6500 SW Virginia Ave, Portland, 97239
*This is a Plain Jane favorite!*
Oh. My. God. I would be happy to die here. My stomach will explode just like Mr. Creosote in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life because it is so good I just can't stop.
I first heard about Porcelli's from some fellow food-fiends who took me there for brunch. Brunch at an Italian restaurant? Yes. And it was good. No, it was great. The breakfast menu is on the small side, but they have the important stuff, like eggs benedict and a plain ol' eggs/bacon/potatoes/toast combo.
But that's deceiving, because their potatoes are anything but "plain ol'." I'm not exactly sure what they do to them, but it's freaking amazing. I was expecting the same old rosemary home fries, but instead I got something more like a potato casserole with onions, cheese, paprika, and god-knows-what. Whatever you do, do not substitute hash browns; you will be sorry you missed the house potatoes.
The eggs benedict would have been perfect if I had remembered to order my eggs poached hard (I HATE runny eggs!!), but the English muffin, ham and hollandaise were divine.
On my second visit I had dinner. Since it was my first dinner experience at Porcelli's, I just had to try their fettuccine alfredo with shrimp. I couldn't believe it; it was almost too rich for me! It was a vat of heavy cream and butter and melted parmesan in which swam perfectly-cooked fettuccine noodles and shrimp.
And, oh yes, the Caesar salad was very good: fresh romaine, garlicky dressing, house-made balsamic vinegar croutons, freshly grated parmesan cheese. Drool, drool, drool...
The only thing that makes me sad about Porcelli's: no booths! But to be honest, I was so busy enjoying my food that I barely noticed. The interior is very pleasing: simple yet elegant.
The pricing, well, the breakfast was definitely average, at $8-10 a plate for a good-sized portion. The dinner is a little spendier at $12-15 a plate, but totally worth it. And you do get free bread with your entree. =*)
The verdict: Thank goodness for a decent job and regular martial arts classes; I can afford the bill and the calories.
Update: Have since revisited this fine establishment for dinner. Still give it rave reviews. My companions and I had the wild mushroom ravioli in cream sauce, lobster ravioli in lemon-cream sauce with capers, and a lovely risotto with mushrooms and artichoke hearts in a cream sauce. (Sorry; I don't remember the Italian names of these dishes.) All absolutely divine. Has earned a Plain Jane Favorites award.
On the down side of this last visit: the salads weren't as impressive this time, and the live music was neither welcome nor conducive to a pleasant dining experience. Was not that they were bad; just that they were too loud for the space and wanted attention, which I think is too much to ask for people stuffing their faces with cream sauces and trying to have a conversation.
29 January 2009
Eddie's Pizza
1210 N Killingsworth St, Portland, 97217
Awesome pizza, kick-ass wings, and HUGE, HUGE, HUGE portions!
Have eaten here twice. First time was pizza with thick & crunchy crust (they also have thin crust pizza) and buffalo wings (sauce: mild with garlic). At first was confused about the price of the wings and the fact that you could order just 3 of them, but when they came the mystery was solved. These ain't no little drummettes, my friends. These are real, enormous chicken wings. The "mild" sauce was plenty spicy. Delish! The pizza, too, was impressive. As was the red wine.
The second time was for lunch, and my companions and I discovered that in addition to great pizza and wings, they have scrumptious, enormous sandwiches and fresh, gigantic salads. One thing you cannot accuse Eddie of is skimping on the portions. And yet the prices are still so very reasonable!
Speaking of Eddie, he was there in the flesh both times I went in. There and actually working (as opposed to some owners who merely lurk in the guise of "supervising"). He was friendly and personal and asked after us, but without being creepy or overbearing.
The restaurant is newly renovated, too, with a faux gas fireplace that really does blow hot air into the room, gorgeous tiling, spacious booths covered in red vinyl (I am such a sucker for red vinyl booths!), and an overall pleasant, open atmosphere.
