Pause: Portland, OR

As I am in Portland for the weekend, I decided to try a new place to eat. Since I was with family for the evening, I dragged them along. It was a small place with about 13 tables in all with a tiny bar area attached. Very open, so the volume is on the high side. The head waiter was very polite and greeted us as soon as we walked in. He quickly took down our names and gave us an idea of how long it would be. He was only off by abut 20 mins. We were doubting the worthiness of waiting 50 mins for food. We decided to stick it out since we were already there. Politeness is high here. All the waitstaff were running around making sure things were taken care of. They were not there all the time, but they were never standing still.

We were not disappointed. Not a single food item wasn't liked. In fact, we devoured every item set before us. The fries are perfectly cooked and sold as hand cut. I believe it. They are crispy enough that even the thin pieces are argued over. I wish they made chips too. The burgers have all the typical toppings (like lettuce and tomatoes) are on the side. Being a person who likes to rearrange my burger toppings, I love it when a place does that. The amazing item on the burger plate was the fresh made zucchini pickles. They taste similar to butter pickles. I ended up putting them on my salad, which was just lettuce and dressing. I find that a bit plain. A salad should have atleast 4 really good ingredients. Also, their bake mac and cheese was delicious! Creamy, cheesy, and with a bit of crunch from the panko bread crumbs on top.

The only regret I have for the entire meal was the fact I did not have room dessert. Next time, I am definitely going to do that as it seems they do not have a set dessert menu. I find that intriguing. I highly recommend this place. I can not wait to return and bite into another fry.

Pastini Pastaria

Yesterday evening, I had my usual weekly meal with a friend. I, craving carbs, decided on pasta. So off we went to Pastini. Now, this isn't our first trip there. I enjoyed their quickness and cheerful manner in the past.

HOWEVER, that evening was not the night to be there. It took almost 2 hours to complete our meal. I do not mean the time spent in catching up chatter. I mean the time it takes to get drinks, eye the meal next to you, choose your future meal, order what you hope will fill the empty feeling in your stomach, stab your salad, munch on bread, pick through your pasta trying to find room, and then pay the bill. Our salad took 30 minutes to get to our table after ordering. No, I will not blame a busy restaurant. By the time our salad arrived, the place was half empty. Another 30 minutes to get our pasta and the place was 2/3 empty. The real thing that bugs me is the fact the manager himself brought our food and not once offered an apology for how long it took. Plain bad management. Since I have been there on other nights where the food has taken very little time, I will not hold this against them for too long. Just a few months or so.

To the food! Their salads are delicious and varied. I love their new item that lets you choose 3 of their salads. It arrives on one plate with 3 little piles of your salad choice. The pasta is a cut above home cooked. Mine was a little to lightly sauced for my taste. I wish they put more protein and vegetables in there. 6 tiny pieces of chicken does not work for me. Neither does 4 or 5 very thinly sliced mushrooms. I think if I REALLY want pasta and I don't want to cook it, I will return. Maybe on a less "busy" night.

Idea I had

I love eating out from the moment I open the menu to right before they hand me the bill. I also love having an opinion.
An opinion about how I should be treated.
An opinion on how often my drink needs to be refilled.
An opinion concerning how much dressing should be on my salad.
An opinion on why my waiter is ignoring me for what seems like an hour.
I have one on just about everything. However, I normally keep these opinions to myself. Since reading a certain book about local restaurants that was brutally honest, I have decided I need an avenue to vent my opinions. You may agree or disagree with mine. That is great. We don't have to see eye to eye. Deeper reasons are I can't seem to find a blog about what is good to eat around Corvallis, Oregon. So here I am. And, here you are. Well, you might not be all here. My mind tends to wonder so I don't see why yours wouldn't.

My intentions are to eat out atleast once a week at a new place in Corvallis. I will then post about it and give an honest opinion. I tend to eat up in Portland a bit too with family, so don't be surprised to see a few of those mixed in.

Peace my food minded friends!