Monday, January 20, 2020

Gresham, Oregon: Not A Lot Of Luck, But A Decent Meal At La Herradura

La Herradura Mexican Restaurant
90 NE Division Street
Gresham, OR 97030
Phone number: (503) 491-1650
Prices: $$$$

My buddy took me to La Herradura (the horseshoe) and it was pretty good, but I have had better and less expensive Mexican meals at many other restaurants in this and numerous other cities. Portland Mexican restaurants, like their Italian brethren, are, unfortunately, mediocre at best and this horseshoe was not exactly what I would call lucky.

First off, we had to pay for chips and salsa ($2.50), which were OK, coming with a small cup of mild green salsa and a similar size cup of bean dip. For the price ($4.95), the equally small cup of guacamole we ordered was not particularly a bargain, but it was decent. So far, so average.
My Tacos - Excuse The Crappy Photos, But My Samsung S7 Went Tits-Up
I had recently been through a rather traumatic experience and the purpose of our lunch was to talk about what had been going on and how I was doing. The place was relatively empty, but the server kept coming to our table, asking me if I was ready to order every 3-4 minutes, interrupting our rather sensitive conversation on each occasion. She eventually tried to sway me toward the lunch specials, which I had seen on the way in and was not particularly thrilled about. Finally, I had to quickly peruse the menu and out of frustration, went with my mainstays, two Carne Asada Street Tacos ($1.60 ea) and two Cheese and Onion Enchiladas (ala carte - $2.50 ea). Each taco came on two tiny little corn tortillas with a small amount of chopped, grilled steak, along with some diced white onion and cilantro. They were adequate, but I get much more meat on two larger corn tortillas at my local taqueria for just $1.50 a piece. The enchiladas were pretty good with lots of cheese and red chili sauce, but the onions were inexplicably missing.
Enchiladas - My Samsung S7 Went Tits-Up, So I Bought A Cheap Replacement Until The 5G Phones Come Out Later This Year
My high school pal had a better experience, having ordered the Chili Relleno Lunch Special ($8.95), which looked delicious and, according to him, it was. The chili was massive, stuffed with gooey cheese and surrounded by a fluffy egg omelette, coming with rice and beans and not a bad deal. 

All in all, not bad and not great, but lunch for $30, including tip, with only water to drink seems a bit pricey for the meal we had. The service was efficient and friendly enough, but the nearly constant interruptions and the pressure to order our meals was a bit disconcerting. 

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

Five Bombs Equates To:


Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 
  • Over 1.4 Million Views A Year
Read Chris S.'s review of La Herradura Mexican on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!
Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

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View my food journey on Zomato!

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Title: Gresham, Oregon: Not A Lot Of Luck, But A Decent Meal At La Herradura

Key Words: Gresham, Oregon, luck, La Herradura, la, herradura, horseshoe, mexican, taco, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

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Tuesday, July 23, 2019

White Salmon, WA: Affordable Whitewater Rafting Just An Hour From Portland

River Drifters
856 Hwy 141
White Salmon, WA 98672
Phone number: (800) 972-0430
Prices: $$$$

Whether you are visiting the greater Portland area or live here full-time, some decent whitewater rafting is just an hour to an hour-and-a-half up the Columbia River Gorge on a tributary originating from the glaciers of Mount Adams and better known as the White Salmon River. 

The price ($60 weekday/$65 weekend) seemed fair enough for a 3.5 hour whitewater rafting trip, but the first hour plus was consumed by a safety briefing, putting on a wetsuit, booties, helmet, and life vest, then driving seven miles upstream to begin our trip. We finished about 30 minutes early, so you can plan on having less than 2 hours on the river itself.

The staff were all a bunch of "gnarly dudes", reminding me of Ridgemont High's Jeff Spicoli ("People on 'ludes should not drive") and equally suited for shredding waves as they are for whitewater rafting guides. There were four or five on the ancient Blue Bird bus, all making goofy jokes along the seven mile journey to start our trip.

