Departure

I was feeling lazy last night, so I decided to eat dinner at the restaurant on the top floor of my hotel. 'Restaurant' is a loose term... this is more of a lounge that happens to serve (pricey) food. Departure is actually a pretty hip lounge at night, but I've only been up just to look at it. When I went for dinner last night, it was still light outside, but here is what the entrance looks like:


Entrance to Departure

It clearly has a space-y, lounge vibe.  When I approached the hostess and said I'd like a table for one, she pointed me to the bar and said they served a full menu there. While I didn't mind eating at the bar, I didn't appreciate that she didn't offer me a table. Yes, I'm dining alone, but she could have at least given me the option of sitting at the bar or at a table. One downside to the bar is that you sit with random people, and in my case, there was an older man sitting two seats away from me who stared at me throughout my meal. He tried to engage me in conversation, but I had my kindle to read, and I ignored him. I won't blame the creepy man on the restaurant, but that wouldn't have been an issue if they had seated me at a table... but I digress.  The interior of the restaurant was cool. Very angular features, and lots of light (when the sun is still up).



photo credit: StarChefs

  I also liked the maps that were on the walls.



photo credit: the Nines

 I ordered a few dishes, but was disappointed that they were out of the first two things I tried to order. The menu is asian-fusion, and I tried to order the BBQ beef short ribs, but they were out. Then I tried to order the malay meatballs, but they were out. For my third choice, I picked the seared beef and butter lettuce salad with chili and puffed black rice.


Beef and Butter Lettuce salad

The salad was actually very tasty. It had nice thin slices of seared beef, and a great dressing that packed a nice kick from the chili. I also liked the puffed black rice for the texture they leant to the salad. While it was a great salad, I was a little disappointed with its size (it was more of an appetizer size, rather than full entree). At $12 for the salad, I was hoping for a little more. I ate quickly due to the creepy dude at the bar, but did enjoy my meal. The bartender was great, as well. He was very attentive and helpful when my first two choices were not available. But despite the tasty salad and (mostly) helpful service, I won't be going back anytime soon, at least not to eat. I thought it was too expensive for what I got, and was disapointed that they were out of my choices from the menu. Although I wouldn't mind going back for a drink on a nice summer night to take advantage of the rooftop patio the restaurant has.

Departure
525 SW Morrison St, Portland OR

Salt and Straw

I've been wanting to try Salt and Straw for awhile. For some reason, I thought there was only one location that was out to the way (on NW Alberta St) so I hadn't yet decided to make the trek over there. As luck would have it, I had to stop by a toy store on my way to the airport last Thursday, and when I arrived, I spotted Salt and Straw across the street! It was fate! :)

So excited to go inside!

When I walked inside, I was immediately greeted with the smell of waffle cones... I love that smell! There was a line inside, but the staff came around the counter to each guest offering tastes while we waited. That was a great system! I tried the Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbon, and the Chocolate with Gooey Brownies. I didn't think the chocolate actually had very gooey brownies inside...but oh MAN that sea salt with caramel. It was exactly what I had been hoping for!

Look at all of the flavors!

 The ice cream had an amazing caramel ribbon. It was thick and salty and super caramel-y. It was my dream caramel :)  As if they took the caramel sauce from Nostrana and thickened it up, and swirled it into the delicious ice cream base. The ice cream itself was also very good - super creamy, not at all icy. With each lick I was truly in ice cream heaven!

Perfectly paired with a waffle cone

Another amazing part about the ice cream was the waffle cone - not only was it delicious and crunchy, but it was folded at the bottom to prevent any dripping! Such a genius feature! I will definitely be going back to "research" the other flavors, especially the honey balsamic strawberry, the almond brittle with salted chocolate ganache, and the cinnamon snickerdoodle. YUM!

Salt and Straw
838 NW 23rd St, Portland OR

Lovely's Fifty-Fifty

photo credit: Daily Feed

Tonight I visited another place on the Zagat list: Lovely's Fifty-Fifty. This was ranked #9 of the 10 best restaurants on the Zagat list. (For context, Nostrana was ranked #10). It promised fantastic pizza, and "killer" housemade ice cream. Needless to say, I was excited.

Cute interior. Lots of wooden benches and kitchy wall art

The menu appears to change daily (or at least is printed daily) and features seasonal dishes. I started with a chickpea and red pepper soup. It was the highlight of the meal. I actually really enjoyed the soup - it had lots of simmered whole chickpeas in a spicy red pepper base. It also came with a big hunk of bread, which I thought was kind of odd for a pizza place (bread then pizza?) but I happily ate the soup. It also had a lovely (see what I did there?) sour cream topping which helped cut down some of the spice. The soup was great!

Yummy chickpea soup, with a side of glare

Next, I had the bellwether ricotta and gremolata pizza. Honestly, I was not impressed. The ricotta was very bland (yes, I know ricotta isn't terribly flavorful, but this was especially bland) and the pizza was incredibly oily. The gremolata was nice, although a bit too garlicky. The only redeeming thing about this pizza was the crust: it was made from a sourdough starter, but didn't have that powerful sourdough taste (which was good, in my opinion), and it was also thick and chewy around the edges. For a place that is known for pizza, I was pretty disappointed.

Ricotta pizza

Of course I had to try the housemade ice cream. There were about 6 flavors to choose from, but I went for the salted caramel. Again...disappointed. It just wasn't anything special. I had fantastic ice cream last week at Ruby Jewel, and that place wasn't on any sort of top 10 list! I'll need to go back to do an entry on this blog :)  The salted caramel at Lovely's did not have a strong caramel flavor, or a strong salt flavor for that matter. I wanted the caramel flavor to have a punch (similar to the salted caramel sauce at Nostrana....YUM), but it was extremely muted. Zagat... I think you failed me.

