Apocalypse Mom, Redneck Widow, and Ginger Ninja all walk into a Walmart in the middle of the night. Sounds like the opening to a bad joke? Keep reading it gets worse.
So, many of us have problems with crowds around the holidays as people become rampant A-Holes and forget a little thing called mutual respect. So we avoid the holiday crowds in certain places. Luckily for us these places are generally open 24 hours a day. So, when we needed a last minute Wal-Mart trip, we decided to leave the house about 10:30 at night. No big deal, midnight wal-mart trips are usually cause for much hilarity around here. We put on our best PJ's, afix our worst southern accents and head out of the house giggling like crazy people. :) (Which is to say, we get up from wherever we're sitting and hop into the car.)
After about an hour and a half inside the Mart of Wal, we decide we have had enough but we should grab midnight munchies on the way home. Ginger Ninja has a craving for Burger King and there is one in the parking lot of our friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart... Handy that. So, we pull into the drive thru, commenting on how nice it is that they cover their ordering station. We listen to the opening pitch of guess what we have on sale, and we proceed to order.
"Hi, can we get an Angry Whopper with Chicken instead of Beef please?" I ask of the nice speaker that is blinking please order when ready at me.
"No!" It says back without hesitation
"Wait, what? Excuse me? Did you say No?" I ask, shocked.
"Yeah," Come this teeny bopper voice. "We're not allowed to do that, and I don't have any chicken. We turned off our broiler already."
"Your drive thru is open 24 hours, right?" I ask in confusion
"Well, Yeah," comes the reply, as if I am stupid cause I don't get it.
"Nevermind." I said as I pulled around and ignored her as we pulled away. Up the freeway we sped to the next Burger King between us and home. We pull in and are greeted by a friendly voice. I ask again:
"Can we get an Angry Whopper with chicken instead of Beef?"
"Oh yeah, but we're out of burger."
"What?"
"We don't have any patties."
"What do you have?"
"Chicken, and anything deep fried."
"Right, of course." I look at the girls expectantly, Apocalypse Mom shrugs while Ginger frowns at me, she has her heart set on a Whopper.
"Alright, nevermind, have a great night."
So up we drive to the very last Burger King between us and home, get to the drive through and ask my favorite question I have ever asked a fast food restaurant drive thru!
"So, do you actually have burgers?"
"Well, um... yes?" Answers the poor kid behind the speaker.
"Can I get an Angry Whopper with Chicken instead of Beef?"
"Yes, but we don't need burger to do that." answers who I assume is the manager. He sounds very amused.
"Awesome..." So then I begin to rattle off our order. To the nice man's credit, he got everything right.
So, kids, the moral of this story is that if you get midnight munchies and absolutely need Burger King, I wholeheartedly recommend the one at 122nd and Division! It is a good place and they are good at their jobs. Today, in cooperation with 99.5 The Wolf, a percentage of all their proceeds went to Dornbechers Children's Hospital! So go there and spend money!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Christmas and the Holidays!
While running various errands and shopping it is inevitable that I am out of the house at meal time. Yet, with the holiday shopping I try to go cheap and fast... (no comments from the peanut gallery please). So there has been a lot of fast food lately. Which results in midnight drive through runs to all night fast food joints.... which leads to ridiculous questions... But that is another post.
So, we went adventuring and Apocalypse.Mom and I stopped at Pizza Baron. It is a cute little Pizza shop at 122nd and Division, in what is left of a dying strip mall. I had been there years ago with Painter Lady, and years before that with my parents. But memory often tricks me into thinking things are way better than they are. Unfortunately, that is how it went with Pizza Baron.
The service was accommodating to a fault, almost creepily so. They literally wanted to fix any problem we had just so we would order. And it didn't take long to figure out why. We were there for lunch, which consisted of pizza and salad bar. Pretty typical fare for a pizza joint now-a-days. We saw three other people come in, one was a regular. The place is decorated with team trophies and banners for all the youth sports in the area, and they obviously back all of them. There is a big screen TV in the back room, an arcade on one side of the restaurant and a large fireplace in the middle.
It is a cute, quaint little place that looks to have been great at one time, but now is mediocre at best. Which is sad, it has so much potential. The food was ok... not bad, but not great either. It was an ok price for what we got, the salad bar needed a lot of help. But the service was good and quick and it was a quiet lunchtime retreat.
It is something I would like to see make a come back. I remember them being really terrific when I was a kid, and I would like it to be that great when I take my kids or grand kids (Someday, don't get any ideas boys) there. However, right now it is a place I would go if I didn't have anywhere else to try at the moment. And as it is surrounded by a Papa Murphy's, Burger King, Taco Time, and there is a Chinese place pretty close. I have a lot of other options.
But that is how my lunch at Pizza Baron went. What did you think Apocalypse.Mom?
So, we went adventuring and Apocalypse.Mom and I stopped at Pizza Baron. It is a cute little Pizza shop at 122nd and Division, in what is left of a dying strip mall. I had been there years ago with Painter Lady, and years before that with my parents. But memory often tricks me into thinking things are way better than they are. Unfortunately, that is how it went with Pizza Baron.
The service was accommodating to a fault, almost creepily so. They literally wanted to fix any problem we had just so we would order. And it didn't take long to figure out why. We were there for lunch, which consisted of pizza and salad bar. Pretty typical fare for a pizza joint now-a-days. We saw three other people come in, one was a regular. The place is decorated with team trophies and banners for all the youth sports in the area, and they obviously back all of them. There is a big screen TV in the back room, an arcade on one side of the restaurant and a large fireplace in the middle.
It is a cute, quaint little place that looks to have been great at one time, but now is mediocre at best. Which is sad, it has so much potential. The food was ok... not bad, but not great either. It was an ok price for what we got, the salad bar needed a lot of help. But the service was good and quick and it was a quiet lunchtime retreat.
It is something I would like to see make a come back. I remember them being really terrific when I was a kid, and I would like it to be that great when I take my kids or grand kids (Someday, don't get any ideas boys) there. However, right now it is a place I would go if I didn't have anywhere else to try at the moment. And as it is surrounded by a Papa Murphy's, Burger King, Taco Time, and there is a Chinese place pretty close. I have a lot of other options.
But that is how my lunch at Pizza Baron went. What did you think Apocalypse.Mom?
Monday, September 24, 2012
Lily Market (or... SCOOOOOOORE! And the Death of the Widow)
I've driven past a dozen times, always thought it was just a little hole in the wall convenience store. Until one night the urge for chocolate was too strong and I caved to the siren song of Baskin- Robbins. I'm weak, I know. But it was good, so bite me.
Anyway, back on track. I pulled into the parking lot and was stunned to realize that the "hole in the wall" Lily Market took up the entire building!
I could see the shelves of cooking pots and 50# bags filled with rice. I made a mental note to return and check it out. Sometime when I didn't have my take out dinner rapidly cooking in the passenger seat.
(I ate the ice cream. Cherries jubilee and chocolate fudge. And it was wonderful!)
The next day I stopped in after work. KNOWING that such a trip would be detrimental for RedneckWidow's respiratory system. Wide eyed and wondering I wandered. Aisle by aisle, smiling and taking it all in. Too much good stuff, too many things I didn't know, but would soon be Googling. (there's that verb again!)
Farther back into the actual grocery I found aisles of dried noodles on one side and gorgeous metal tea pots on the other.
And in the very very far back (IE the side I could see from the opposite street)... The deli case! Filled with freshly made Thai dishes that made my toes curl! I've been back 5 times in 8 days! They are starting to recognize me. But the steamed buns haunt my dreams.
Anyway, back on track. I pulled into the parking lot and was stunned to realize that the "hole in the wall" Lily Market took up the entire building!
I could see the shelves of cooking pots and 50# bags filled with rice. I made a mental note to return and check it out. Sometime when I didn't have my take out dinner rapidly cooking in the passenger seat.
(I ate the ice cream. Cherries jubilee and chocolate fudge. And it was wonderful!)
The next day I stopped in after work. KNOWING that such a trip would be detrimental for RedneckWidow's respiratory system. Wide eyed and wondering I wandered. Aisle by aisle, smiling and taking it all in. Too much good stuff, too many things I didn't know, but would soon be Googling. (there's that verb again!)
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| Dried Betel leaves are apparently for addictive fun times* (*Author's note- NOT FOR CHILDREN!!!) |
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| You burn it and it smells pretty. |
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| The shiny pots are very light weight aluminum and the cast iron pans with the divots is for Takoyaki but it looks like it could be used for Aebelskiver. |
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| Stylized Tiffin Carriers super pretty. |
Farther back into the actual grocery I found aisles of dried noodles on one side and gorgeous metal tea pots on the other.
And then there were the fun finds in the grocery itself.
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| Chinese Chicken sausages with edible collagen casing, BellaBabe friendly. Though too sweet for Apocalypse.Mom who described them as more of a breakfast sausage. |
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| These bags of Pho noodles are bigger than my head! I mean fresh noodles are awesome, but how many people do I need to be serving in order to justify buying this??? |
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| This case contains the Durian and durian products. |
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| 8.5 POUNDS of Sambal Oelek. I am afraid. |
And in the very very far back (IE the side I could see from the opposite street)... The deli case! Filled with freshly made Thai dishes that made my toes curl! I've been back 5 times in 8 days! They are starting to recognize me. But the steamed buns haunt my dreams.
Today when I went in for more pictures (whatever!) I almost wept because the woman in front of me ordered the last two steam buns. But that's fine, I'm mature. I only pouted a little. But I will be back, oh yes I will be back. Likely on Friday when they roast young coconuts packed with sweet rice. Mmmm yes, I will be back.
***Secondary note. I just checked out their website... There are apartments over the market!! If they allowed pets I would kill to live there!!
** A brief moment of humor. After that first trip I got home and was greeted by RedneckWidow and Apocalypse.Mom who wanted to know where I had been and when I was going to take them. So of course we went back that same night! And I warned RedneckWidow about the spices, don't let her claim I didn't!
***Secondary note. I just checked out their website... There are apartments over the market!! If they allowed pets I would kill to live there!!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Lily Market… Or “Oh god, my eyes my eyes!!!”
There are very few places in this world that ward off the evil that is the Redneck Widow with any real effectiveness. While Thai food places and Fubonn or other Asian places strive to set my allergies off, none of them are places I can’t actually go into.
Lily Market wins!!!!
