Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Burger Bliss


5 Guys
8963 SE 82nd Ave
Portland, Oregon
(503) 777-5160


5 Guys has definitely filled the void in my life where In-and-Out once sat. The All beef, hand formed patties actually taste like real meat, and they're plump and juicy. Grilled Onions and Sauteed Mushrooms make it irresistible and the Bacon...need I say more? Hand-cut real potato french fries in regular or Cajun style are huge and crispy. Tons of topping options and they even have hot dogs. What can I say? Frickin' Good Burgers...

Sunday, March 27, 2011

What I ATE: Saturday March 26th

Link

Lunch: Fujin
3549 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 231-3753




This place has been a Hawthorne landmark for over 20 years. really fresh really flavorful, quality ingredients and fast! Cheaplunch specials and the whiteboard daily specials are amazing. The owner always comes out and thanks you for coming in and the food is the kind of awesome that makes you crave Fujin at all hours of the day. I try to send as many people as I can to Fujin, because I want them to be around for another 20 years!

What I Ordered: Salt & Pepper Calamari
Fried Calamari topped with sauteed onions and fried garlic in a spicy sauce served over rice. Hot and Sour soup that warmed me right up even though it was pouring rain outside. Little bit of heaven on Hawthorne.

Dinner: Hawthorne Hophouse

4111 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 477-9619

Another fine Portland Public House with great beer on tap. Decent happy hour menu and killer food! They are pretty ballsy not putting out salt or pepper on their tables, but they have the flavors to back it up. Great upscale pub food and fresh local ingredients. Must say the crowd is a little pretentious, but who cares when the food and beer is good.

What I had: Mediterranean Plate and the Hopworks Ham and Cheese with Red Dragon Mustard Cheddar and thick juicy ham on a ciabatta bun with handcut fries. So good!


to

2011 FIRST Robotics competititon...



Cousin Joey's Robotics Tournament.
The 20th Season Autodesk Oregon Regional Robotics Competition kicked off this weekend and what seemed like a fun way to spend the day turned into an adventure in a high-tech world of extremely talented teens. The pit was filled to the brim with intelligent and promising youngsters and the smell of the body odor wafted through the air as geeks of all shapes and sizes feverishly worked on their complex robots. The ideals of camaraderie and cooperation stand tall throughout this competition. Unlike any other sport, robotics competitions value gracious professionalism and hold a high ethics code which encourages these kids to actually care about their opponent. They share tools, parts, and even earn points for cooperation and good manners. I was shocked! It was an amazing day and I was truly relieved to know that these kids will be an key force in shaping our futures. And not to mention, the Robots are cool!!!!
The teams are responsible for designing and engineering a robot as well as marketing and promoting the team. With sponsors like Boeing, Intel, NASA, and GM, we are not talking small fries here, this is the big time. Competitors have the opportunity to advance to the world finals in St. Louis.
Just making a robot preform simple functions requires an enormous amount of programming, design, engineering, patience and luck. These talented youngster had robots with capabilities that were imperative for competition. Picking up inner tubes and placing them on hangers 6-10 feet in the air while defending against the opposing robot team and offensive maneuvering is no easy task but all these robots were able to preform under pressure.
Really this is a cool thing to see, even if none of the robots went rogue and began a killing spree throughout the Colosseum. Good Times had by all.

Back from the Abyss...

I fell into the great abyss of fabulous food and Portland culture. With so much to do and see I feel as though I have been swallowed by a sea of life-changing experiences. So at the behest of my always-inspiring sister Tanya, I resume my barrage of food-bloggery in an attempt to relate to you all the sheer awesomeness of my culinary environment. I will once again relay the ins and outs of the "City of Roses" aka "Beervana." So ready or not...Here we go again!