Old Town Pizza

Where has all the time gone? We can't believe it's already here! This year, my mom decided to take me on a pretty long trip around Asia and I missed majority  of the holiday time with Michael. When I returned Michael quickly whisked me away to Portland to spend what was left of the holiday together.

Old Town Pizza

This time Michael decided to stay at somewhere we have never stayed at before. We came across Old Town Pizza, Michael sounded very excited but  I thought I wasn't feeling pizza...until he said it was a haunted pizzeria? Okay now we're talking. As much interest as I have with the supernatural world, ironically I am actually the biggest wimp and I am afraid of everything, and I stupidly suggested to eat there at night to add a complete the eerie experience.

Ooo a "resident ghost"

Old Town Pizza is located at 226 NW Davis. This is a place the famous Rachel Ray and Jay Leno has dined at. This restaurant also claims it is somewhere you must visit before you die, something that needs to be crossed off the bucket list. When we walked in to the restaurant was quite dark but there was blaring sounds of alternative music. The gentleman that greeted us had a sleeve of tattoos. He said to us the menus are on the side and we order up front when we're ready and we can find a table while we wait for our food.

Nina the ghost's supposed carving

On the menu explains the history of the pizza restaurant, to make a long story short Nina, a sex worker who was pushed down the elevator shaft, and apparently she never left the place. According to the restaurant's history, she - or her ghost - carved her name on the wall at the bottom of the shaft, which now serves as one of the restaurant's walls. The restaurant did not change much from what it was from the 1900's. It used to be a hotel and the pizza order counter is the old check-in counter of the hotel.

Our split flavour pizza

Michael and I ordered a large split pizza on regular dough ($23.95) that we could share. I got the pesto pizza that had spinach, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella and feta cheese, with pine nuts, and a light pesto sauce. I liked that the sauce and toppings were everywhere even on the crust. At the end of the pizza I liked that the crust wasn't hard and dry. It was soft and fluffy like the rest of the pizza. There was strong taste of the fresh spinach which I really liked because it added a organic touch to it. Of course the mozzarella was amazing but I didn't taste much saltiness from the feta cheese. I was a little disappointed because I didn't get as much crunch from the pine nuts as I hoped on the pizza, I felt a lot of  other strong flavour over powered  and the nuts got lost somewhere in there. I thought the pizza was very tasty overall, the dough was slightly thick and felt a little heavy but that was okay with me because it still consisted a soft texture. 

Michael got the House pizza which is a Portland classic, it consisted pepperoni, salami, mushrooms, olives, and a house sausage. Michael really liked that there was a lot of toppings he thought it was of course filling.  Michael was more interested with the restaurant than the food. Probably because we did have a little bit of a  "haunted experience," Michael's pretty positive it was the ghost but I'm not so sure.

There's a very "old town" feel to the restaurant

Here's how it happened: the restaurant was not that busy with diners that night Michael and I was sipping on our beers with a candle between us. All of a sudden, we both felt a cool rush of air - I felt it brush against my feet and within seconds our candle had blown out. When we looked around all the other candles on the other tables were still lit. Was it her? 

A little spooky for me. So, as much as I enjoyed dining at this haunted pizza joint I think the next time I'll come back in the day time, with a take out order!

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Little Bird Bistro

The leaves have turned golden brown and fallen off the trees, the wind blowing, and rainy days. Fall is definitely here. So what do Michael and I do? Run away to Portland again. Visiting the Oregon city has become something Michael and I really enjoy, a yearly routine for us. One of the biggest reasons is the great dining in Portland.

When we were looking for somewhere to eat dinner, everything we came across sounded so wonderful but unfortunately we arrived in to Portland late, and we could only dine out for only one of the nights we were there.

Because of our minor delay we got up bright and early to make up for the lost time in Portland. I did my usual stops in downtown, and of course Michael sat in his boyfriend chairs and waited for me. While he sat there patiently he did some research on where we could dine at. Michael has always had a fascination with birds since he was a child and when we came across Little Bird Bistro he got pretty excited. Since the bird bistro served French cuisine, he thought this place had something to offer for the both of us.

Luckily, we got a table after a short wait

When the evening approached us we were starting to get second thoughts of the place. What if there's a lot of people? Was it too late to make a reservation? Michael went back to the drawing board but we still went back to the bird. We made our way down to the restaurant on that cold night, it was a long walk from our hotel but we finally made it to the restaurant. Good thing there wasn't much of a wait.

