TravelValue: Portland, Oregon

Monday, April 2, 2018

Find "The Fatties" On Davis If In Need Of A Taco Fix In The Pearl

Los Gorditos

922 NW Davis Street

Portland, OR 97209

Pearl District

Phone number (503) 805-5323

Website: losgorditospdx.com

Prices: $$$$

On the plus side, the food was decent with reasonable portions and fair prices, particularly for downtown. On the flip side, the employees were too busy talking to assist us or communicate succinctly, the salsa bar's contents were mostly frozen, I am talking "ice", and I got a huge piece of gristle in my carne asada taco.

The place was not what I expected with stainless steel, glass and modern black tables and chairs instead of the colorful Mexican decor you routinely find in a mom and pop cantina. You pick from "vegan", "vegetarian", or "meat" menus sitting in front of the grill area, ordering at the adjacent register where they give you a number to place on your table. There were only high-tops and one four-top table with two long "family-style" tables with seating for 12, so be prepared to interact with strangers if so inclined.

We ordered Chips and Salsa ($3.50), a side of Guacamole ($2), a Quesadilla with Chopped Carne Asada ala carte ($5), two Carne Asada Tacos (2 x $2 = $4), and an Enchilada Plate (carne asada, rice and beans - $10.50).

The chips were OK, neither fresh nor warm and the salsa very orange with a strange taste, not bad, but odd. The guacamole was pretty good, made with fresh avocados and chopped tomato, a nice portion and an excellent value at just $2.

The quesadilla was a decent size and tasty with plenty of cheese and carne asada. My tacos had plenty o' chopped carne asada, but one had a piece of gristle the size of my pinky inside, at least I hope it was gristle, still a bargain at $2 each. The enchiladas were also pretty good, but a tad on the dry side and the rice/beans OK, nothing special.

Gristle

For just $24, we ate well and I would recommend "The Fatties" (Los Gorditos) if in the Pearl District and in need of a quick Mexican fix. Do not expect anything lavish and alcohol is not an option, so if you want a sit down meal with all the trimmings ... go elsewhere. Just be careful when you bite into your taco.

If this place had servers, some beer and margaritas, a better and not-frozen salsa bar, a little better quality control with their meat (maybe the cooks could stop the chit-chat for a while), and some charm, they could have scored 8-9 Bombs. However, ...

CombatCritic Gives Los Gorditos 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

Friday, March 30, 2018

What ABBAbout Those Swedish Meatballs - Dinner For Two For Just $20!

Ikea Restaurant
10280 NE Cascades Pkwy
Portland, OR 97220
Phone number (888) 888-4532
Website: ikea.com
Prices: $$$$

Ikea has stores in 41 countries, exactly the number of nations I have visited thus far, so you can get a reasonably priced bookcase or meal pretty much anywhere in the world.

Ikea's cafeteria has a minimal selection of simple, Swedish entrees, salads, soups and desserts, but the food is good, the portions decent and the prices GREAT! If you are an Ikea member, free to join, you also get FREE COFFEE and FREE SOFT DRINKS whether you are eating there or not.

Their swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and veggie meal ($5.99) is an excellent value. They also have salmon filet ($6.99) and braised beef ($8.99) dinners, both served with potato or rice and a vegetable, or you can get breakfast for just $2. A full dinner for two, including soup or salad, entree, bread, drinks and dessert will run you around $20.

Do not expect much ambiance at Ikea. It is a cafeteria after all with basic tables and chairs, you serve and clean up after yourself, and it is pretty noisy. But if you are doing some minimalist shopping, it is a quick, easy and cheap place to grab a bite.

CombatCritic Gives Ikea Restaurant and Bistro 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

"I Know Nothing" Except That Sergeant Schultz Might Even Like Gustav's

Gustav’s Pub & Grill
10350 SW Greenburg Road
Portland, OR 97223
Phone number (503) 639-4544
Website: gustavs.net
Prices: $$$$

With three locations in the Portland area (two in Oregon and one in Vancouver, Washington), I had no idea that the cuisine was Hungarian/German from the name until we gave them a try. They places look modern and nondescript from the outside, but have warm wood tones and German decor inside. This one is more "German" than the Tigard location with high, beamed ceilings, German state flags, even a mini German street scene in the back of the entry as you walk in.

With Happy Hour, a Portland tradition, Monday through Saturday from 2 to 6 PM and 9 PM to closing and all day Sunday in the bar, two can eat and drink quite well for under $30. They have a nice selection of eats from $4.75 (e.g. potato pancakes or Bavarian pretzels) to $7.75 (e.g. cheeseburgers or schnitzel clubs). Two German biers (Paulaner Oktoberfest and Warsteiner Dunkel) are $4.75 for a .5 liter stein and all other draughts are $1 off.

HAPPY HOUR (See Translations Below If You Don't Sprechen Deutsch)

"Original" Fondue $6.75 ... Sehr Gut! (Best value in the place)
- Decent size cast iron pot (bowl) full of hot, creamy cheese served with plenty o' cubes of pumpernickel and other breads.

