Nicola's Pizza

Restaurant: Nicola's Pizza
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"!

Dang's Thai Kitchen

Restaurant: Dang's Thai Kitchen
Location: 670 N State St, Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Date: July 15th, 2009
Ordered: Pad Thai
Cost: $9.00

Always on the prowl for good Pad Thai, I had dinner the other day at Dang's Thai Kitchen in Lake Oswego. A nice little place, I was immediately impressed by Dang's upon entering; it has a modern, classy feel to it - yet it's still pleasantly small, quiet, and inviting.


A period of time after ordering, I noticed that it was taking an unusually long time for our food to arrive. Just about the time I started to get truly hungry, we were delivered an appetizer plate of asian spring wraps, compliments of the house. It seems that we weren't the only ones to notice the delay. Well handled on their part!

The meal itself was quite delicious. Flavorful, plentiful, and nice to look at, everything was done well from the presentation to the food itself. I was quite impressed by Dang's, and will definitely go back again - given the opportunity.

The Sultan Cafe

Restaurant: The Sultan Cafe
Location: 1500 NW 18th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
Date: July 2nd, 2009
Ordered: Lamb Gyro
Cost: $6.99

Through extremely good fortune, I was introduced to The Sultan Cafe by a coworker. Upon entering, I went up to the counter and ordered the Lamb Gyro from a friendly Turkish gentleman that I'm guessing was the owner. I paid, and we managed to find seats despite how crowded the place was. So far everything seemed good, but I wasn't overly impressed.



Then our food arrived, and I took a bite of my gyro. That moment changed everything. Even thinking about that bite is making my mouth water and crave yet another gyro from The Sultan Cafe. It was that delicious!

I don't know what they did to it, but the lamb was so soft, tender, juicy, and flavorful that it literally was the best thing to happen to my mouth in months. My only regret is how quickly I devoured it because I wanted it to last longer.

I will definitely be going back to the Sultan Cafe, time and time again. I'm not sure I want to order anything else there, though, since that gyro was so amazingly good. It's a conundrum, that's for sure!

La Isla Bonita

Restaurant: La Isla Bonita
Location: 7670 SW Nyberg St, Tualatin, OR 97062
Date: June 2nd, 2009
Ordered: Taco Salad
Cost: $6.95

I'm going to start out by saying that I have a very soft spot for Mexican restaurants that - in addition to tortilla chips and salsa - aslo bring a small bowl of refried beans in which to dip aforementioned chips. La Isla Bonita, I found, is such a place and therefore is automatically working from a favorable position.

I ordered the Taco Salad (not a huge surprise) with chicken and no guacamole. Perhaps it was due to being the only customer in the store, but the food was prepared amazingly quickly - though I still managed to comsume a fair portion of the chips beforehand.


Tragically, the food was a tad flavorless. It wasn't bad, per se, and I've certainly had worse, but it wasn't really noteworthy either. I still ate it, I still enjoyed it, but I wouldn't drive across town for it.

The service was alright there, too. For being the only customer, it seemed that I was quite short (or out) of water quite often. The glasses were small, but I guess that's how things are. The decor of the restaurant seemed to replicate the generically inoffensive decor found in most small Mexican restaurants.

In all, La Isla Bonita wasn't bad. If it were within walking distance, I might frequent it. However, it's in Tualatin and I have rare occasion to go out there, so I probably won't head back.

Signal Station Pizza

Restaurant: Signal Station Pizza
Location: 8302 N Lombard, Portland, OR 97203
Date: May 11th, 2009
Ordered: 1 slice Pepperoni Pizza
Cost: $3.50

On a whim today I walked past Signal Station Pizza and gave in to my craving. I walked into the former gasoline station (the pumps still warn of "leaded fuel") through the open bay door and ordered pepperoni pizza. The gal behind the counter warmed it up and handed it to me.


The pizza itself was large and New York-style. It was decent, but something about it seemed a little off. I love supporting the little local restaurants, and I'm sure I'll be back, but it just wasn't the best pizza I've ever had. I'm not sure if the crust was too flavorless or the toppings a little bland, but it just seemed to lack that certain something that pizza ought to have.

I don't want to say bad things about the place, though. The gal behind the counter was helpful and friendly, they deliver pizza around St. Johns on a bicycle on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and it's just got a lot of personality. I'll definitely give it another shot.

Pambiche

Restaurant: Pambiche
Location: 2811 NE Glisan, Portland, OR 97232
Date: April 2tth, 2009
Ordered: Revoltillo de Chorizo (Cuban Sausage Scramble)
Cost: $9.50

For breakfast Saturday I found myself with a group at Pambiche, a Cuban restaurant in NE Portland. (Incidentally, I used to live 10 blocks form where it now is, so I'm somewhat familiar with the neighborhood.) Even in NE Pambiche stands out as a colorful place with its walls covered in bold primary colors and small dining room packed with people.

Given my traditional conservative taste, I decided to try something that didn't sound too exotic but still sounded fun. I settled on the Revoltillo de Chorizo, an egg/sausage/pepper scramble with a delicious-sounding description. I'd also like to thank the wait-staff at this point for not making me try to pronounce the name of the dish, as I'd have butchered it.


The plate arrived arranged in a most appetizing way. But even more than that, the meal was delicious. (Though I'll admit, I tend to say that about pretty much every place I eat. Do I just magically find the awesome items on the menu?) It really was a mixture of eggs, sausage, peppers, and a few other spices combined on a plate and served with a toast and garnish. Yet, now that I typed it out, it really was better than it sounds.

As breakfasts go, I'm quite happy to have been introduced to Pembiche and I'm definitely looking forward to trying it again. Check it out!

Note: The Cuban French Toast looked delicious as well. I may have to try that next time!

Thai Cottage

Restaurant: Thai Cottage
Location: 8620 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203
Date: April 10th, 2009
Ordered: Pad Thai
Cost: $8.50

Finally had the chance to try Thai Cottage, another local hole-in-the-wall Thai place near my home. It's a small restaurant, with probably only about 8 tables - but it's these little places that so frequently turn out well.

In an incredible act of originality, I ordered the Pad Thai. I'm going to say that the presentation of the meal was amazing; it really looked like they put some thought into it. In terms of flavor, the meal was also quite delicious. If I were giving Ebay-style feedback here, it would be "A++++++ would eat again!!!".


I enjoyed my meal thoroughly. With the pleasant ambiance of the place, it was easy to feel relaxed and just enjoy it.

What was doubly impressive was the dessert they brought us after the meal. It was a slice of pineapple with a small bowl of a sugar/salt mix.


The whole Thai Cottage experience was filled with "yum" and I would definitely go back again!