East Burn Restaurant

I was delighted to be treated to brunch out Sunday. My daughter moved over near the Laurelhurst area and so I was browsing Google for restaurants in the area and found the East Burn. I was delighted to find that there was NO waiting at 10:30 a.m. The bartender was welcoming and I had : the Vivacious Mary- $5 Made with House Smoked Tomatoes and New Deal Distillery-Hot Monkey Vodka. It was delicious and so I had two, actually.

We had the Cow Tipper Omelet -Slices of Marinated Flank Steak, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Cheddar Cheese. Topped with Horseradish Cream. And, Cheffrey’s Corned Beef Hash - House Smoked Corned Beef Brisket with Diced Potatoes and Onions. Served with Two Eggs cooked to order and choice of toast.

The flavor of the brisket was absolutely delicous and the flank steak was cooked to perfection.

As a fun, free starter we were brought a plate of tastes of four different doughnuts... cool !

And, there was great background music flowing and adding to the gread experience.

Restaurant site.

http://www.theeastburn.com/

MySpace page...

http://profile.myspace.com/theeastburnpdx

the East Burn

1800 E Burnside

Portland, OR

(503) 236-2876

The Stinking Rose, San Francisco

Another great encounter with this restaurant specializing in garlic dishes. As they claim... "they season their garlic with food." IF YOU LOVE GARLIC, YOU'LL LOVE THIS PLACE ! ! ! I kept things simple and started with the Bagna Calda which is: Garlic cloves, oven-roasted in extra virgin olive oil & butter with a hint of anchovy. A wonderful treat for spreading on our house-baked focaccia bread. Served at your table in an iron skillet. And then followed with Gnocchetti with Garlic gorgonzola, asparagus & toasted pine nuts... of course, I had to add some of the roasted garlic cloves from the appetizer. And finished with a chocholate tiramisu. They are even in the Guiness Book of World Records with the longest braided garlic strand hanging in the rafters.

The Stinking Rose
325 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 781-7673

Blue Moose Cafe

I had another delightful lunch with a friend at the Blue Moose Cafe in northeast Portland. It is a small, kid friendly, neighborhood restaurant that has an excellent variety of vegetarian offerings. The service is fast and very friendly. They bring you a few small samplers of their choice of soups made fresh daily. The prices are modest and the food is outstanding.

Blue Moose Cafe

4936 NE Fremont St.

Portland, OR 97213

(503) 548-4475

Three Square Grill in Hillsdale, OR

Went to dinner with my daughter, Megan, at Three Square Grill in Hillsdale a suburb of Portland. It is very much a restaurant in the "slow food" tradition. The venue is small and intimate. Seems to be very much family run. The food is superb ! ! !

To start, we shared:

Potato-Leek Pancake with our Coho Salmon Lox + Cultured Creme Fraiche.

Spicy Garlic Fries with Habañero Salt and Malt Vinegar.

Fried Okra, Pickles + Hushpuppies with Jalapeño Jelly.

For dinner, I had:

Fried Catfish with Oyster, Shrimp + Crawfish Etoufée over Corn Grits and Collards.

And, Megan had:

Penne Pasta Baked with Chicken, Roast Tomato + Tiny Eggplant, Pesto and Tumalo Tomme.

They also make their own hot sauce. Both were tasty and the habenero one wasn't to hot.

Three Square Grill

6320 SW Capitol Highway

Portland, Oregon 97201

Phone: (503) 244-4467

Salvador Molly's For Lunch

Another wonderful lunch with my daughter, Erin. We always enjoy Salvador Molly's for lunch and it was a beautiful day to sit outside. I had the Fish Taco's and she had the Mojo Veggie Burrito...

BAJA FISH TACOS Sal’s Famous beer battered cod topped withEnsenada aioli, salsa fresca, Yucatan pickledonions, cotija cheese and cabbage with coconutrice and black beans.

MOJO VEGGIE BURRITO Choose from our Mojo Kalua pork, jerk chickenCaesar, Yucatan chicken, or Mojo veggie – we’llstuff it all into a huge flour tortilla with coconutrice, black beans, salsa fresca and three cheeses.Topped with cream and guacamole.

Salvador Molly's
1523 SW Sunset Blvd.
Portland, OR
(503) 293-1790

Marco's Cafe & Espresso Bar

A very nice lunch last week.

Huevos Chilaquilles - two eggs scrambled with thin strips of corn tortillas, salsa and red potato, served with black beans and jack cheese

QuicheLorraine - ham, bacon, Swiss cheese and scallions

Marco's Cafe

7910 SW 35th Ave

Portland, OR 97219

503-245-0199

Seasons and Regions Restaurant

A very nice late lunch with my daughter, Megan. From 3 pm until 5:30 pm, these are items for only $2.95 on the July Cheap Food Menu.

Pepe's Bay Shrimp Tostada:

Fresh Oregon bay shrimp Shredded cabbage, Jalapeno jack & black beans on a crispy corn tortilla. Topped with chipotle sour cream.

Wine Poached Salmon & Spiced Beet Salad:
Fresh salmon poached with fresh dill, chives & white wine. Served chilled on mixed greens with fresh beets, red onion, tomato, croutons & fresh dill sauce.

Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad:
Crisp romaine tossed with garlic croutons, fresh grated parmesan, and topped with our own fresh house smoked salmon.

6660 SW Capitol Highway

Portland, OR 97219

503.244.6400

When in Santa Cruz...

Another wonderful lunch while visiting my daughter in Santa Cruz was this Greek Feta vegetarian sandwich with a tapenade spread. DELICIOUS... This deli can get crowded but is worth the short wait. Fun people watching when sitting out front on a sunny day.

Zoccoli's Deli

1534 Pacific Avenue

Santa Cruz, CA 95060

831-423-1711

Monterey Visit

This was a delightful lunch last fall in Monterey while visiting my daughter in Santa Cruz... A most inviting and beautiful "fresh" display case and... check out the sweet prawn roe ! ! !

Gilbert's Seafood Grill Restaurant

30 Fisherman's Wharf #1
Monterey, CA

831-375-3113