Cosby's Profile
Kid friendly with food that doesn't suck in Portland?
I'm a little late to this discussion.... just discovered it.
Highly recommend that you try Beaches Restaurant in Vancouver, on the River about 1 mile east of the I-5 bridge. Food is good, LOTS of variety and the view is spectacular. Not only do they have a really cool kids menu but they have a Treasure Chest they take the kids to after lunch/dinner and let them pick their own Treasure, then make their own desert.
Recs for Portland restaurants - travelling with 6 and 4 year old girls
Just across the Columbia River in Vancouver is a restaurant called Beaches "on the water" with great views and it is a hit with kids (treasure chest, make your own desert, etc...).
100% grass fed beef (steak) restaurant pdx?
You might want to check out Pastaworks on Hawthorne. Last time I was there, they had a nice selection of grass fed beef from Carmen Ranch (northeastern Oregon). Seems to me that (in the past), I've seen Carmen Ranch Beef on the menu at Paley's Place and Meriwether's. According to their website Carmen Ranch grows their own Tritical for hay and not grain, to feed their animals in the winter.
Need ideas for a retirement party in Portland
Suggest you try Beaches Restaurant on the Columbia in Vancouver. I believe they could accommodate 50 folks. The food is good and the view is excellent.
What do we have in the Northwest that you can't get in other parts of the US?
New Seasons.
Clearwater Cranberries.
NW Cheese Project.
Country Natural Beef
Carmen Beef.
Painted Hills Beef.
Oregon Pinot Noir.
Bob's Red Mill.
Tofurky.
Columbia Gorge Organics.
Dave's Killer Bread.
Pacific Natural Foods.
Craft beers.
Nancy's.
Dungeness Crab.
Stumptown Coffee.
DragonFly Chai.
YoCream.
Dagoba.
Fife space
In case anyone's interested in what Marco Shaw is up to these days........
http://heraldsun.com/bookmark/3666252/article-Chef%20Marco%20readies%20to%20present%20his%20top%20pick
I've been wanting to try the new Soluna Grill that took Fife's place but have yet to go. Anybody been? Opinions? Worth my drive from Vancouver?
Quality Portland Restaurant Options
The silence is deafening. I'm guessing that Portland Chowhounder's have been asked this question many times before. You might want to do some search your question on this board and then be more specific with your question.
Best homemade pie?
Doubt that they have lemon marange and may not have peach but I know they have an assortment of berry pies. We live in Portland and make a trip to Hood River ever summer to buy a couple of their pies, Yummy.
http://www.applevalleystore.com/
Amateur cooking classes / schools
Here's a link to "Robert Reynolds Chef School"
http://thechefstudio.com/CookingSchool/
Depoe Bay and area - what's good?
BlackFish Cafe in Lincoln City is about 15 minutes north of Depoe Bay and has always been a favorite of mine along with Bay House.
Country Cat... overrated
All restaurants at some point or another become overrated, usually when the owner take a deserved day off, or a server stayed out too late the night before, or a kitchen prep-er mistakes salt for sugar in a recipe, yada, yada. I don't know that I'd put Country Cat at the top of my short list but I have been impressed with the food and service on my past 3 visits, although I have NOT been to brunch. The "cakeage" fee doesn't sound extravagant to me.
Affordable Awesome in PDX?
Agree with previous recommendations: Toro Bravo, Vindalho, Country Cat and Biwa. You might also consider Fife on NE Freemont. Marco Shaw (Chef/Owner) does a great job sourcing and preparing foods from growers, ranchers yada yada locally. Prices for entree's are generally in the $18-$22 range and almost always include a Vegetarian option, Poultry (currently I believe both duck AND chicken), Buffalo, etc.. with seasonally appropriate vege's and greens.
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Soluna Grill
4440 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97213
Upscale Dinner in Vancouver, WA
Sad to say, but based on what you're looking there are only 2 restaurants that come to mind: the Heathman Lodge (Hudson's) and Roots (although my personal experience at Roots has been spotty. I know the dilemma you face with your grandparents (had the same issue with my Mom when she was alive) however, you should seriously consider Salty's on the Columbia. True it IS on the other side of the river, but just barely. There address is 3839 Marine Drive/Phone: (503) 288-4444.
Good luck.
