Cafe du Berry

Ah yes, Cafe du Berry. This is not the first time visiting this quaint place. Last year, I joined Costanza and Snake on a golf trip to Portland. We were directed to this out-of-the-way French bistro by the conceirge at the Avalon Hotel. It happened to be an excellent recommendation because we would have never known about it otherwise. Today, Viv and I planned to shop til we dropped at the Woodburn Outlets. Therefore, we needed to grab some breakfast along the way. Due to some intricate planning, Cafe du Berry was perfectly situated along our route to Woodburn. From the outside, Cafe du Berry looks more like a corner store than a French bistro; but do not let first impressions deceive you. Okay fine, when you first enter the place, it ain't too impressive either. Mind you, there is a nice mural on one wall and it's presented as nice as it possibly can under the circumstances. It is indeed quaint since it only has barely 5 tables inside and an outdoor patio.

Despite not being the most visually appealing restaurant, Cafe du Berry dishes up some really good eats for a modest price. Last time I was here, I remembered that the breakfast was both plentiful and rich. Today, I was hoping that it would be a little less rich because I didn't want to feel bloated while shopping. I guess my brain and stomach do not communicate effectively because I went for the Steak & Eggs. That's right, I picked the most filling meal. I guess "fruit salad" doesn't exist in my vocabulary.

Atop perfectly scrambled eggs, lay a decent-sized striploin smothered in Hollandaise. Great, my filling meal got just a bit more filling! Oh, but with every bite of each piece of juicy steak, I could savour the slightly tart and buttery Hollandaise. Pure heaven. The "hashbrown" was okay; but it wasn't as crispy as it looked and it was a bit bland. Nothing ketchup couldn't solve! I really enjoyed this dish except that the medium-rare steak I had requested was closer to medium. No matter, the steak was still extremely tender. Viv opted for the Salmon Benedict since she thought it would be "smaller". Well, if you call 2 English muffins underneath a whole fillet of Sockeye salmon topped with 2 perfectly poached eggs and a blanket of Hollandaise sauce "smaller". Although Viv is a bit indifferent towards Hollandaise sauce, she really liked this one since it didn't seem heavy. There was a good amount of tartness which probably balanced the richness of the butter and egg yolks. Underneath the sauce lay (sorry for the pun) 2 runny poached eggs. This is what eggs benny is all about! Despite being a tad overcooked, the Sockeye salmon was flavourful in a way only Spring salmon can dream about.

Another great breakfast at Cafe du Berry. It's definitely something different than the regular bacon and eggs in a truly interesting venue. Service is refreshingly sincere and friendly. Afterall, it's run by a husband and wife team, how much more personal can you get? There you have it, Cafe du Berry - good French food at modest prices.

The Good:
- Generous portions
- Reasonable prices
- Food made with care

The Bad:
- It's small, fills up quickly
- You ain't coming here for the decor

Russell Street BBQ

One of my favourite foods is good ol' BBQ. I'm talking about slow-cooked brisket, pulled pork and ribs. Mmm... ribs... So tonight, after a day of Grilled Cheese Grill and Voodoo Doughnuts, I was ready for a big plate of meat! The place I had in mind was Russell Street BBQ. As the name implies, it's on Russell Street in the Northeast of Portland. Honestly, I was a bit famished despite the aforementioned food I had eaten during the day. It was already nearing 8:00pm and I had to tear Viv away from her shopping at Target. My endless whining about being hungry finally saw us heading to dinner.

When we got to Russell Street BBQ, Viv did her best imitation of a bad Richmond driver and mashed the front tire against the curb. Luckily there was enough sidewall to prevent disaster on the rims. Still a bit annoyed, we crossed the street and headed into the restaurant. Greeted by the friendly staff, we were seated promptly. There was no doubt in my mind what I was ordering - The Meatapalooza! Choice of any 3 meats, cornbread and 2 sides, ah... gluttony on a plate... I wasted no time and decided on Pulled Pork, Brisket and Baby Back Ribs with Mac 'n Cheese and Fries as my sides. Viv wasn't in the gluttonous mood and only settled for the Pulled Pork Sandwich with a side of Meaty BBQ Beans. Probably from being way too hungry, I foolishly chose the Killer BBQ sauce.