Little Bird Bistro is a two story restaurant. I felt that it looked really cozy and the restaurant reminded me of cafes in southern France. There were blackboards up above in the wall that showed the specials and a big window where diners could watch the city goers walk by.

Gnocchi

 
Michael and I were seated on the main floor and our tables were pretty tucked in there side by side with other diners. I got hungry during my shopping day so I got tempted by a pretzel from the mall, but Michael suggested that we would get an appetizer to share. Michael knew that I love gnocchis  and decided to order the goat cheese gnocchi with ox tail, served with caramelized orange jus and peppers ($14). Yummy!

Biting into the gnocchi was like chewing in to lumps of clouds. There were such strong aromatic flavours from the ox tail with a lighter balance from the jus. I didn't try any of the ox tail myself but eating just the gnocchi's were just amazing. I loved that there was sprinkles of goat cheese to the dish, which added a nuttiness to the light flavours. Michael said that the ox tail was like melt in your mouth good. There such natural flavours in the ox tail with a touch of light seasoning.

Chicken fried trout

Michael was feeling a little ill that day and wanted to eat something light and easy on his stomach. He wanted to get the chicken fried trout with herbs, pickled vegetables, gribiche, and radishes ($22), but I thought that sounded pretty delicious and I wanted to eat that. Michael was nice enough to let me order it and he would order something else. Unfortunately, the chicken fried trout was completely different from what I thought it would be. I thought the dish was really heavy because the trout was fried, and now come to think of it the title makes sense now. There was a creaminess present from the gribiche that tamed a little bit of the friedness. I really liked that there was sprigs of dill and different herbs on the plate. Not only did it make the dish have an additional flavour but it also added interesting presentation. It was a bonus that beneath the batter the fish was very soft, smooth and silky. I decided it was a bad idea to have the mall pretzel in the end, I regretfully didn't finish the fish.

Pork pot au feu

Michael, meanwhile, got the light dish he was looking for. He ordered the pork pot au feu, which a stew with bone marrow and potatoes on a broth ($28). Michael just gobbled that sucker up because it was soupy, non greasy and not fried. Exactly the kind of fancy for-sick-people dinner he was looking for. He has never had bone marrow before so it was definitely an adventure for him. He was the pork itself was very soft another melt and he loved dipping the morsels in the broth and marrow. 

Even though I was really full from my fried trout I kept stealing Michael's potatoes. They were so tasty. I love that the seasoning on the potatoes wasn't overpowering and it was just prepared very simply. Michael's broth added the perfect amount of flavour. So very tasty.

Macaroons

Even though I didn't get the dish that I had anticipated on, I would be more that happy to return to the bird bistro to try other dishes off their menu. The kitchen definitely knows how to cook and I am super eager to return to try their other dishes. The server also gave us small macaroons with the bill, which was a nice touch.

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Miss Delta

Howdy partners! Since we don't get much southern love in Vancouver, I like to try as much of it as possible in Portland.

Miss Delta restaurant

Miss Delta says that they make everything from scratch and the four of us that night were all so excited to try their food. The restaurant is located at 3950 North Mississippi Ave. in Portland. The area around the restaurant seemed very adorable and had a lot of fun restaurants around the place as well. Miss Delta is a decent size with about 10 tables or more. It had old black and white pictures that showed the restaurant's past as a butcher's shop. Modernized, the restaurant was rather hipster-esque with its adorable brick walls.

My fried chicken dish

When enjoying southern food I feel I must have fried chicken. I was lucky to be able to choose two sides with my combo dish ($14), and I chose mac and cheese and coleslaw. The portion of my dinner wasn't big as Screen Door and I would have to say Miss Delta isn't as tasty as the other restaurant. The chicken was too fried, the layers of the fried chicken were very thick. When I use my knife to cut the chicken it was just all crispiness and it wasn't as meaty as I would've liked inside. I thought the meat available was moist, however. The mac and cheese was simple and I was very happy with it. I could tell it was home made, it was cheesy and surprisingly didn't feel heavy. I felt that the coleslaw was tasty as well, the dressing was creamy like a traditional coleslaw should be like and had a light horseradish taste to it as well.

Steak of the day

Michael had the steak ($16) which was no surprise at all, there are daily cuts and Mondays was sliced flank steak. It was served with blue cheese butter on top, he got mashers on the side with greens with apple vinaigrette dressed on top. He wished there was more greens but the steak was absolutely so good. He said it was tender and tasted delicious with the butter on top. It was served at a decent portion, the outside of the meat was darkened just enough and the inside was slightly pink. The mashers tasted like any other mashed potatoes with gravy, except there was a slight peppery seasoning in there with a little heat. We thought it was a unique little surprise.