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Salty's on the Columbia
3839 NE Marine Dr, Vancouver, WA 98660
MO'S CLAM CHOWDER BIG LETDOWN (OR IS IT JUST ME?)
Mo's has been and continues to be an icon in the Pacific Northwest, increasingly living on its past reputation. There was a time when the chowder was good but it wasn't so much about the chowder as it was about "Mo" and her personality and the butter that always floated on top of the chowder and the community seating, the salty (no pun intended) waitresses and pictures of famous people hanging on the wall. You know that the focus and the passion are gone when you all of a sudden see a burger on the menu, happen to be sitting next to the owner and watch her order a burger...
build your own burger restaurant
I think the place you're thinking about was called Herfy's?.... It started in Seattle and was very popular in 80's and early 90's. Leon Gardner (sp?) was the owner and built Herfy's into a chain of about 7 restaurants and then was bought out by Campbell's soup, which proceeded to screw it up to the point where there are no more Herfy's. They were FAMOUS for their self service condiment bar which had any kind of topping you could imagine for your burger. Hope that helps.
Bay House or Blackfish Cafe (Lincoln City OR - area)
Agree with pretty much everything "pallee" said. I ate at Bay House 1 1/2 weeks ago and although the food was exceptional on all counts, and very expensive ($78. not including the tip) the service didn't come close to matching it.
Burgerville closest to I-5?
Closest BV off I-5 is in Woodland. Take the Woodland exit (about 20 miles north of Vancouver), cross back under the freeway, drive 2 blocks and its on your right. Access back on the freeway is equally easy...
Cosby
Fresh vegetables for delivery in Vancouver, WA
You and/or your friend might consider visiting the Vancouver Farmers Market at Ester Short Park.
[Sea] I want to pick fruit!
You might consider spending some time at your local Farmer's Market tasting the fruits and berries your interested in picking and you find what your taste buds are looking for talk to the grower about whether you can come out and pick your own. There is also a book you might consider getting called: "How to Pick a Peach" the search for flavor from farm to table, by Russ Parsons. It has a section on cherries (pg 181-189) including a few recipes and Strawberries (pg 101-112) also including a few recipes.
Turkey burgers?
Start with really good product (New Seasons; ground Diestal Farms Turkey is my personal preference). Mix 75% dark and 25% white meat with dry seasonings (I keep it simple and just add S&P). I make my patties about 1/2 inch thick and about 4-5 inches in diamater and then keep refrigerated until ready to grill. Be sure your grill surface is CLEAN and your temperature is between 400 - 450 degrees. Just before placing your Turkey patties on the grill surface, you can brush them LIGHTLY with a bit of Olive Oil, and place on grill surface, then close your lid. Most BBQ'rs at this point are like little 5 year olds on their first fishing trip. The trick is NOT to touch the Turkey patty until it's ready to turn, which will depend on the thickness and density of your patties and of course the temperature of your grill. Generally speaking it should be about 5 minutes, possibly a bit longer. Make sure your grill "flipper" is clean and ideally stainless steel AND fits the patty or is slightly larger in diamater than the patty, never smaller. Flip your Turkey patty, add a little S&P if you like at this point and close the lid again. 5 minutes + or - later you should be close. Use a probe thermomater and check the internal temperaure (you are looking for 165 degrees, and keep in mind that the internal temperature will rise a few degree's after it comes off the grill).
this has worked for me in the past and its simple. Good luck.
NOTE: Although heat is your friend, fire is NOT. Be sure to have a spray bottle of water handy if needed to dose any flames. Never cut into the patty to check color and never squeeze patty with your "flipper".
PORTLAND -- Best Outdoor Happy Hour?
Beaches, just across the I-5 bridge on the river in Vancouver.
best steak experience in portland? (recent experience?)
I just ate at Fife tonight and eat there fairly regualarly. I normally order red meat but tonight I ordered chicken. Nettie is correct, they do have some good beef options. Tonight they offered a (Natural Country Beef) New York strip and they also had Buffalo on the menu. The entree portion sizes at Fife are generally in the 5-8 ounce range for beef items.
Oregon Coast Recommendations
A previous post already recommended Black Fish Cafe in Lincoln City which I SECOND. There is another restaurant on the south end of Lincoln City that I would highly recommend as well called Bay House.
Are walla walla onion rings still @ Burgerville?
Burned Onion Rings and soggy burgers have been my experience the last couple of times at Burgerville too.
