Pine State Biscuits

My mom called me recently and said she was watching that Food Network show, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives".  She said they were showcasing this really great place called, "Pine State Biscuits" and that I should try to check it out.  What my mom didn't know was that I had spyed this place very shortly after purchasing a new home recently in Southeast Portland.  There are two locations, one on Alberta and one on Belmont.  Every time we have driven by, and they were open, there was a line out the door.  I couldn't tell how big the place was, but I assumed it must be good if people were standing in good Oregon rain, just to get a bite.  Matt and I finally got up early enough a few weekends ago to catch the place without a line.  Their menu is pretty short....and obviously dominated by their biscuits.  They have some interesting looking breakfast style sandwiches that look like a heart attack waiting to happen, just delicious just the same.  We went with the slightly (okay, not really) lighter fare of biscuits and gravy.  I had the one biscuit with gravy and an egg on top.  They have a fantastic mushroom gravy and also sausage gravy.  There are literally only about 10 seats in this place, which is obviously why there is always a line.  The interior is cute and "breakfast-ie".  It is not the kind of place you can go and sit for hours....people are waiting for your seat.  Despite not being able to dilly dally for an hour, it was a superb biscuit and gravy and we will be back for sure!  The biscuits are made fresh daily and in my opinion this is true gourmet establishment....they take breakfast VERY seriously!

http://pinestatebiscuits.com/

Steakadelphia

I grew up in Pennsylvania, and while my home town wasn't Philly....Pennsylvanians, as a whole, take their Philly Cheesesteaks seriously.  Amongst good chicken wings, cheesesteaks are the other food item I haven't really found to be as good as anything coming out of Pa.  I'm happy to report that today I found a place serving the closest thing to a cheesesteak, this side of the Mississippi.  It's called "Steakadelphia" and is located on Powell Blvd.  I had one today and it was perfection!  The perfect soft and chewy Italian roll, freshly grilled steak and bell peppers and mushrooms.  None of these ingredients were cooked ahead of time, so it did take a couple minutes to make, which in my book is definitely a good thing.  If you know anything about cheesesteak lore....you know that the type of cheese you put on your cheesesteak is an issue of large debate in the Keystone State.  Some prefer provolone, others prefer cheese wiz.....and I've never seen it myself, but I hear cheddar or cream cheese are also options.  So apparently Philadelphians get pretty carried away on this issue.  I heard recently that their football crowds get so unruly that they installed a court room within the new stadium in order to deal with the "unrul-ees" on site.  Maybe it's because someone put cheese wiz on their cheesesteak.  Well, either way, you'll be happy to know that "Steakadelphia" offers all four cheese options and plenty of additions (onions, jalapenos, peppers, mushrooms, etc.).

If you're lookin' for a quick bite, you have to check this place out.  I'll be back for sure.

http://www.steakadelphia.com/index.html

Madeleine Peyroux show/the Lamp

We went to see the Madeleine Peyroux show last night and before the show stopped at "the Lamp", right next door for dinner.  I checked out "the Lamp" online before we went.  Their menu seemed decent, a bit of cajun style fair...and some other bar staples.  When we walked in the door, I was honestly a little frightened (the pictures online made it look substantially better).  The interior reminded me of most every bad restaurant (meaning almost every restaurant is bad)  from the area I grew up in, Bradford County, Pennsylvania.  Bad decorations, old tables with formica tops, bad/old chairs....you name it...it wasn't pretty.  The service was pretty bad, but I cut them some slack because since it was right before the show and the place literally adjoins with the Alladin Theater, it got pretty packed before the doors for the show opened.  The food redeemed the restaurant....I had a pretty decent vege wrap with fresh vegetables and crumbled blue cheese.  Matt had a BLTA (Avacado)...pretty much your standard BLT (I had previously thought you couldn't ruin a BLT, but a recent visit to "the Montage" proved me wrong).  Both our meals were served with a very interesting jalapeno coleslaw.  The slaw was great (again....standard), but the added jalapeno was pretty interesting; too spicy for me, but I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to jalapenos.  Not sure we will ever eat there again, unless in a pinch.  There is a German Sausage place right around the corner that looks very interesting.....