As I parked the car in the small parking lot, my nose plugged up and my eyes began to water. I got out of the car and looked at the restaurant and my eyes began to burn and itch; before I even got into the store itself. Going into the store I began to sound like I had a cold, then like I was in danger of losing my voice. The slight tickle in the back of the throat started less than five minutes in. By ten minutes in I could no longer breathe, was starting to hack and cough, and my hands were starting to tingle.
I gave up. The store had defeated me. I retreated to the clean (ish) confines of my car, which ironically is named Lily Rex. And even there I had to re park the car to a place not in direct wind path of the front doors. Then use my inhaler and hope SleepyGinger and Apocalypse.Mom didn’t take too long exploring their new find.
So, I recommend Lily Market to anyone who likes authentic Asian markets… It was a great place for the ten minutes I was there. Also, It is right next door to the Baskin and Robbins that sells the soy free chocolate ice cream. (Another awesome find for SleepyGinger)
The evil that shall not be eaten
So, the large family we have all decided to take a day out and go to the beach for Labor day weekend. And so far I am the only one brave enough to blog about our horror. One the way home, we decided to just stop in at some out of the way place we found along the way… while sometimes this is fun and adventurous. This is not always the case.
As we pulled into The Logger… somewhere along highway 30… and that is as close to a location as I feel safe giving you as we hope and pray our readers are not inflicted with such culinary horrors. Do you see how much we love you, our dear readers?
As per usual, I tried the Chicken Fried Steak. I do have to say, I have never had a chicken fried steak that was sweet and tangy. I am not sure how to make country gravy sweet. I swear it tasted just a little like lemon. The fries were ok though… the ones that didn’t have gravy on them. Sleepy Ginger got a hamburger steak… at least that is what the menu called it. It came with packet gravy, mushy onions and rice pilaf the consistency of baby food. And Apocalypse Mom had a seafood platter. Half of which was burned beyond edibility and the other half has been referred to as “deep fried death from the sea.” The kidlets got a variety of burgers. But the biggest testament to the horror that is The Logger… Not one of use escaped this particular dining experience without some type of digestive problem that haunted our next few days.
So, if you are driving the length of Highway 30, dear readers, and you see the small restaurant at the blinking caution light in the middle of nowhere… keep driving… I promise there is better food choices on your path.
Cartlandia...
First, I only had one goal for this day…. Known in my brain as that Saturday we all went out to shop and ended up eating out of street carts. It is a widely known fact, I absolutely dislike food carts. I had a bad experience… (BTW do not eat Tacos de Ojos. They pop when you bite into them and if you are the friend sitting next to the guy eating them, you can hear them pop…) in Mexico. So, my goal was to see “Snow White and the Huntsman”. I had been attempting to make time to see that movie since opening weekend. (And yes, I finally saw it… Last weekend… at home.) So, when we drove past the Cartlandia and we all agreed to stop, I was already not caring… so long as we got to the movie on time… I was good.
Second, It isn’t really that food carts turn my stomach, or that I think they are unclean or anything like that. It is very simply that my food tastes run rather simple and most of the time, in my experience, food carts screw up the whole burgers and fries thing. After all, there is a reason that I am named the REDNECK widow… So, all of that being said… I really enjoyed my lunch there.
I followed the girls through most of the area until my body just wouldn’t do it any longer. It wasn’t too long though as my arthritis got the better of me and I needed shade and seating. Which lead me to the seating area. It was nicely shaded with a pop-up… ten by twenty if I’m not mistaken. Under it was a lovely set of table chairs and a picnic tables already taken by a nice family.
I decided that the all-beef hotdogs and fries sounded right up my alley, so I headed over to Relish Gourmet Hotdogs. So for around five dollars, I purchased a giant (and delicious) hotdog with as many of the fixings as possible. With it came a huge basket of fries, so much so that I couldn’t finish them alone. In fact, even with the help of BellaBabe, PainterLady and SleepyGinger, we still couldn’t finish them. We ended up donating them to Kanegermin.
So, all in all I loved Cartlandia (Don’t tell SleepyGinger… I’ll never hear the end of it.) And I actually look forward to going there again. I sincerely wish the lovely couple at Relish Gourmet Hotdogs the best of best wishes in their upcoming nuptials and suggest everyone I know go to Cartlandia and tip them well. Weddings are expensive!
Fubonn... or How NOT to act in public...
SleepyGinger convinces us to go to the large Asian market in town, so off we go. First of all, you probably shouldn’t have the overly excited one drive, especially when the other two are hyper paranoid of cars. J Secondly, I think it is only fair that there be some kind of Asian food with no soy, onion or peppers.
Allergies suck!
So, SleepyGinger had been to Fubonn before and in her experience she told us we should eat before shopping because shopping hungry makes you buy stuff you may not need. So first we looked at the grill place. But while having food cooked at our table might be nifty, due to the combined food issues of Apocalypse.Mom and myself (suddenly we sound like super heroes “With our issues combined…”) it wasn’t actually possible to eat there. So, to the other side of the mall we went.
There we had a great dinner, Apocalypse.Mom had something with fish and I had the rice with meat… because that is what I am able to have at Asian restaurants… Beef or Chicken with Rice. The plainer the better. Depressing right? But the food was great and the service was awesome. The overall experience was welcoming and I would return often if given the options.
Now, food was out of the way and the store wandering began. There were movies, books, clothes, and of course the main market. The main market was amazing! Everything a girl could ask for…. Soy filled poisonous death…. Which, by the way, gets you glared at a lot if you shout it in the middle of the store. Again, I apologize to the small boy with his grandmother. I am sure the ENTIRE store is not filled with soy covered poison. There were also some lovely fresh fruits and vegetables.
The highlight for me was the non-food items… for obvious reasons. But they had some really great things in there and the only reason I haven’t been back is because I will spend way too much money on things I have no room for. So, officially, Fubonn market: Great… The rest of the trip is just a giant allergy trap… but still ok.
Missing Posts
Hello dear readers,
Sorry for the long distance between posts. I have been very busy and sometimes slackerdom attacks and I get lazy. So, I am hurriedly going back through my notes and furiously writing up my reviews and posts, under the watchful and demanding eyes of our slave... I mean web... mistress... SleepyGinger. Well, she's across the table anyway.
So, I hope the following few posts make up for my long absence from this blog. Hopefully there aren't too many posts at once, as I would like to believe that people (Somewhere... our three or so readers... ) benefit from our "adventurous" natures.
I apologize for the barrage of information that is forth coming and wish you happy readings.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Captain Recipe
So, I guess it is about time I told you about Fubonn. We tried the one BBq place first. Very expensive but would likely have been a fun eating experience for a second date. As it was we were 3 overheated women who did not need to heat the place up more by cooking the food at our table. So we went to the other place where I had the #44? Seafood, tofu and noodles. It was ok. I ate on it for a couple of days. Leftovers are my friend. I will return to Fubonn. Not for the dining experience but, for the grocery shopping. I found lots of great produce and fun foods there.
I am not much for the going out. I have food allergies so I think I will tell you more about my home culinary adventures. First you should know that my arch nemesis in the kitchen is Captain Recipe. Every time I try to follow a recipe I mess it up. Especially if I follow it to the letter. Between that and my food box surprise upbringing I experiment..... Often. In the last week my family has enjoyed the new dish I call stewlash. It was fun. But, like most of my meals I can give you a general idea but, it will be different every time I make it.
Tonight the rest of the family had corn dogs and tator tots. It was shopping day so I did not have a lot of cooking time. That and I have to come up with my own dinner. I can't eat pork or beef. So, my main protein sources are chicken, shrimp, beans and some fish. I saw that I had a can of diced tomatoes with chiles. I put that in a pan with a can of black beans and strips of grilled chicken. Heat and eat. I opted out of the tortilla. Bread is not my friend. I added a little hot sauce from a leftover packet of sauce from Taco Time. It was pretty good and filling since I had it along with an awesome green salad. Then there was a small adventure with Sleepy Gingers curry...... I will allow her to tell that story if she chooses to.
I am not much for the going out. I have food allergies so I think I will tell you more about my home culinary adventures. First you should know that my arch nemesis in the kitchen is Captain Recipe. Every time I try to follow a recipe I mess it up. Especially if I follow it to the letter. Between that and my food box surprise upbringing I experiment..... Often. In the last week my family has enjoyed the new dish I call stewlash. It was fun. But, like most of my meals I can give you a general idea but, it will be different every time I make it.
Tonight the rest of the family had corn dogs and tator tots. It was shopping day so I did not have a lot of cooking time. That and I have to come up with my own dinner. I can't eat pork or beef. So, my main protein sources are chicken, shrimp, beans and some fish. I saw that I had a can of diced tomatoes with chiles. I put that in a pan with a can of black beans and strips of grilled chicken. Heat and eat. I opted out of the tortilla. Bread is not my friend. I added a little hot sauce from a leftover packet of sauce from Taco Time. It was pretty good and filling since I had it along with an awesome green salad. Then there was a small adventure with Sleepy Gingers curry...... I will allow her to tell that story if she chooses to.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
King's Omelet
Another lazy weekend morning + some errands that needed to be done + bloggy breakfast. Also known as find a new breakfast spot and try something new. Usually I would Google it (isn't it fun how that is a verb now?) but the sign for King's Omelet has been taunting my morning commute for weeks now. Time for some tasty payback.
Remembering the wait I had at the Gateway Breakfast House I scurried out the door as soon as I was dressed. And a good thing as there was a line, but only a 10 minute wait for a single.
Walking in the door one is greeted by a an Asian style altar/ shrine in a display case covered with family pictures and at least a dozen military photos of young men and women in uniform. On inquiry I learned that the owner/ head cook's son is a Marine. Clearly there is a lot of Marine pride in this establishment. I'll have to take RedneckWidow with me next time.
King;s is a family run establishment with a clear crowd of regulars from the retirement village down the street. One gentleman opted not to take his leftovers home and was swiftly surrounded by the patriarch/ head cook and his older sons all demanding to know what was wrong with it. It was all in jovial good fun and quite amusing to watch. Sometimes people watching is better than the food.
Gladly this was not the case here.
My coffee cup was always full by the very attentive wait staff and my meal was quick in coming. I wanted something sweet so ordered the strawberry crepes with a ham steak on the side. The crepes were light, oh so fluffy and simply packed with sweet fresh strawberries. The ham steak was nicely grilled and slightly browned on the outside. Excellent.
I loved this place and am looking forward to going back again.
Remembering the wait I had at the Gateway Breakfast House I scurried out the door as soon as I was dressed. And a good thing as there was a line, but only a 10 minute wait for a single.
