50 bucks at 50 Plates

Another night in The Pearl District of beautiful Portland...but instead of a girl's night, it was a date night. I have, yet again, Groupon to thank for our dining destination - $50 to 50 Plates. I love my deals....plus it encourages us to try new restaurants.

My boyfriend and I decided to head to 50 Plates on a Wednesday at around 8pm and they were pretty busy! Always a good sign...but we were nervous because we did not have reservations. They sat us within five minutes, but I would certainly recommend reservations on a weekend. This was not my first time to 50 Plates, but it was my first time dining from their dinner menu. I have been there for happy hour before and really enjoyed it so that is another reason we returned.

We started with the ahi tuna poke and the castroville artichoke rolls. So fantastic! The tuna poke was our favorite with ginger, avocado and bagel chips. It was a great portion and so flavorful. The artichoke rolls were good too, but only three smalls rolls for a hefty price. Stick to the tuna.

Next, we ordered our entrees - I had the "mac & cheese" and Dylan of course had the "fifty burger" plus bacon. The burger was HUGE and came with tasty fries. The veggies were so fresh and the presentation was perfect (it had a cute little American Flag toothpick in it). He almost doubled the patties...so happy he didn't, there is NO way he could have finished it. My "mac & cheese" was just okay. It was not traditional mac and cheese. It was rigatoni filled with fennel and chicken covered in melted cheddar and parmesan. I discovered I don't love fennel, the flavor is too overpowering (at least in this dish).

Last, we decided we were way to full for dessert, but they still finish your meal off with something sweet....complimentary. They brought us two spoonfuls of homemade fudge. What a signature touch. And guess what? Somehow I ended up making room for the fudge. :)

Pros:

Happy Hour - available 4- 6pm in the bar

Location - right in the heart of the Pearl and easy access from the freeway

Decor - my favorite part! So fantastic...classy and contemporary with accents of browns and blues. I loved the white tables with browns linens and the brown tables with white linens.

Cons:

Parking is tough on the weekends and on First Thursdays

The iced tea...silly to some, but we love good iced tea.

Check them out at http://www.50plates.com/ or come right in to dine:

333 NW 13th Ave

(corner of NW 13th and Flanders)

Portland, Oregon

97209

Phone

503-228-5050

Happy Hour - 4 to 6pm

Open 7 days a week!

photo 1 & 2 via 50plates.com

Serious Pie Seattle

So I am over a month behind on posting about my food adventures in Seattle and San Fran. My New Year's resolution is now going to be "post on blog more than once a week." I am out trying this fantastic places and I am not sharing the details....shame on me.

Well, back to Seattle. If I have not already mentioned, my cousin lives in Seattle so she was the first person I asked about restaurants. She recommended any of the Tom Douglas restaurants in Downtown Seattle. We looked at the Web site and decided to go for some delicious pizza and try Serious Pie.

We got to the restaurant at about 9pm on Friday and the place was packed! It was not a very large restaurant but had fun bar table seating and an open kitchen. We had to wait for about twenty minutes, but while waiting, we enjoyed a

bottled beer.

When we were seated, we sat at a cozy seat in the back of the restaurant. The energy was upbeat, hip and fun...definitely a popular place just to hang out and socialize. They have welcoming staff members that are not overbearing, but still provide excellent service.

As for the pizza - it was on a flat bread crust, served right on the cutting board. We went with the fennel sausage, onion, red pepper and basil pizza. You can definitely share a pizza between two people, but if you are hungry, I would recommend ordering one of your own. I was very happy with our choice and my only complaint is that I was too full to try another kind!

Perks other than the food:

- the great candle chandeliers :)

- awesome service

- open kitchen

Food price: $8 - $18 (appetizers and pizza prices)

Beverage - $3 - $12 (beer and wine only)

Take a look at the menu for yourself!

Serious Pie

316 VIRGINIA SEATTLE, WA 98121 (206) 838-7388

Open 11am - 11pm EVERYDAY. No reservations.