The Observatory

It was Friday night around 6:00 pm. We were taking care of some business when we bumped into a couple of friends. Someone suggested that it was dinner time and our friends wondered if we had researched any new places to explore for this blog. I had been distracted with life events and hadn't even thought about eating out for a while. I quickly pulled out my Android mobile device and started searching for a place worthy of a visit within close proximity. I stumbled on the The Observatory. It sounded safe enough and was only four blocks or so away.

This was the view from the street. There were a small number of tables outside. When we ventured inside, we noticed the the place was small but busy. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. We were offered a table fairly quickly but our companions suggested to the hostess that it might be fun to eat outside and that we'd be willing to wait a few minutes for that opportunity. She pleasantly responded that that would be fine and she'd see how quickly she could get a table for us. We only waited another short while till one of the tables cleared and we were promptly seated.

The waitress was at the table shortly to deliver the menu and take beverage orders. We each chose water but being a bit hydrophobic I asked if she could supply lemon wedges and the quick response was "of course". One of our dinner companions asked if she could suggest a good value appetizer and she quickly replied that a great choice would be the Oregeno Fry Bread for $4.00. I have to say that the girls were each very attentive, friendly, helpful, and were well worth their wages.

My choice for an entree was the Roasted Pork Loin. Wow! It was so tender that I could cut it with a fork and the sauce was a splendid spiced apple flavor. It came with a couple of light polenta wedges and mustard greens. I ate every morsel on the plate. It was just a delicious dinner. The presentation was wonderful and I really would not suggest any changes.

Our companions chose to split a plate and it happened that it was the same selection as Debbie chose. I don't exactly remember the name because it was a special and is not on the menu. Essentially, it was a pasta dish with penne noodles and andouille sausage with a creamy tomato sauce. Our companions reported that they enjoyed the plate. Debbie wasn't as pleased with it as they were. I had the opportunity to finish off a significant portion of her plate and have to say that though I appreciated my primary selection better, her meal was still very good. You know, one must realize that different tastebuds often just react differently to food.

This "first contact" experience with this restaurant was certainly positive and I would recommend it wholeheartedly. I plan to revisit this establishment and investigate some of the other selections on the menu. I feel particularly fortunate that it is located reletively close to home.

Ok. This next picture probably doesn't belong on this post. Afterall, it wasn't taken at The Observatory. It was taken a few blocks away at a cute little pastery shop that we wandered into after dinner. We each tried a fun little cookie. Actually, it was two cookies with a creamy flavored filling between them. I don't remember what everyone else ate but mine was a couple of snickerdoodles with vanilla cream in between. Yumm!

Yes! This was a great evening filled with food, conversation, and friends.

Pine State Biscuits

A friend recently asked if we had ever heard of Pine State Biscuits. Neither of us had so we decided to do a drive by.

Whoa! Sure didn't look like much from the outside. We determined that this place was just the sort of establishment that we needed to try. Adding to our interest was the fact that a line of people was forming outside the building onto the sidewalk. That's always a good sign.

As we get inside the door we notice that there are about four people behind the counter working feverishly. The menu is chalked up on a board hanging over the counter.

We look around the corner and discover that this place apparently only seats about a dozen patrons. Interesting! Being mildly claustrophobic and agoraphobic, I suggest that we get the biscuits to go and eat them in the car.

I ordered the deluxe "Reggie" which seems to be their pride and joy. It is also the first item on the menu.
Debbie's selection was the Reggie, though not deluxe. The only difference between the two orders was the egg on my "deluxe" biscuit.

Anyway, the Reggie is made of a wonderful biscuit with a slab of fried chicken breast, bacon, cheese, and sausage gravy and, of course, an egg if you order the deluxe version.

We each thoroughly enjoyed our selections and our appetites were completely satiated. In fact, I had to finish off a portion of Debbie's biscuit which she would have been unable to finish. This is not the sort of place for the stringently health conscious. It is Southern comfort food in its truest form. I can't imagine what person could have tasted that item and not been completely intoxicated by the flavors. I will give a thumbs up on this place as our experience was pleasent. I understand, however, that a visit on the week-end often requires a significant wait in the line. Oh well, sometimes the best things are the ones for which we wait the longest!

Swagat

Once again we have dined outside the box, as it were, and lived to dine again another day!

This time the cuisine was from India. We chose a small restaurant in NW Portland called Swagat. It had a kind of quaint, friendly look on the outside. The host greeted us as we entered and promptly seated us in the dining area. There were only a few other guests but that was certainly ok because the dining room wasn't a really large place anyway. Very quickly the waitress was at the table ready to take our beverage order and to place a tray of three different sauces on our table.

We admitted our ignorance of Indian cuisine early on and she patiently explained the various terms, types of food, and how it is normally enjoyed.

We each received a cracker like this and were told it was proper to dip it in the various sauces which we did. It was good. I am a bit more tolerant of spices than Debbie. The green sauce was the hottest but it was good. I think she was ok with it too. She did comment that the cracker was good and I completely concurred with that assessment.

We decided that we should at least try an appetizer. We chose the assorted vegetable pakoras. The vegetables came in a deep fried batter cocoon so it was sometimes difficult to identify each but I'm guessing that at least one was a slice of potato, perhaps a slice of eggplant, a couple of varieties of pepper, and some onions. This was very good and also dipped well in our three sauces. I am afraid that we were becoming full by the time we completed our appetizer and perhaps weren't hungry enough to truly enjoy our entree to it fullest.

This was Debbie's choice. It was called Chicken Saag. Essentially, it is chunks of chicken breast cooked in a mild spinach curry.

My selection, far more spicy I might add, was called Lamb Karai. It was lamb cooked in a tomato and green pepper curry.

This is the bread that was served with the meal. I believe it is called naan. It was a lot like a pancake. Apparently, the dough is splattered on the brick oven to cook. It was good and relieved the effects of the spices on my tongue.

This image portraits the two desert selections that were included in the price of the meal. Debbie chose the white rice pudding. It was tasty, kind of thin, and an appropriate end to this meal. My choice was the pastry. Essentially, it was a cake doughnut hole with a thin honey sauce spread over the top. It was good and if I hadn't already had far too much to eat I would have enjoyed it more.

The service was fine. I believe the food was good as well. Debbie is not a friend of curry generally and though I can appreciate curry, I was too full to enjoy my entree to its fullest. Actually, we brought significant portions home and I enjoyed it far more the second night. I have to think that it was good both nights and that overeating on the first night tainted my overall opinion. I would encourage you to try the Swagat and see for yourselves.