Restaurants: Cold Food, Apathetic Attitude ... Cha! Cha! Cha!

Cha! Cha! Cha!
5225 N. Lombard St
Portland, OR 97203
North Portland, Portsmouth
Phone number: (503) 802-2262
Website: chachachapdx.com
Prices: $$$$

Now I understand why this place rates just three stars. The food was good, but lukewarm and the staff obviously were more concerned about closing and cleaning up than customers.

I ordered the guacamole and chips ($4.95), a decent (not huge) size of mediocre guac and chips that seemed to be made in house. It is obvious when guacamole is cut with something (Imo, sour cream, tomatoes, etc.) to increase profit and this was, although not bad. Their house salsa was the highlight of the meal, containing all of the ingredients of pico de gallo (tomato, white onion, jalapeño or serrano chile, cilantro, and lime juice) roasted, then blended into a thick, creamy dipping sauce that was absolutely wonderful.

Then came dinner, quickly. When the entrees arrive so quickly, you know they are closing and want to pump out orders as fast as they can so they can clean (which I observed) or the stuff is all prepped and thrown together once ordered. My pet peeve, the server brought my entree before I was less than halfway through my appetizer ... HELLO, CHIPS, SALSA, AND GUACAMOLE ... please let me enjoy them before you bring my food.

In this case, it did not matter because the food was lukewarm, at best, when it arrived. I ordered two tacos ala carte ($3.50 each - one carne asada and one with "mama's braised beef") and a cheese and onion enchilada ($3.75 - with rojo - red - sauce). The enchilada was not cold, but almost, and the cheese inside had barely been melted. The flavor was actually quite good, but would have been much better properly warmed.

It was obvious that clean-up and closing were more important than customers because the cleaning started well before closing time and they turned away a couple that arrived a few minutes after 9pm (closing).

CombatCritic Gives Cha! Cha! Cha! 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





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Read Chris S.'s review of Cha! Cha! Cha! on Yelp

Title: Portland, OR: Cold Food, Apathetic Attitude ... Cha! Cha! Cha!

Key Words: Cha! Cha! Cha!, cha, Mexican, Portland, Oregon, taco, enchilada, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, product, service, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Fast Food (Vancouver, WA): Decent Burger(ville), Hot Fries ... Ho-Hum

Burgerville
8320 NE Vancouver Plaza Drive
Vancouver, WA 98662
Phone number: (360) 944-6230
Website: burgerville.com
Prices: $$$$

Empty when I walked in, I thought they might be closing. They were not.

I had heard about BURGERVILLE from an old, and I mean old, friend, so I had to give it a try and went all-in. I ordered the Colossal burger with bacon and a large fries. The burger was plentiful, reminiscent of burger (king) days gone by. The bun was big with lettuce, tomato pickle, two 1/4 pound patties, and a slab or two of pepper bacon ($6.50 plus the bacon). Good burger.

The fries were enough, but the difference between the "small", "medium", and "large" were miniscule and not particularly cheap. The first couple of fries were cold and the rest scalding hot, so I know they had dipped them in the fryer and mixed them with those left behind.

In all, not a bad meal. Better than McDonalds by miles and Burger King by about 5 years (since they downsized "The Whopper", not quite near the quality, flavor and free peanuts of Five Guys.

CombatCritic Gives Burgerville 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Burgerville on Yelp

Title: Vancouver, WA: Decent Burger(ville), Hot Fries ... Ho-Hum

Key Words: Burgerville, burger, ville, hamburger, Washington, Vancouver, WA, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = "Continue Mission"

PSSSSST ... Entrees Come AFTER The Diner Has Finished Their Appetizer

Thai Ginger
2020 N. Rosa Parks Way
Portland, OR 97217
North Portland, Arbor Lodge
Phone number: (503) 283-9731
Prices: $$$$

I arrived an hour before closing, but the man and woman running the place had already started closing. Beer and wine prices were a bit high and the selection of bottled beer was mostly from Asia, not my cup of beer, I mean tea, so I had water.

$4.95 for teeny tiny fried Thai Egg Rolls (aka frozen lumpia) and $10.50 for Beef Massaman Curry, $15.45 with NO TAX ... WHOO-HOO, not bad for a "decent" meal. The egg rolls were OK, but my entree arrived before I had finished my second egg roll, a pet peeve of mine, so they get dinged right off the bat, The curry was tasty enough, comparable to many similar curries I have had, but was a tad light on the beef (2-3 ounces at best) for the price.

I love Thai and this was mediocre at best, not a great value and less than stellar service, Thai Ginger was a bust.