Pulled pork sandwich

My best friend has always wanted to eat some good southern food. She chose the pulled pork sandwich from the Monday special ($8). She thought the pork wasn't pulled enough because there were some pork bits that were a little too big. The barbeque sauce that was dressed on the pork was delicious but a little more on the spicy side. She didn't mind it though. This was definitely a messy dinner for her. She felt that her sandwich bread should have been more enclosed, like a hot dog bun. She said the bun was a bit rough, it scratched the roof of her mouth, but towards the middle of her sandwich the bun didn't seem to be that bad after all. She also got the mashers on the side for a small extra fee ($3 cup).

Mac and cheese with sausages

Last but not least, it was her boyfriend's first time in Portland eating southern food. He had the Trashy Mac which was also the Monday special ($8). It was the traditional mac and cheese served with ambrose sausages. He thought there was a lot of strong flavours to the sausage which was particularly memorable. He also said the mac and cheese had a lot of creamy texture and it beats instant mac and cheese out of a box any day.

We'll be back, Miss Delta

I thought Miss Delta was a fun place to go with all my friends and I am eager to come back to try other southern dishes since I felt that the fried chicken was mediocre. See ya later.

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Huber's

Portland has become a city where Michael and I love dining. After a long day, we stopped at Huber's restaurant in downtown. They advertise themselves as Portland's oldest restaurant, established in 1879. Huber's is located at 411 Southwest 3rd Ave. The restaurant seems to be the bottom floor of an old building that looks like it could have been either a 19th century hotel or an apartment building.

Antique, cozy feel to the Huber's restaurant

The restaurant itself was full of character and it reminded me of a place that I went with my mom in Paris years ago in a train station. Huber's was dark inside and had old black and white pictures hung throughout the place, I feel that the restaurant has so much of a story to tell. It looked like Huber's served pretty contemporary American food, sandwiches, burgers and pastas. The turkey and ham entrees was under the specialty of the house, probably for the Christmas holidays. Since the menu was pretty straight forward, nothing really popped out to me.

Complimentary beer bread :)

For starters we were served with complimentary beer bread, cold to the touch with a slight beer taste. The bread looked very dry but looks can be deceiving, it turned out very moist and I loved how the taste reminded me of fish and chips batter.

Turkey marsala on penne

For my entree, I got the turkey marsala ($17.95). It was turkey breast that had been floured and seasoned with marjoram with penne served underneath. Usually the dish is served with fettuccine but they were out for the night. I have never had turkey served to me like this and I thought the sauce was very flavorful. I especially like the sauce generously served on top of the turkey, making every bite taste moist.

Half turkey half ham entree

Michael had the half and half ($16.50), which is half turkey and half baked ham with sage dressing and served with mashed potatoes. It came drizzled with gravy and there was cranberry sauce on the side as well. Michael thought the gravy was very tasty but the cranberry sauce wasn't too appealing. Michael thought the turkey was very moist but the ham just tasted like regular old ham. Both Michael and I agree that Huber's doesn't serve overwhelming portions but still enough to get full. We polished our plates without feeling overly stuffed.

Michael and I really enjoyed coming to Huber's because the restaurant had a lot of character from the history behind it. But other than that the menu didn't seem like it was anything too special that makes us want to return to the place for a second time.


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Portland Street Carts

Greetings Portland again friends, Michael and I are in Portland again but this time we have brought along my best gal pal and her special someone. We arrived in to Portland in the early afternoon, and after hours of driving Michael and I were so hungry. We looked for something light we could eat our little hearts out before dinner in the evening. What could be better then food carts in the city of Portland? I knew I would be back.

Taqueria Francisco

Our choices were limited this time because we arrived on a cold and rainy Sunday. I came across a Taqueria Francisco, which had menu straight forward menu serving the traditional Mexican cuisine. I had a simple soft taco flour tortilla ($2) and picked chicken out of the many meat and seafood choices. The delightful little taco came with lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and cream.

Chicken taco

 

There was a hint of cilantro in there, and even though I usually don't like cilantro's strong taste, I thought it tasted very refreshing mixed in the taco. The cream and guacamole added such a nice creamy element and the chicken was warm, fluffy and moist. I thought for $2 the taco was a pretty decent portion and without overwhelming my stomach. I would return for other Mexican goodness anytime from Francisco.