Walking in the door one is greeted by a an Asian style altar/ shrine in a display case covered with family pictures and at least a dozen military photos of young men and women in uniform. On inquiry I learned that the owner/ head cook's son is a Marine. Clearly there is a lot of Marine pride in this establishment. I'll have to take RedneckWidow with me next time.
King;s is a family run establishment with a clear crowd of regulars from the retirement village down the street. One gentleman opted not to take his leftovers home and was swiftly surrounded by the patriarch/ head cook and his older sons all demanding to know what was wrong with it. It was all in jovial good fun and quite amusing to watch. Sometimes people watching is better than the food.
Gladly this was not the case here.
My coffee cup was always full by the very attentive wait staff and my meal was quick in coming. I wanted something sweet so ordered the strawberry crepes with a ham steak on the side. The crepes were light, oh so fluffy and simply packed with sweet fresh strawberries. The ham steak was nicely grilled and slightly browned on the outside. Excellent.
I loved this place and am looking forward to going back again.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Gateway Breakfast House
Woke up Saturday morning with a day to myself… Or it would have been if I have any ability to stay away from thrift stores. (Explanation: Roomies = Extended Family Sisters, Brother in Law and niece/nephews were going back to school shopping. I couldn’t resist! But I did try. I have no spawn of my own so must resort to playing “parent” to the children of others.)
I had a once in a blue moon hankering (Dear Gods, I think the Redneck Widow is infecting my vernacular!) for some breakfast starch namely pancakes. The Parental Units can attest that this is a rarity for me. So in an attempt to further my cause of trying new places I opted for the Gateway Breakfast House. About a 5 minute drive from home, sounded perfect.
Upon arrival I discovered that I was gravely underestimating the appeal of breakfast out to Portlanders. The place was PACKED! I was third in line for a table when I got there, and before I was seated there was another 10 people behind me. Had I done any research at all I would have learned that President Obama made an unscheduled stop here when he was in town. Lots of publicity, lots of hullabaloo and yet quite a few regulars as well. Waitresses were greeting customers by name and exchanging news about each other’s families and friends.
The menu was extensive and offered quite a selection, but I’m a sucker for a good deal so I opted for the 1,2,3,4 Country Special marked at $8.25 with coffee. My total came to $9.75 before tip and let me show you what I got for that.
That is two pancakes, a ham steak at least 7” across and ½” thick, two eggs scrambled with cheese, and a slab of hashbrowns. It was so big I was quite intimidated. I settled for dicing the ham steak and mixing it with the hashbrowns and eggs before setting that aside and tackling the pancakes. I managed about 3/4ths of the pancakes before I just couldn’t stand it anymore. Got the rest in a to go container and made my way out the door. There was still a line out the door, people just didn’t stop coming!
I knew that if I went immediately home after that carb load I would end up back in bed despite my best laid plans so I met up with the shopping expedition and did my best to be helpful.
Still, what a way to kick off the weekend.
Gateway Breakfast House, friendly staff, great value, wonderful food. I highly recommend, but make sure you have some time to wait for that table. Very popular destination.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
So many things...
Okay, returning from the sick/ exhausted place. Last weekend was shopping with the girls and a stop at Cartlandia (write up with pics soon) and then Olive Garden. Tuesday was a little cooking and all that fun stuff. Coaxing a few more contributors to sharing their dining experiences so hopefully there will be some more active voices on here soon. Fingers crossed!
Not dead, just a brief intermission while the Stage Manager gets the back of the house in hand. Until we see you again.
Not dead, just a brief intermission while the Stage Manager gets the back of the house in hand. Until we see you again.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
On Location...Idaho part 2
Saturday morning we passed on the frozen breakfast sandwich fare being offered at my sisters and went on a hunt into town for food I can eat. ( No eggs or pork for me) We ended up in Cottonwood, Idaho at a great little place called The Hangout.
This is a great little place. Vicious and I walked in to 2 larges tables taken up by about 30 girls in team sportswear hanging out, eating, and having fun. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with a green salad. (Are you detecting a pattern here yet?) Vicious had a mushroom burger with tator tots. When we sat down I looked around and could tell that whoever owned this place was a supporter of sports, their community and progress. They had a station set up with 3 or 4 laptop computers. Yes folks, we found an internet cafe. We waited a bit for our food but, that was alright with me as they were obviously busy. I like to have my food cooked to order so I don't mind a wait. Vicious noted as we waited that we had finally found a restaurant with no flies. This reminds me I forgot to tell you about our stop at Jack in The Box Friday in Umatilla, Washington. Let me just say... Don't eat there.
We got our food from this great woman who came all the way out to our table. (We ordered at a counter so I expected to go back up to the counter.) She apologized profusely for the wait. I told her it was no problem. The food was great. My chicken breast was moist and the food very fresh. The portions were good and I really enjoyed this place all around. If we had stayed in town longer we would have gone back. We headed home that night and ended up at a Burger King we found along the road. I don't even remember which city it was in. The food was ok but, more flies.
On roadtrips I tend to like stopping at the Mom and Pop, Greasy Spoon kind of places. I like an adventure and they usually have great portions. Soooo..... If you are ever in Cottonwood, Idaho please stop at :
The Hangout
603 Front street
Cottonwood, Idaho 83522
or try their email: hangout@mtida.net
Next time I will tell you about my adventures into Fubonn territory.
http://www.cottonwoodidaho.org/
This is a great little place. Vicious and I walked in to 2 larges tables taken up by about 30 girls in team sportswear hanging out, eating, and having fun. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with a green salad. (Are you detecting a pattern here yet?) Vicious had a mushroom burger with tator tots. When we sat down I looked around and could tell that whoever owned this place was a supporter of sports, their community and progress. They had a station set up with 3 or 4 laptop computers. Yes folks, we found an internet cafe. We waited a bit for our food but, that was alright with me as they were obviously busy. I like to have my food cooked to order so I don't mind a wait. Vicious noted as we waited that we had finally found a restaurant with no flies. This reminds me I forgot to tell you about our stop at Jack in The Box Friday in Umatilla, Washington. Let me just say... Don't eat there.
We got our food from this great woman who came all the way out to our table. (We ordered at a counter so I expected to go back up to the counter.) She apologized profusely for the wait. I told her it was no problem. The food was great. My chicken breast was moist and the food very fresh. The portions were good and I really enjoyed this place all around. If we had stayed in town longer we would have gone back. We headed home that night and ended up at a Burger King we found along the road. I don't even remember which city it was in. The food was ok but, more flies.
On roadtrips I tend to like stopping at the Mom and Pop, Greasy Spoon kind of places. I like an adventure and they usually have great portions. Soooo..... If you are ever in Cottonwood, Idaho please stop at :
The Hangout
603 Front street
Cottonwood, Idaho 83522
or try their email: hangout@mtida.net
Next time I will tell you about my adventures into Fubonn territory.
http://www.cottonwoodidaho.org/
Cartlandia (Food cart pre-crawl)
Saturday was a day of grand plans, a little bit of compromise. But everything turned out well. Redneck Widow and myself were to be picked up by PainterLady and BellaBabe for a day of picking over the bones of a dying clothing store chain. Sad for the chain, good for us. I did the math and over 5 trips to the stores (spread out over a 3 week period) I acquired some $1,500 retail value of clothes for roughly $175. Completely revamped my wardrobe and without breaking the bank. Very, very, happy girl here. But you're not here to read about my shopping finesse.
We met up at about lunch time and after a fortifying stop at Dutch Brothers for caffeine (all hail the Dutch) we were on our way. Our goals were the Clackamas location, Eastport Plaza location, and then MAYBE the Cascade Station location if there was time before returning the Gresham Wunderland for a cheap seats showing of Snow White and the Huntsman and then dinner at the Olive Garden for their endless pasta bowl…Mmmm Pasta.
That was our goal. That was not what happened. The Clackamas location was LOOOOONG gone. The storefront empty, most of the signage removed. So on our way to the Eastport Plaza location we swung into Cartlandia, despite Redneck Widow’s misgivings. One thing Cartlandia has up on other food cart pods I’ve been to is the available parking, very nice.
BellaBabe and I led the charge, up and around the carts, investigating menus, what sounds best, what sounded good… Samples? Sure!
After walking the entire loop and inspecting every menu we settled on splitting a margherita pizza eith white sauce from Krust Artisanal Pizza and a couple of pasties (one Traditional and one Cheese and Onion) from the London Pasty Company while PainterLady and RedneckWidow had hotdogs and fries from Relish Gourmet Hotdogs.
BellaBabe and I ordered the pizza first and then headed across the way to the Pasty cart. The owner of the London Pasty Company was very helpful and understanding about our questions involving the ingredients (allergy issues) and very cheerful with a mesmerizing accent. Which is always fun. Also very emphatic about liking them on Facebook, which in this modern social media age I suppose I understand.
PainterLady and RedneckWidow found a shady table near Relish where they could listen for their orders to be completed. Both were telling us about the sweet couple who owned the cart saving up for a wedding and how very nice they were. Our pizza was delivered to the table and we took the requisite (now apparently gone) photos before digging in.
The pizza had a cracker style crust that seemed to have been pre-cooked and warm sauce ladled on (a bit heavy for our tastes) and then the sliced mozzerella was allowed to "melt" in the residual warmth from the sauce. The tomatoes were cold. BellaBabe and I thought back to Pyro Pizza's crispy crust, hunks of artisinal mozzerella and heat toasted basil... This was not what we wanted. On to the pasties!
Sad, so sad. The "Traditional" was as dry and flavorless as saw dust and left us begging for water. We were hoping for a moist filling with thickened gravy, no such luck. It didn't even appear that gravy had ever been involved in the equation. The Onion and Cheese was.. Well is was overly cheesy mashed potatoes stuffed into a pastry shell. It was a baked pierogie. It was... bland.
So while I know it doesn't excuse the tardiness of this post, remembering this experience was sad.
The highlight of the trip was PainterLady's garlic cheese fries, so good. But I'll let RedneckWidow share her portion of the journey.
Until next time, be tasty!
After walking the entire loop and inspecting every menu we settled on splitting a margherita pizza eith white sauce from Krust Artisanal Pizza and a couple of pasties (one Traditional and one Cheese and Onion) from the London Pasty Company while PainterLady and RedneckWidow had hotdogs and fries from Relish Gourmet Hotdogs.
BellaBabe and I ordered the pizza first and then headed across the way to the Pasty cart. The owner of the London Pasty Company was very helpful and understanding about our questions involving the ingredients (allergy issues) and very cheerful with a mesmerizing accent. Which is always fun. Also very emphatic about liking them on Facebook, which in this modern social media age I suppose I understand.
