I will be coming directly from the airport.

I will be in town tomorrow for the MLS All Star game at PPL Park in Chester, are there any great sandwich places nearby? I am also open to other things if there is something special.

It may be a little far out, depending on your location, but Tortilleria de Leon at 162nd(?) and NE Glisan has a variety of Mexican cheeses available. They also have a good stock of other Mexican specialty items.

One restaurant that doesn't get mentioned here often but has excellent food is Kesone Thai Bistro at 26th and NE Sandy. My wife loves pad thai and has tried it at many of the restaurants listed here but still likes Kesone best. In addition to Thai food they also have several Laotian specialties on the menu which I think are the best items they serve.

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Thai Bistro
8292 SW Nyberg St, Tualatin, OR 97062

I will be in Seattle this weekend on Sunday and Monday (Memorial Day), and am looking for a good celebration dinner on Sunday night and some typically chowish restaurants (inexpensive with excellent food) that will be open on Monday. My wife and I will eat just about anyything, but are generally partial to Asian and Mexican restaurants.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

My wife and I ate at the Wayfarer one time, and while the view is spectacular, the food is pretty mediocre. The one place that we have found to be consistently good though is right on the main street in town, and I believe the name is the Gower Street Bistro. Good food, well prepared at moderate prices.

You should also try Kesone Thai at approx. 26th and NE Sandy. My wife loves Pad Thai and has tried many places around town, and this is her favorite.

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I had a fantastic plate of carnitas nachos at Los Baez (24th & E. Burnside). I don't remember the price exactly, but it seems to me they were $5.50 or $6.00, and definitely enough for 2 people.

I was working in the neighborhood (NE 25th & Sandy) and went here for lunch yesterday, and the meal was delicious. I had the Chicken Pad King (pan fried green beans, mushrooms, fresh ginger in a garlic chili sauce)excellent. I'm not that familiar with the difference between Thai and Laotian cuisine, but in addition to the standard Thai fare there were several interesting dishes on the menu.

As my wife and I are about to move into this area, if the rest of the menu is as good, I think this will be a regular stop.

I have to agree with the recommendation for Halibuts. My wife and I had dinner at Hawthorne Fish House, and the food was terrible.

For under $5:

try the fantastic samosa chaat ($3.50) and Naan bread ($1.25)at the the India Chaat House cart on 11th, by the library.

the curry chicken at the Thai food cart at 4th and Morrison is also an excellent value at $5, and large enough for two meals.

I would also agree with the Cafe Voila recommendation. While several of their items are somewhat over $5, they offer excellent quality food at cheap prices.

One of our friends recently moved to Bellingham, and is celebrating their 50th birthday this week, so we are going to visit this weekend, and wanted to take them out to dinner. I am looking for suggestions on the best restaurants in town.

As far as the criteria goes, the food is more important than the decor. Having said that, since its a birthday treat I'm not really interested in a dive. Our friends are adventurous eaters, and like just about any kind of food, so there are few restrictions on the type of cuisine. As for budget, we would prefer something moderate in price ($15 - $20 entrees), but would be willing to pay more for something really special.

Thanks for your help.

I have to disagree on the Hawthorne Fish House. I just ate there with my wife, and it was one the worst restaurant experiences of my life. Not only was the food terrible but it was way too expensive.

I had the sampler platter (salmon, halibut, spicy catfish and oysters) and my wife had the fried perch. Except for the oysters, which tasted a little old, all of the fish was significantly overcooked, to the point of being practically inedible. The french fries were greasy, limp and cold.

When we informed our waiter about this (which we rarely do), his response was " I'm not sure how to respond to that" which he subsequently didn't, and walked away never to return except to drop off the check. All in all a lousy way to handle what could have been a very minor problem.

I don't know if this is indicative of their normal food and service, but I won't be back to find out.

As for other fish and chips shops, I would have to agree with Extra MSG that Halibuts, while not perfect, does the best job in Portland.