For $16.00, there was a good amount of food on the plate. As you can see, it filled the entire plate and most of it was meat. Our server placed a bottle of Killer BBQ sauce on our table just in case I needed more. Foolishly again, I doused my entire plate with it. Although it wasn't a pain-inducing spicy, the Killer BBQ sauce was indeed hot. Now onto the meats... Tender, yet still intact, each slice of brisket melted in my mouth (with a stinging sensation from the sauce). I've read a few reviews which complained that the pulled pork was dry. I'd like to say that yes, it's not the most moist pulled pork I've ever had; but with the right amount of sauce, it's excellent. I like my pulled pork this way because any softer, it would fall completely apart. I left the ribs for last because I have this inexplicable affliction which causes me to leave the best for last. The ribs were very good. They were tender without being mushy and plenty of meat was clinging to the bones. The only blip on the plate were the sides, the mac 'n cheese, it was gritty and tasted like flour. Looks like it wasn't mixed too well. Moreover, the fries were not as crispy as I would've liked

Viv's pulled pork sandwich was predictably good with crunchy coleslaw as a texture contrast. She loved the Meaty BBQ Beans, they were rich and smoky. Furthermore, the beans were all intact and retained a bit of texture. While we were devouring our food, our server checked on us and made sure our glasses were never empty. Although not mind-blowing, our meal at Russell Street BBQ was solid and reasonably priced.

The Good:
- Moderately priced
- Food is pretty solid
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Some of the sides need some work

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Whilst waiting for the lineup at Voodoo Doughnut to die down, Viv and I headed up one block to Stumptown Roasters for some refreshment. Seattle has its Starbucks and Portland has its Stumptown. But most people would like to think of Stumptown as the anti-Starbucks. Whether that actually holds true or not, especially since Stumptown's corporate model seems a lot like Starbucks, there is indeed a difference. Just merely walking into a Stumptown location, you will notice that it's got this Bohemian thing going on. From the decor to the unique pieces of art on the walls, Stumptown does not have the slick, polished appearance of Starbucks. The location we visited was quite spacious; if not a bit too spacious. So few tables occupied the cavernous room which is a complete opposite of Starbucks. We particularly were fond of the plastic ducks chained to the washroom key. Despite being a real inconvenience while trying to open the door, the duck represents the attitude of Stumptown. It is what it is.

I'll be honest, I'm not much of a coffee aficionado, we'll save that distinction for Costanza and Vandelay. However, I do know what I like and what I do not like. In terms of Coffee, I do not like Starbucks. It's far too strong and bitter for tastes. Personally, the coffee seems a bit burnt-tasting. Not being a huge fan of black coffee, I went for the large Mocha. When they say large, it's pretty large. It came in a large pint glass. One sip and I was quite happy. It was neither bitter or burnt. Rather, the mocha was smooth and aromatic. This is how I like my coffee. Viv took a couple of sips and echoed the same sentiments. However, she did not really like her Queen's Ice Tea so much. She thought the flavours were too intense. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the chai flavour and ended up finishing it for her.

While enjoying our drinks, we admired the artwork, the ambiance and other people around us with DSLRs taking pictures of their drinks. Yah, we thought was odd too, it's usually just us! There was also a wall of magazines that people could peruse or purchase at the front of the store. A totally chill place to hang out before heading off to Voodoo Doughnuts!

The Good:
- Relaxing atmosphere
- Smooth coffee
- Not Starbucks?

The Bad:
- Haven't really thought of any

Voodoo Doughnut

Once you're featured on the Food Network, it seems like people will come flocking from near and far like a pack of groupies. In the case of Voodoo Doughnut, it surely appears to be the case. C'mon, why else would people line up around the block for fried dough? Ah, but hold on there, let's not get ahead of ourselves. So today, fresh from "snacking" on grilled cheese from the Grilled Cheese Grill, we headed over to downtown for some doughnuts featured on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations". We were lucky to park across the street from Voodoo; but there was indeed a lineup that almost spanned the distance to the end of the block. How desperate were we for doughnuts? Well, apparently not that desperate because we headed over to Stumptown Roasters first for some beverages. We lounged around until the lineup dwindled to around 15 people, then we got in line. I really don't like lineups and I try my very best to avoid them. This reminded me of the time when we lined up for Krispy Kremes - oh how times have changed!

