Jenny15X's Profile
If you could choose only one meal in Rome for a honeymoon - that meets these 2 criteria, what would it be?
Thank you both! I have Roma Sparita, Grana, and L'Asino d'Oro now on my short-list to look into. Roma Sparita sounds pretty perfect but some of the recent reviews online around service and quality make me a little nervous. We're from a smaller town in the Pacific NW and I'm guessing we will be more than thrilled with any solid recommendation by you all who undoubtably have a much more refined palette than myself and my fiance. I'll be elated to end up somewhere with quality cacio e pepe and spaghetti alla carbonara (I love antipasto, primo, and dolce, but tend to have a harder time finding secondo I'm as excited about!)
If you could choose only one meal in Rome for a honeymoon - that meets these 2 criteria, what would it be?
Thanks for the recommendation, their Cacio e Pepe looks really good! If you were able to omit one of the criteria, either the outside setting, or less than traditional fare (a budget of under $100 is pretty set) - is there an A-list dining experience that you would be more excited about recommending? (after researching more I am starting to toss around L'Asino d'Oro or La Campana - for some reason these two keep calling out to me?)
If you could choose only one meal in Rome for a honeymoon - that meets these 2 criteria, what would it be?
We will be taking a 2 week honeymoon to Italy this June, with some super good-fortune from the airline miles gods (though only 3 nights will be in Rome, with only 2 full good eating days). As we are paying for a hefty part of the wedding on our own (and shopping for a house!) - we are needing to be pretty careful with our budget. Most of our meals will be well-reputed but decidedly lower cost (lunches at Pizzarium, Enoteca Corsi, Forno on Campo di' Fiori where we enjoy paninis by the fountain , ect).
I've combed the boards for a few hours, but am honestly a bit overwhelmed with wedding planning - so I'm putting my trust in the experts! If you could choose ONE meal in Rome (for traditional Italian fare) that met these 2 expectations.. where would it be?
1. Outside on a piazza at night (I have my heart set on this)
2. Under $75-$100 for 2 people
Additional helpful details... our hotel is situated across the street from the Opera House, though we are open to all locations for meals. My fiance and I have both been to Rome before (though this will be a very new experience for us both - as I traveled to Italy for 3 weeks alone, and he went with his friends for world cup and was admittedly drunk the entire time). I know the budget probably makes this a bit of a challenge, but I appreciate all of your input. Thank you in advance!
Jenny
Tips and Recipes for Stewed Squash, hopefully similar to Toro Bravo!
Thank you so much, that's such good advice! I hadn't even started looking for harissa so I'll just go ahead and order it.
Tips and Recipes for Stewed Squash, hopefully similar to Toro Bravo!
My favorite local restaurant, Toro Bravo in Portland, OR -makes a Harissa Stewed Butternut Squash with sheep’s cheese that is to die for. Unfortunately, because the restaurant is a little bit spendy, I only get to have it for a special treat - so I'm trying to recreate it at home! They rotate the squash by season, and I think I've seen it with goat cheese before as well.
But I'm having a really hard time finding a recipe. It's served in a bowl, sort of, like a bowl with a flat bottom. And it's definitely not a "soup" texture, nor is it the texture of cubed and roasted squash. I believe you could eat it with a spoon or a fork. It's served piping hot with the sheep's cheese as a garnish that melts on top the dish due to the heat at placement. I know the seasonings will vary, but if anyone has any advice or recipes that they'd care to share, I'd really appreciate it, thank you!
Tramontina Tri-Ply vs. Kirkland Signature Pots and Pans
Thank you all for your input! Per your suggestions I spent the weekend going to all the different shops and holding as many pans as I could. Costco was a bit difficult since they're hanging from a rack, but I gave it a shot.
I ended up ordering the Tramontina from Walmart's website and am having them delivered to the store for pick up. They didn't have any at my local Walmart, but after exposing myself to all of the options, I figured out that what I think I'm most hung up on is the absence of a saute pan. I found a Cooks brand one that felt comfortable in my hand at JC Penney, and it was only like $40 - so I think I may just buy that and couple it with the Tramontina. I'll post again to let you all know how they turn out, I'm really excited =) Thanks again.
Tramontina Tri-Ply vs. Kirkland Signature Pots and Pans
I’ve been reading the posts on pots and pans for days now and I’m hoping to maybe just get some input from those of you who undoubtedly have more cooking experience than myself.