Once we finally got on the river, there was a succession of rapids that were fun and exciting. However, after the first few Class III and IV rapids, there was not much excitement. We floated for what seemed like the last half of the trip with nary a thrill. The canyon was spectacular and quite beautiful, so it was not a total waste, but I would have preferred a few more thrills spread out over the entire trip. 

The highlight of the trip was the jump into the river after portage around a waterfall midway downstream. The canyon was narrow, so we had to jump into the middle of the river 20 feet below in order to miss the submerged ledge, plunging into the 41 degree Fahrenheit glacial runoff from nearby Mount Adams ... BRRRRRRRRR!

I told the guides about being a disabled veteran with knee, back and shoulder issues, but I was made to feel like a burden, a PITA, and was not allowed to go over the falls with my son and teammates at the end of the trip. I was not given an option by the guide and felt ripped off.

Lesson Learned: Don't put people with mobility/knee problems in the front of the raft. I nearly fell out of the raft three times sitting front-left because I couldn't get a decent foothold and the guide took several drops with my side facing downhill, causing me to lose my balance. Once he put me in the back row, I was able to anchor my feet under the seat in front of me and had no further issues.

Not a bad deal in retrospect, but the trip would have been much more fun for me had they put me in the rear of the raft from the beginning and allowed me to participate in the grand finale with my son and three other teammates.

CombatCritic Gives River Drifters 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!
Six Bombs Equates To:


Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Read Chris S.'s review of River Drifters on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"


Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!
Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

View my food journey on Zomato!

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Title: White Salmon, WA: Affordable Whitewater Rafting Just An Hour From Portland

Key Words: White Salmon, WA, affordable, whitewater, rafting, river, Portland, OR, River Drifters, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, service, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2019 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Washougal, WA: Great Service, Tasty Food, Healthy Portions and Reasonable Prices ... HOOAH!

Peggy’s Place
3010 Evergreen Way
Washougal, WA 98671
Phone number (360) 210-5500
Website: None
Facebook Page
Prices: $$$$

Peggy's has more traditional breakfasts and is a better value than the other breakfast and lunch (only) spot in Washougal. No metrosexual, foo foo menu options here, just good ol' traditional omelettes, scrambles, bacon and eggs, biscuits and gravy, French toast, and pancakes as well as burgers, sandwiches and a few entrees on their lunch menu. What you see is what you get.




I had the Classic Breakfast ($9), coming with two eggs over medium, hash browns, two slices of bacon, and an English muffin and a half-order of Biscuits and Gravy ($5). The eggs were perfectly cooked as was the bacon, but the hash browns, although plentiful, were not a crispy as I had asked for. The biscuit was large and tasty, and the gravy delicious, but, unfortunately, the biscuit was too large for the bowl, so there was not enough gravy and I ended up leaving almost half of the biscuit.



My wife ordered the French Toast ($8), arriving with four large halves of bread coated with a crispy egg batter, then grilled, and came with two slices of their yummy bacon. It also came with cups of fluffy, whipped cinnamon-honey butter and fresh maple syrup. My wife was one happy camper.


We even got complimentary bites (small squares) of their key lime and brownie cakes along with a pleasant Happy Easter after our meal. The service was excellent and the food came out post haste, quicker than I had expected for a new place with a decent size Easter Sunday crowd. The room is large, clean and open, and they have obviously spent a fair amount on renovations with four large booths, six four-top tables, and a lunch counter that seats about eight. They need some more stuff on the walls to make it feel more homey, but that will come with time.

I hear that their cheesecake is delightful, but at $8 per slice, I was not inclined to give it a try given the price and my satiated state. Their prices are fair for the most part, but at $8 for a whole order of Biscuits and Gravy and for a slice of cheesecake, I would say both are overpriced by at least a couple of bucks. I would also recommend giving a 10% Military/Veterans Discount and maybe a free meal for Vets on Veteran's Day, something no other Washougal restaurants currently offer.

