A New Favorite - Produce Row Cafe

Another girl's night out lead me to Produce Row Cafe in the industrial area of SE Portland. This restaurant is exactly my kind of place and I loved everything about it. It is casual and simple with a contemporary cafe feel.  We sat inside on our mismatched chair where the place was lively and fun and from what I could see, it looked like the atmosphere at the picnic tables outside was just as enjoyable.

There were quite a few beers on tap from all over the place with plenty of local choices. The bar was open with a large mirror as the backdrop. It had writing on it with a menu listing out whiskey and beer pairings. Okay, how awesome is that!

For our food choices, we ordered the pita pizza, mac n' cheese and the gyro. The menu names aren't long and glitzy but the food rocks! I made the mistake of sitting right next to the kitchen so we saw every dish go out. Everything looked delicious. Next time I am going back for one of the desserts - waffle sandwich. Yes, waffles! It comes with vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, bacon, honey and cinnamon. It looked to die for! Check out the menu online here.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons why I would go back:

Great prices - nothing over $12!
Fresh, fun and flavorful food
Parking was WAY easier than in NW Portland :)
Fabulous ambiance

My only critique - our food took a little longer than it should of, 25 minutes? Seemed a little long for what we ordered, but not a deal breaker for me.

Find them at SE Oak St and 2nd next to the Tazo Tea building just across the river in Portland.

Produce Row -  204 SE Oak St 
M - F: 11am to 2am
Sat - Sun: 10am to 2am

Happy Hours
Mon - Sat: 4pm to 7pm (we love 7pm hh!)
Mon - Sun: 11pm to 2am

Happy Hour at Ringside Steakhouse

via Ringside Web site

After reading lots of reviews about their happy hour online, it was time to head to Ringside Steakhouse in uptown Portland. Ringside is a fine dining steakhouse that has been around since the 1940's and is a favorite to many Portland natives.

We arrived at 9:30pm, right when happy hour started, and I am glad we showed up when we did. The bar filled up quickly, even on a Sunday night. It was very cozy with small tables and dim lighting, but people were in and out quickly.

We ordered a couple grilled caesar salads, steak bites and calamari to start. I wanted a little something more, so our waitress recommended the crab cake. It was delicious and truly the best crab cake I have ever had. Great recommendation! Check out the happy hour menu to see all their choices, prices range from $2.25 to $4.75. Next time, I am going for the onion rings, they looked tasty!

This particular location went under a recent remodel and reopened in March. Our waitress recommended a bottle of wine from their new 10,000 underground wine cellar. We went with the 2009 Eola Hills Pinot Gris and we were very pleased.

Overall a fantastic experience and below are some reasons why I will go back:

Complimentary valet parking
Great happy hours prices
Exceptional service
Open 7 days a week

Happy hours: Mon. - Sat. 9:30 - close, Sunday: 4pm - 5:30pm & 9:30 - close

Ringside Steakhouse, 2165 W. Burnside, Portland 97210

Wish I Were Here Wednesday

Playing along with Olivia from For Me, for Wish I Were Here Wednesday. The weather was beautiful here today and it made me wish I could be dining outside at a beautiful country venue. Someday I will go here...Blackberry Farm in Tennessee.

"The Barn" via

Eugene's Finest - Uly's Taco Shack

So, it wouldn't be fair unless I wrote about the one and only campus taco stand in Eugene, Oregon. Uly's is parked conveniently between two of the most active campus bars at The University of Oregon. The menu is easy...tacos and more tacos, for only $2 each. It is fair to say I have had my share of these tacos, sometimes at dinner hour and other times at 2:00am. There is generally a long line of students waiting for a carnitas, steak or chicken taco on Friday and Saturday nights.

Line at Uly's on a Friday

You can order the tacos individually or as a Trifecta - one each with a different kind of meat. It is funny because after midnight and a few Long Island Iced Teas, people insist on ordering the $6 Trifecta because it is the best deal. Interesting since the single tacos are $2 and the 3 taco Trifecta is $6. Yes, you can do the math.

But, no matter what time of the day, these tacos rock! They are loaded with a meat of your choice, cheese, sour cream, onions, cilantro and a tasty sauce. These tacos would give the Mexican food carts in Portland a run for their money.

Next time you are in Eugene cheering on the Ducks, check out Uly's!

Here is a link to their Facebook page. Enjoy!

50 Beer Taps at Green Dragon in SE

Whenever I feel like trying new beer or exploring another side of town, I head over to Green Dragon in SE Portland. A friend introduced me to this brewpub last year and it is awesome because they have about 50 rotating beer taps and you will always find something new on their menu. By now, most of you probably know I have a love for new microbrews, so this place is right up my alley.

 

The atmosphere is low-key and casual with a shuffle board table and plenty of board games. The beer list is not fancy and is printed on an 8 ½ x 11 white piece of paper but this wrinkly piece of paper is tolerable if you are getting new beer choices everyday. They have a chalkboard on their back wall listing all the beers “on deck” encouraging all their beer drinkers to return for a taste of the new upcoming flavors. If you are lucky, they may even tap one early for you. 

 Unfortunately, I would not rant and rave about the service. It is just okay. If you are sitting at a table in the brewpub, you will have limited service. Someone will come when your glass is empty and if you order food, they will drop it off and leave. The food is decent, but it is not what brings people to this establishment. But, if you are sitting at the bar, you will have great interaction with the bartender. Most of them are knowledgeable about the beer and can offer you suggestions if you are overwhelmed.

So, if you decide to visit Green Dragon, remember:

If you are with a small group, sit at the bar and talk to the bartender

They only have beer so please don’t try and order liquor

Try something new and ask for recommendations

Green Dragon Bistro & Pub

28 SE 9th Avenue, Portland

(503) 517-0660

@pdxgreendragon

A little Italian at home - homemade biscotti

There is no better time to have an Italian feast, than at a family gathering. We are not Italian, but we certainly know where to get good Italian food. We ordered some fantastic Nonna Emila's pizza, my mom prepared some salads and antipasti dishes and I was in charge of dessert. I could write a whole blog post on Nonna Emila's in Beaverton but, this post is about the biscotti I made for dessert. 

This recipe rocks! And if I can do it, anyone can do it. I found it on Allrecipes.com - Biscotti Toscani. I followed it step by step. The only difference was, I used cinnamon instead of nutmeg. 

Ingredients 

• 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (allspice or cinnamon work too) 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted almond pieces (slivered almonds work too)

Steps

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

1. In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar (I used my KitchenAid mixer).

2. Next, add the eggs, vanilla, almond extract, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and orange zest. 

3. Mix in the flour and then the almonds

4. Divide the dough in half. Take each half and roll into logs about 12 inches long. 

          (*one of my logs was longer and skinner because I wanted some smaller pieces of biscotti)

5. Then flatten the logs until they are about 1/2 inch tall. 

6. Place both loaves on a well-greased and floured baking sheet.

7. Bake in oven for 25 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

8. With a serrated knife, cut diagonally into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Lay the slices flat on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, turning over once. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

9. Microwave the chocolate chips until melted and then drizzle over the cooled biscotti. Let stand at room temperature for the chocolate to harden. Voila! 

 

They were a big hit with the family and tasted great! I highly suggest giving this recipe a try, it was fun baking something a little different. 

Bon appétit!   

Guest Post on Portland's Finest Restaurant Blog

I recently had the pleasure of writing a guest post on a great blog called Portland's Finest Restaurants.  It is a great resource for information about food/wine/beer events, restaurant reviews and deals in the local Portland area.

Check out my first post about my dining experience at Oba! in the Pearl District.

Leave a comment here or there and let me know what you think!

Cheers!