Voodoo Doughnut is ever so unassuming from the street. If you weren't looking for it, you'd probably miss it. However, if you were on the Amazing Race 13, this was one of the last places during the final episode and trust me, you would be looking for it. Once inside, the place is an eclectic mix of things which really yells out an urban funkiness. No, not an odor funkiness; rather an anti-conformist and anti-establishment vibe. Right by the counter is a rotating display of all the favourites, which include the Voodoo Doll, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Cap'n Crunch and the most famous of them all, the Bacon Maple Bar. Wait a minute... Bacon? On a doughnut? Yes, don't you know by now? Bacon makes everything taste better. What do you think flavours your chowder, makes your baked potato and completes your burger? But of course I had to get one! I regret not getting a whole dozen of these bad boys! The maple glaze combined with the smoky crispy bacon is a match made in heaven. The salty and smokiness of the bacon helps offset the sweetness of the maple glaze. Add to the fact the actual doughnut is soft and almost fluffy, it's a study in texture contrasts. I spent the rest of my time in Portland dreaming about and craving the Bacon Maple Bar. The only thing stopping me from returning to Voodoo and getting more was the fact we still had quite a few doughnuts in our hotel room. Furthermore, I was planning to visit Top Pot in Seattle in a few days.

The tongue-in-cheek quotient is satisfied with the jelly-filled Voodoo Doll. It looks more like a chocolate Gumby in excruciating pain; yet like a voodoo doll, it comes complete with a pretzel stick impaling the poor thing. One bite into the doughnut and a rush of raspberry jam comes gushing out like the blood from a vampire's victim. The Ol' Dirty Bastard is a delicious concoction of crushed Oreo cookie with peanut butter drizzled on top. Chocolate and peanut butter together is always a good combination. So was it worth the lineup? You sure bet it was! Unless you don't like doughnuts, these fried gems are both creative and tasty. If you are the impatient type, then you could go visit the 2nd location out at 1501 NE Davis. But for me, I had to visit the original location. C'mon, it's been on the Food Network and the Amazing Race! Who said I'm a sucker for commercialism and shameless product placement?

The Good:
- Really original and interesting doughnuts
- Bacon Maple Bar, enuff said
- Doughnuts are large
- Open late

The Bad:
- Lineups
- Cash only

Grilled Cheese Grill

I've been looking forward to our little Portland trip for quite a while. No, this is not our first time in Portland; in fact, I've been here a good half-dozen times. The fact that Viv and I were going without the kiddies was the real reason for our enthusiasm. That meant more shopping and eating! You can't imagine how much more efficiently you can eat without the kids! We really made good time traveling south on I-5 and arrived in Portland around noon. We went straight to the Grilled Cheese Grill out on Alberta Ave.

Actually, I had all my meals planned out for the next 4 days. Hey, efficient eating requires advanced planning! With a little help from Portland's top food blogger, Elizabeth Fuss (Lizzy Dishes Portland), I lined up some real gems.

The Grilled Cheese Grill (GCG) is definitely what you call a unique experience. It is essentially a trailer in an gravel parking lot with picnic tables and a school bus. Yes, there is a converted old school bus that doubles as a dining room. Adorned with some really funky designs on the ceiling, the school bus has both booth seating and bar seating. Novelty? Yes, but it works, what a cool place to eat! The menu itself is quite simple - merely different variations of grilled cheese. Definitely something that everyone can make at home; but for some reason, the grilled cheese here is pretty good.

I went for the simple Kindergartner which is essentially a 2-slice grilled cheese. I added a fried egg and ham. It was a really basic sandwich; yet made oh-so-yummy. Nestled in between 2 perfectly browned pieces of bread were 2 melted slices of gooey real cheddar cheese, a runny fried egg and slightly grilled slices of ham. Completely messy to eat - it was delicious! Viv opted for a gourmet grilled cheese - The Jersey which consisted of sauteed mushrooms, Swiss and turkey on rye. Being a bit less messy to eat than mine, the Jersey was crispier and had a really good mix of flavours. Viv remarked it was more like a melt than a grilled cheese. No matter what you call it, it was delicious.

