Stay tuned for post-Argentina "alfahores" cookie bake-off!

LORENZO'S on Mississippi (our Thursday night stand-by)

Lorenzo's. Ever-changing comfort!


We've been going to Lorenzo's on Mississippi for years now and I am remiss in not writing about to sooner. We show up mid week almost every second or third week. Lorenzo's has undergone metamorphosis over the last few years -- from Italian deli, to walk-up orders, to full-service restaurant, and a few increments in between. A full bar compliments the limited but adequate wine list. The cassarecchi lured us in and has had our hearts ever since. It's really sad to say, but with the exception of one night when I was feeling "stuck in a rut", we've both ordered Cassarecchi every visit. Our family orders it. We've had a table of 7 with 6 orders of cassarecchi save the one vegetarian among us. Cassarecchi is a type (or shape) of pasta that are like fettuccine noodles that roll up on themselves the long way -- lots of surface area to pick up the tasty beef-basil-tomato-cream sauce. Oh, yes, there are plenty of good dishes and nightly ravioli specials, all of which someone else will have to tell you about! Along with the restaurant, the cassarecchi changed as well. It is no longer the same dish we ordered in the beginning, but is still the mainstay for us along with a full salad (split), and a couple glasses of Sangiovese.


While popular, we've only had to wait once for a table and were turned away another time for a too-long wait time. The table situation is a combination of 4-tops a couple of two's, room for four at the bar, a couch and coffee-table seating area and a couple of chunky antique dining tables for larger parties. In the summer there are nice outside tables where you can have your pooch with you, and full-front glass doors open to the sidewalk for good ventilation. Thanks Lorenzo's.

Eleni's Philoxenia

I wanted to eat a second time at Eleni's before I wrote my review of this hidden gem, but was ready to write about it after the first visit. A co-worker told me about Eleni's; this is he and his wife's favorite little place for a romantic dinner. It is such an easy place to miss on the street -- tucked away on NW 9th next to the Pearl Bakery -- it is a skinny, dark storefront with a long interior complete with a full bar. Choose from booths or tables (I personally like the tables for light and being more a part of the action). Don't worry about the "its all Greek to me" factor, all the menu items are well-described down to the individual spices. And the spices are part of what makes the food here so interesting. The prices are very reasonable and menu quite varied. I wanted to have at least one of the same dishes as our previous visit -- the pasta with tomatoes, nutmeg, cinnamon and Cascade Natural beef, called Makaronia Me Kima -- fantastic and highly recommended. Order the grilled calamari; you can get the fried stuff anywhere so try the grilled, it is excellent. The Kritikia Salad recommended by our server was very tasty with currants and a honey-balsamic vinegarette (which I've since made at home). A not-to-be-missed shrimp dish - Giardes me Skordo with sherry and cayenne - you will want to lick the plate! Finish it all off with the walnut, pistachio, hazelnut baklava drizzled with a spiced orange-infused honey! The wine list includes many local and Greek wines. I found a fantastic Greek Sauvignon Blanc blend to go with my creatures from the sea! Enjoy.

http://www.elenisrestaurant.com/

Del Inti - Lincoln - Andina - Pastini - Clark Lewis

Some quick reviews of places we've dined lately rated by how strongly we feel about going back
1= Loved it! Gotta go back immediately!
2= Liked it, but want to try other places before going back.
3= Liked it okay, but don't need to go back
4= Not going back

Del Inti on Alberta (Peruvian) - 2
http://www.delinti.com/
Do not miss the hangar steak saltado! Slurp!

Lincoln - 2
http://www.lincolnpdx.com/
Cool place in NE on Williams - across from Pix (how convenient)
Great dishes to include: the "hens eggs and cream" appetizer, hangar steak (do you see a pattern here?), and great drinks.

Andina - 1
http://www.andinarestaurant.com/
Love it. This is truly a happening place in every sense -- people, energy, food, bar, music, kitchen, location...
Don't miss the empanada appetizer, diver scallop entree', lomo saltado, and the torte de chocolate which far exceeded my expectations for so often getting mediocre desserts!