CombatCritic Gives Thai Ginger 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Thai Ginger on Yelp

Title: Portland, OR: PSSSSST ... Entrees Come AFTER The Diner Has Finished Their Appetizer

Key Words: Thai Ginger, Thai, Thailand, ginger, curry, egg roll, appetizer, Portland, Oregon, OR, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Portland Restaurants Open On Christmas Day And Eve

Some do not like to cook on Christmas Day and others have nowhere to go, so I compiled a list for those who would like to go out for a meal this Christmas.

The following list is comprised of restaurants that were open last year, so please call before you go:

Christmas Eve

Acadia
1303 NE Fremont St
Portland, OR 97212
(503) 249-5001
acadiapdx.com

Altabira City Tavern
1021 NE Grand Ave
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 963-3600
altabira.com

Ava Gene's
3377 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202
(971) 229-0571
avagenes.com

Departure
525 SW Morrison St
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 802-5370
departureportland.com

Feisty Lamb
2174 W Burnside St.
Portland OR 97210
(503) 206-4253

Lechon
113 SW Naito Pkwy
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 219-9000
lechonpdx.com

Open Tandoor
4311 N Williams Ave

Portland, OR 97217
(503) 719-7347
opentandoor.com

The Woodsman Tavern

4537 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97206
(971) 373-8264
woodsmantavern.com

Tusk
2448 E Burnside St
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 894-8082
tuskpdx.com

Verdigris
1315 NE Fremont St
Portland, OR 97212
(503) 477-8106
verdigrisrestaurant.com

Christmas Day

East India Co. Grill & Bar
821 SW 11th Ave
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 227-8815
eicpdx.com

Feisty Lamb
2174 W Burnside St.
Portland OR 97210
(503) 206-4253

Headwaters
1001 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 790-7752
headwaterspdx.com

Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen
1038 SW Stark St
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 222-3354
kennyandzukes.com

KUNG POW!
500 NW 21st Ave
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 208-2173
kungpowpdx.com

Jake's Grill
611 SW 10th Ave
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 220-1850

Nel Centro
1408 SW 6th Ave
Portland, OR 97201
(503) 484-1099
nelcentro.com

Nob Hill Bar & Grill
937 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97210
(503) 274-9616

Prost
4237 N. Mississippi
Portland, OR 97217
North Portland, Boise, Mississippi
Phone number (503) 954-2674
6pm - 2:30am
http://www.prostportland.com/

Radio Room
1101 NE Alberta St
Portland, OR 97211
(503) 287-2346
radioroompdx.com

Sizzle Pie
624 E Burnside St
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-7437
sizzlepie.com

Stammtisch
401 NE 28th Ave
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 206-7983
stammtischpdx.com

Call-In and Carry-Out Only

Elephants Delicatessen
115 NW 22nd Ave
Portland, OR 97210
(503) 299-6304
elephantsdeli.com

Mi Mero Mole
5026 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97206
(503) 232-8226
mmmtacospdx.com

Pacific Pie Company
1520 SE 7th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 381-6157
pacificpieco.com

Por qué no?
3524 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR 97227
(503) 467-4149
porquenotacos.com

Chain Restaurants Open Christmas Day

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

applebees.com

4 to 11 p.m.

Denny’s

dennys.com

425 NE HASSALO ST
PORTLAND, OR 97232
(503) 236-3727

10428 S E STARK
PORTLAND, OR 97216
(503) 254-8460

11950 N. CENTER STREET
PORTLAND, OR 97217
(503) 285-0735

12101 SE 82ND AVE
HAPPY VALLEY, OR 97086
(503) 653-9589

Most locations plan to be open 24 hours on Christmas Day

IHOP

ihop.com

4931 SE 82nd Ave
PORTLAND, OR 97266-3103
(503) 771 1582

9840 NE Cascades Parkway
PORTLAND, OR 97220-6825
(503) 282 4467

Hours: Most locations will be open 24 hours Christmas Day but some locations will just be open from 6 a.m. to midnight

McDonald’s

mcdonalds.com

SW 2nd Ave
Portland, OR, USA

SE 2nd Ave
Portland, OR, USA

NE 2nd Ave
Portland, OR, USA

NW 2nd St
Portland, OR 97231, USA

NW 2nd Ave
Portland, OR 97209, USA

NE 2nd Ave
Portland, OR 97211, USA

NW 2nd Ct
Portland, OR 97231, USA


SW 2nd Ave
Portland, OR 97239, USA

Some franchisee owned locations will be open and some will be closed.

Additionally, many Chinese restaurants are normally open as are hotel dining rooms.

Good luck, buon appetito, and ... Merry Christmas!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Portland Restaurants Open On Christmas Day And Eve

Key Words: Portland Restaurants Open On Christmas Day And Eve, CombatCritic, holiday, Portland, Oregon, Christmas, day, eve, open, restaurants, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

I Adore Bargains And French Food, So I Loved Chez Machin!

