Location: 4826 N Lombard St, Portland, OR
Date: August 13th, 2009
Ordered: Nicola's Sausage and Peppers
Cost: $11.99
Looking at it from the outside, Nicola's seems like a somewhat run-down establishment, unimpressive in every possible capacity. Yet, inexplicably, the first time I saw it I thought, "I want to find out what's in there." I wasn't sure what to expect; I figured some bar & grill-type pizza joint or some such. Was I in for a surprise!
Walking into Nicola's is like opening to the door to a beat-up car and a well-kept, fine leather interior with all the latest comforts inside. There's a definite Italian theme (or perhaps just a theme that says "Italy") and it's a clean, pleasant, family dining establishment that actually has some class.
The menu is mostly pastas and pizza - kind of like the Olive Garden, but smaller, quieter, and with fewer birthdays. I ended up ordering "Nicola's Sausage and Peppers", which was essentially spaghetti but with large chunks of italian sausage and peppers mixed in.
And it was good. VERY good.
So that's all I have to report on Nicola's: it's a surprise, and a very good one at that. You can bet I'll be adding it to my "list of local restaurants to revisit"!
