International Flavor - Salvador Molly's

Thanks to Groupon, I made my way over to Salavodor Molly's for some delicious international flavor! I purchased a Groupon for this restaurant a few months back and decided I needed to go and use my great deal. Salvador Molly's is a small place with less that twenty tables, including the bar area, but it is still fantastic! It is decorated with all kinds of international flare and you are served a bucket of peanuts when you are seated. My advice is to check this restaurant out during the week...the weekends are packed.



The dinner menu had a variety of cuisine choices from Argentina to Louisiana. I honestly could not decide what to order. My indecisiveness lead to a ten minute debate between the Bali Thai Green Jungle Curry, Drum Pan Jerk Chicken and the Key Largo Coconut Prawns. Yeah, I know, how did I decide? I am a sucker for Thai, so I went with the curry. I was definitely not disappointed with my choice. It was served in a large bowl with a heaping side of yellow rice. It had just the right amount of spice and loaded with shrimp. Yum.

My friend had the Molly's Hot Tamales, one of their specialties. This dish is served with a couple different fillings but she had the artichoke filling. The portion was huge and came with yellow rice, black beans and all the mexican toppings. I can say it was one of the most colorful looking plates I have seen. So, she ate in Mexico and I was in Thailand, it could not get any better.

Also, Salvador Molly's was featured on the Travel Channel's very own, Man vs. Food! Adam came to Portland to try to eat their Great Balls of Fire, which are hot Habanero cheese fritters. If you eat all five, your picture is taken and placed on their wall of fame. Up for the challenge? Not for me, I will stick to my mild curry.

So if you are struggling to decide on a place to eat, try Salvador Molly's, you have no excuse because they serve everything! They are off Sunset Blvd in SW Portland. Let me know what you think!

www.salvadormollys.com

Sunday - Tuesday	11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday - Thursday	11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Friday- Saturday	11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Have a bite to eat and then see a show!

Recently, I just made a visit to The Venetian Theatre and Bistro. What a great place! This italian bistro is quaint and open for both lunch and dinner. We stopped in on a Sunday night, so it was pretty quiet, but I still enjoyed the overall dining experience.

We entered the building through the main entrance of both the bistro and the theatre. Since it was a Sunday, there were no shows going on, but there is an open bar that is accessible to both the dining guests and theatre guests. The ambiance was authentic and resembled a little italian restaurant with wine bottles lining the walls and small vases with flowers on the tables.

For dinner, I ordered the spinach manicotti and my boyfriend ordered the arrezzio pizza. The spinach manicotti was delicious, but very filling. The manicotti was covered in a garlic cream sauce and served with seasonal vegetables, including squash, peppers and zucchini. Well done for a traditional italian entrée. But, this was nothing compared to the pizza! The pizza was incredible and just piled high with delicious ingredients. The arrezzio pizza had italian sausage, pepperoni, artichoke hearts, peppers and more. It was an eight inch pizza and plenty for one person. I would highly recommend any of their pizzas, they all sounded excellent.



We really enjoyed our experience at The Venetian and next time we should go see a show and have dinner! The only complaint we had was about the iced tea...it was not freshly brewed. For some people this might me okay, but for us tea lovers, we like the real deal. The Nestea out of the soft drink fountain is just not refreshing.

Last, check out The Venetian on your birthday! You get a free entrée up to $15 and a piece of cheesecake! And on Sundays it is half off a bottle of wine when you buy two entrées. Great deal!

www.venetiantheatre.com

253 East Main Street
Hillsboro, OR 97123
(503) 693-3953

Chicken Lettuce Wraps never tasted better!

In addition to my insight on food, recipes and restaurants, I thought I would include a category on stellar happy hours with great food deals! Besides, happy hour is my favorite time of the day. Lets start it off with a china bistro staple, P.F. Changs. Two words, half off. Lettuce wraps are even tastier when they are only four bucks!



Below is a list of some of their appetizers offered during happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Prices range from $2 to $6.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Seared Ahi Tuna

Dynamite Shrimp

Crispy Green Beans (my favorite!)

Salt and Pepper Calamari

Spring Rolls

Dumplings

Spare Ribs

To find a location near you, check out http://www.pfchangs.com/pfc/locations.aspx.

It is pumpkin season!

