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Saturday, March 31, 2018

Cool Moon Ice Cream

One of our favorite ice cream places was Cool Moon Ice Cream.


It's located in the Pearl District at 1105 NW Johnson Street.


The flavors are still as good but last year we got 4 scoops for $6.95. This year, we got 3 scoops for $8. We got the Ginger Cookie, Kulfi and Salted Caramel.



2018 03 18

Friday, March 30, 2018

Life of Pie

We loved Life of Pie the last time we were in Portland and visited it for lunch this time.


It's located at 3632 N. Williams Ave.


Their Happy Hour is from 11am-6pm and features a margherita pizza for $5. This is a great deal. The dough is so good and this pizza rivals any you'll find in Naples, Italy.


We also had the Mixed Greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Parmesan. The large if $7 and feeds 2-3. This was not part of the Happy Hour menu but still a good value.



2018 03 18

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Grand Central Baking Company

We stopped at Grand Central Baking Company to pick up some breakfast. They have several locations.


We visited the one on 714 N. Fremont.


They're known for their Monkey Muffin--$3.25. This was quite good but once you got beyond the crispy edge, it lost its allure.


Cinnamon Roll-$2.75. This was on the dry side.



2018 03 18

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Verdigris

Our first dinner was at Verdigris, located at 1315 NE Fremont Street in Portland. Each of the 3-course dinners for Restaurant Month was $33.


Amuse Bouche of Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese. This was tasty but unfortunately was only lukewarm.


Complimentary dinner rolls. These were good but there was only 1 per person. No extras.


One of the options for the first course was soup du jour. This was a seafood chowder and quite good.


Another option for the first course was Smithfield Ham and White Bean Cassoulet, 60 Minute Egg, Fennel Sausage, Persillade. The cassoulet had a lot of flavor. Not sure the egg added much.


One of the entree options was Two Way Idaho Trout with French Green Lentils, Butternut Squash, Trout Roe Vinaigrette. My friend liked the crispy trout skin.


Another entree option was Beef Bourguignon, Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Root Vegetables, House Bacon. This also had a nice flavor.


Grilled 6-oz Top Sirloin, Duck Fat Potatoes, Broccoli Rabe, Bernaise Sauce. The sirloin was tough even though it was cooked rare. The Bernaise didn't have enough tarragon flavor. I was disappointed by this dish.


Fallen Chocolate Souffle Cake, Cardamon Orange Compote. This was a little dry.


Another option for dessert was Artisan Cheese du Jour which on this night was a blue cheese. Nothing too special with the cheese.



2018 03 17

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Ladd's Cottage

We rented a cottage in Ladd's Addition. It's located in southeast Portland, convenient to a lot of restaurants. My only complaint of the area is the layout--its diagonal street pattern is so confusing.


It was an adorable cottage with a spacious living room.


We never used the kitchen.


There were 2 bedrooms on the main floor, each with a queen bed.


2nd bedroom with queen bed.


There was one bathroom on the main floor.

In the basement, there was another bedroom with a full bed and a twin bed, as well as another full bathroom. The only problem was that the basement was not fully finished and it was scary. There was a washer and dryer in the basement.



2018 03 17

Monday, March 26, 2018

Luigi's Italian Sandwiches, Medford

We stopped at Luigi's Italian Sandwiches when we drove through Medford. I guess we had a thing for restaurants named Luigi this trip.


It's a small shack located at 1619 N. Riverside Ave.


They only serve sandwiches.


There's a small area to eat indoors and a couple picnic benches outside.


Their famous Ultimate Garbage Grinder. It's the Garbage Grinder--salami, ham, pepperoni, secret sauce, 2 cheeses melted, fresh vegetables, pickles, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, olive oil & salt with the addition of seasoned Italian sausage (didn't find any), cooked mushrooms and black olives. The onion is raw so I asked for it off. 6"--$6.50, 8"--$8.25 and 12"--$9.75. It's not overloaded with meat and it has a nice balance of flavor.


Luigi's Meatball--seasoned meatballs covered with homemade spaghetti sauce, 2 cheeses melted and served with grilled onions. 6"--$6.25, 8"--$7.75, 12"--$9.75. I didn't care for this. The meatballs were just so-so and they were small.


Can of drink--$1.25. I saw this Rubu Red Squirt--never seen it before. It's not as good as the regular grapefruit-flavored Squirt. This one had a strange candy taste.



2018 03 17

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Red Lion Hotel, Redding

We spent the night at the Red Lion Hotel in Redding. It's located at 1830 Hilltop Drive. Unfortunately, we arrived on a night when there was a sports tournament in town and it was crowded.


Lobby looked good but there was only 1 agent at check-in. 


Additional sink outside bathroom.


Bathroom was clean and towels were nice.


Huge shower so the curtain doesn't stick to you.


Our room overlooked a courtyard. The room is poorly insulated and you can hear everything, including running upstairs. I wouldn't stay here again unless I could be guaranteed an upstairs room.



2018 03 16

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Luigi's Pizza & Pasta, Red Bluff

March is Restaurant MONTH in Portland. We couldn't miss out and took a road trip up. Once more, we stopped at Luigi's Pizza & Pasta for dinner. It's located at 75 Belle Mill Road in Red Bluff.


Large Antipasto Salad--$7.79 (enough for 4 generous servings). The small is $4.29 and could serve 2. My husband calls this the pizza topping salad--salami, provolone, olives, mushrooms, mozzarella & tomatoes over iceberg lettuce. Choice of dressings which come on the side--ranch, Italian, blue cheese, thousand island, oil & vinegar (so everyone can have their choice).  I had the Italian but I don't know how that would have been different from the oil & vinegar since it didn't have any herbs in it.