PainterLady and RedneckWidow found a shady table near Relish where they could listen for their orders to be completed. Both were telling us about the sweet couple who owned the cart saving up for a wedding and how very nice they were. Our pizza was delivered to the table and we took the requisite (now apparently gone) photos before digging in.
The pizza had a cracker style crust that seemed to have been pre-cooked and warm sauce ladled on (a bit heavy for our tastes) and then the sliced mozzerella was allowed to "melt" in the residual warmth from the sauce. The tomatoes were cold. BellaBabe and I thought back to Pyro Pizza's crispy crust, hunks of artisinal mozzerella and heat toasted basil... This was not what we wanted. On to the pasties!
Sad, so sad. The "Traditional" was as dry and flavorless as saw dust and left us begging for water. We were hoping for a moist filling with thickened gravy, no such luck. It didn't even appear that gravy had ever been involved in the equation. The Onion and Cheese was.. Well is was overly cheesy mashed potatoes stuffed into a pastry shell. It was a baked pierogie. It was... bland.
So while I know it doesn't excuse the tardiness of this post, remembering this experience was sad.
The highlight of the trip was PainterLady's garlic cheese fries, so good. But I'll let RedneckWidow share her portion of the journey.
Until next time, be tasty!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Fubonn Marketplace OR A Threeway Foray into the Unknown
Yeah, yeah, yeah I like to think my post titles are clever. I'm sure I'm not really as funny as I think I am, but then I reduce some people into asthmatic laughing attacks which makes me think... Maybe I am... Any who...
Last night Apocalypse.Mom, RedneckWidow, and I headed out for Fubonn and I found myself filled with excited energy. Like a hyper puppy. Really... I'm embarrassed for my friends as there was dancing in the aisles, skipping up and down aisles in search of the ever important soy free "red sauce" and other general obnoxiousness. Good thing I drove as the others may have been tempted to otherwise abandon me.
Of course I'm sure it will happen again. As most of my friends can attest I am easily excited, soon babbling away at such high speeds as to be nearly unintelligible. But I can't help it...
My food geek flag just flies to high it takes me off with it to new heights of embarrassment. Of course in the moment of ultimate geekery when I am practically vibrating with excitement; wanting to see, touch, smell everything all at once I am prone to attacks of utter gooberism. The high point of my night was that I was NOT the first one to offend the locals. That was RedneckWidow, and I'll leave the explanations to her.
We started by packing in the rear lot (shady spot) which is surprisingly large and you'd never notice it from the front of the building. Passed through the large circular archway over the doors and wandered through the complex, a little sadly empty, but still interesting with the variety of businesses housed inside. Lawyers, Realtors, Loan offices, Bubble Tea, Salons, Jewelers, Video shops, Seamstresses, and of course the Massive grocery outlet itself.
Apocalypse.Mom spoke up with the wisdom of eating something before diving into the grocery store as an attempt to prevent massive over spending. RedneckWidow and I agreed and we discussed food options. There is of course a deli within the market, as well as both a Korean BBQ and Pho shop located on the outside of the building.
We opted to try the SokongDong Tofu & BBQ first, one with a grill on your table and where you order an assortment of meats and grill yourself. While things smelled wonderful, a peek at the menu revealed that this is not a "quick bite and run" establishment. For these prices it was a linger and enjoy the company type of place. Not in our budgets for the evening.
Unit #11
SokongDong Tofu & BBQ
Tel: 503-808-9990
Hour: 11am - 10pm
So we tried the Pho Ngon Vietnamese Restaurant
Unit #2
Pho Ngon Vietnamese Restaurant
Tel: 503-775-1373
Hour: 9am - 9pm
Much more in line with what we were looking for. Like an idiot I failed to take pics of our food when it arrived, but it was pretty and very tasty. I believe that Apocalypse.Mom ordered the #44 (none of us remember what it was called just that there was lots of fried fish over a metric TON of vermicelli noodles. And that it was good.). Redneck Widow attempted the Chicken Teriyaki, always a gamble given her allergy to soy. But it worked out. No adverse reaction and she cleaned her plate. Well... Almost.
I opted for the "SUPERBOWL" which was Pho (beef of course) with flank steak, well done brisket, honeycomb tripe, tendon, AND meatballs. Mmmm tasty. Point of note, the main difference between Asian meatballs and the more familiar Western variety is texture. Western meatballs are primarily a coarser grind of meat with a little binding agent to keep them together, while Asian meatballs are more of a hot dog consistency. Which can sometimes lend the sensation of chewing on a bouncy ball if over cooked. But these were quite good!
I failed to take before pics of our meals. I promise I'll get back into practice. I'll also have to improve my plan for getting a camera... Apparently wishing doesn't make it come true. Lamesauce. Any good (and reasonably priced) camera suggestions from the crowd?
The only down side to the dinner was the service. It was a bit... I don't know, very pushy at the beginning. The waitress seemed very exasperated with us when we asked for a minute to figure out our order. I get the impression that this place is used to people ordering before they even sit down. And at the end of the meal we had to get our own to go containers for leftovers and track down someone so we could pay. Very strange. Not a determent from returning, but very strange.
After dinner there was shopping! I gleefully plunged into the market, doing my best to not physically DRAG Apocalypse.Mom and Redneck Widow behind me. I may not have been as successful at this as I hoped. I happily grabbed raisin bread off the shelves, giggled and cooed over the bright snack packages while Apocalypse.Mom got to the serious business of grocery shopping and Redneck Widow plunged on in her quest for the soy-free.
I poked and prodded fresh Lychee for a project of BellaBabe, found some drinks. Some snacks, babbled incessantly about foreign produce.. Thinking back I start to wonder if maybe I was drugged, I was just... everywhere. Like those bouncy balls with all the knobs on the outside? Bouncing erratically from habeneros to duck eggs, from lemon grass to rabbit saddles, snapping random pictures and occasionally tossing things into the cart Redneck Widow was pushing for me.
I clearly recall dancing down an aisle using a shaker of dashi and another of "Umami seasoning" (straight MSG) as maracas to emphasize the beat in my head. It was like a fever and a frenzy of delight. We never found the red sauce. Does anyone know what it's called? The red sauce you get in Chinese restaurants for the dipping? NOT sweet and sour, there was at least a 10 foot long section of aisle dedicated to that.
I took pictures of things I found interesting, odd, or just... I don't even know why I took a photo of the live clams, and one of frozen fish? But I took them and here they are for your... Amusement?
Those are my highlights of the trip, other than that Apocalypse.Mom and I both bought 3 bags worth of items and she spent less than half of what I did. Clearly I have things to learn. Teach me oh wise one!
Please feel free to comment on my insanity. Talk to you all later!
Last night Apocalypse.Mom, RedneckWidow, and I headed out for Fubonn and I found myself filled with excited energy. Like a hyper puppy. Really... I'm embarrassed for my friends as there was dancing in the aisles, skipping up and down aisles in search of the ever important soy free "red sauce" and other general obnoxiousness. Good thing I drove as the others may have been tempted to otherwise abandon me.
Of course I'm sure it will happen again. As most of my friends can attest I am easily excited, soon babbling away at such high speeds as to be nearly unintelligible. But I can't help it...
My food geek flag just flies to high it takes me off with it to new heights of embarrassment. Of course in the moment of ultimate geekery when I am practically vibrating with excitement; wanting to see, touch, smell everything all at once I am prone to attacks of utter gooberism. The high point of my night was that I was NOT the first one to offend the locals. That was RedneckWidow, and I'll leave the explanations to her.
We started by packing in the rear lot (shady spot) which is surprisingly large and you'd never notice it from the front of the building. Passed through the large circular archway over the doors and wandered through the complex, a little sadly empty, but still interesting with the variety of businesses housed inside. Lawyers, Realtors, Loan offices, Bubble Tea, Salons, Jewelers, Video shops, Seamstresses, and of course the Massive grocery outlet itself.
Apocalypse.Mom spoke up with the wisdom of eating something before diving into the grocery store as an attempt to prevent massive over spending. RedneckWidow and I agreed and we discussed food options. There is of course a deli within the market, as well as both a Korean BBQ and Pho shop located on the outside of the building.
We opted to try the SokongDong Tofu & BBQ first, one with a grill on your table and where you order an assortment of meats and grill yourself. While things smelled wonderful, a peek at the menu revealed that this is not a "quick bite and run" establishment. For these prices it was a linger and enjoy the company type of place. Not in our budgets for the evening.
Unit #11
SokongDong Tofu & BBQ
Tel: 503-808-9990
Hour: 11am - 10pm
So we tried the Pho Ngon Vietnamese Restaurant
Unit #2
Pho Ngon Vietnamese Restaurant
Tel: 503-775-1373
Hour: 9am - 9pm
Much more in line with what we were looking for. Like an idiot I failed to take pics of our food when it arrived, but it was pretty and very tasty. I believe that Apocalypse.Mom ordered the #44 (none of us remember what it was called just that there was lots of fried fish over a metric TON of vermicelli noodles. And that it was good.). Redneck Widow attempted the Chicken Teriyaki, always a gamble given her allergy to soy. But it worked out. No adverse reaction and she cleaned her plate. Well... Almost.
I opted for the "SUPERBOWL" which was Pho (beef of course) with flank steak, well done brisket, honeycomb tripe, tendon, AND meatballs. Mmmm tasty. Point of note, the main difference between Asian meatballs and the more familiar Western variety is texture. Western meatballs are primarily a coarser grind of meat with a little binding agent to keep them together, while Asian meatballs are more of a hot dog consistency. Which can sometimes lend the sensation of chewing on a bouncy ball if over cooked. But these were quite good!
I failed to take before pics of our meals. I promise I'll get back into practice. I'll also have to improve my plan for getting a camera... Apparently wishing doesn't make it come true. Lamesauce. Any good (and reasonably priced) camera suggestions from the crowd?
The only down side to the dinner was the service. It was a bit... I don't know, very pushy at the beginning. The waitress seemed very exasperated with us when we asked for a minute to figure out our order. I get the impression that this place is used to people ordering before they even sit down. And at the end of the meal we had to get our own to go containers for leftovers and track down someone so we could pay. Very strange. Not a determent from returning, but very strange.
After dinner there was shopping! I gleefully plunged into the market, doing my best to not physically DRAG Apocalypse.Mom and Redneck Widow behind me. I may not have been as successful at this as I hoped. I happily grabbed raisin bread off the shelves, giggled and cooed over the bright snack packages while Apocalypse.Mom got to the serious business of grocery shopping and Redneck Widow plunged on in her quest for the soy-free.