Oh...and the Madeleine Peyroux show was pretty excellent.  If it weren't 2 hours past my bedtime I might not have fallen asleep; also a little odd that every person there was at least 30 years my senior.  Still, couldn't be worse than that Norah Jones show a couple of months ago....

http://www.madeleinepeyroux.com/
http://www.thelamppdx.com/

East Side Deli

I'm in the middle of reading this month's Saveur which is dedicated to sandwiches.  I've lived in Oregon 10 years now and as much as I love everything about this place....it only lacks a few things, as far as food is concerned.  I grew up in Pennsylvania and hoagies (subs to some of you), wings, and authentic pizzerias are as much common place as they are a lifeline.  Everyone has their favorites and they, and the establishments that thrive from selling them, are about as plentiful as coffee shops in the Northwest.  I keep searching for places to find these tasty bits, in order to at least "feel" closer to some of the only good things about the East Coast.  I just finished reading an article about good rye bread and earlier today had spotted the East Side deli, so I thought we should check it out.  Located at SE 47th, it is a small little place with only a couple of tables.  They have a decent selection of natural sodas and juices and carry just as many vege sandwiches as meat, as well as vegan options.  I had the Turkey Reuben which was pretty good.  Lots of Boars Head (awesome cold cuts from the East Coast) turkey, mild sauerkraut, and not too much thousand island dressing.  My man had a roast beef and swiss piled high with fresh cut veges and a spicy horseradish mustard.  Pretty good if you're looking for a quick bite.
http://www.pdxdeli.com/hawthorne/index.html

Saveur

If you're a REAL foodie than you subscribe to at least one magazine that is at least 50% food.  And all those silly soccer mom magazines (Cooking Light, Everyday Food, etc, etc...) don't exactly count.  I guess they are decent in some respects, but I'm talking about magazines that educate you about food and where to get it.  My personal favorite is Saveur (also at www.saveur.com).  I consider it a food version of National Geographic.  The articles actually educate about the food and in most cases, the culture in where it comes from.  Save for the special editions like the Chef Favorites (January 2011 version....all chef picks) and this month's edition: "The Sandwich Issue".  If you like sandwiches....you have to read this one.  What I like about this magazine is it doesn't just talk about creative ingredients that you might have to look closer to find, but it also talks about plain jane, simply good food.  For instance, on page 44 Francine Prose, author of My New American Life, (Harper Collins, 2011), talks about the plain 'ol grilled cheese sandwich.  It reminds me of my childhood days on the farm when we had lunch with Grandma.  Her efforts in the kitchen were like magic.  She never had bread sitting out, but could some how whip up the best tuna fish sandwich I've ever had.  Brown bread, albacore tuna, light on the mayo, iceberg lettuce from the garden.....ah....heaven!

Hoots and Hellmouth

Are playing tonight at the Doug Fir.  I haven't seen them myself, but my sister won't shut up about them.  Apparently their only form of percussion is the band itself stomping on the floor.  Worth checkin' out for sure.
 http://www.hootsandhellmouth.com/

Circa33

Circa33 is located at 3348 SE Belmont.  We had been up and down Belmont about a million times before we finally noticed it and made a note to revisit.  We went in for dinner a few nights ago and found a very warm and bright atmosphere.  The ceilings are covered with an old burlap and really add to the old look they are going for.  The place name is a shout out to 1933, the year that prohibition was abolished.  The drink menu is quite interesting with older style cocktails and mixes show with their date of origin.  I had a tasty "punch" (pictured above) that was like a mojito with fresh nutmeg.  For a beginner, we had the smoked salmon and trout plank that came with crackers and spread, one horseradish and the other herb.  For our main course we had an interesting grilled pork with a creative version of German potato salad, with whole olives.  Definitely worth another visit.
http://circa33bar.com/