3244 SE Belmont St, Portland, 97214
The Pied Cow definitely has its quirky charms: it's a big old Victorian house right on Belmont with seating in three parlors (how quaint!); it also has a magical outdoor seating area that's perfect for lounging on warm summer nights; it's open late on the weekends, which is especially great for the under-21 crowd; it's dog-friendly (they even have menu items for your dog!); great desserts, including a $50 sundae (for sharing, of course) and an amazing chocolate velvet cheesecake; it serves beer and wine in addition to decent coffee drinks; they've got hookahs.
On the down side, the service is pretty unreliable. It's taken me 20 minutes before just to get a server's attention to order something. Definitely not someplace to stop into on your way to a movie. Aside from desserts, I can't recommend their food, either, unfortunately. The spicy refried bean dip was downright disgusting, the hummus plate merely so-so.
In short, if you're not in a hurry, not particularly hungry, and you're just looking for a lovely outdoor spot to hang out with friends (including your furry ones) for a cup of coffee or tea or for dessert, I recommend this spot. But really: don't be in a hurry.
Showing posts with label Hawthorne/Belmont. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawthorne/Belmont. Show all posts
15 June 2012
05 March 2009
Aquí
1408 SE 12th Ave, Portland, 97214
The short of it: edible, but not my new favorite Mexican restaurant.
Pluses: nice outdoor seating area (love the booths and the cool tin lampshades), very friendly server, management that actually works, enchilada sauce on my companion's dish was very good, Cadillac margarita was better than average.
Minuses: had to pay $2 for too-thick chips & three kinds of crappy salsas (BOOOO!!!), the cuisine is most definitely mexicanish-for-yuppies. Take the "potatoes olé," for example: while delicious, I am not aware that russet golds mashed with corn, carrots and pepper Jack is a traditional Mexican recipe. I had a wet burrito: very large, sort of tasted like cardboard, not worth the money. I prefer Laughing Planet's burritos to Aquí's.
The verdict: wouldn't go there again. Not even for the margarita.
The short of it: edible, but not my new favorite Mexican restaurant.
Pluses: nice outdoor seating area (love the booths and the cool tin lampshades), very friendly server, management that actually works, enchilada sauce on my companion's dish was very good, Cadillac margarita was better than average.
Minuses: had to pay $2 for too-thick chips & three kinds of crappy salsas (BOOOO!!!), the cuisine is most definitely mexicanish-for-yuppies. Take the "potatoes olé," for example: while delicious, I am not aware that russet golds mashed with corn, carrots and pepper Jack is a traditional Mexican recipe. I had a wet burrito: very large, sort of tasted like cardboard, not worth the money. I prefer Laughing Planet's burritos to Aquí's.
The verdict: wouldn't go there again. Not even for the margarita.
09 November 2008
Common Grounds
4321 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, 97215
I spent quite a bit of time at Common Grounds this week and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite coffee houses in P-town.
So far I've eaten toasted bagels, a cup of chicken dumpling soup, and a tuna melt here. The bagels were quite satisfactory, the cream cheese lovely and rich. The soup was just okay. The tuna melt was surprising and delicious: in addition to the usual mayo and onions, the tuna salad also contained bits of Granny Smith apple. Oooh!
The espresso drinks have not wowed me, but the house coffee is freakin' amazing. Two cups and I'm as jittery as all get-out. Refills on a 16 oz. are only 65 cents.
I also like that the staff is genuine and seem to really enjoy working there.
But what I like best about this place is that it was designed to invite people to spend many hours there. They offer chess and a great selection of magazines. There are couches and stools at the window in addition to tables. There are plenty of places to plug in computers. The music is mellow and kept at just the right volume. And you can spend half the day there without getting kicked out or asked to buy something else, as I learned from personal experience.
And the bathroom smells like pumpkin spice!
Common Grounds, I think I love you.
I spent quite a bit of time at Common Grounds this week and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite coffee houses in P-town.
So far I've eaten toasted bagels, a cup of chicken dumpling soup, and a tuna melt here. The bagels were quite satisfactory, the cream cheese lovely and rich. The soup was just okay. The tuna melt was surprising and delicious: in addition to the usual mayo and onions, the tuna salad also contained bits of Granny Smith apple. Oooh!
The espresso drinks have not wowed me, but the house coffee is freakin' amazing. Two cups and I'm as jittery as all get-out. Refills on a 16 oz. are only 65 cents.
I also like that the staff is genuine and seem to really enjoy working there.