I poked and prodded fresh Lychee for a project of BellaBabe, found some drinks. Some snacks, babbled incessantly about foreign produce.. Thinking back I start to wonder if maybe I was drugged, I was just... everywhere. Like those bouncy balls with all the knobs on the outside? Bouncing erratically from habeneros to duck eggs, from lemon grass to rabbit saddles, snapping random pictures and occasionally tossing things into the cart Redneck Widow was pushing for me.
I clearly recall dancing down an aisle using a shaker of dashi and another of "Umami seasoning" (straight MSG) as maracas to emphasize the beat in my head. It was like a fever and a frenzy of delight. We never found the red sauce. Does anyone know what it's called? The red sauce you get in Chinese restaurants for the dipping? NOT sweet and sour, there was at least a 10 foot long section of aisle dedicated to that.
I took pictures of things I found interesting, odd, or just... I don't even know why I took a photo of the live clams, and one of frozen fish? But I took them and here they are for your... Amusement?
Those are my highlights of the trip, other than that Apocalypse.Mom and I both bought 3 bags worth of items and she spent less than half of what I did. Clearly I have things to learn. Teach me oh wise one!
Please feel free to comment on my insanity. Talk to you all later!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Ritz Diner (or Breakfast with Fuzzy)
A weekend in Salem was wonderful. Made cinnamon rolls with the parental units (tasty tasty rolled pastries... Mmmm). Attended my Aunt's beautiful wedding to a delightful Irishman. Got a hefty dose of sarcasm from my blood relations. Happy sarcasm, we're a snippy and clever bunch of folks. Refreshingly irreverant.
This morning I kidnapped my good friend Fuzzy and took him to breakfast.
A smidgeon of back story. Fuzzy and I both reside in Portland, but our parental units dwell in Salem. About 6 blocks apart from each other. And usually when we're in town we eat at buffets, well known Chinese restaurants, or *gulp* Shari's. In light of the renewed blog efforts I opted for a tiny little diner at the corner of Lancaster Dr. and State St. We've both passed it a million times, but never stopped in.
So we took one of the 8 tables in the place and gave our orders. The German sausage special for him and the corned beef hash for myself. Both came with eggs and a choice of bread products.
I will admit that when my meal came I was hungry and tucked into it before I took a picture. But I did take a pic...
You see how I mixed my eggs into and all was one. Up in the corner is the unused jam, not a fan of strawberry. Blackberry is where its at. But more importantly... Do you see the large shreds of homemade corned beef? This stuff NEVER saw a can and tasted glorious!
Fuzzy was jealous. His German sausage was good... But couldn't compare to the homemade corned beef. Soo good.
Now I am stuffed on homemade tacos ala UnderMom. Talking about food is hurting just now. So hot. Going to go find somewhere cool to digest and prepare for the onslaught of the week. Fun times.
This morning I kidnapped my good friend Fuzzy and took him to breakfast.
A smidgeon of back story. Fuzzy and I both reside in Portland, but our parental units dwell in Salem. About 6 blocks apart from each other. And usually when we're in town we eat at buffets, well known Chinese restaurants, or *gulp* Shari's. In light of the renewed blog efforts I opted for a tiny little diner at the corner of Lancaster Dr. and State St. We've both passed it a million times, but never stopped in.
So we took one of the 8 tables in the place and gave our orders. The German sausage special for him and the corned beef hash for myself. Both came with eggs and a choice of bread products.
I will admit that when my meal came I was hungry and tucked into it before I took a picture. But I did take a pic...
Fuzzy was jealous. His German sausage was good... But couldn't compare to the homemade corned beef. Soo good.
Now I am stuffed on homemade tacos ala UnderMom. Talking about food is hurting just now. So hot. Going to go find somewhere cool to digest and prepare for the onslaught of the week. Fun times.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Siam Grill *Or* The Power of Cravings
Got off work today and knew that I didn't want the corndogs and tatertots that Redneck Widow had planned for dinner. (This is by no means disparraging her dinner plans, I just don't care for corndogs without... An herbal appetizer.) Spent the max ride home plotting on where I would hunt my own dinner.
There has been a taunt of green curry chicken for nearly a week now. Costco had a premade package and I bought it for Apocalypse.Mom, Vicious, and myself to enjoy a spicy thai dinner. Due to allergies we've been trying to wait for an evening when Redneck Widow isn't here... But she NEVER leaves!
As a result I found myself driving down Halsey chanting "Thai, Thai, Thai, Thai..." When I saw the sign for Siam Grill I whipped into the parking lot. Right behind this...
Four moon roofs! FOUR! And you can't really see the black on black flames on the fenders. Isn't it nifty? I thought so.
Anyway. Siam Grill.
Tiny little hole in the wall restaurant that smelled absolutely wonderful. So I went with it. My general thai restaurant order is the green curry with chicken, leaving out the bell peppers. Because I despise the texture of cooked bell pepper, slimy nastiness. And they were okay with it. My to go order was ready in under 10 minutes. So home I went.
And the verdict? Tasty. Not burn your face off spicy, actual flavor. Just the way I like it. And they deliver to my house with a $20 minimum order + a $3 delivery fee. There's hope for me yet.
There has been a taunt of green curry chicken for nearly a week now. Costco had a premade package and I bought it for Apocalypse.Mom, Vicious, and myself to enjoy a spicy thai dinner. Due to allergies we've been trying to wait for an evening when Redneck Widow isn't here... But she NEVER leaves!
As a result I found myself driving down Halsey chanting "Thai, Thai, Thai, Thai..." When I saw the sign for Siam Grill I whipped into the parking lot. Right behind this...
Anyway. Siam Grill.
Tiny little hole in the wall restaurant that smelled absolutely wonderful. So I went with it. My general thai restaurant order is the green curry with chicken, leaving out the bell peppers. Because I despise the texture of cooked bell pepper, slimy nastiness. And they were okay with it. My to go order was ready in under 10 minutes. So home I went.
And the verdict? Tasty. Not burn your face off spicy, actual flavor. Just the way I like it. And they deliver to my house with a $20 minimum order + a $3 delivery fee. There's hope for me yet.
Apocalypse.Mom on Location
Hello one and all.
Once again I have been traveling. Traveling is rough for someone like myself who is culinarily challenged because of medical conditions. So my 18 year old daughter and I drove from Portland, Oregon to Ferdinand, Idaho for my sisters wedding. My daughter will hereafter be known as the Vicious Muffin.
We left Friday morning and I don't think we stopped for a "real" meal until we got to Lapwai, Idaho. This town is nestled in the Nez Perce Reservation. We stopped about 6 in the evening to this cute little diner called Donald's. Vicious ordered chicken strips and fries and I ordered a chicken sandwich no mayo and a green salad. I forgot to ask if it was breaded, it was. There was a cook and a waitress for the whole place which probably seated 50? There was maybe 10 people in there. If the waitress was not taking a phone order she was trying to take and get orders out. She forgot our drinks because she was so busy. She needed more help. Once we did get our food I ate the salad. It was the usual iceberg fare. I took one bite of the sandwich and realized I could not eat it as was. The batter was like a tempura that was a bit overdone. Not burned, just to much batter for the chicken. I paid for the food and left a small tip. Vicious and I have decided to no longer eat at restaurants with men's names.
One thing I will say for Donald's is they are good to their regulars. There was a gentleman who came in the same time as us. Definitely a regular. An elderly Native American man. She treated him like family. She knew his order, helped him to a seat with his walker and made sure he could eat his food. This exchange saved my image of Donald's. I don't think its a bad place, it just needs a bigger staff.
Saturday morning we found a great little place. Very supportive of its local sports teams. I will tell you all about that next time.
Once again I have been traveling. Traveling is rough for someone like myself who is culinarily challenged because of medical conditions. So my 18 year old daughter and I drove from Portland, Oregon to Ferdinand, Idaho for my sisters wedding. My daughter will hereafter be known as the Vicious Muffin.
We left Friday morning and I don't think we stopped for a "real" meal until we got to Lapwai, Idaho. This town is nestled in the Nez Perce Reservation. We stopped about 6 in the evening to this cute little diner called Donald's. Vicious ordered chicken strips and fries and I ordered a chicken sandwich no mayo and a green salad. I forgot to ask if it was breaded, it was. There was a cook and a waitress for the whole place which probably seated 50? There was maybe 10 people in there. If the waitress was not taking a phone order she was trying to take and get orders out. She forgot our drinks because she was so busy. She needed more help. Once we did get our food I ate the salad. It was the usual iceberg fare. I took one bite of the sandwich and realized I could not eat it as was. The batter was like a tempura that was a bit overdone. Not burned, just to much batter for the chicken. I paid for the food and left a small tip. Vicious and I have decided to no longer eat at restaurants with men's names.
One thing I will say for Donald's is they are good to their regulars. There was a gentleman who came in the same time as us. Definitely a regular. An elderly Native American man. She treated him like family. She knew his order, helped him to a seat with his walker and made sure he could eat his food. This exchange saved my image of Donald's. I don't think its a bad place, it just needs a bigger staff.
Saturday morning we found a great little place. Very supportive of its local sports teams. I will tell you all about that next time.
Got Pho
So, last night I finally agreed to go to this little
Vietnamese restaurant that Sleep Ginger has been talking about for the last
year. She had promised friends of ours a
night of Pho. (I have no idea what that means, still) So, we went out to this
little hole in the wall in SE called Got Pho where we met up with said friends.
I brought my youngest kidlet along so that my household could do whatever they
had planned without us. It was a cute
place, with some obvious regulars.
Now, I have some pretty rare food allergies, nothing like
Apocalypse Mom but enough that it has been known to cause me some issues. For instance, peppers, onions, or anything else
with capcasin in it causes the typical running nose, watery eyes, sneezing fits
etc. So, walking into Got Pho was an adventure all by itself. Luckily the smell
was only enough tickle the sinuses and leave me a little blurry eyed. My adventurous young son ordered a golden
garlic stir-fry with beef, which he loved. My companions ordered what they
assured me was this infamous pho, but I’m pretty sure it was just a vegetable
soup. I ordered the one safe thing for me on the menu, Fried rice with peas,
carrots, and beef.
Now, Here I was hoping that I wouldn’t encounter any onions,
peppers or soy of any kind. Although I was expecting the fried rice to have soy
sauce, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this rice didn’t have any at
all. So, while everyone else enjoyed their meals immensely, and the company of
our dining experience was great, my meal was bland and generic. But that is the
problem I run into with Asian foods and my allergies. So, I have a problem
developing an actual opinion about this particular restaurant as I was unable
to enjoy the actual specialty food.