I’ve started learning to cook this year and am setting out to buy a set of pans, as I’ve previously been using roommates and am moving out on my own. A lot of posts encourage to buy pieces… but having calculated the costs, and owning at this point only a Lodge cast iron skillet and a Lodge dutch oven, it seems quite a bit more expensive to be buying them one at a time – therefore I’m leaning towards a set (with a budget of $200; and accruing other pieces as needed).
I’ve narrowed it down to Costco’s Kirkland signature 13 piece stainless steel set for $179.99 (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11503441&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|90608|56625|55004&N=4047399&Mo=27&pos=1&No=4&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=55004&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC10598-Cat56625&topnav=) and Walmart’s Tramontina Tri-ply 10 piece set for $199.99 (http://reviews.walmart.com/1336/11072505/tramontina-10-piece-18-10-stainless-steel-triply-clad-cookware-set-reviews/reviews.htm).
I see a lot of reviews regarding the quality of the Tramontina set, comparing it to All Clad – but I feel quite confused because the pieces offered in the Kirkland set seem more attractive (such as the 4 quart covered sauté pan, or the casserole dish – I can see myself using those frequently). I’m slightly overwhelmed and probably just need to make a decision, and would appreciate any suggestions/advice if you have any. Thank you!
Favorite Pioneer Woman Recipes
My new years resolution has been to learn how to cook, and I would probably still be staring helplessly at random printed recipes if I had not stumbled on her site. Love her. So far my favorites have been:
Corn Chowder with Chiles
Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp
Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesidillas
Beef with Snow Peas
Penne in a Vodka Cream Sauce (I add sausage)
Up next to try: Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork, Macaroni and Cheese, Beef with peppers and rice noodles, Duck Curry (minus the duck), Apple dumplings, and whiskey glazed carrots.
Care to share your Costco grocery list?
President's Brie - at like $5.99, I buy it ALL the time
Raw Shrimp
Cooked Shrimp
Bread
Chicken Viola (I always have it on hand for nights I can't stand the thought of cooking)
Tzatziki
Pre-cooked bacon
Frozen salmon filets
Canned white meat chicken breast (for enchiladas, curry-chicken salad sandwiches, ect)
Pre-cooked chicken breast strips
Bananas
And in the summer, cherries and strawberries!
And on my birthday, the All American Fudge Cake - OMG (those little brownie bites are good, too. And the apple pie)
Best gyro in Portland?
I go to the one at 925 SW Alder, it's on a nice block with about 10 food carts that all look good. (If you work downtown, and like Italian, Built to Grill on SW 3rd and Washington is my second fav!)
Best gyro in Portland?
Thanks everyone for your input, except maybe that last one, I'm going to choose to ignore that completely.
Having now been fortunate enough to have tried a number of Gyros in Portland, I wanted to report back how impressed I was the recommendation for Aybla. I have now been a number of times to get their Super Lamb Gyro, with extra tzatziki. Lots of nice lamb, tasty garlicy tzatziki sauce - really reminds me of the wonderful food I ate on my trip to Greece last year. Thanks again for wonderful recommendation.
Cuban Restaurant Recommendation for birthday celebration; group of 10
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies! We ended up following your recommendations and taking a cab to Versailles. It had a great atmosphere, which made it a perfect spot for a large group and a birthday dinner. They even sang to my boyfriend, and presented him with an amazing little dessert, which was probably my favorite thing that we ate. We also really enjoyed the mojitos. Thanks again!
Panini grill - best bread to use and need recipes
I recently got a panini grill for Christmas and have been experimenting a lot with recipes. Thus far, I have been most impressed with a 'rustic' bread that I purchased at Costco. It's stiff and substansial, with lots of nice holes for the sauces and juices to creep into.
As for recipes.. This is a modification of a great waffle I recently ate at a restaurant in Portland: A rustic type bread, peach or apricot jam (I just use Smuckers Apricot Preserves), bacon, brie, and fresh basil. Not healthy by any means, but oh man, it's good.
Cuban Restaurant Recommendation for birthday celebration; group of 10
Myself, my boyfriend, and 8 of our friends will be staying in Miami for 3 days prior to the departure of our cruise in early December. I'm in charge of making a restaurant reservation for our group on Friday night, for my boyfriend's 28th birthday. We will be staying downtown at the Hyatt, but will be going out later that night in South Beach - so either area of town would work.