At least the waffle cone was good?

Don't get me wrong - Lovely's was not a bad meal. It just didn't live up to the Zagat claim of being one of the top 10 restaurants in this city. Though the soup was excellent, the pizza and ice cream were disappointing. But in case you want to try for yourself:

Lovely's Fifty-Fifty
4039 N Mississippi Ave, Portland OR

Bounty Hunter

photo credit: Bounty Hunter

This was my second visit to Bounty Hunter, and it will probably make its way into my regular rotation. Bounty Hunter is a bar in Tigard, just outside of Portland, and essentially on my way to my hotel from work. I heard about this bar from one of my soccer teammates - his aunt and uncle own the place - so I had to give it a shot. Uncle Mike and Aunt Sharon are from Philly, so both times I've gone, I've ordered one thing: the philly cheesesteak.

Mmm philly cheesesteak

This cheesesteak is fantastic!! Mike has the rolls and meat flown in each week from Philadelphia, for authenticity. It is an awesome sandwich. On my first visit, I thought there was no way that I could finish the monster of a sandwich... but after one bite, I knew that there was no stopping me. It's that good.  Especially smothered in provolone, with mushrooms and peppers.

Inside Bounty Hunter - photo credit: Bounty Hunter

The interior of the bar is great. It has lots of seating and lots of tvs, playing every sport you'd want. Mike plays darts with friends at the bar on Monday nights, so I went last night and met several of his friends and chatted with Sharon over my cheesesteak :)  I may make this a Monday tradition and join in on the darts over the summer... but I'll have to step up my workouts because I can't quit that sandwich!

Bounty Hunter
11445 SW Pacific Hwy, Tigard OR

Nostrana

photo credit: rommelarch.com

When my boss found out that I am "into food" (and who isn't, really?) we made a deal that I would pick a few top restaurants in Portland, and each week we'd try one on the list. When I researched the top restaurants, Nostrana appeared on several lists, including the Zagat Top 10 Restaurants. We made reservations for a Wednesday night at 8pm. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very cool. Exposed ductwork and beams, a bar that looked like a library, a wood-fired oven, and lots of big windows to let in the light. The only complaint was that the windows and doors were left open for the fresh air, but the night was a little chilly by 8pm. I imagine it would be amazing on a beautiful summer evening, though!

Library Bar - photo credit: The Gilded Panther

Michael ordered a cauliflower and leek soup to start, and I had the mista salad. Michael loved the soup and said it was fantastic. My salad was a very regular salad (it's hard to get fancy with tossed vegetables), although I did like that I could make my own oil and vinegar dressing at the table. They also served us some delicious focaccia bread with a nice, mild olive oil.

One of the standout aspects of dinner was the service. We both ordered a glass of wine, and not three minutes after our glasses had been delivered, the manager returned to our table with a fresh glass for me because the bartender suspected that the bottle might have turned. I hadn't even noticed! But that was a very impressive preemptive action, rather than letting me drink a potentially poor glass of wine, or wait for me to raise a complaint. Another example of the superb service was that each time we ordered, the waitress offered very helpful suggestions, and when we decided, she was very enthusiastic about our choices. This made me feel like I had truly picked the right dish, and I looked forward to what was to come.

After the first course, we each ordered a pasta. I had the ravioli with lamb, potatoes, ramps, white whine and chevre. Michael had the spinach and egg fettuccine with smoked salmon, shallots, capers, white wine cream, and chives. I loved my ravioli - the lamb was really tasty, and the white wine sauce was nice and light. The chevre added a bit of richness, but it didn't overwhelm the dish. Michael enjoyed his fettuccine, but wished it would have been served warmer. It was a bit tepid for his taste, although the flavor was very nice.

For dessert, we both ordered budino (which we had to look up!) and they really put the meal over the top. I had a butterscotch budino with salted caramel sauce. It was served in a small glass, with the caramel layer on top. The salted caramel was really good. It was quite salty, which I happen to love, and it paired very nicely with the sweet butterscotch pudding.  Michael had the chocolate budino, which came out more like a souffle, topped with chantilly cream. He said it was rich but light, and really enjoyable.

Overall, the dinner was great! Great atmosphere, great food, fantastic dessert, and attentive service.

Nostrana
1401 SE Morrison, Portland OR

Lardo Downtown

photo credit: bigmouth

 I've actually been to Lardo twice now, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that I can't stop thinking about their french fries. I've eaten the same thing on both visits: double burger (hold the porkstrami) with cheddar and lardo sauce, with a side of fries. I'm not sure why they call it a double burger because it's only one patty, but it has really won me over.  The first time I had it, I thought it was pretty good, but the fries were stellar. The second time I had it, the burger was the star. It is so juicy and flavorful! The sauce is a perfect compliment, slightly tangy, and paired with hot melty cheddar was simply perfection. Even the bun was amazing!  And the french fries...hot and crispy, sprinkled with flaky sea salt, Parmesan, and fried rosemary and sage. The fried herbs really put those potatoes over the edge into Erin's-hall-of-fame status. I think I just convinced myself to go back next week...as if I needed any convincing :)

Lardo Downtown
1205 SW Washington St, Portland OR

Definitely a must

Seriously...amazing burger, incredible fries, and belgian white...perfect dinner :)

An Introduction

I've been traveling to Portland each week for work and am trying lots of food that this city has to offer. This blog is a chronicle of my culinary adventure :)

photo credit: http://www.portlandbridges.com/