Sunday, November 28, 2010

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
503-228-5050
Happy Hour - 4 to 6pm
Open 7 days a week!
photo 1 & 2 via 50plates.com

39 comments:

  1. Looks like you found quite a nice spot :) It's a pity that in my country the service and the whole restaurant culture is a bit low... But i am happy for you and God i love fudge!

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  2. cn u teach me hw to create a new post in a new page..i m blur of that promblem?hope u unfderstand wat i mean

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  3. That Mac and Cheese looks amazing, lol!

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  5. This was nice to read. Love food :)

    How did those bagel chips taste? Was it just a thinly sliced bagel deep-fried? Oh, and I think I could find room for fudge too.

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  6. Don't get me wrong, the mac and cheese was good - just not great. The presentation is awesome though.

    The bagel chips were very thin and crispy. Yes, they were thinly sliced and deep fried and just poked inside of the tuna and avocado. My only wish is that I would have asked for more of the bagel chips!

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  7. Uauuu....everything looks delicious!!!
    http://myhappywindow.blogspot.com/

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  8. OK, so that's whats meant by tuna "poke", thanks for that. Out of curiosity, do you like that show on travel channel Man vs. Food?

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  9. That Mac & Cheese looks absolutely delightful.
    I want me some, now!

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  10. shuttergrind.blogspot.com

    sports blog

    thx

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  11. I go to Portland all the time I will have to check this place out! :)

    lemonpeeps.blogspot.com

    book blog for those book nerds

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  12. The two spoonfuls of homemade fudge look fantastic!!

    http://myhappywindow.blogspot.com/

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  13. I'm a Northwest native landlocked in Boulder, CO. God I miss Portland and Seattle!

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  14. nam nam nam:)

    we are trying to find the brand of the clothes, accessories and shoes we saw on internet or anywhere. help us, or send us something you want our blog to find. it's easy and simple :)

    http://howcanufind.blogspot.com

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  15. nomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnom.
    check out ma blog.
    http://letsstopthepain.blogspot.com/

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  16. I heard something good about you last night!

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  17. Great post. Congrats on the Blog of Note. Take care.

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  18. Congrats on the Blog of Note.
    Your descriptions are so good!

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  19. Good research Man
    http://todays-trends.blogspot.com/2010/11/one-for-all-fans-of-angry-birds.html

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  20. Mmm... sounds good! More than good, actually! :) I was just in The Pearl District a month ago! Too bad I did not know about this place then!

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  21. Oh, and my profile pic on here is from Portland! I know "Couch Street" is a different pronunciation there...! :)

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  22. wow, very fun site. glad to have found it.

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  23. This is a very interesting blog. The mac&cheese looks very yummy . . . I have my own blog called Restaurants and Recipes that was inspired by this one.

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  24. Yum! The mac and cheese looks amazing!

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  25. You should have a caveat not to read through this blog while hungry.

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  26. ohhmm So yummy post! Nice, I feel so hungry. For me its an unlimited eating. God bless..

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  27. Excellent posting! Congratulations on the blog of note. It makes me wish I lived in your town.

    Feel free to check out my blog - it's an ideas blog for writers of fiction. http://fantasysfancy.blogspot.com

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  28. nice place nice plates .. yummmyyyyy

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  29. omgee all these pictures are making me hungry :D

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  30. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  31. Found you on blogs of note. Congratulations! I was interested to read your post on 50 Plates since my nephew (Joel Stocks) used to be sous chef there. Now he's at Park Kitchen. Have you tried it?

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  32. Definitely makes me want to go there! So is everything $50?

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  33. Don't forget, great tasting food can be good for you if you choose wisely...

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  34. I will definitely keep this in mind. I know there's alot of travel nurse jobs in Oregon!

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  35. those foods are great and yummy,, i never try those food in my whole life.. i hope i can someday. but somehow, even what food are those in in my plate i will it no matter what kinds it is.., because those are bless.

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  36. Mmmm... I don't think it gets better than two spoonfuls of fudge. Creative touch!

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  37. urgh! im craving for chocolate fudge! i'll get to get some .

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