Beef (or spinach or cheese) ravioli with choice of sauce (meat, marinara, Alfredo, pesto, Sicilian)--I chose meat sauce. $4.99 for this huge portion. The raviolis are now round (used to be square) but still had good texture. The sauce was quite good as well.


Pasta with Meatballs--$5.89. You had the choice of linguine, fettucini, gluten-free or whole wheat spaghetti. 


Garlic Bread with Cheese--2 slices for $1.20 and Garlic Bread--2 slices for $1.

This is not fancy Italian but it's good home-cooked Italian for not much money. They also make a 30" pizza--$37 for cheese, $42.50 for 1 topping, $53.50 for 3 toppings. Not sure why you can't get 2 toppings.



2018 03 16

Friday, March 23, 2018

Parish Cafe

Whenever I get a craving for beignets, I head to Parish Cafe, located at 60 Mill Street in Healdsburg. It's rumored that there will be a location in Santa Rosa soon, so I won't need to drive as far.


Beignets--3 for $5. Still double the price than the ones at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans but what options are there when you get a craving and you live in California?


Eggs Nouvelle Orleans--$18. Poached eggs, lump blue crabmeat, shallots and house made hollandaise served over baguette. One of my favorites.



2017 12 30

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Iguanas

Grabbed a quick lunch at Iguanas Burritozilla. There are several locations and I visited the one at 1008 Blossom Hill Road.


I ordered the mini chili verde burrito--$6. This was plenty big for lunch. The chile verde was very flavorful.



2017 12 23

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Chalkboard

I met a friend for Happy Hour at Chalkboard, located at 20 North Street in Healdsburg. Happy Hour is Sunday-Friday 4:30-6:30 pm.


Poke of the Day--$6. Rice cracker/soy/sesame/shiso/lemon zest/togarashi.


Loco Moco--$6. Grilled burger patty/rice/sunny side up egg/mushroom gravy.


Pork Belly Buns--$6. Yuzu sambal aioli/sweet chile sauce/cabbage slaw.


We also ordered Snake River Farms Steak Tartare with Bernaise/fried garlic/shoestring potatoes--$18. This was off the regular menu. I wasn't impressed. Not much tarragon flavor with the Bernaise.



2017 12 21

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

A Busy Restaurant Week 2018

It was a busy restaurant week in Sonoma County. We had an opportunity to try some new places and indulge at some old ones.

I would say the most disappointing meal was at Walter Hansel. Their usual 3-course meal is $35 and for restaurant week, their 3-course dinner was $39. I thought they would thrown in something a little special but they didn't. The first course salad was tiny and the dessert was laughable for a $39 meal. The steak was delicious as were the pomme frites but overall still a disappointment. I'll go back to have their duck gizzard salad, which is out of this world and their reasonably priced wine list but I won't be back for Restaurant Week.

Another price for quality disappointment was at Sazon. The empanada was tiny as was the entree serving size.

The best deal was at Monti's. The burrata was a huge portion and the sole was delicious. The only disappointment was the dessert.

A close second was Jackson's. I was pleasantly surprised by the large salad and the delicious osso bucco.

I'm glad I discovered Rocker Oysterfeller. Their corn muffin is to die for and I loved their brined fried chicken.

I'm also happy I ate at Rosso's, even though they baited and switched their menu. It was supposed to be a $19 menu but turned out to be a $29 menu. I noticed on their regular menu that they have bucatini and meatballs on Mondays so I'll have to go back to try that.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Jackson's

To end Restaurant Week, we had dinner on Sunday at Jackson's Bar & Oven. It's located at 135 4th Street in downtown Santa Rosa.


Corkage is $15 and we had a bottle of Carol Shelton Rocky Reserve Zinfandel.


The $29 3-course dinner only had 1 choice per course. The 1st course was Half Caesar Salad. This was a huge serving and I loved the anchovy dressing.



The entree was Veal Osso Bucco, Creamy Polenta, Mire Poix Jus, Gremolata. This was a huge portion and so good.


The dessert was Chocolate Tiramisu served in a bowl. This had a lot of mascarpone.



2018 03 11

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Backyard

Sunday lunch was at Backyard, located at 6566 Front Street in Forestville.


We started with a Bucket o' Doughnuts--$6.50. This was served with apple-persimmon butter and cinnamon sugar. Each serving comes with 6 donuts. The donuts were fluffy and delicious.


One of the options for the $15 Restaurant Week lunch was Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich—dijonaise, kale & root vegetable slaw, brioche roll.


Another option was Tim’s Burger—pasture raised beef, aioli, pickled onions, brioche roll. This is what I come to Backyard to have. The burger is juicy and full of flavor. It came with 2 pickle spears and potato salad--nothing too remarkable.




Another option was Fried Chicken Chop Salad—buttermilk dressing, piquillo pepper, radish, pickled onion. My friend liked it.


One of the dessert options was Mini Budino with Salted Caramel, Sweet Cream and Chocolate Pearls. This was a great dessert. I love the rich Budino with the salted caramel.


Another dessert option was House Made Ice Cream—we chose the candy cap mushroom. It tasted like butter pecan. The slice of mushroom on top was very earthy. Other options included meyer lemon sorb popsicle, chocolate, lemon verbena & cherry shrub swirl




2018 03 11