I'm a bit overwhelmed by all of the restaurant options, I was hoping there would be an obvious choice! It seems like maybe Versailles could be a good fit in terms of mostly positive reviews/ambiance/and accommodations for a large group- but I'd appreciate any of your input. In terms of cuisine.. I'm really looking forward to trying a good Cuban sandwiches. Paseo in Seattle is my only real Cuban fare experience, but I'm completely in love.
Thanks in advance!
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South Beach Cafe
121 5th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Best breakfast in or around Troutdale?
I'm hosting a bachelorette party for a friend and we will be staying the night at McMenamins Edgefield. We'd like to do a breakfast away from the estate, pending any noteworthy recommendations for good breakfast in the area (say within maybe a 10-15 minute drive). There will only be around 5 people in our party, so special seating areas aren't really an issue. I'd appreciate any suggestions, thank you!
Best pie in Portland??
Thank you! Both of these places look really good - I think he'll be impressed. I think we'll do Random Order because it looks like it's open later until 11 PM - but we'll for sure try out Bi - Partisan Cafe sometime soon. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.
Best pie in Portland??
I'm in charge of choosing a birthday dessert restaurant for a friend who loves pie but doesn't eat cake. I don't actually eat pie myself, so I'm at a loss. Does anyone have suggestions for a dessert restaurant that emphasizes pie, or even a bakery where I could buy a nice whole pie (preferably apple!)? Thanks in advance!
Favorite Restaurants in Sevilla
The tapas in Seville are incredible. My two favorite restaurants were both places I went to for tapas - Bar Las Teresas, and Enrique Becerra (I went to both twice). Las Teresas is super cheap, simple, and really good. Enrique Becerra is a little fancier, but also reasonable (for tapas at least), and very nicely executed. Have fun!
Vegetarian paella in Barcelona or Madrid?
I am 99% sure I saw vegetarian paella on the menu at both Can Majo and 7 Portes (both in Barcelona). My paella was excellent at both places, though if I had to pick I'd go with Can Majo.
Best cocktail(s) in Portland
I really like the house made blood orange sour mix at Three Doors Down (off Hawthorne). I usually just get it with vodka, but you can pair it with whatever you like (they have a good happy hour, too).
Barcelona Restaurant Recomendations...
Hi Joseph
I just returned from Barcelona about 2 weeks ago - having thoroughly scoured this website prior to my departure. We had some of our best eats in Barcelona.
I will enthusiastically second Cervecerica Catalonia - it was one of my top 3 favorite meals in Spain. Be sure to allow some time for this place though - as it is really packed. We waited about 45 minutes for a table at 2 pm on a weekday. You can snag a seat at the bar, but it's pretty cut throat and I was a bit too timid to jump in there. We used the time waiting for our table to watch what everyone else was ordering - which actually turned out to be a really good thing. I think we paid about 35 euros for the lunch, that's for 2 people with about 5 tapas, wine, pop, and dessert. The steak, and shrimp skewers were AMAZING.
Another top 3 favorite meal for me was at Paco Meralgo. In hindsight, I would just take a cab here from Placa Catalunya. It was only a 4 euro ride when we took one back. The feel here is really warm and welcoming. We were the only tourists I could see (its a bit farther out of the tourist zone) but the staff was really kind. Everything here was delicious, as you'll read if you search the other posts. In particular, this spicy meatball thing, and an AMAZING steak dish that came in a bowl.. (I've attached a link to my "food" photos on facebook if you care to look). Our bill here was about 50 Euro, but we ordered a few expensive things as it was our last night in Barcelona.
In Barcelona we ended up trying both the paella places that I kept reading about on chowhound - 7 Portes and Can Majo. Our 7 Portes meal cost about $100, and our Can Majo version the next night cost about $75. Although both were good.. we thought Can Majo was the clear winner (though the staff were decidedly more friendly at 7 Portes). 7 Portes had a great "rich man's paella" where everything came shelled and boneless. But Can Majo's paella had a nicer taste. Although we pre-booked 2 weeks in advance for Can Majo - they "lost" our reservation and we were forced to sit inside. I would dress nice for this place, as it was pretty apparent everyone in shorts, with a backpack/fanny pack, was being led to the back room.