All that being said, the portions were great, their menu had
a great variety and the price was pretty good for the size of the meal we were
given. The staff was courteous and attentive.
All in all it was a good place, but I am not sure I will be joining Sleepy
Ginger on her next trip there.
Sidelines
Sadly, much to Sleepy Gingers disappointment, Sidelines is my favorite type of restaurant. Half sport’s bar, half “family dining”, Sidelines has TV’s all over the room playing a myriad of sports. Their menu sports nearly a full page of appetizers, as well as pizza and sandwiches. They even had some higher priced, “fancier” items on the menu. For instance there was a nicely described T-bone steak as well as a Sea Food platter with lots of aquatic fare that I would never eat.
In my true redneck fashion, I firmly believe that the first meal you sample at a new restaurant is the chicken fried steak. So, of course, that is what I ordered. It was well priced for the size of meal I received. The potatoes were real and were mashed with the skins on (A personal favorite). The breading on my chicken fried steak was great. The steak itself was a little tough and dry, but that is why they make gravy. The gravy was out of a packet, and tasted too much like flour. The vegetables were ok, but not great. All in all I really like the place. I want to go back and try the fish and chips.
I thought the atmosphere was great, the décor was amusing for me at least, and I really enjoyed the food. I found the prices reasonable for the amount of food we got, but not great. But the next time I go, I want to avoid bringing the children with me and check out the bar selection as well.
Lunch can be a Poetic Thing
Even if its from *gasp* a chain establishment. Today's lunch hour included a hike SE to the Koin 6 building for an exchange of awesome crafted thing for dirty green paper (what is that all about anyway?) The building happened to hold a Quiznos with signs advertising their Lobster and Seafood Salad sandwiches. Or salads, but lets get real here... Lobster salad vs Lobster ROLL. Who wins?
And it was a thing of beauty and poetry. Especially dipped in their creamy "punch to the sinuses" horseradish sauce. That quick bite cut through the sweet briny flavor of the LARGE lobster chunks just beautifully. It was so good I can't regret anything about it.
So not all chains are bad. Some are, this is by no means a resounding reccomendation for everything from a chain, but this experience was beautiful.
And it was a thing of beauty and poetry. Especially dipped in their creamy "punch to the sinuses" horseradish sauce. That quick bite cut through the sweet briny flavor of the LARGE lobster chunks just beautifully. It was so good I can't regret anything about it.
So not all chains are bad. Some are, this is by no means a resounding reccomendation for everything from a chain, but this experience was beautiful.
Inspiration for a Reset
I was wondering to myself last night why I wanted to start all of this up again, why now? Then I thought back over the last few weeks and counted the number of times I've eaten out or tried something new for take out... If I go back two months I've eaten at 4 new (to me) restaurants and gone out another 6 times beyond that. That's like... 10 blog posts!
Why didn't I take pictures? Take notes? Jot something down? Who knows. But I am from now on. Also thinking we should revisit at least a few of those places.
I mean I'll obviously go back to the Bagdad again. I love that place. Good food and nice movie prices, $2 tuesdays? Come on! Last week I saw Hunger Games and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer for $4, along with a very tasty turkey sandwich, tots, and amazingly good ranch dip ($9.50). You know I'll be back.
Redneck Widow, Apocalypse Mom, and myself have been into Bollywood movies for... Gosh it seems like forever but its probably more like under a year, and as such we've been into the Indian (Hindustani) culture/ cuisine. So we visited Namaste for their dinner buffet with BellaBabe, The Man, and all the kidlets (I'm sure they'll get names later). And it was so good! There was a variety of food, everyone enjoyed themselves, and the kidlets were suprisingly (to me) adventurous and willing to try new things. I was so proud. We have to go back.
There was the bar we went to just the other day... Can't remember the name, not a good experience for me... Why oh why did I order "Pork Medallions in a Rosemary Wine Sauce" at a bar? What was I thinking?? Blech... It was over cooked, over salted nastiness. Doubt I shall return.
And of course the never ending search for "good" chinese. My favorite chinese isn't authentic or high class... I want egg foo young patty in brown gravy with fried rice, so tasty. And difficult to find. Wierd right?
So I promise more adventures, and hopefully with all of these contributors we can churn out at least one post a week. Its a good theory right?
Why didn't I take pictures? Take notes? Jot something down? Who knows. But I am from now on. Also thinking we should revisit at least a few of those places.
I mean I'll obviously go back to the Bagdad again. I love that place. Good food and nice movie prices, $2 tuesdays? Come on! Last week I saw Hunger Games and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer for $4, along with a very tasty turkey sandwich, tots, and amazingly good ranch dip ($9.50). You know I'll be back.
Redneck Widow, Apocalypse Mom, and myself have been into Bollywood movies for... Gosh it seems like forever but its probably more like under a year, and as such we've been into the Indian (Hindustani) culture/ cuisine. So we visited Namaste for their dinner buffet with BellaBabe, The Man, and all the kidlets (I'm sure they'll get names later). And it was so good! There was a variety of food, everyone enjoyed themselves, and the kidlets were suprisingly (to me) adventurous and willing to try new things. I was so proud. We have to go back.
There was the bar we went to just the other day... Can't remember the name, not a good experience for me... Why oh why did I order "Pork Medallions in a Rosemary Wine Sauce" at a bar? What was I thinking?? Blech... It was over cooked, over salted nastiness. Doubt I shall return.
And of course the never ending search for "good" chinese. My favorite chinese isn't authentic or high class... I want egg foo young patty in brown gravy with fried rice, so tasty. And difficult to find. Wierd right?
So I promise more adventures, and hopefully with all of these contributors we can churn out at least one post a week. Its a good theory right?
Why am I here?
Well, let me answer that question. Mainly the 2 other posters on here thought it would be a good idea. I don't really consider myself a foodie. I am culinarily adventurous though. Also, I can't follow a recipe. Recipes equal disaster in my kitchen. None of my dishes are ever the same way twice.
How did I get this crazy name....Apocalypse Mom? I do the shopping for my household which currently includes 8 people. It does fluctuate. I am also responsible for the cooking. Well when I shop if there is a great deal on a certain item and there are only 10 left? What to do? What to do? Buy all 10 of course. Suddenly, everyone in my circle is making light of my shopping ways. " Hey, are you getting ready for the apocalypse or something?" Eventually I just started saying yes I am.
I must say my additions to this blog may seem somewhat limited at times. You will likely get a review for every chicken sandwich in the city of Portland. I have some medical conditions which keep me from eating certain foods. For example no beef or pork. I have been told this makes me a vegetarian. Not vegan as I still eat chicken and fish. What do you think?
I look forward to this adventure we are on together. I hope you have a good time as well.
How did I get this crazy name....Apocalypse Mom? I do the shopping for my household which currently includes 8 people. It does fluctuate. I am also responsible for the cooking. Well when I shop if there is a great deal on a certain item and there are only 10 left? What to do? What to do? Buy all 10 of course. Suddenly, everyone in my circle is making light of my shopping ways. " Hey, are you getting ready for the apocalypse or something?" Eventually I just started saying yes I am.
I must say my additions to this blog may seem somewhat limited at times. You will likely get a review for every chicken sandwich in the city of Portland. I have some medical conditions which keep me from eating certain foods. For example no beef or pork. I have been told this makes me a vegetarian. Not vegan as I still eat chicken and fish. What do you think?
I look forward to this adventure we are on together. I hope you have a good time as well.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Hello World...
Hi there readers, I am relatively new to the world of blogging for a purpose. So please bear with me if some of my posts seem to wander around a bit before finding their topic
So I have agreed to sample various restaurants, food carts (Bleh!), "dining establishments" and give my opinion of the meal (If we can always call it that) here on this blog. While SleepyGinger is a good friend of mine, I have often accused her of being too much of a foody. Needless to say, our opinions on these things differ greatly. So this blog should be amusing at times and interesting at others and at the very least educational. I do hope that we at least give a nice show casing of what is available in and around the Pacific Northwest.
Now, a very small bit about myself. I am a full-time student at PSU (GO VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!), a mother of 3 (4+) children, currently going through a divorce, a published author working on my second and third novels, a registered minister, and according to my children I am an evil mastermind. :-)
We welcome info on new places to eat, recipes to try, or general wackiness to critique. We look forward to hearing from you and hope you feel the same.
So I have agreed to sample various restaurants, food carts (Bleh!), "dining establishments" and give my opinion of the meal (If we can always call it that) here on this blog. While SleepyGinger is a good friend of mine, I have often accused her of being too much of a foody. Needless to say, our opinions on these things differ greatly. So this blog should be amusing at times and interesting at others and at the very least educational. I do hope that we at least give a nice show casing of what is available in and around the Pacific Northwest.
Now, a very small bit about myself. I am a full-time student at PSU (GO VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!), a mother of 3 (4+) children, currently going through a divorce, a published author working on my second and third novels, a registered minister, and according to my children I am an evil mastermind. :-)
We welcome info on new places to eat, recipes to try, or general wackiness to critique. We look forward to hearing from you and hope you feel the same.
Ch- Ch- Changes! (Or How I Roped Someone Else Into This. Muahahahahahaha!)
Okie dokie people! The blog address has changed, the staff has changed (a little), my alias has changed, and the bent has changed... Just breathe and remember "What does not change, stagnates and dies." and we'll get through it.
Its been almost exactly a year since my last entry over on Culinary Quest of LittleRed and BellaBabe and soo much has happened. After returning from (WorldCon Baby!) vacation BellaBabe and I opted to part as roommates and things went quickly from there. Since that time I've moved twice, changed my job twice (though now back at my Downtown Destination so... Yeah...), been layed up with a back injury and am finding my footing again. Currently in a wierd recovery state after falling on hard times and being caught by family and friends.
Family and friends who let me babble on ad nauseum about food, cooking, and restaurants. Family and friends who will go with me and give their opinions... Do we see where this is going? I thought as much. But BellaBabe's location and schedule keep her pretty busy so while she may come back every now and then when I drag her kicking and screaming into having fun, she likely won't be around as much as she used to.
I've invited a long time friend (10 years holy cats!) into joining me in this babbling to the interwebs I enjoy so much. She's a published author, currently working on a second novel, pursuing her Master's degree, raising a gaggle of kids (4+) with her parenting partners, wrangling her parents in their golden years, and trying to have a kickin' good time. The two of us often have vastly differing opinions and enjoy debating and talking out the why and the how of our opinions. She is (for the purpose of these written words) the Redneck Widow.
I'm hoping to bring in other members of our diverse friendverse to chime in with their opinions from time to time.