Chez Machin

3553 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, OR 97214
Southeast Portland - Hawthorne, Sunnyside
Phone: (503) 736-9381
Website: chezmachin.com
Prices: $$$$

Chex Machin is a small place in the Hawthorne neighborhood of Portland, my two friends and I were the only diners at 5pm on a Sunday so we got all of the attention we required even if it was unenthusiastic.

Happy Hour runs from 3 to 6pm with a $3 cup of French Onion Soup, $6 Escargots and $5 Off bottles of wine. We got two orders of escargot, a cup of soup and a bottle each of a red Bordeaux and a white Riesling ($23 each after discount). We also ordered a Brie en Croûte ($9.95) off of the main menu as well as a Salade Lyonnaise ($9.95). The escargots were tender and full of buttery, garlicky goodness, but the server seemed to be hoarding the bread, bringing out tiny soup cups with 4-5 thin, small slices of baguette at a time. The brie, in puff pastry, was served with a berry compote and was tasty, but a bit underwhelming for the $10 price tag. The onion soup was good, but not the best I have had with more bread than cheese and the Lyonnaise salad scrummy with a poached egg on top of lettuce, crispy slab bacon, and croutons. 

We decided to order three different entrees in order to taste a bit of each. I had the Boeuf Bourguignon ($15.95) and my friends ordered the Steak Marchand de Vin ($24.95) and Chicken Cordon Bleu ($15.95). The chicken and steak came with green beans, but mine came solo although I did get a Salad Maison ($3) off the Happy Hour menu that was very good. The 10 ounce flatiron steak was tender, cooked a perfect medium, and served with a delicate burgundy cream sauce as well as au gratin potatoes and sautéed green beans. The cordon bleu was also very nicely done and the dijon cream sauce was the perfect accompaniment.

The waiter was efficient enough given that fact that we were his only table, but a bit stuffy for such a relaxed, casual bistro. The three of us ate and drank very well for the $141, plus tip, I paid for dinner. Oops, I forgot to tip the waiter ... just kidding! He was rewarded handsomely even if he was lacking a personality, giving him the benefit of the doubt considering that he was young and probably had a long Saturday night.

CombatCritic Gives Chez Machin 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... They Would Have Received My Top Score Had The Waiter Been Slightly Friendly ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Chez Machin

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Portland, OR: IChez Machin

3553 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, OR 97214
Southeast Portland - Hawthorne, Sunnyside
Phone: (503) 736-9381
Website: chezmachin.com
Prices: $$$$

Chex Machin is a small place in the Hawthorne neighborhood of Portland, my two friends and I were the only diners at 5pm on a Sunday so we got all of the attention we required even if it was unenthusiastic.

Happy Hour runs from 3 to 6pm with a $3 cup of French Onion Soup, $6 Escargots and $5 Off bottles of wine. We got two orders of escargot, a cup of soup and a bottle each of a red Bordeaux and a white Riesling ($23 each after discount). We also ordered a Brie en Croûte ($9.95) off of the main menu as well as a Salade Lyonnaise ($9.95). The escargots were tender and full of buttery, garlicky goodness, but the server seemed to be hoarding the bread, bringing out tiny soup cups with 4-5 thin, small slices of baguette at a time. The brie, in puff pastry, was served with a berry compote and was tasty, but a bit underwhelming for the $10 price tag. The onion soup was good, but not the best I have had with more bread than cheese and the Lyonnaise salad scrummy with a poached egg on top of lettuce, crispy slab bacon, and croutons. 

We decided to order three different entrees in order to taste a bit of each. I had the Boeuf Bourguignon ($15.95) and my friends ordered the Steak Marchand de Vin ($24.95) and Chicken Cordon Bleu ($15.95). The chicken and steak came with green beans, but mine came solo although I did get a Salad Maison ($3) off the Happy Hour menu that was very good. The 10 ounce flatiron steak was tender, cooked a perfect medium, and served with a delicate burgundy cream sauce as well as au gratin potatoes and sautéed green beans. The cordon bleu was also very nicely done and the dijon cream sauce was the perfect accompaniment.

The waiter was efficient enough given that fact that we were his only table, but a bit stuffy for such a relaxed, casual bistro. The three of us ate and drank very well for the $141, plus tip, I paid for dinner. Oops, I forgot to tip the waiter ... just kidding! He was rewarded handsomely even if he was lacking a personality, giving him the benefit of the doubt considering that he was young and probably had a long Saturday night.

CombatCritic Gives Chez Machin 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... They Would Have Received My Top Score Had The Waiter Been Slightly Friendly ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Chez Machin

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Portland, OR: I Adore Bargains And French Food, So I Loved Chez Machin!

Key Words:  Portland, OR, Oregon, French, Chez Machin, chez, machin, escargot, Hawthorne, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: OOH-RAH! = "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"