Lastly, Dulcinea was very impressive for a cheap, quick breakfast. Have a wonderful trip! www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=108775&id=549534322&l=cf78ee1dd9
Crazy upscale Chinese food in PDX or SEA?
I'm not sure how fancy you are talking about, but you might want to try Wong's King in southest portland (http://www.wongsking.com/). My boyfriend is Chinese, and we go out to dinners with his extended family quite often - this is probably the fanciest place we go to and one of his parent's favorites (his po also like's Golden Horse in China town).
Wong's King is really popular for dim sum. It's received quite a few honors, I can't remember exactly what for, but I remember there being a really big buzz about this when they opened it up. Sadly, I can't speak for the food quality as I struggle with authentic Chinese food. Hope this helps!
Sevilla Tapas Question
Thanks for putting the time into such a detailed reply. I really like your suggestion of doing it by neighborhoods - thanks in particular for giving me some tips on decent choices near by my top picks. I think I'll take your suggestion and lump them like this:
Dinner groupings:
Day 1: Enrique Becerra and Las Columnas (6 min walk)
Day 2: Las Teresas, Bodega Santa Cruz, Bar Modesto
Day 3: Bar Europa + whichever looks best of your recommendations (Bar Gran Tino, La Bodega and La Trastienda)
Lunches:
Day 1: La Eslava
Day 2: Bar Yebra
Day 3: El Rinconcillo
With this, I'm assuming tapas are in the afternoon too. (are lunch tapas common?) We don't really have anything planned for Sevilla, so I think we'd be content to just wander around trying to find the best food. We are staying at the Oasis Backpacker's Hostal which helps out a bit as it's a bit north of the most touristy stuff. Thank you so much for your help!
Sevilla Tapas Question
I have a kind of general question about tapas in Sevilla. I've been reading the board a lot and put together a list of places we'd like to try during our 3 nights in Sevilla (Enrique Becerra, Las Columnas, La Enslava, Bar Europa, Becerrita, Bar Las Teresas, El Rinconcillo, and Bar Yebra). It's my virgin understanding of Spain that we could go to 2 or 3 of these establishments a night - getting a few tapas at each and moving along? I guess I'm just looking for clarification that my plan is indeed kosher and I don't need to cut the list =) Thank you!
Trip Report: Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian
Just wanted to say thank you for putting in the time to share this review with all of us. I have read it repeatedly as I make my own restaurant itinerary, and it has been exceedingly helpful. Thanks again.
Three Dinners in Portland
I would definately put Toro Bravo on that list - a spanish tapas bar with great food and a lively atmosphere.
Chain items that are addictive as crack
The salsa at Chevy's, as well as their seasonal watermelon margarita.
The chocolate chip cookie with coconut in it at Paradise Bakery.
The teryaki chicken burger at Red Robin.
Costco hot dogs with mustard and relish. And their very berry sundae! Mmmm...
What Portland food item(s) should an out-of-towner not miss?
Toro Bravo is my favorite restaurant; so I third the vote for it! I would also recommend the foodcarts if you're looking for some cheap, quick, eats. Portland has a huge foodcart culture, there's a bunch downtown and also a collection of them in SE on Hawthorne (potato champion is popular).
If you're into Asian food, Pok Pok has recieved high honors around here for authentic thai; and many would consider it a "must".
Also, especially with a little guy - I would hit up Vodoo Doughnuts! They are pretty famous around here (they have been on the travel channel, you can get married there, they have donut flavors you can't even IMAGINE). And if you are into coffee (I'm not, by my friends are obsessed) - Stumptown get's rave reviews.
Have a nice trip, and let us know how it turns out!
Barcelona Paella
On a related note.. can someone please give an estimate of how much I can expect to spend on Paella in Spain, or at the above mentioned establishments? Also... for two people, do I order one dish of it, or two?? Thanks!
Where to get a Veal Parm Sub in Portland?
A new co-worker of mine has just moved here from New York and is having a difficult time finding a “veal parm sub”. She tells me you can get these ANYWHERE around New York - even in really casual establishments. Does anyone know of a place in or around Portland where I can direct her to?
If you know of a flexible place with veal parm on the menu, that will allow her to pay extra for them to put it on a sub, that would work, too. Thanks in advance!