I've changed my handle from Little Red to Sleepy Ginger as I felt it better suited me. My goal is a post a week. And no, this doesn't count as this week's post. So join me as I start again... Again. And let me know what you want to see.
Its been almost exactly a year since my last entry over on Culinary Quest of LittleRed and BellaBabe and soo much has happened. After returning from (WorldCon Baby!) vacation BellaBabe and I opted to part as roommates and things went quickly from there. Since that time I've moved twice, changed my job twice (though now back at my Downtown Destination so... Yeah...), been layed up with a back injury and am finding my footing again. Currently in a wierd recovery state after falling on hard times and being caught by family and friends.
Family and friends who let me babble on ad nauseum about food, cooking, and restaurants. Family and friends who will go with me and give their opinions... Do we see where this is going? I thought as much. But BellaBabe's location and schedule keep her pretty busy so while she may come back every now and then when I drag her kicking and screaming into having fun, she likely won't be around as much as she used to.
I've invited a long time friend (10 years holy cats!) into joining me in this babbling to the interwebs I enjoy so much. She's a published author, currently working on a second novel, pursuing her Master's degree, raising a gaggle of kids (4+) with her parenting partners, wrangling her parents in their golden years, and trying to have a kickin' good time. The two of us often have vastly differing opinions and enjoy debating and talking out the why and the how of our opinions. She is (for the purpose of these written words) the Redneck Widow.
I'm hoping to bring in other members of our diverse friendverse to chime in with their opinions from time to time.
I've changed my handle from Little Red to Sleepy Ginger as I felt it better suited me. My goal is a post a week. And no, this doesn't count as this week's post. So join me as I start again... Again. And let me know what you want to see.
Laurelwood Public House & Brewery (Culinary Quest 3.8.11)
I woke up yesterday (Sunday) morning** and remembered that BellaBabe had plans. Flipping through my netflix and hulu queue I searched for my standby favorite food shows. After an episode and a half of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" I had enough. I wanted food, and nothing in my kitchen was appealing.
So I got dressed and took off down Sandy Blvd in search of breakfast. The first "Open" sign I saw was at the Laurelwood Public House and Brewery. BellaBabe has been telling me that the Laurelwood has one of the best burgers in town, but the only time we've attempted it we stood at the host's stand for 15 minutes without even a "Be right with you" from passing waitstaff.
But I was hungry, and they were open. So I decided to give their brunch menu a try.
With my stomach growling I pulled into the parking lot and headed inside. I was promptly greeted and allowed to pick a seat. I ordered coffee and it was delivered so quickly I didn't even have a chance to look at the whole menu. When I did find the beverages section I was a little vexed at being charged $2.00 for a 6 oz cup of coffee but not all coffee cups can be the 20 oz miniature flowerpots I have at home. The coffee didn't last long and I set the empty mug on the edge of the table to indicate a need for refills.
And there it sat. For 25 freaking minutes while my waiter passed the table 4 times. When I finally flagged him down and was able to place my order and ask for a refill.
I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and asked for a breakfast reccomendation as I was torn between the Eggs Benedict (my eternal favorite when its right) with smoked salmon and the Breakfast Burrito (I've been on a spicy kick lately) with chips and salsa. I was told that the breakfast burrito was "The best!" and ordered it with House sausage added (for an extra $1.50).
30 minutes later this plate was placed before me. Heaped with stale tortilla chips and sans the promised salsa. One good thing, the guacamole was fabulous! Bright, vibrant, cooling, slightly chunky without being a difficult dip.
But. Big, big but. That House Sausage that I paid extra for? Flavorless and rubbery. While there did seem to be a decent amount of it, it was completely forgettable. There was twice as much tortilla as there was filling and the filling itself was overpowered by the black beans. I missed the flavors of the egg, potato, and sausage that should have been sharing the stage.
All in all I was not impressed. But I'll try it again, maybe it was an off day?
Laurelwood Public House & Brewery
5115 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, OR 97213
tel: 503-282-0622
**I apologize for the late post, but mobile blogger wasn't working and after typing this entire thing out on my cellphone, by George I'm going to post it!
So I got dressed and took off down Sandy Blvd in search of breakfast. The first "Open" sign I saw was at the Laurelwood Public House and Brewery. BellaBabe has been telling me that the Laurelwood has one of the best burgers in town, but the only time we've attempted it we stood at the host's stand for 15 minutes without even a "Be right with you" from passing waitstaff.
But I was hungry, and they were open. So I decided to give their brunch menu a try.
With my stomach growling I pulled into the parking lot and headed inside. I was promptly greeted and allowed to pick a seat. I ordered coffee and it was delivered so quickly I didn't even have a chance to look at the whole menu. When I did find the beverages section I was a little vexed at being charged $2.00 for a 6 oz cup of coffee but not all coffee cups can be the 20 oz miniature flowerpots I have at home. The coffee didn't last long and I set the empty mug on the edge of the table to indicate a need for refills.
And there it sat. For 25 freaking minutes while my waiter passed the table 4 times. When I finally flagged him down and was able to place my order and ask for a refill.
I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and asked for a breakfast reccomendation as I was torn between the Eggs Benedict (my eternal favorite when its right) with smoked salmon and the Breakfast Burrito (I've been on a spicy kick lately) with chips and salsa. I was told that the breakfast burrito was "The best!" and ordered it with House sausage added (for an extra $1.50).
30 minutes later this plate was placed before me. Heaped with stale tortilla chips and sans the promised salsa. One good thing, the guacamole was fabulous! Bright, vibrant, cooling, slightly chunky without being a difficult dip.
But. Big, big but. That House Sausage that I paid extra for? Flavorless and rubbery. While there did seem to be a decent amount of it, it was completely forgettable. There was twice as much tortilla as there was filling and the filling itself was overpowered by the black beans. I missed the flavors of the egg, potato, and sausage that should have been sharing the stage.
All in all I was not impressed. But I'll try it again, maybe it was an off day?
Laurelwood Public House & Brewery
5115 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, OR 97213
tel: 503-282-0622
**I apologize for the late post, but mobile blogger wasn't working and after typing this entire thing out on my cellphone, by George I'm going to post it!
Lead us not into temptation... (For it tastes NASTY!) (Culinary Quest 8.2.11)
I know, I know, I know! I'm a bad bad blog girl. Sue me. No really don't. I don't have anything.
In light of many things, including a rather epic trip (WORLDCON BABY!) in *gulp* 15 days, I've been living on the tight side, eating in, at friends' places, or on the very very cheap. My mind is too full of gotta buy, gotta find, gotta packs to really focus on blogging.
As you may recall from my last post I've become aware that I'm ignoring the restaurants in my neighborhood. This can not stand.
But how to explore the local culinary scene while still saving every available penny for WorldCon? The answer is Restaurant.com. Rather, it appeared to be the answer. With seemingly monthly 80% off sales on restaurant gift certificates it seemed to be a good way to explore the area on the cheap. So back February I dropped about $20 of real money and ended up with $250 in Restaurant.com money. The way it works (usually) is you pay a certain amount and end up with a certificate for $25 off your bill of $35 or more, including an 18% tip. Sounds pretty sweet right?
To date I've used 3. Two at Brother's Crawfish (great food, bad picture lighting. We'll go back and blog about it I promise.) and one on last Friday (July 29th) at Aladdin's Cafe.
Let me paint you a picture... Happy Friday! Its hot, beastly hot. Nothing sounds better than hiding in some air conditioning for an hour or two. BellaBabe and I decide to "splurge" and see Green Lantern at McMenamin's Bagdad theater for $3 a ticket. Whoot for cheap! We arrived at the theater about 20 minutes before the show was supposed to start, thinking to get a pizza and some tots to share during the show. Complete mission failure! They had one person behind the counter taking and assembling orders. The line was epic, the previews were starting... Dilemma! We decided to eat after the show and dashed into the theater to grab seats.
The movie was great! Ryan Reynolds is a sarcastic bastard and I love it, what can I say? BellaBabe and I kept up our running commentary (yes, we're those people who talk in theaters. The tickets cost $3, suck it.) and at the end we were satisfied with our entertainment and giggling in sisterly glee.
After the show, we're hungry, we're wandering Hawthorne, we're spit balling ideas... Suddenly I remember my restaurant.com certificate stash. There are three choices relatively near our house, lets explore somewhere new...
After a little debate (and the fact that I can't find one of the certificates) we decide to try out Aladdin's Cafe. I call ahead to make sure they still take the certificate (ALWAYS CALL AHEAD TO CHECK!) and they do. So off we go.
My excitement over trying new food is slightly dimmed by the dingy strip mall location, but there are many loyal diners (identified by the suspicious glares tossed at the "newbies") so we press on.
Let me point out, this isn't a cultural difference/ foreign flavors distaste. We adore Nicholas on Broadway. I know that if I order the Stephen's Chicken I'm getting at least two if not three meals out of it. And the Gyro? Forget about it. Three meals easy. Not to mention their AMAZING pita bread and humus.
We ordered the humus appetizer. I decided on the combination kabob (kafta and lamb) and BellaBabe bit the bullet and went for the Special of the day, Mansaf — Cooked yogurt with lamb.
I don't want to get into details because... Well I don't want to make myself sick. It's enough to say that (with their lovely open kitchen) I got to watch the cook overcook my lamb twice, the kafta kabob was practically charcoal, the "basmati" rice that came with both dinners was overcooked, I suspect came out of a box, and BellaBabe's portion held the shape of the pan they stored it in... Seriously. As for "The Special"? I'll throw in a pic.
That is curdled yogurt ladies and gentleman. The mouth feel was grainy and disgusting...
We declined dessert and ran home to kill any potential food poisoning with alcohol. (I know it doesn't really work that way, but after that nastiness... Liquor was required.)
Now I'm crossing my fingers for our text attempt... Until then, happy eating!
In light of many things, including a rather epic trip (WORLDCON BABY!) in *gulp* 15 days, I've been living on the tight side, eating in, at friends' places, or on the very very cheap. My mind is too full of gotta buy, gotta find, gotta packs to really focus on blogging.
As you may recall from my last post I've become aware that I'm ignoring the restaurants in my neighborhood. This can not stand.
But how to explore the local culinary scene while still saving every available penny for WorldCon? The answer is Restaurant.com. Rather, it appeared to be the answer. With seemingly monthly 80% off sales on restaurant gift certificates it seemed to be a good way to explore the area on the cheap. So back February I dropped about $20 of real money and ended up with $250 in Restaurant.com money. The way it works (usually) is you pay a certain amount and end up with a certificate for $25 off your bill of $35 or more, including an 18% tip. Sounds pretty sweet right?