But what I like best about this place is that it was designed to invite people to spend many hours there. They offer chess and a great selection of magazines. There are couches and stools at the window in addition to tables. There are plenty of places to plug in computers. The music is mellow and kept at just the right volume. And you can spend half the day there without getting kicked out or asked to buy something else, as I learned from personal experience.
And the bathroom smells like pumpkin spice!
Common Grounds, I think I love you.
02 November 2008
The Cricket Café
3159 SE Belmont, Portland, 97214
*This is a Plain Jane favorite!*
Sunday brunch is a popular tradition in Portland, and quite honestly my favorite meal of the week. The restaurant I keep going back to is The Cricket Café.
What I love about this place is THE FOOD! I've not eaten anything here that's less than amazing, though I particularly recommend the Cricket Skillet if you love dairy like I do. I love that you can get yourself a cup of coffee while you're waiting for a table. I love the tattooed staff, who are friendly and professional but not obsequious. I love the orange juice and the hash browns. And best of all I love the prices: the Cricket Skillet is only $8.25 and it's twice as much as I can eat in one sitting. They also have dog-friendly seating available outside, if the weather's nice.
I will admit that the Cricket has a couple drawbacks. Firstly, it is so popular on a weekend morning that I almost always have to wait at least half an hour for a table (though that's pretty standard for any decent brunch place in the area). Secondly, sometimes I feel slightly claustrophobic amid the small, tightly-packed tables (though so far I have not accidentally elbowed or butt-bumped anyone).
A new complaint from this most recent experience was that the music was just too dang loud and my brunch companions and I had to shout to be heard. (Note to establishments: the music should be set at a volume just BELOW that of the conversation, not above it.) But in general that has not been a problem at the Cricket in the past.
The verdict: Yum, yum, gimme some! This place has been a favorite of mine for years. All thumbs up.
*This is a Plain Jane favorite!*
Sunday brunch is a popular tradition in Portland, and quite honestly my favorite meal of the week. The restaurant I keep going back to is The Cricket Café.
What I love about this place is THE FOOD! I've not eaten anything here that's less than amazing, though I particularly recommend the Cricket Skillet if you love dairy like I do. I love that you can get yourself a cup of coffee while you're waiting for a table. I love the tattooed staff, who are friendly and professional but not obsequious. I love the orange juice and the hash browns. And best of all I love the prices: the Cricket Skillet is only $8.25 and it's twice as much as I can eat in one sitting. They also have dog-friendly seating available outside, if the weather's nice.
I will admit that the Cricket has a couple drawbacks. Firstly, it is so popular on a weekend morning that I almost always have to wait at least half an hour for a table (though that's pretty standard for any decent brunch place in the area). Secondly, sometimes I feel slightly claustrophobic amid the small, tightly-packed tables (though so far I have not accidentally elbowed or butt-bumped anyone).
A new complaint from this most recent experience was that the music was just too dang loud and my brunch companions and I had to shout to be heard. (Note to establishments: the music should be set at a volume just BELOW that of the conversation, not above it.) But in general that has not been a problem at the Cricket in the past.
The verdict: Yum, yum, gimme some! This place has been a favorite of mine for years. All thumbs up.
Hoda's
3401 SE Belmont, Portland, 97214
I was very sad when, a few years ago, the Garbanzo's restaurants started disappearing. I was in love with their prices as well as their chicken shwarma and freakin' amazing tahini. Since then I've only eaten at one middle eastern restaurant that I thought merited a return visit, and that's Hoda's.
I've only been to Hoda's twice, but both times the food and the service have been exceptional. It's a little more expensive than my ideal ($12-15 per plate), but so far it's been worth it. I'll tell you why.
1. The hummus. They peel the skins off the chickpeas before blending, so it's the smoothest, creamiest, dreamiest hummus imaginable. (Very near as good as that Garbanzo's tahini I couldn't get enough of.)
2. The lamb shanks. This is the weekend special, and just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Two fist-sized hunks of marinated lamb, so tender that just touching the fork to it causes it to literally fall off the bone. Topped with pine nuts and served with rice (or, if you're me, you sub hummus for the rice). Oh, it also comes with a dish of that cucumber yoghurt stuff and some veggie garnish, if you're into that kind of thing.
3. Fresh-baked pita bread that's served piping hot to your table every 10-15 minutes. Sometimes it hardens and gets a little crackery, but if you eat it while it's warm it's nice and soft and dippable.
4. Ample seating, a warm & inviting interior, sufficient background noise but quiet enough to hold a conversation without having to raise my voice to be heard.