CombatCritic Gives Peggy's Place 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!
Eight Bombs Equates To:

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

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Read Chris S.'s review of Peggy's Place on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"


Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!
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Title: Washougal, WA: Great Service, Tasty Food, Healthy Portions and Reasonable Prices ... HOOAH!

Key Words: Washougal, WA, Peggy's Place, Peggy, place, Peggy's, breakfast, lunch, eggs, biscuits, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Facebook

Copyright 2019 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Vancouver, WA: No Bitterness Here, Amaro's Happy Hour Is Sweeeeet

Amaro’s Table
1220 Main Street, Suite 100
Vancouver, WA 98660
Phone number (360) 718-2942
Website: amarostable.com
Prices: $$$$

I was a little hesitant after seeing the exterior of Amaro's Table ("amaro" means "bitter" in Italian), a

small, glass fishbowl environment with modern, minimalist furnishings in the corner of a sterile, boring, multi-story office building in downtown Vancouver. I usually prefer warmer wood tones over glass, steel and concrete, but we decided to give them a try anyway ... and am I glad we did!

They have a reasonably priced menu with an eclectic selection of starters ($5-$12), salads ($6-$16), burgers and sandwiches ($10-$14), and entrees ("large plates" - $14-$26), but their Happy Hour menu (2pm-5pm daily in the dining room) made me very happy! With a widely varied selection of tasty savory and sweet treats, prices start at $3 for House Made Chips and Ranch Dressing or a Caesar Salad and top out at just $5 for a Bavarian Cheese Fondue (with a giant pretzel), Cheeseburger, Fish & Chips, or Flatbread.


We ordered an iced tea ($3 - minimum drink order for Happy Hour pricing) and an (IPA - $5) as well as the Carnitas Tacos ($4) and the Bavarian Cheese Fondue and Pretzel, a Cheese Burger, and Fish & Chips ($5 each). The portions were not very big as we were warned by Stephanie (our server), but appropriate for the price. It was nice to sample several dishes in one go, allowing us to determine if will return in the future. We shall.
The Cheese Burger ($5) looked smallish and very lonely on the plate, a 3-4 ounce patty on a toasted brioche bun with caramelized onion, tomato, pickle and house sauce, but it was tasty nonetheless. 
The Fish and Chips ($5) consisted of two small breaded, deep-fried fish filets, a small portion of fries, and tartar sauce. The fish was crispy and very good, and the fries came in handy while chowing down on the burger. 
Our Bavarian Cheese Fondue ($5) was rich and savory with a hint of chardonnay and Swiss cheese along with the massive, soft pretzel. There was more than enough fondue to go around for pretzel dipping with a little leftover.
The two Carnitas Tacos ($4) had two large corn tortillas each and were stuffed with shredded pork shoulder in an adobo sauce and topped with shredded cabbage, accompanied by a homemade salsa verde. In my opinion, the tacos were the best value on the menu at just $2 a pop, a relative bargain in my eyes, as well as being scrumdiddlyumptious.
Stephanie was very attentive, efficient and friendly as were her numerous tattooed comrades who greeted us a we entered and said goodbye when we left. The place was nearly empty when we arrived at 3:45 PM, but was packed when we left just before 5 PM, a good sign.
At $42, including tax and tip, Amaro's Table is a definite "TravelValue" and worth a visit in my opinion, whether for happy hour, lunch or dinner.

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


Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Read Chris S.'s review of Amaro's Table on Yelp

Yelp - "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"


Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!
Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 1 Million Views!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicleswith Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!


Title: Vancouver, WA: No Bitterness Here, Amaro's Happy Hour Is Sweeeeet

Key Words: Amaro's Table, Amaro's, table, amaro,  happy hour, happy, hour, Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

Copyright 2018 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved