Portland Mercury

Re: “Blueplate”

The food is good, but I agree about the service. It's not that they're rude, they're just badly understaffed. Otherwise, the food IS pretty rad and I'll go back.

Re: “Amnesia Brewing”

in a town known for microbrew, you'd think it'd be a no-brainer to come up with a good business model, craft some good brew recipes and watch the accolades come in (and loyal patrons). judging from these reviews amnesia's still struggling after starting as a fresh face on the microbrew scene a not too long ago. strange though because they're always packed in the warm weather months, so they must be doing alright for themselves. folks looking for casual anonymity will find it here, they'll get ok food, sometimes great beer, sometimes not, at a place that doesn't claim to have the best of this or that. so maybe they're not aspiring to it. the guys at the homebrew club love it because it's not as polished and yuppy as some of the other places in town where the beer is always, always, consistent. i lost interested when their beer offerings, well, weren't consistent. i've been told that they had some initial kinks to get around so maybe that's changed. more power to a local neighborhood business but there's no reason to go when there are loads of places in town with tasty (and consisently the same taste) offerings with friendly staff to bat. i'll order the ipa when i'm out at a restaurant but i don't have a reason to go to amnesia anymore as there's just no reason to with so many good alternatives.

Re: “Koji Osakaya”

The only place on the SW side I've found where I can get consistent quality Japanese food. Not stellar, but I don't have to haul my ass to other side of town for sushi if I don't feel like it. And for that, I recommend them.

Re: “Grand Central Bakery-Multnomah”

... and hankering for a pastry or bread, well, they do specialize in it. However, it's generally dry and overpriced. I'd head up to Baker & Spice instead up the street on Capitol Hwy if you want to spend a few bucks on a croissant.

Re: “Concordia Ale House & Eatery”

I hate the atmosphere! I HOWEVER love the beers and location. It's a ogod place to go after a movie at Kennedy School and you are sick on Mcmenemins food. but seriously, it is really sterile in there.

Re: “Pattie's Home Plate Cafe”

One foot in the door of Patties and you swear you are in a dumpy drugstore, not a restaurant. But try to ignore the Avon and cheap gifts and grab a table. The breakfast is absoletly great! Big, yummy omeletes filled with fresh veggies. But be prepared to wait a while - They have but one tiny flat-top and one busy waiter.

Re: “Cupcake Jones”

Hm, how many reviews do you think the owners of the place can write? As someone who's not an owner, I can say that my boyfriend and I both had the orange cupcake, and it was not half bad. Not something I'd drive cross-town for, but if I happen to be walking by...

Re: “Sorabol Korean Reataurant”

The food is alright. Not the best, and a little over priced. The waitresses were nice and attentive. p.s a lot of decorations from ikea =]

Re: “Fresh Pot”

Love the Stumptown coffee and readily available reading material. Definately a place to be seen more than relax and enjoy the wifi, if you can find a place to sit that is. Experimental icelandic music or a morning dose of techno is usually sufficient to drive out those not hip enough. Good coffee though.

Re: “Helser's”

Good: Place is nice and bright with all the windows; coffee in the entryway while you wait; beeg portions and no skimping on yummy ingredients; insanely prompt coffee refills. Not-so-good: Long (45 -minute) wait packed into the entryway with 12 other people; long wait to order, really long wait for the food. So long, in fact, I was suspecting the waitress hadn't put our order in.

Re: “Urban Grind East”

It's a nice neighborhood type of spot if you live near-by. I found it randomly one day walking and didn't know it existed. Good coffee, small breakfast and lunch menu, but cheap.

Re: “Basement Pub, The”

the chicken tacos are the worst i've ever had, but the curried chickpeas & rice are quite tasty and only a buck with a drink. i like the non-pretentious vibe there, even if it is hella smoky.

Re: “Paradox Cafe”

This place is just fine if you can sort through their menu (if you're not vegan/vegetarian inclined, pick a different restaurant - there are plenty in the neighborhood). But they're fairly short on vegetables for being a vegan-friendly joint, so don't go here unless you're in a starch/salt/oil breakfast mood either. Portions are on the large side and you can get out for under $10 including coffee and tip if you pick your entree right. I haven't had any bad experiences with their service, and once I saw a waitress run down Belmont after some customers who forgot their leftovers in a to-go box at their table (that's nice!) The place is a bit small, but doesn't feel like it thanks to tons of wall mirrors. Don't go with a group larger than four; unless your troupe of five includes three emaciated Holocaust victims, you won't fit in their booths. There's usually a line on weekends, but if you can grab it the bench outside is under an awning but also straight in the path of the morning sun, which is nice during winter. Lastly, if you're a Heroes fan, the last time I was there Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia were sitting at the bar. OMG!

The atmosphere is nice and cozy. When waiting for our table we asked a gentleman behind the bar what he recommended on the menu... he gave us a shitty look almost as if we were undercover cops asking where to score some herb. He had a sort of "why do you want to know" thing going on which turned me off. The waitress was too cool for school. Marinara was great, spicy. The issue I had was we order a meatball and an Italian sausage and the texture was like nothing I have ever had. i couldn't take more than a few bites. It was almost all filler and spices. It literally reminded me of vegan meat. I am still convinced that it may have been. Less is more in Italian food... tone it down guys.

Re: “Panera Bread”

...but when I visit my parents in PA this place is a godsend! I remember their veggie options to be far superior to the usual baked potato/watery spaghetti/iceberg lettuce salads that I would come across in Pittsburgh. If nothing else, then at least try their cinnamon crunch bagel. The one time I visited the PDX location, the service was a bit mediocre (the girl that finally helped me looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there)........but damn I missed those crunch bagels. Better places to go in Portland for grub, but think about it the next time you come across one in a not-so-vegetarian-friendly locale.

Re: “Blue Diamond”

For what is basically an old man bar on Sandy, the Diamond makes a pretty decent burger - lots of toppings, kinda Philly cheesesteak style. Better than you'd expect.

Re: “Albina Press”

This has been my favorite spot for a while...always perfect coffee, but the last 3 times I have been, well, I was let down. Hey nothing is perfect all the time I get that but lets just hope is a short phase. And I do agree with 1star4thisbarista on the attitude with certain baristas . If you don't like the service industry get the fuck out of it...no one likes a sour puss. Try smiling it actually feels really good!

Re: “India House”

True, this is a charming little place and the food was delicious--isn't all Indian food? However, I was appalled when our waitress asked if we would like rice with our dishes for an additional $2.75. Huh? Doesn't it come with the (already comparatively expensive) dishes? Like everywhere else? Apparently not. $2.75 apparently doesn't buy much rice either. Both the dishes and our rice came out in little bowls, amounting to little more than a cup of food each. This place certainly earns its ($$) rating, with food that isn't any better than other places in town.

Re: “Bagel Land”

I agree. These are just average. Definitely NOT a nyc bagel. But good enough if you're in the hood.

Re: “Two Brothers”

Great daily specials, awesome sandwiches....But some items are a touch bland. But just reach across the table for the salt and you'll be set. They also SUPER friendly staff. Try this place.