Okinoshima

As for Michael, he surprisingly chose a Japanese food cart Okinoshima. We thought that the menu was very limited but it did serve a lot of the traditional Japanese street food. It had Japanese curry and savoury pancakes.
 

Chicken yakisoba

Michael chose the chicken yakisoba ($6) which is Japanese stir fry noodles. He said the noodles were flavorful and tasted very authentic. There was a perfect amount of spices and you could tell the chef took care in how he prepared and seasoned the dish. The noodles also didn't taste greasy at all, for the price he paid it was very well worth the money.

Again Portland food carts you didn't do us wrong. Michael and I guarantee we'll be back again real soon.

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Mother's Bistro and Bar

Michael and I did some brainstorming Portland's tourism map and found a list of restaurants that were highly recommended. We noticed that many of the restaurants were very overpriced, but I came across one restaurant called Mother's Bistro and Bar and found numerous good reviews online.

Welcome to Mother's!

Mother's is located at 212 SW Stark St in Portland downtown. The restaurant was gorgeous and gave me the feeling of having tea at grandma's house. The place had such a cozy home environment - with beautiful chandiliers hanging down from the ceiling - and a theme of featuring a different local mother's dishes on the menu each month. Michael and I think it was so clever, and of course we knew a lot of thought and effort was put in to this.

The restaurant

Mother's menu offer a wide of range of classic comfort food that a mother would cook. To play off their mothers' theme, you'll also notice witty typical-mom quotes scattered around on the menu like, "Have you had your greens today?"

$15,000 crab cake

For appetizers, Michael ordered the $15,000 crab cake ($6.95). Our waiter was ever so kind and explained to us on just why they're so expensively titled. Turns out, the Mother's executive chef went to culinary school and spent $30,000 on tuition, but out of that she only learned two dishes, one of them the crab cakes. Our waiter even joked the crab cakes have diamonds on them. Michael thought that these were the best crab cakes ever. They were crispy on the outside but filled with crab and what seemed like bacon bits. Just a punch of flavour.

Matzo Ball soup

 

For myself, I'd heard from a pal of mine to try Matzo Ball soup when I get the chance and this was my first tine coming across the traditional soup. The soup tasted very fresh and light with little bits of carrots and celery. The Matzo ball was something different though, there wasn't much taste to it, but the soft texture went well with the soup. 

Mac and cheese du jour

For entree I had the macaroni and cheese du jour (13.95). Friday's mac and cheese, instead of having the classic macaroni pasta, the Mac and cheese du jour was served on bow tie pasta with bacon bits, chopped onions, sour cream and of course lots of cheese. The taste reminded me of eating food court fries with the works. But of course, this tasted much better. The cheese wasn't as thick as regular mac and cheese would be, kind of runny but the sour cream held the texture together well and added a distinctive flavour. The chopped onions helped counter the creaminess, with the bacon adding a nice crunch and meat element to the dish.

Beef pot roast

Michael ordered the "Cascade Natural" Beef Pot Roast ($18.95), boneless short rib that braised for four hours and served with rich gravy. It arrived with mashed red potatoes and seasonal vegetables on the side, and Michael was happy to see it was served in a very generous portion and fell apart easily to the fork. The mashed potatoes came with bits of onions and tasted very homemade. The corn and zucchini tasted light and simple, and seemed to be just lightly drizzled with olive oil. Simple yet creative.

Cookies!

After this fantastic meal, Michael and I were both really full and was ready to walk back to Canada. When we asked for the bill, instead of having the usual mint it came with two homemade cookies, a oatmeal cookie and a ginger snap cookie. I thought this was just pure genius, this idea was so mother-esque this concept was just brilliant.

Michael and I simply cannot wait to return to Mother's, the staff is great and the food is fantastic, their menu is creative and there is so much more we must try.

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Portland Food Carts

After discovering my love-hate relationship with street carts, Michael and the Food Network have convinced me Portland's where the food party is at. After spending a shopping date in downtown Portland, we looked up where the food cart district was, and let me say, Portland's street food scene blows Vancouver's out of the water. They have more selections, the food tastes great and most importantly, you really get your bang for the buck.

The whole street is filled with food carts

I was not a happy camper during my last experience with a Vancouver street cart, and it still boils my blood till this day that I had to pay $8 for a salad. I feel Vancouver's street scene is a complete rip-off.