There are only two things I think could use improvement. First, they only offer Barq's rootbeer. Yuck! I know a lot of people love pizza & beer, but for me it's pizza and rootbeer, and I would to see them offer a bottled one like ICB or Thomas Kemper. Second, the timing of the food was off. First one person's sandwich came, then a few minutes later another person's, then a basket of fries, then a salad...you get the idea. It took probably 10 minutes for all the food to get on the table. Would've been nice to have had it all come at roughly the same time.
The verdict: This is a great value. Good food, huge portions, reasonable prices.
Awesome pizza, kick-ass wings, and HUGE, HUGE, HUGE portions!
Have eaten here twice. First time was pizza with thick & crunchy crust (they also have thin crust pizza) and buffalo wings (sauce: mild with garlic). At first was confused about the price of the wings and the fact that you could order just 3 of them, but when they came the mystery was solved. These ain't no little drummettes, my friends. These are real, enormous chicken wings. The "mild" sauce was plenty spicy. Delish! The pizza, too, was impressive. As was the red wine.
The second time was for lunch, and my companions and I discovered that in addition to great pizza and wings, they have scrumptious, enormous sandwiches and fresh, gigantic salads. One thing you cannot accuse Eddie of is skimping on the portions. And yet the prices are still so very reasonable!
Speaking of Eddie, he was there in the flesh both times I went in. There and actually working (as opposed to some owners who merely lurk in the guise of "supervising"). He was friendly and personal and asked after us, but without being creepy or overbearing.
The restaurant is newly renovated, too, with a faux gas fireplace that really does blow hot air into the room, gorgeous tiling, spacious booths covered in red vinyl (I am such a sucker for red vinyl booths!), and an overall pleasant, open atmosphere.
There are only two things I think could use improvement. First, they only offer Barq's rootbeer. Yuck! I know a lot of people love pizza & beer, but for me it's pizza and rootbeer, and I would to see them offer a bottled one like ICB or Thomas Kemper. Second, the timing of the food was off. First one person's sandwich came, then a few minutes later another person's, then a basket of fries, then a salad...you get the idea. It took probably 10 minutes for all the food to get on the table. Would've been nice to have had it all come at roughly the same time.
The verdict: This is a great value. Good food, huge portions, reasonable prices.
15 January 2009
La Costita
7405 SE Barbur Blvd Suite 110, Portland, 97219
Booooo! Hissss!
This used to be a Plain Jane favorite for the high yum factor, large portions, free chips & salsa, reasonable prices and friendly staff. They must've changed management recently, however, because my visit last week was sorely disappointing.
1. They stopped serving rice & beans on the side with my chicken mole: now it's only rice. The plate looked practically bare.
2. They charged for the chips & salsa. Boooooo!
3. It could have just been the server we got, but she was decidedly less friendly and relaxed than any other server I'd ever had there in the past. I blame the management. Happy staff make customers happy; unhappy staff make customers unhappy.
4. The prices haven't changed, but the portions are smaller. This goes for the side of sour cream & guacamole as well; for $2.50 I received only a small dollop of each. Hissssss!
I am not a person who is naturally averse to change, but the recent changes at La Costita are decidedly for the worse.
Overall: I'm very grumpy about having to find a new favorite Mexican restaurant. =*(
Booooo! Hissss!
This used to be a Plain Jane favorite for the high yum factor, large portions, free chips & salsa, reasonable prices and friendly staff. They must've changed management recently, however, because my visit last week was sorely disappointing.
1. They stopped serving rice & beans on the side with my chicken mole: now it's only rice. The plate looked practically bare.
2. They charged for the chips & salsa. Boooooo!
3. It could have just been the server we got, but she was decidedly less friendly and relaxed than any other server I'd ever had there in the past. I blame the management. Happy staff make customers happy; unhappy staff make customers unhappy.
4. The prices haven't changed, but the portions are smaller. This goes for the side of sour cream & guacamole as well; for $2.50 I received only a small dollop of each. Hissssss!
I am not a person who is naturally averse to change, but the recent changes at La Costita are decidedly for the worse.
Overall: I'm very grumpy about having to find a new favorite Mexican restaurant. =*(
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