The Florida Room

435 N Killingsworth St, Portland, 97217
*This is a Plain Jane favorite.*

You know what kicks ass about the Florida Room? Everything.

I got hooked on the Flo' Ro' when I lived two blocks away and was semi-unemployed. I probably spent more time at this bar than at home during those five months; hence it became my Cheers. Now I live an inconvenient distance away (i.e. farther than stumbling), but I keep going back. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. 3-7pm happy hour every day. That's right, every day, including weekends. $1.50 for a pint of Pabst during happy hour. $1 cans of Old German all the time.
2. This place is all about the art. No, seriously! It's weird art, but art nonetheless. Take for example the rotating front window display to the right of the door. Often features nude barbies in compromising positions, but every week a new twist. Or there are the hand-painted tables inside. Or the hand-drawn art on the chalkboard beer menu behind the bar. One of their employees does that, and she's freakin' awesome. Or the generic landscape paintings all over the place that someone added the Hamms bear and other cartoon characters into. Holy crap, that's genius!
3. Speaking of art, they even allow you to create some of your own: the bathroom walls are painted in chalkboard paint and chalk is provided. This often ends in a lot of genitalia drawings and swear words, but every so often there's something original and worthwhile. Not that I have anything against genitalia or swear words.
4. Bacon-infused vodka. Okay, I've never tried it, but I like that they have it. But it doesn't stop there, folks. They are, in fact, quite famous for their Bloody Marys. "Church of the Bloody Mary" menu. Check it out.
5. There's a covered, outdoor patio for smokers that's semi-enclosed in plastic during the cooler months and is equipped with overhead heaters. So considerate! And did I mention you can bring your DOG to the patio? Hell yeah. Why leave your best friend at home when s/he can kick it at the bar with you? As long as s/he is well-behaved and gets along with other dogs and people, that is.
6. And I can't neglect to mention the peeps: I adore the staff! They are funky and funny and quirky and kind. Unless you are a jerk or creeping out the customers, in which case they will not hesitate to 86 you. As it should be, in my opinion.

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.

Thai Food Café

833 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, 97217

Shortly after this place opened, about a month ago, one of my roommates was walking by and happened to glance in through the window. To his surprise, a short woman standing behind the counter waved at him. Not wanting to be rude, my roommie waved back. The woman was quickly joined by a 50-something, silver-haired man, who beckoned my roommate to enter. Again, not wanting to be rude, and curious now about who these people were (did they recognize him from somewhere?), he entered.

Turns out the wavers were the restaurant's owners trying to get new people into their place. An interesting tactic. The roommate was on his way somewhere and couldn't stop to eat, but before jetting out the door he mumbled a promise to come back sometime.

As far as I know, the roommate hasn't returned to Thai Food Café to eat, but I've been in twice. Both times I had a joygasm over the Tom Kha soup, which is far better than the Pad Thai Kitchen's already excellent Tom Kha. Thai Food Café's mild chicken Tom Kha is flavorful, complex, and still spicy enough to make me sweat without setting my tongue on fire. How did they do that?!

The only other dish I've sampled is the Crab Fried Rice, which sounded excellent but was a disappointment to me. To be fair, the Crab Fried Rice is subtle and shouldn't have been tasted after I'd been slurping on the Tom Kha. But there also wasn't much fried about it, and the frozen Five Vegetable Medley in the rice put me off.

My dinner companion on my first visit, however, seemed quite happy with the salad rolls, and though she found the pumpkin in the pumpkin curry not cooked *quite* enough, she said she was glad at least that it was not overcooked.

I did enjoy the ambiance. It's kind of a funky, festive, cafeteria-style eatery, with plastic tablecloths, kitschy decor and bright colors everywhere...very appropriate to North Portland. The local jazz station plays at an acceptable volume that adds to the atmosphere without drowning out the patrons' voices.

They're open every day from 11am to 9pm, and with house specials like Flaming Beef (served on fire) and Evil Jungle Noodles, daily lunch specials for $6.50 and a bomb bowl of Tom Kah, this place is a decent choice for PCC Cascade students.