So why such a simple food, which can easily be made at home, become so appealing at GCG? First, the ingredients are good, so that's a start. Second, the menu is focused, so they are experts at making one thing. Third, how can you not like the venue? It's in a freakin' school bus! That's just plain killer! Also, the GCG is open until 2am on weekends, so you can enjoy some grilled cheese late when you have the munchies or completely in a daze while inebriated.

The Good:
- Really unique venue
- The grilled cheese is filled with goodies
- Who doesn't like grilled cheese?

The Bad:
- Not the best place when the weather gets nasty

Golden Star

*Restaurant is now closed*

Okay, tonight was the blogger's dinner at The Brave Bull organized by Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!). There were a few last minute cancellations that pointed towards a postponement. With a bit of miscommunication, I ended up heading out with my family for dinner instead. I had to drop off something at Milhouse's place in Vancouver, so we decided to try a new restaurant. Well, not exactly new; it was the old International Chinese renamed as Golden Star. Just as we were seated, I got a text message on my phone. It was from Kim asking where I was and that they were waiting for me. Uh oh... I ended up kicking myself over missing the dinner. I soooo wanted to try The Brave Bull! Well, next time...

Personally, I didn't notice any significant changes to the restaurant despite the new yellow awning on the front of the building. Side question - why do Chinese restaurants use the ugliest yellow for their signage? One thing I did notice was the old carpet. It has really seen its best days and needs to be replaced. On a positive note, the washrooms were really clean and I didn't have to do my best "get in, do my business and run" routine. I actually took my time and didn't need to hold my breath.

After I stepped out and crossed the street to take an exterior shot of the restaurant (the things we do for a blog), we got down to ordering. We noticed that in addition to their regular menu, Golden Star had set meals which includes soup of the day, crab, rice and dessert. We settled on the dinner for 4 which had a choice of 4 dishes and the aforementioned crab. A pretty good value at $58.80. Curiously, the first dish to arrive was the Gai Lan with Beef. Usually, the crab should arrive first. Anyways, the dish was quite large with plenty of tender beef atop crisp Gai Lan. This was a well-executed dish since there was little to no water at the bottom of the plate, colour of the beef and Gai Lan were good and the overall taste was not too salty.

We had added noodles to the crab dish so it would soak up all the sauce and juices. There are usually several ways a crab can be prepared: Fried with Chili Salt, Stir-Fried with Ginger and Onion, Steamed with Garlic or Butter Cream. We choose the Butter Cream. Since my mom is sensitive to onions, we had requested it to be cooked without it. Unfortunately, it not only came with onions in the sauce, there was lots of it. The crab itself is what we call a "water crab" which means it has been starving for a while. Instead of lots of meat, there was quite a bit of water retained within the shell. No matter, the crab was free anyways, what can we expect? The cream sauce itself was not very creamy, it was more corn starch than anything.

The Peking Pork Chops were both plentiful and very tasty. They were fried up perfectly being tender and slightly crispy. Exhibiting good tang and sweetness, there was just enough Peking sauce to coat each pork chop. I hate it when places drown the meat in sauce, it's neither very appealing nor good to eat. The kitchen redeemed themselves with the Shrimp with Scrambled Eggs because they didn't put green onions into the dish as requested. I thought the dish was executed pretty well with lots of soft egg and big juicy shrimp. My mom did remark that some of the egg was fried too much due to an overly hot wok. On second glance, she was indeed right; however, the dish was still good.

The last dish, Tofu and Fish Hot Pot, was actually quite poor. I'm not sure what fish they used (not a good sign); but it was rock hard and dry. Furthermore the sauce was thin and weak being practically flavourless. Even the pork was dry and tasteless. Only good thing about this dish was the perfectly fried tofu. When the desserts arrived, we were surprised that we got 2 different ones! The first was Sweetened Coconut, Tapioca and Taro Soup. The second was Almond Cookies. I really prefer the coconut soup over red bean soup. This one in particular was delicately sweetened and had lots of tapioca pearls and taro. I didn't get to try the cookies; but the kids seemed quite happy with them (of course they would!).

Overall, the food was a bit hit and miss; however for the price, I really am not complaining much. Portion sizes were very generous and probably after a few visits, we'd figure out what was worth ordering and what to avoid. The dining space is quite spacious and comfortable with the exception of the carpet. The service was generally friendly and attentive; but I thought that the manager didn't handle the onions in the cream sauce incident too well. I made it clear that we weren't going to send it back because you never know what you'll get back if you do! I still need to try their Dim Sum out and I'll make a point to do so soon. But for now, Golden Star is a decent place for Chinese food at a very reasonable price. It's just not anywhere at the top of my list.

