Where should we go for dinner tonight?
(I always get great restaurant suggestions here - the dim sum post from way back when is still getting comments - so I”m returning for more advice…)
The kids (7 and 12, but very adventurous food eaters who are also well behaved - no rock throwing incidents here, thankyouverymuch) and I are having dinner with my visiting cousin from Atlanta and his partner. Where are we going? No idea…
Instead, we’re meeting at a downtown hotel and heading out from there.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to pick the restaurant for us. A few rules:
- We’re restricting ourselves to downtown if possible
- No Italian, please - it’s been overdone lately.
- While I’ve vetoed my daughter’s original first choice (Quiznos) ’cause we’re not going that downscale, I also vetoed her second choice (Todai) for reasons having to do with price as much as genericism. Yes, that means no Ruths Chris, no Mortons, no El Gaucho. Think decent, but not extravagant.
- I’d love someplace where we’ll be able to sit and talk for a while - we figured out we haven’t seen each other for 15 years at least…
Thanks in advance for any & all suggestions!
Related posts:
I don’t know if this fits your price requirements, but Bush Garden last time I was there was nice. And I know your daughter has a thing for sushi so even though it isn’t Quizno’s she’ll probably be happy.If Bush Garden isn’t for you there’s other sushi downtown, right? (:
That’s actually a great idea - the only caveat is that I”m not sure my cousin & his friend eat sushi.
We’re meeting them at Broadway & Alder, fyi - so anything within that immediate radius would be great (although we can always hop on MAX if we need to…)
Dragonfish, Green Papaya and Sungari(downtown) are all decent downtown eats. Perhaps you could hop on the streetcar and go to D.F. , Sinju, Pho Van or Sungari Pearl?
Have you tried P.F. Chang’s China bistro? Its on 12th and Burnside(roughly, actually a block north) and its some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. Or if you want something a little more fun, try Salvadore Molly’s. They bill themselves as ‘Pirate Cookin’ and are located at 32nd and Morrison, just off of Belmont on the east side.
Brasserie Montmarte, The Hunan, Portland Steak and Chop (great around happy hour), or Swagat (again, a streetcar idea). Heard DF is good, but haven’t tried it yet…
Karam: Best Lebanese in Portland. Very nice owners. Get whole wheat pita, falafel, and something stewed. Not far from the Max.
Carafe: Laid back bistro atmosphere. Plenty of options under $20. I think they have a prix fixe option, now, too. Have outdoor seating and free valet.
Others that might fit: Mother’s, Mama Mia’s, Typhoon, Southpark.
btw, since it’s Monday you have to be a little careful. Check out this link of places that are open:
http://www.extramsg.com/uploaded_misc/portland_tipsheet.html#sandm
The famed Marco Polo Garden, an institution in Old Town for many years, has moved to the Shilo Inn on Canyon Rd near Walker. It’s a definite must-go!
PS: I know it’s not downtown but it’s worth the trip.
We did Bush Garden - thanks to BLF for the recommendation!
I wouldn’t step foot into a Shilo Inn if you payed me. Even if they have a restaurant that’s to die for. Right wing owned and operated? No thanks. Nope. No Shilo Inn.
Good choice on Bush Garden: hope you had a tatami room!
Man I’ve been seeing a lot of lefties boycotting businesses, not because of actions, but because of beliefs, lately. Sure, there are plenty of right-wingers, especially among the conservative religious communities who will try to boycott Disney or some such because they have policies about homosexuality that they don’t like or produce a movie that has ideas that they disagree with, but at least that’s some sort of action.
What happened to boycotting a place because they discriminated against a group or some other substantial policy? The left’s love of political correctness has become a sort of reverse McCarthyism: blacklist people for their political beliefs.
PS: Asians are second only to whites in Republic Party affiliation (and even higher if you eliminate Pacific Islanders, which tend to go Democrat). You might have to cut sushi out of your diet. Asian, business owner, wealthy? What are the chances they’re Democrats? And you might as well stop hiring accountants or going to banks. Stuff that money away under your mattress. Who else? Oh yeah, farmers. The rural communities of Oregon are the reason why we have a Republican senator and statewide races are interesting at all. If you think your purchases of Oregon Country Beef or Oregon grown apples and cherries aren’t going to support Republicans by-and-large, you’re kidding yourself.
Perhaps, though, you could get them to publicly repent at the Inquisition.
I can’t wait to see Lelo’s list of politically acceptable restaurants. Eating with him/her must be a real laugh riot.
Please - attack ideas, if you must (although I’d urge you do so gracefully.) But let’s leave people out of it, shall we?
(If you wouldn’t make the comment while looking them directly in the face at a cocktail party, for example - then don’t make it here.)
MSG - Mark Hemstreet’s been pretty well publicized; it’s clear what he stands for/who he supports/how he conducts business. I think it’s entirely reasonable to make a decision that you’ll not support his business, just based on what’s been said publicly - and if I recall correctly (don’t remember specifics), it goes beyond mere right wing beliefs.
Dear Betsy “can’t we all get along”?
It’s my policy that whatever I type on-line I must be willing to say to a person’s face.
As for eating at a restaurant - I am completely uninterested in what the landlord’s or building owner’s political beliefs are. I am there to purchase food. I don’t care if they use ketchup made with tomatoes which aren’t organic, union-labor picked or certified “torture free” or “free range”. It’s a business transaction, pure and simple.
I know people who keep lengthy lists of stores, gas stations, restaurants, etc., which they boycott because of one reason or another (or another or another) - and for the most part, they lead bitter, angry lives.
