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...

What I ATE: Saturday March 26th

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!

The Driftwood Room

The Driftwood Room

We went to the Driftwood Room's late night happy hour. This time capsule is located in the lobby of the swank Hotel de Luxe in Northwest Portland. One of those timeless lounges that serves Champagne cocktails with bitters and specialty drinks of days gone by. Happy Hour is the way to go here. Nothing over $5 and such a huge selection and portion size. The cheese platter included spiced nuts, quince paste, dublinger, Port Salute, and Roquefort. The mussels were fresh and flavorful, cooked with tomatoes and sausage
The grilled pork sandwich with apple pear chutney was crisp and delicious. By far my favorite were the Sizzling Wild Mushrooms drizzled with truffle oil and served with grilled bread. The double portabello mushroom burger was a beautiful and flavorful vegetatian option, and the Prawns Picatta were cooked just to perfection. Needless to say the portion sizes were more than generous and we ran out of table room quickly.

Pig Product!!!

Otto's Sausage Kitchen and Meat Shoppe
4138 Southeast Woodstock Boulevard
This place is Amazing!!! Pork, Sausages of ever variety, shape and size, Bacon, ham, ham hocks, pepperoni sticks, fresh ground breakfast sausage, bangers, Kielbasa Chorizo, Linguesa, braunschweiger, Liverwurst, Landjeager, and much much more.

Sort of a specialty butcher shop, with a hefty selection of salads, slaws, macaroni, potato, bean salads, as well as a large barbeque out front were the grill up selection of sausages daily. There is also a respectable sandwich counter with a range of sandwiches to choose from.

Otto's Sausage Kitchen and Meat Shoppe
4138 Southeast Woodstock Boulevard
Meal: Lunch
Price: $
What we got:
Carla: Grilled pork sausage
Kyle: Grilled pork sausage
Matt: Mad Otto Sandwiches
We got to share: Broccoli Salad, Coleslaw and Macaroni Salad
Landjaeger and hot pepperoni stick.

Getting to Know You...Portland.

Cuban Flavor, Bahn Mi, and Tour de Portland

I woke up late. When it's overcast all day, it always feels like morning. There is a sense that you have the whole day ahead of you, the whole day. After I made some German Pancakes, and drank a half a pot of coffee, we decided to unload the trailer for a while. This started off as a good plan but by the time we decided to go for lunch it was 3:00 pm. However, in a city with abundant happy hours, this turned out to work in our favor. Matt suggested we try Pambiche as it is one of the places that I am interview at next week. First of all, the outside of this place is painted in Vibrant colors. There is just something about the exterior splash of cheerful colors that hints at the array of colorful flavors that lie within. My hubby was unhappy with our table because it was right next to the front door but I was loving it because it put my in direct eye line of the pastry case.

PAMBICHE 2188 NE Glisan
Our Meal: HAPPY HOUR
Price: $
What We Ordered: We all Shared Everything

• Empenadas-Beef encased in a flaky crust so tasty
  
• Yuca con Mojo- Fried yuca root with a garlic lemon gravy-like dipping sauce
  
• Moros & Cristianos-Black beans and rice
  
• Potajes de Frijoles Colorados-A very hearty stew of red beans, pork and potatoes with tons of flavor served with white rice it is muy delicioso!
  
• Masitas- Fried Pork and quite possible the best thing on the planet...you know how I love pork and fried foods, this is the holy grail, the best of both worlds, my favorite dish!
  
• Ropa Viejas-Shredded beef simmered in salsa rojo.

This was truly a great meal and we loved every bite. We also got an array of desserts to take home. We haven't tried them yet but will let you know soon.

Best Baguette-8303 SE Powell Blvd
Cuisine: French-Vietnamese
Meal: Dinner
Price: -$ (We're talkin' $2.85 for a 6-inch sandwich)

• Carla's: BBQ Pork Bahn Mi
  
• Kyle's: Meat Ball Bahn Mi
• Matt: Grilled Pork Bahn Mi

So here's the deal Bahn Mi is my new favorite thing seriously. East meets West in a totally unpretentious way. Here's the rundown: Fresh Baked French Baguette spread with a mayonnaise mixed with fish sauce, then comes the meat layer of your choice, (the best was the grilled pork), then comes pickled carrots, cilantro, daikon radish, and Jalapenos. Bahn Mi makes me happy!

We finished off our day with a guided tour around downtown (by our buddy Matt) and we saw all the food carts and about fifty other destinations to add to the adventure list. Back home to unpack some more and our room feels like home.

Stay Tuned for more fun, food, beer, baked goods, recipes, and crazy rantings from your favorite Mad Mistress of Pastry Chef Carla!