Pastini - 1
http://www.pastini.net/index.htm
A local Oregon restaurant chain - fresh, inexpensive and good!
Loved the salads (arugula and Caesar), carbonara (wow), and the molten lava cake for dessert!
All the pastas are tasty and the desserts are huge -- a lot of food for the money. I also give them a two thumbs up for donating a $100 gift certificate to the Columbia Land Trust for an auction item, which is why we went. Thanks Pastini!

Clark Lewis - 3
http://www.clarklewispdx.com/
Good but overpriced. Nice location and cool space. Love to see all the things going on in the kitchen front and center. Don't need to go back. Sorry!

ROUX, ROUX, We'll miss you!

Such an unfortunate thing this recession is. It really can sniff out and shake loose any hint of instability or business fatigue. In my opinion, Roux really had it going on; we patronized the place no less than 20 times with friends, family and just the two of us. It was the place in our hood to go for a high-end meal or an awesome burger. Everything was fabulous and there are so few places and keep us coming back; looking forward to that one delicious dish. Roux kept us coming back for more. So sad to see them go.

GRAVY

Gravy on Mississippi is another breakfast favorite. I tend to categorize the breakfast places we go to by the latest time that you need to show up to get a table without waiting (on a weekend). Gravy is an early one; I'd call it an 8:00'r or an 8:15'r. Any later and you'll be standing in the foyer; grab a cup of coffee and chill till the turnover begins. This is kid and family friendly place and people love to bring visiting guests here because it is so good. For this reason, it is often loud and tables close together.

I personally like the challah-bread french toast and a side of crispy bacon (in my best Homer Simpson voice- "mm...bacon"). But if you are into gigantic, tasty, loaded-up omelets, you are in luck. They use a lot of Chorizo sausage, bacon chunks and fresh herbs to make these extra flavorful. If you want a real treat, try the scrambles with cream cheese, bacon and other veggies. The gravy for your biscuits is tasty and has lots of big sausage chunks to give you real incentive for an afternoon workout! I haven't tried the Oatmeal Brulee', but it looks wonderful and creamy and has the caramelized sugar top to crack into. The portions are all generous; the prices good, and the atmosphere is truly Portland -- a local, lively, favorite neighborhood hangout.

Davis Street Tavern - great happy hour

New to the China Town neighborhood is the Davis Street Tavern, http://www.davisstreettavern.com/index.html right on the new Green Line Max rail -- 5th Ave. Can you guess what the cross street is? In an area of many new architectural and consulting firms, this new restaurant is a welcome addition to the neighborhood where good eateries aren't on every street corner. In fact with the exception of Ford's, there just isn't much in the immediate area. The architecture is typical of the neighborhood -- brick walls, high ceilings, wood floors and arched wood windows. Lots of light and a big restaurant space that is not visible in the front bar. We met friends there and went wild on the $5 each happy hour menu. We ordered the mussels steamed in coconut lemon grass sauce, a Caesar salad, the mini strip loin burger (to die for!) with its side of pickled vegetable salad, Cheese crostini trio, and the "Velvety Mac&Cheese (melt-in-your-mouth!) While the trio was really tasty, one of the cheeses was blended with beets and therefore -- pink. The brain says "stay away from pink cheesy stuff on toasted bread" while the mouth says "yum". That was a bit of a balancing act.

While there were no cocktails on the happy hour menu, there were a couple beers and wines -- all good. I gotta tell you, the cocktail menu seemed a bit too over done -- full of brands, drinks liquors, etc that I didn't understand. It was like reading a menu in Russian. Am I just showing my age? Curious what others think. The Syrah blend was nice.

For a someone who is not easily impressed by desserts in restaurants (cuz mine are always so much better), I flipped for the dark chocolate bread pudding with warm rum sauce. I've been thinking about that ever since... :)-

I'll be back, and would love to try dinner.