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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Pepitas

Feliz cumpleaños amiga! It was my best gal pal's birthday recently and she wanted to go for Mexican food. I have to admit, I have never had a 'to die for' Mexican meal until I travelled to Mexico with Michael this summer, so I didn't keep my hopes too high.

Inside Pepitas

We started out on a food hunt on West 4th and had to try several restaurants before we got a table. We finally stumbled across Pepitas at 2015 Burrard St in Vancouver. I don't know about Michael, but my BFF and I were a little hesitant about the place at first. We quickly found out that everyone working at the restaurant spoke Spanish and it was a lot of fun hearing the staff talk to each other. The decor was also very Mexican-esque and was rather cute.

Chicken taco salad

Michael wanted to share something together as an appetizer and we ended up choosing the taco salad ($10.95). There was a choice between chicken, beef or refried beans. We picked chicken. The salad arrived in a crispy taco bowl, with lettuce tomatoes, olives and sour cream. I thought it tasted very fresh and surprisingly not heavy at all. The chicken was soft, moist and the tomatoes gave the salad a citrus taste. Olives sprinkled around added a further distinctive taste to, and of course sour cream topped the salad. Perfecto.

Chicken quesadillas

For our entrees, I thought the enchiladas sounded delightful but I knew the serving was going to pretty big and I wasn't insanely hungry, especially after that awesome ensalada. So I chose to go with the chicken and peppers quesadilla ($9.95). It came served with cheese which was heavenly, everything tastes better with it. I couldn't taste much of the chicken though, because there actually might've been a bit too much cheese, but the peppers added a nice crunch to the quesadilla. On the side, my quesadilla was served with guacamole and it was actually really good. The guacamole had nice overall consistency and the avocado tasted fresh and creamy. The chopped tomatoes added a bit of freshness to everything.

Beef fajitas

Michael had the Beef Fajitas ($16.75), it was a DIY Mexican project for Michael, it came in a sizzling pan and warm flour tortilla, salsa, guacamole and sour cream on the side. I snuck a little on to my plate. How can I resist sour cream when I see it? Michael thought it was nice the beef didn't come ground up. They served nice chunks of meat and Michael just piled everything up and started digging in. He said it tasted pretty good.

I really like Pepitas. I would love to go back with Michael for a second time, with just each other rather than a whole crowd. The menu and staff seem fun and most importantly, their food tastes authentic. It makes feel like I really am in Mexico all over again with Michael.

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