Rah, re-read your last post. You are saying these people are bitter? Go read every post you have made on portland metblogs and then decide whose bitter? you my friend seem to always post negative or attacking posts. just an observation.
what is D.F? my first thought was doug fir, but that’s on the east side.
“Dieselboi”, you err in equating “negative or attacking” with bitterness. Just because I don’t like much of what you write, doesn’t mean I’m bitter.
PS: You are taking this stuff way too personally. This is the second time you’ve jumped me for responding critically to your posts. Maybe you should step back, take a deep breath, and learn how to accept criticism.
RAH, you have the ability to take what’s meant as ‘criticism’ and add a personal, slashing tone to it.
And while I’m not going to restrict or censor it (that’s not what we’re about here), I won’t hesitate to point it out, or call you on it when I think it detracts from the larger conversation.
The original thread was about restaurants. LeLo made a comment as to why she won’t frequent a particular restaurant - one that you suggested.
And from there, it spiraled into massive generalizations laden with value judgements, including some assumptions about LeLo’s worth as a potential dinner companion.
Was it really worth the pile on? Did it add anything to the conversation? Or did it just give you an opportunity to take a couple of cheap shots or make value judgments about someone you don’t really know at all?
It’s hard not to respond personally when you’ve been the one to introduce personality judgements into this thread (or other conversations)in the first place. And hiding behind the ‘I’m just sharing *criticism*’ doesn’t become you. It’s clear that you know how to use words well - and you’re quite aware about how you come across.
I’m not asking that we all get along and/or go skipping into the sunset, singing KumBahYah. I *do* ask that we leave the personal characterizations, sweeping generalizations, and/or value judgements out of our comments.
And if you can’t? Expect to be called on it. Loudly.
Wow. I hope that made you feel better.
(scrolls and scrolls)
(scrolls more)
I’m glad Bush Garden went over well, Betsy! How did your cousin like it? Is it still a nice but not too nice place to go? (Like I said I haven’t been there in awhile.)
Yep, I’d put it in the ‘nice, but not too nice’ category. We had one of the tatami rooms - and my daughter, for one, was fascinated (the Atlanta boys hadn’t ever seen one before either, heh.)
It’s a little on the pricy side for individual rolls, I thought - but we ended up getting two platters & splitting everything, plus ordered some appetizers.
I did think it was kind of cheesy to bring only two bowls of miso soup at first (there were five of us dining, and we ordered two 20 dollar platters of fish - surely miso doesn’t cost that much.) But they brought more upon request.
Rah:
It probably did make Betsy feel better. And while I know I’m making YOU feel better by giving you undeserved attention, I’m backing Betsy up here.
If I disagree with your opinion, I will say to you “I disagree with your opinion” and not “I think you’re dumb”. See the difference? One attacks the IDEA, one attacks the PERSON.
Betsy and I (and probably most of the rest of us) could care less if you come in here with the verbal equivalent of plastique explosives as long as your target is the thought itself, not whoever was behind it. In fact it would be welcomed.
My first sushi was at the Bush Garden downtown. Very good. The one in Tualatin, however, left something to be desired.
Diesel, if I’m correctly informed, DF is a Mexican place in the Pearl. Pretty new, I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet but here it’s a must.
MSG, you been there yet? Anyone else?
Downtown Bush Garden was my introduction to sushi as well.
I’m glad you liked it Rusty! Where do you like to go for it now? Is it Bush Garden still or someplace else?
(If you want to further debate the politics of restaurant selection, I’d respectfully request you do so over here instead: http://portland.metblogs.com/archives/2005/09/voting_with_you.phtml)
I’ve actually heard varying reviews of DF (pronounced day efe, I believe), and heard it described as ‘nuevo Latin’ - whatever that means…
Bush Garden was the first restaurant I ever went to in PDX. I’d arrived late on a Sunday afternoon, checked into my hotel (Heathman), and wandered around for a bit until I found a place to grab a quick bite at the bar. Don’t know why I’d not been back since…
Yeah, I’ve been to DF. I liked it. I heard it’s really good for brunch actually. I think it’s a little overpriced for dinner perhaps and I’ve heard several people complain about service, but haven’t experienced that problem myself. I don’t know if I like it as much as Taqueria Nueve, their other place, or Nuestra Cocina, but it’s worth a try if you enjoy regional Mexican.
We at http://www.portlandfood.org did a kaiseki dinner at Bush Gardens last year. We had an amount of money to spend — can’t remember how much, maybe $60 pp — and then just told the chef to give us what he thought best. I’m not a big fan of sushi and don’t eat it often, so I don’t think I’m really a good judge on the subject. I plan on educating myself soon, however. There were some things I thought were very good and some things that were just too different for even me. Fishy custards and chewy things are just too far outside my palate’s tradition. But it was a fun evening. Here are descriptions and pictures:
http://www.portlandfood.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=52&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=bush+garden&start=15
Nana: Current fave Sushi is Yoko’s. Did a bit on sushi once here.
Hmmm… My links got dumped.
Nana: Current fave Sushi is Yoko’s (http://portland.citysearch.com/profile/8454321/portland_or/yoko_s_japanese_restaurant.html?cslink=search_name_noncust&ulink=search__searchslot7_520__0_profile_2_1).
Did a bit on sushi here once (http://portland.metblogs.com/archives/2005/04/mailing_it_inak.phtml).
Ugh.
My post, with links, still hasn’t been put up yet. Two links and it gives me that template error. Ugh.
Consider trying Ya Hala over on SE Stark.
Try Mother’s Bistro & Bar
409 SW 2nd Ave, Portland
Great food, cozy atmosphere and never been rushed out of there :)… but have asked them to rush because we had to be somewhere else — which they did with a smile…
One Vancouverite’s opinion. Many reviews on citysearch too