5. Attentive service. I've read other reviews that dis on the service at Hoda's, but I can't for the life of me see what they're complaining about. Both times I've been there the servers have rotated around the room at regular intervals, checking on each table from a polite distance and making sure our water glasses and bread baskets were never empty.
6. Large portions. I love it when I pay for a meal that turns out to be two meals, or even three. My dining companions were satisfied sharing a lamb shwarma plate between the two of them, while I took home half my lamb shank dinner. In fact it is calling to me from the fridge this very moment (drool, drool).
The down side to Hoda's? Hm. I'll scrape the bottom of the barrel for this one and say they could use some booths; there are none. But honestly, aside from the fact that I prefer my food a little cheaper, I have nothing negative to say about this place.
Hoda's gets a silver star from this foodie.
I was very sad when, a few years ago, the Garbanzo's restaurants started disappearing. I was in love with their prices as well as their chicken shwarma and freakin' amazing tahini. Since then I've only eaten at one middle eastern restaurant that I thought merited a return visit, and that's Hoda's.
I've only been to Hoda's twice, but both times the food and the service have been exceptional. It's a little more expensive than my ideal ($12-15 per plate), but so far it's been worth it. I'll tell you why.
1. The hummus. They peel the skins off the chickpeas before blending, so it's the smoothest, creamiest, dreamiest hummus imaginable. (Very near as good as that Garbanzo's tahini I couldn't get enough of.)
2. The lamb shanks. This is the weekend special, and just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Two fist-sized hunks of marinated lamb, so tender that just touching the fork to it causes it to literally fall off the bone. Topped with pine nuts and served with rice (or, if you're me, you sub hummus for the rice). Oh, it also comes with a dish of that cucumber yoghurt stuff and some veggie garnish, if you're into that kind of thing.
3. Fresh-baked pita bread that's served piping hot to your table every 10-15 minutes. Sometimes it hardens and gets a little crackery, but if you eat it while it's warm it's nice and soft and dippable.
4. Ample seating, a warm & inviting interior, sufficient background noise but quiet enough to hold a conversation without having to raise my voice to be heard.
5. Attentive service. I've read other reviews that dis on the service at Hoda's, but I can't for the life of me see what they're complaining about. Both times I've been there the servers have rotated around the room at regular intervals, checking on each table from a polite distance and making sure our water glasses and bread baskets were never empty.
6. Large portions. I love it when I pay for a meal that turns out to be two meals, or even three. My dining companions were satisfied sharing a lamb shwarma plate between the two of them, while I took home half my lamb shank dinner. In fact it is calling to me from the fridge this very moment (drool, drool).
The down side to Hoda's? Hm. I'll scrape the bottom of the barrel for this one and say they could use some booths; there are none. But honestly, aside from the fact that I prefer my food a little cheaper, I have nothing negative to say about this place.
Hoda's gets a silver star from this foodie.
25 October 2008
Pad Thai Kitchen
2309 SE Belmont St, Portland, 97214
Portland has a ton of good Thai restaurants, and this one runs with the pack.
Probably my favorite part about this restaurant is the preponderance of booths. I like booths. It also has a pleasant staff that serves the food up fast. The chicken Tom Ka soup we ordered (mild) was divine, and the chicken satay with peanut sauce was delicious.
On the down side, the Pad Thai Kitchen seemed a little on the expensive side to me. One appetizer, one salad, one soup, one main dish and a glass of wine came to $40. I seem to recall ordering similar amounts at other Portland-area Thai restaurants for almost half the price. Also, the shrimp on the main dish was a tad overcooked, which kind of ruins the shrimp experience for me.
The verdict: average-quality Thai food a little on the spendy side. If I were on Belmont and hankering for some Tom Ka, I'd come back to the Pad Thai Kitchen and pass on the wine to keep it under ten bucks.
Portland has a ton of good Thai restaurants, and this one runs with the pack.
Probably my favorite part about this restaurant is the preponderance of booths. I like booths. It also has a pleasant staff that serves the food up fast. The chicken Tom Ka soup we ordered (mild) was divine, and the chicken satay with peanut sauce was delicious.
On the down side, the Pad Thai Kitchen seemed a little on the expensive side to me. One appetizer, one salad, one soup, one main dish and a glass of wine came to $40. I seem to recall ordering similar amounts at other Portland-area Thai restaurants for almost half the price. Also, the shrimp on the main dish was a tad overcooked, which kind of ruins the shrimp experience for me.
The verdict: average-quality Thai food a little on the spendy side. If I were on Belmont and hankering for some Tom Ka, I'd come back to the Pad Thai Kitchen and pass on the wine to keep it under ten bucks.
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