The Good:
- Generous portions
- Reasonable prices
- Spacious dining space

The Bad:
- Food is a bit hit and miss

Lombardo's

Deciding where to go with the whole family is a bit more difficult than you think. Much like the day we went to Choo Choo's, true family restaurants are far and few-in-between. When Costanza and Elaine wanted to meet up for dinner this week, we spent a bit of time thinking. We really didn't want to go to the regular places such as Red Robin or Boston Pizza. Yes, they are kid friendly; but some of the food is really not all that good. Finally, we decided on Lombardo's. No, not exactly a kid's playground; but it actually worked out pretty nicely. In fact, we made a last minute reservation and they were able to accommodate us. I loved where we were seated too, right next to the pizza station and oven. It's mesmerizing watching them kneed the dough and layer it with toppings. Anyways, for the first time in a long time, Krazi (she gave herself this nickname) was able to join us for dinner. She has been on a diet and eating with me was a no-no. Well, she looks really good now and has finally decided she can eat again. However, I don't think that I'm a good influence, she really should stay away...

We were all a bit hungry and ordered a good amount of food. We started off with a Caesar Salad and a large Calamari. It was indeed a large amount of calamari on the plate. The perfectly-sized pieces were fried just right, being a bit chewy; yet still tender. Costanza and I enjoyed eating the tentacles, that's our favourite part! The pizza dough bread that accompanied the dish was not that good. It was hard and quite cold. The Casear was... well a Caesar. It did have the right amount of dressing and was not too salty. We also ordered 3 large pastas to share: Spaghetti Pomodoro, Smoked Salmon Tagliatelle and Linguini alla Pesce. When we say large, we're not talking about Anton's large. Not many places have the same portion sizes as Anton's. However, I'm more a fan of quality rather than quantity. Mind you, if the portion size is ridiculously small despite the good quality, that is no good either. The large pasta was a bit small at Lombardo's, along the same lines as Marcello. But at least the pasta here was hot and the service was quick. By the time we got our pastas at Marcello last time, they were stone cold. Our favourite by far was the linguini. Flavourful and fresh tasting, there was a perfect portion of tomato sauce coating the al dente linguini. A generous portion of mussels, clams, shrimp, squid and scallops rest atop the pasta. The only complaint was that the scallops were overcooked. We also liked the tagliatelle; but it was extremely rich and buttery. Again, the pasta was al dente and there were plenty of smoked salmon and capers. Yet, we thought that it would be difficult to finish the whole dish if it were for one person. Krazi said she could finish the whole dish herself. Uh... I don't think she should dine with me anymore, I can kill any diet. The least popular pasta was the spaghetti. Being a freshly made spaghetti, it was a bit doughy, even though it was al dente. Moreover, the sauce was a bit bland and tart. It needed possibly more spices such as garlic and a bit more olive oil.

Finally, we had ordered 2 medium pizzas - the Capricciosa and the Salsiccia. However, the Salsiccia arrived as a large. I guess it was too loud in the restaurant and there was a mixup in communication? Whatever the case, we didn't mind since the Salsiccia was fantastic. The crust was thin and not overly crispy, with a bit of elasticity when we took a bite. There were no shortage of toppings (mushrooms, onions, green peppers and Italian sausage), which really worked well with each other. The Capricciosa was equally good, with plenty of salami, ham, artichokes, mushrooms and olives. The total bill came out to roughly $30.00 per person excluding the kids. Not exactly a cheap meal; however, it was quite good and filling. I remarked to Costanza that I would gladly pay more money for good food. With that being said, for $30.00, you can practically eat anywhere including a fabulous 3 course meal at Pied-a-Terre or Mistral. Yet, if it's good pasta and great thin crust pizza that you crave, then Lombardo's is not a bad choice.

The Good:
- Great brick oven thin crust pizza
- Pretty good fresh pastas
- Attentive and friendly service
- Validated underground parking

The Bad:
- Small restaurant, seating can be a bit tight
- Not exactly cheap