and chocolate, was perfect and the creaminess was right on. Lucky me - it's only 180 miles away from home. Oh well - there is one in Olympia, so that's a little closer.

Fuel (Seattle): We actually didn't stop here for the coffee, it was because this is one of the places in Seattle you can get High 5 Pie, which was supposed to be pretty good. Of course, since it is a coffee shop, I had to get a mocha to go with our berry "flipside" and apple "cutie pie." The flipside was sort of a pie pocket thing, with crust enclosing the entire thing, while the cutie pie was just a tiny one-serving pie. The mocha was pretty good, it just had the unfortunate circumstances of coming after Caffe Vita. The pies were okay - they didn't seem like anything better than we could make at home. Still, a nice afternoon treat.

Bipartisan Cafe: We checked out this place because, like Fuel in Seattle, it was supposed to have good pie. Supposedly their cream pies are the big thing, so we ordered a slice of chocolate peanut butter cream and one of key lime, plus a mocha. The mocha was pretty good (they use Stumptown) but the pies were excellent. Creamy, full of flavor but not overly so, and the crust was very good. Maybe a little heavy on whip cream, but that's hardly a negative on a cream pie. We'd go back.

Dragonfly Coffee House: According to the reviews this is a decent place, but they tend to be mostly reviewing their sandwiches, which they no longer have. The coffee? It was the most disgusting thing I've had in a long time. Honestly, I threw it out - which is something I never do. With so many good coffee shops in Portland, especially around that area in Northwest, don't waste your time.

The Human Bean (Roseburg): I've seen this drive thru coffee stops open up in various places around Portland but never checked them out, mostly because they weren't around when I wanted coffee and when they were around (drive by one every day after work) I wasn't in the mood. We stopped in here on the way back from Crater Lake because I needed a pick me up to last me the final three hours of driving. Not knowing Roseburg at all I figured we'd find a Starbucks - but never saw one. Now, Starbucks' website says there are four but I didn't see them, so there you go. I wasn't expecting too much from the mocha, but I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't the greatest, but it was better than a lot I've tried. Now I know, if I ever need a fix this place makes the cut.

Parker's Waffles and Coffee: Last week I was walking through downtown on a break from work and walked past the food carts at 4th and Hall, not too far from Portland State. I had seen this place and was thinking about coffee, but decided against it. Then as I walked by the woman in the cart offered me a free waffle. Apparently she made too many or something - and who am I to turn down a free waffle with maple butter on it? Since I stopped, and since I did get free food, I got coffee anyway - so if waffles are the loss leader, it worked (don't think that's a sound strategy though - she probably just made an extra on accident). They serve just french pressed black coffee (sugar available) and you get 16 ounces of it for $2. Normally I don't drink my coffee black, but I figured what the heck, less calories. It was a Panamanian blend from Stumptown, so I figured it wouldn't be horrible. Guess what? It was excellent. Brought it back to work and let it cool a bit and sipped it just fine, nothing in it. Who knew I could enjoy black coffee? Good stuff...and who knows, maybe next time I'll try one of their various varieties of waffles.

Opening the Screen Door

So my whole idea with starting this thing was to track where I've been, what I've done, but at the same time you have to start somewhere, right? How far back do I go before I just cut it off and have to hope the memories still resonate in my head somewhere?

Apparently, that date is last Saturday. Before that, who knows what happened. I mean, it was almost a week ago.

So last Saturday some friends came in from out of town - Shameless Plug: if you are in Seattle, you have to do this! - and we agreed to meet for a brunch/lunch at a place called Screen Door. After reading about the place we decided we should probably get there a little early because there is always a line, so we did. Our friends were delayed, so we had some time to kill, and it turns out there is this little place nearby called the Waffle Window. Well, who doesn't love waffles, right?

Since we were having lunch soon, we split a Razzle Dazzle - and wow. Wow! They aren't that big, but it was plenty for two people to split for a little snack. There was just enough lemony goodness to go with the raspberries and cream, but the waffle was super good just itself. At $4, you can't beat that. We'll absolutely be going back...