As we approach the holiday season, many people have the sudden urge to bake and I am certainly not an exception. One of my favorite holiday ingredients to bake with is pumpkin. So far this season I have only made one pumpkin dessert but I wanted to share it with anyone who is looking for a sweet treat. It combines the delicious flavors of pumpkin and cinnamon with a yellow cake crust. Follow the three easy steps and your mouth will be watering in no time! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Bar Bake at 350° for 60-75 min

Crust

1 yellow cake mix (Pillsbury) reserve 1 cup for topping

½ cup butter or margarine (melted)

1 egg

Mix and spread in butter/floured 9x13 pan

Filling

1 29oz can of solid packed pumpkin (large can)

3 eggs

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar packed

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon (or pumpkin spice)

Pour over cake mixture

Topping

½ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup butter or margarine

remaining 1 cup of cake mix

Mix until crumbly, sprinkle over pumpkin mixture

Welcome home Chipotle!

Chipotle finally comes to Eugene and it seems to be a big hit! Could that have anything thing to do with the free food and drinks? Maybe. But, either way, customers seemed excited as they waited anxiously in line for their free burrito.

I was one of the many customers today at the pre-opening for Chipotle on Coburg Road. For me, there was no promotion necessary because I have been eating at Chipotles around the Portland area for awhile and have been awaiting the Eugene store's grand opening.

For those of you not familar with Chipotle, it is a trendy Mexican grill offering a variety of burritos, tacos, bowls and salads. The style of the restaurant is simple and unique, using metal and wood as their textiles of choice. According to their Web site (www.chipotle.com), they believe the food tastes better in a cool environment, so that is the inspiration behind the design of each restaurant. Chipotle values quality food that is natural, unprocessed, organic and sustainable. I think this type of product line will mesh well with the Eugene locals.

Now for the food - I am obviously bias because I have been eating at Chipotle for a couple years, but I think it is pretty darn good. Customers have a choice of beef, chicken, pork or vegetarian. These protein choices can then be combined with veggies, rice, pinto or black beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa, a corn mix, guacamole and sour cream. Your meal is prepared right in front of you, similar to the style of a Subway or Qdoba. My personal favorite is the chicken tacos with a side of guac and their fabulous tortilla chips. The food is good, served quick and there is a lot of it. One perk is Chipotles have their liquor license, so you can order a refreshing Corona on the side to pair with your Mexican meal.

The new Chipotle is located on Coburg right next to the car wash, across the street from the Verizon Wireless store. It is also right across the street from a Baja Fresh, I wonder how much this will affect their business?

Be sure to bring you appetite for their grand opening tomorrow, June 4, from 11a.m. -8p.m. for FREE FOOD!

For all those new to Chipotle, I would love to hear your feedback! Let me know what you think...

www.chipotle.com

Worth the wait - Dickie Jo's Burgers

I give thumbs up to the new 1950's diner-style restaurant in Eugene on 13th and Pearl, Dickie Jo's Burgers. It is not your typical diner with all the poodle skirt fluff; it is trendy and updated with some delicious burgers and ice cream.

This restaurant is another "Westraunt Concept" prototype of Phil and Jim West and first of its kind, so give it a chance. It is an affiliate with local restaurants, Mucho Gusto and Fina Taqueria. Yesterday was only their fifth day open, so there are still have some quirks to work out, but I have no complaints.



The menu is similar to any other diner with hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, onion rings, wedge salads, sandwiches and chili. The price point is not too bad, at about $6 - $8 for a meal. All their meats are naturally raised and made special for this restaurant without all the injected hormones. Always a plus!

Coming soon to the menu: a chicken salad and a chicken salad sandwich.

The best part of this place is their ICE CREAM. If you want rich, creamy, thick ice cream, this is your place. I had a chance to talk to the owner about their specialty, "It is made with some of the best flavors and is like Haagen Dazs coming out of a soft serve machine." He explained that is it traditional ice cream, served softly. As for me, it is quite honestly the best ice cream I have ever had!

Perks other than the food

- Two big screen televisions

- Great dining experience with an upbeat staff

- Fun, classic tunes, not your typical 50's genre.

- Refillable drinks, try the lemonade!

- Food served to you in 10 minutes or less (once the kitchen quirks are worked out)

I recommend everyone check this place out because I plan to go back. The owner assured me that everything will be running smoothly soon and he plans to open more Dickie Jo's if this one is a hit! I wish them the best of luck!