To date I've used 3. Two at Brother's Crawfish (great food, bad picture lighting. We'll go back and blog about it I promise.) and one on last Friday (July 29th) at Aladdin's Cafe.
Let me paint you a picture... Happy Friday! Its hot, beastly hot. Nothing sounds better than hiding in some air conditioning for an hour or two. BellaBabe and I decide to "splurge" and see Green Lantern at McMenamin's Bagdad theater for $3 a ticket. Whoot for cheap! We arrived at the theater about 20 minutes before the show was supposed to start, thinking to get a pizza and some tots to share during the show. Complete mission failure! They had one person behind the counter taking and assembling orders. The line was epic, the previews were starting... Dilemma! We decided to eat after the show and dashed into the theater to grab seats.
The movie was great! Ryan Reynolds is a sarcastic bastard and I love it, what can I say? BellaBabe and I kept up our running commentary (yes, we're those people who talk in theaters. The tickets cost $3, suck it.) and at the end we were satisfied with our entertainment and giggling in sisterly glee.
After the show, we're hungry, we're wandering Hawthorne, we're spit balling ideas... Suddenly I remember my restaurant.com certificate stash. There are three choices relatively near our house, lets explore somewhere new...
After a little debate (and the fact that I can't find one of the certificates) we decide to try out Aladdin's Cafe. I call ahead to make sure they still take the certificate (ALWAYS CALL AHEAD TO CHECK!) and they do. So off we go.
My excitement over trying new food is slightly dimmed by the dingy strip mall location, but there are many loyal diners (identified by the suspicious glares tossed at the "newbies") so we press on.
Let me point out, this isn't a cultural difference/ foreign flavors distaste. We adore Nicholas on Broadway. I know that if I order the Stephen's Chicken I'm getting at least two if not three meals out of it. And the Gyro? Forget about it. Three meals easy. Not to mention their AMAZING pita bread and humus.
We ordered the humus appetizer. I decided on the combination kabob (kafta and lamb) and BellaBabe bit the bullet and went for the Special of the day, Mansaf — Cooked yogurt with lamb.
I don't want to get into details because... Well I don't want to make myself sick. It's enough to say that (with their lovely open kitchen) I got to watch the cook overcook my lamb twice, the kafta kabob was practically charcoal, the "basmati" rice that came with both dinners was overcooked, I suspect came out of a box, and BellaBabe's portion held the shape of the pan they stored it in... Seriously. As for "The Special"? I'll throw in a pic.
We declined dessert and ran home to kill any potential food poisoning with alcohol. (I know it doesn't really work that way, but after that nastiness... Liquor was required.)
Now I'm crossing my fingers for our text attempt... Until then, happy eating!
Food Cart Friday ( Culinary Quest 8.8.11)
So last post I talked about giving a different restaurant.com place a try, but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men... Yeah. It went awry.
Alot of personal stress hit last week ( if you should know, you probably already do. <--- how cryptic is that???) and BellaBabe and I spent Friday afternoon/ evening running around the Clackamas end of 82nd like chickens with our heads cut off on a mad dash to acquire everything for our impending trip. (WORLD CON BABY!) As we were winding down and starting to think of which drive thru fast food place we would hit on the way home the Babe signal went off!
It was a message from our old pal Kane-ger-Man. He was suffering from the dreaded, and all too common, "Good Times Deficiency". So after much debate, and sizing up the available space in the RedMobile it was decided that we would meet up at the Jolly Roger for drinks before strolling down to the 12th and Hawthorne food cart pod. So off we went.
At the Jolly Roger I ordered a Bloody Maria (my new favorite drink, and they make them STRONG at the Jolly Roger!) while BellaBabe ordered (...insert the name of the pineapple, coconut, raspberry, rum, and far too much lime concoction she had here--->*), it was okay although too much lime and not enough raspberry. Kane-ger-Man joined us and ordered (... Wow that's a fail twice in a row on remembering drink names), he did not care for it. It tasted like a... Pina Colada gone bad was the best description. He sent that back and ordered a shot of rum instead. He was much more pleased by the straight rum without all the "foofyness". Then the band kicked on and loud reggae band + TINY bar = Headache for LittleRed and an unhappy Kane-ger-Man, so we departed.
After being temporary distraction by a small classic car gathering in a nearby parking lot, we wandered to the 12th and Hawthorne food cart pod and let the sights and smells assault us. Now I must be honest, this is far from the first time we've come here. In fact it's one of our favorite late night destinations. I love the carnival atmosphere brought about my the strings of light under the tent, and the food is nothing to sneeze at either. All together we ordered six items from four different carts.
At Pyro Pizza, BellaBabe and I ordered the Traditional Margarita pizza while Kane-ger-man ordered the Pepperoni.
We gave our names and wandered away while pizzas were assembled and cooked to crispy, chewy, perfection in their wood fired oven. Strolling diagonally across the lot we arrived at Whiffie's Fried Pies and ordered the BBQ Brisket and Mozzarella fried pie.
After ordering the pizzas and the pies came the debate. Crepes? No, nothing we can agree on. Potato Champion? Not tonight, can't read the sauce board and not really a fan of their poutine. What about the BBQ place? Never been. Let's go! So over we wandered to Bubba Bernie's in search of something non-piggy (BellaBabe has allergies) and not too substantial. BellaBabe spotted Sweet Potato Tots and seemed intrigued, and while I'm not usually a sweet potato fan I decided to suck it up and try something new.
They were awesome! We tried them with three sauces, the Texas Smoke, the Honey Bourbon, and the Bubba Sauce. Texas smoke was our favorite followed by the Honey Bourbon. The Bubba Sauce was odd, it seemed like the flavor changed each time we tried it. BellaBabe theorizes it is made up of a mixture of all of their other sauces. I concur with this possibility.
I almost want to end it there. I really really do. Leave it on a high note. But I can't. After everywhere else we opted to try El Brasero. We ordered a beef taco and beef nachos. The taco was bland and extremely dry even with the lime quarter squeezed over it. And the nachos (which I am not a big fan of anyway) were packed full of jalapenos. And neither BellaBabe or I are fans of that "So-hot-I-can't-taste-anything-but-FIRE" style of heat. So... Not so much. But Kane-ger-Man seemed happy to munch away. Besides BellaBabe and I had more than enough food with the pizza, pie, and tots.
Mix all of the above together with a slight buzz, nice atmosphere, and lively conversation and you get one great evening! Thank the Gods It was Friday!
Alot of personal stress hit last week ( if you should know, you probably already do. <--- how cryptic is that???) and BellaBabe and I spent Friday afternoon/ evening running around the Clackamas end of 82nd like chickens with our heads cut off on a mad dash to acquire everything for our impending trip. (WORLD CON BABY!) As we were winding down and starting to think of which drive thru fast food place we would hit on the way home the Babe signal went off!
It was a message from our old pal Kane-ger-Man. He was suffering from the dreaded, and all too common, "Good Times Deficiency". So after much debate, and sizing up the available space in the RedMobile it was decided that we would meet up at the Jolly Roger for drinks before strolling down to the 12th and Hawthorne food cart pod. So off we went.
At the Jolly Roger I ordered a Bloody Maria (my new favorite drink, and they make them STRONG at the Jolly Roger!) while BellaBabe ordered (...insert the name of the pineapple, coconut, raspberry, rum, and far too much lime concoction she had here--->*), it was okay although too much lime and not enough raspberry. Kane-ger-Man joined us and ordered (... Wow that's a fail twice in a row on remembering drink names), he did not care for it. It tasted like a... Pina Colada gone bad was the best description. He sent that back and ordered a shot of rum instead. He was much more pleased by the straight rum without all the "foofyness". Then the band kicked on and loud reggae band + TINY bar = Headache for LittleRed and an unhappy Kane-ger-Man, so we departed.
After being temporary distraction by a small classic car gathering in a nearby parking lot, we wandered to the 12th and Hawthorne food cart pod and let the sights and smells assault us. Now I must be honest, this is far from the first time we've come here. In fact it's one of our favorite late night destinations. I love the carnival atmosphere brought about my the strings of light under the tent, and the food is nothing to sneeze at either. All together we ordered six items from four different carts.
 |
| LittleRed is such a dork she forgot to take a pic of everything before the eating commenced. Above is the Pepperoni Pizza ordered by Kane-ger-Man. |
At Pyro Pizza, BellaBabe and I ordered the Traditional Margarita pizza while Kane-ger-man ordered the Pepperoni.
We gave our names and wandered away while pizzas were assembled and cooked to crispy, chewy, perfection in their wood fired oven. Strolling diagonally across the lot we arrived at Whiffie's Fried Pies and ordered the BBQ Brisket and Mozzarella fried pie.
 |
| Incredibly poor cell-phone pic of friend pie awesomeness. |
After ordering the pizzas and the pies came the debate. Crepes? No, nothing we can agree on. Potato Champion? Not tonight, can't read the sauce board and not really a fan of their poutine. What about the BBQ place? Never been. Let's go! So over we wandered to Bubba Bernie's in search of something non-piggy (BellaBabe has allergies) and not too substantial. BellaBabe spotted Sweet Potato Tots and seemed intrigued, and while I'm not usually a sweet potato fan I decided to suck it up and try something new.
They were awesome! We tried them with three sauces, the Texas Smoke, the Honey Bourbon, and the Bubba Sauce. Texas smoke was our favorite followed by the Honey Bourbon. The Bubba Sauce was odd, it seemed like the flavor changed each time we tried it. BellaBabe theorizes it is made up of a mixture of all of their other sauces. I concur with this possibility.
I almost want to end it there. I really really do. Leave it on a high note. But I can't. After everywhere else we opted to try El Brasero. We ordered a beef taco and beef nachos. The taco was bland and extremely dry even with the lime quarter squeezed over it. And the nachos (which I am not a big fan of anyway) were packed full of jalapenos. And neither BellaBabe or I are fans of that "So-hot-I-can't-taste-anything-but-FIRE" style of heat. So... Not so much. But Kane-ger-Man seemed happy to munch away. Besides BellaBabe and I had more than enough food with the pizza, pie, and tots.
Mix all of the above together with a slight buzz, nice atmosphere, and lively conversation and you get one great evening! Thank the Gods It was Friday!
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There are several more pictures I wanted to add to this but for some reason Blogger won't let me. So they've been uploaded to the Flickr gadget on the right of the page. Sorry for the low quality cell phone pics, the lights were low and I don't have a camera. It's on the list, I promise.
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