So we still had some time to kill, so we drove by Screen Door and there wasn't much of a line. Figuring that was a good sign, we drove out north and stopped at Pix Patisserie for a yummy treat for later. You know, because we weren't eating enough stuff that is detrimental to the goal of being trim. After browsing the treats, we picked out something called a Shazam! - good choice by us. Good job us...very nice move. This was our second foray to Pix...if you like chocolate and pastries, 12 thumbs up.

So after this we got back to Screen Door. We were still a little early, but now there was a line, so we put our name on the list. We waited about 15 minutes for our friends, then about about another 45 with them, before finally getting a table. Outside in the 93-degree sun. Oh well, we got to sit down, right?

Screen Door serves Portland's Stumptown Coffee. I don't know what blend it was, but it was excellent. I've now had Stumptown about 7 different places and the only place it wasn't good was at...wait for it...Stumptown! I have heard this is true, but it seems a tad counterintuitive doesn't it? Well, it's true. I have resisted buying their beans because of a bad experience at their coffeeshop downtown - and by bad experience I mean the mocha wasn't good, not that they beat and berated me for being a coffee novice among the realm of the truly better than me - but I may have to re-think that. Maybe after the Theo's blend runs out.

So Screen Door serves SoCo food (Southern Comfort - like the whiskey, sort of) and is well known for their chicken and waffles, so that's what I got. My better half ordered a fried chicken biscuit and gravy, which came with pan fried potatoes.

Since it was busy it took awhile to get our food, but the coffee and conversation was good so no big deal. As we were chatting the waitress brought something to another table, something huge. Apparently it was what I had ordered - a Belgian waffle with a mountain of chicken. Oh, with a steak knife jammed through it (steak knives scare me, but that's another story) to make sure nothing fell off the plate. Our friend leaned in and said, "Oh my god...I think that's what YOU ordered!"

A few minutes later it became apparent she was right. There were four chicken breasts on top of my waffle. Yep, breast meat - none of that cheap brown meat here, and absolutely no bones. About damn time someone made fried chicken from good meat - and the seasoning mixed into the breading was perfect, a nice blend of savory flavors. I was surprised, but absolutely in a good way. It came with a nice maple syrup that tied it all together with the seasoning.

Yes, the breading came off the chicken when it got cut, but with no skin it doesn't have much to adhere to. Some people may not like that, but the fact it was breast meat and had no skin is much better in my mind. Oh, and the meat was so juicy! None of that overdone crap here.

My better half's meal was excellent too. Her fried chicken had a little less kick than mine, but the sausage gravy was amazing, the biscuit fluffy and yummy, and the potatoes seasoned just right with a good amount of crunch.

It should probably come as no surprise after reading all of this we loved it and will absolutely be going back. 14 thumbs up for brunch...next time we might tackle dinner.

Now, you might think we'd call it a gastronomical day after that, but no, not us. As if we hadn't had enough coffee, we stopped by Coffeehouse Northwest on the way home. They serve Stumptown, though the owners are reportedly starting their own little roaster soon. Either way, this is the best coffee in Portland, with all due respect to Barista, which is also good. The Cluziel mocha at Coffeehouse NW is just chocolatey goodness - best dark chocolate mocha I have had.

And it wasn't just coffee...

See, there is a bakery in the Pearl District called Nuvrei. They have a tiny place to buy pastries, but they also provide baked yumminess to coffee shops all over the downtown and NW Portland area. Yep, including Coffeehouse NW. So, since it was the 4th of July and Nuvrei was unfortunately closed, we could still get our treats. We picked up an almond crossiant, which we had never tried but is supposed to be Nuvrei's specialty. It was yummy - big shock. We also got a berry scone, which is basically the best scone I've had that didn't come out of our own oven. It's hard to put it into words - just get it.

After that we decided to call it a day. In completely unrelated news I had gained three pounds when I woke up Sunday morning. No idea why.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, no, we didn't eat it all. I think it ended up being something like four meals, or parts of four meals. Not bad for $30...