Bavarian Pretzel $4.75 ... Gut
Soft and hot with spicy mustard. $5 is the standard price at most places for similar pretzels, so not a super Happy Hour value - make it $3.75.

Sausage of Your Choice $5.75 (Nürnberger Brat) ... SoSo (Tasty, but very small for price)
- Thinner than a hot dog, but longer, this sausage tasted good but was unsubstantial for almost $6. $4.75 should be the max price for this weiner.

Potato Pancakes (3) $4.75 ... Sehr Gut!
- Thin, crisp and yummy, served with small sides of apple sauce and sour cream.

Shepherd's Pie $6.75 ... SoSo
- An English staple, not German, this atypical dish is small with cubes of beef in a goulasch-style sauce then covered with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese (?) and baked.

Cabbage Roll (2) $6.75 ... Gut
- Cabbage stuffed with ground meat, rice and spices, then baked in a savory sauce with chunks of tomato, carrot and onion.

MEALS

Hungarian Veal Jäger ($18.95) ... Gut, but not a stupendous value
- Could be served with a salad, cup of soup, sauerkraut and/or red cabbage for this price and be perceived as a much better value. The veal scallops were small and the mashed potatoes underneath almost imperceptible. The sauce was delicious and topped with an abundance of fresh sauteed mushrooms.

Pork St. Moritz ($15.25) ... Sehr Gut!
Kinda like cordon bleu, but with the ham and cheese on top instead of inside. The two large, pounded and breaded pork scallops were sauteed then topped with Emmentaler cheese and Black Forest ham, served in a delicious Madeira sauce with creamy mashed potatoes and vegetables. A good value, adding a house or Caesar salad for an additional $3.95 makes it a meal at just over $19.

1. Sehr Gut! = Very Good
2. Gut = Good
3. SoSo - So-So
4. Nicht Gut = Not Good
5. Scheisse = Shit

We have tried both the Tigard and Vancouver locations. The buildings and decor are slightly different, but the menus and food seem identical. The service has been friendly and efficient on all three visits thus far.

My sole complaint was the Oktoberfest I ordered last night (above) that came looking like someone had taken a huge gulp out of it with well over an inch missing from the top of the mug. German (and English) bartenders take pride in filling glasses to the brim, either with beer or a head rising to the rim. This one had either been sitting for quite a while (so the head disappeared) or was a short pour. In any event, it should have been repoured or at least topped-off before being served.

CombatCritic Gives Gustav's 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - GOLD Elite '14/'15/'16/'17/'18 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over 1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

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

Read Chris S.'s review of Gustav's Pub & Grill on Yelp

Title: Portland, OR: "I Know Nothing" Except That Sergeant Schultz Might Even Like Gustav's

Key Words: Gustav's Pub and Grill, Gustav's, Gustav, pub, German, Hungarian, Portland, Oregon, Vancouver, WA, OR, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: S&G = "Shits & Grins"

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

This Peacock Has A "Plume" Of Flavor

Thai Peacock
219 SW 9th Avenue
Portland, OR 97205
Phone number (503) 228-2310
Website: thaipeacockpdx.com
Prices: $$$$

After going to a matinee play at the Armory a few blocks away, we were feeling a bit peckish and the menu in the window looked interesting, so we decided to give them a try. The place is small on the inside with 6 or 7 tables (one big family table) downstairs and a few more in the small loft above the kitchen. The service was efficient, a little too efficient actually, and friendly, and the prices reasonable, particularly for downtown Portland.

Not overly hungry, hence the term "peckish", we ordered the Chicken Teriyaki Balls (#2 - $6) as a starter and for entrees, my wife the Pad Ruam Mit (#37 - $10) stir fry and I the Kaeng Matsaman (#28 - $10.50) curry. I also had a Ninkasi IPA ($5) that was very cold and tasty.

The teriyaki balls came out post haste. They looked burnt, but it must have been the teriyaki sauce because they were delish, having been drizzled with a creamy garlic sauce and served with fresh, sliced cucumber and zesty sriracha pineapple chili sauce ... YUM!

Then we experienced the sole downer of the meal and one of my primary pet peaves. We had barely started eating our appetizer when our entrees arrived. Fast is usually good, but there is nothing I hate worse in a restaurant than the main course coming before the appetizer has been finished and the plates cleared away. BUMMER!

My wife's meal had broccoli, carrot, baby corn, cabbage, onion, bell pepper, shitake and white mushrooms, bean sprouts and scallions stir fried with garlic and tofu. A little bland by my standards, she thought it was wonderful and that is all that counts. My "matsaman" (spelled "massaman" at every other Thai restaurant I have ever been to) curry was rich, creamy, delicious and just the way I like it with slices of beef, potato, onion carrot and peanuts, both meals accompanied by a side of steamed rice.

Overall, the food, service and prices were excellent, but I have to deduct 2 Bombs (1 Star) for bringing the entrees WAY too soon. Otherwise, this was a "top notch" meal worthy of my highest rating. So, if downtown enjoying a play at the Armory, perusing the books at Powell's (just a block away), or whatever else you may be doing, Thai Peacock is worth a visit.

CombatCritic Gives Thai Peacock 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"