Portland has three large areas surrounded by street food, basically whole square blocks of them with dozens at each location. After shopping, Michael and I walked over to the largest location at SW Washington and SW 10th Street. There were so many we made a full circle around the block until we decided.

Touchdown's BBQ

First up Michael came across a sweet lady who poked out her window asking if he wanted to try a sample of barbeque pulled pork. He had a look at several other places before deciding to stick with the sweet lady's Touchdown's BBQ shop. This little cart served classic Southern food and her approach really showed the meaning of Southern hospitality.

Fried chicken wings

Michael got Friday's special - fried chicken wings with one choices of sides ($8.95). He chose collard greens, and the dish arrived with a complimentary corn and garlic bread with ranch dressing. He thought the chicken wings were quite good, crispy, lightly breaded and extremely juicy on the inside. It was a bonus that they were full chicken wings, with drum and tip.

Eurotrash

My turn, I saw a cart named Eurotrash and recalled this Euro devil on the Food Network on Eat St. I had to try it! Their chef went to visit Europe and brought their tastes back to America.

Piri Piri chicken

I got the Piri Piri chicken ($9), served with bacon, capers cheese and horseradish slaw. The bun was soft and the chicken and bacon had a barbeque smokey flavour. The cheese was a great addition to all the meats. The slaw tasted different and added a unique kick because of the horseradish but it wasn't overwhelming at all.

I am so in love with Portland's street food now! It's such a new take on the meaning of street food - almost like a festival every day - and their setup seems like something Vancouver is trying to recreate. But for a mere $9 I was stuffed. Portland's street scene is so intense, I simply cannot wait to try the rest.

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Screen Door

Open up your Screen Door because they're ready for business! Michael and I are in Portland right now, the kind boyfriend he is, he thought he would take me there on a mini-trip as a birthday treat.

Screen Door restaurant and bar

Michael did some digging around to see where the local hotspots to eat were, and he found a little place called Screen Door, serving many Southern classics, such as creamy grits and jambalaya. I always see Paula Deen from Food Network making Southern food and I had always wondered when I'd be able to try it out.

Screen Door is  located at 2337 East Burnside St. in Portland, near the community of Kern. Michael and I were stuck in traffic tonight and by the time we got to the restaurant we were starving. It wasn't too packed when we arrived, but we did have to wait a little.

We got to sit beside the kitchen :)

I would say the ambiance of the restaurant was hipster-grungy, it was like the restaurant was operated out of a garage which I thought was a really cool, and is something we would rarely get to experience back home. We sat right beside the kitchen and got a really good view of where the magic happens.

Pimiento Cheese

 
I needed to get an appetizer to just stabilize my hunger, and since I had a cheese craving I ordered the Pimiento Cheese ($6.50), a cheese spread that had a Southern smokey Tex-Mex taste with a hint of chipotle taste. We spread the delicious cheese on crackers with sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

Fried chicken plate

For entrees, Screen Door really know how to pull out the big guns. And of course, with Southern food I have to get the fried chicken. The order of crispy fried buttermilk battered chicken ($15.75) was served with mashed potatoes, ham gravy and collards. It was my first time eating collards and it reminded me of a type of Chinese spinach. I liked the first few bites of the collards because of the sourness, but afterwards I thought it was a little much. The mashed potatoes, however, were creamy like a pureed heaven. The chicken didn't disappoint either, it had a spicy taste and the chicken was extremely tender and juicy.

Screen Door plate

Michael got the Screen Door Plate ($13.95) where he got a choice of three house sides with a slice of corn bread. His choices were fried catfish, buttery mashed potatoes, and the smoked chicken jambalaya. He didn't realize how heavy his choices were when his plate came, but he thought the catfish was done very well, made similar to fish and chips but it seemed like the dish was cooked longer, though the fish wasn't tough, and the batter had spices added to it. Their tartar sauce also tasted unique and was a lot thicker than he expected. He thought the jambalaya tasted like Thai fried rice, which was nice. But the mashed potatoes tasted very chickeny so he assumes it's from the gravy.

My Hot Lips Cherry Soda

Michael washed his meal down with a pale ale beer and I got the Hot Lips Cheery Soda. I have never tried this before and it tasted much different other soda around - it wasn't sweet at all and tasted very refreshing.

We definitely weren't the only ones who couldn't finish

After our attempt to devour this never-ending meal, Michael thinks for the amount you pay for the food is totally worth the trip. Almost everyone we saw leave the restaurant left with a doggy bag in their hands.

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