The Battle of the Breakfast Nooks!

I had the extreme pleasure of trying two of Mississippi Ave's best breakfast joints recently: Gravy and Muddy's.

Gravy's oatmeal is an absolutely mouth-watering crunchy golden delight! They call it oatmeal brulee and it has a crisp caramelized top that is so brilliantly satisfying, I wish I had thought of doing that to the boring oatmeal I eat at home a decade ago! Underneath the dessert-like top, is a mix of delicious oats and berries that delivers a satisfying and healthy meal. I decided an "ultra-healthy" menu choice of oatmeal needed some balance and ordered a bloody mary to accompany it :) Unfortunately, their bloody included chunky tomatoes, and I did not enjoy that texture in my drink. The flavor was right on, the accoutrements were plentiful, but the texture killed me. I went with Elha and she got a gravy-topped egg scramble and tequila shots. Hahah! Elha knows how to start the day right! The scramble was delicious too, but the best part were their home-style potatoes!

Muddy's was wonderful too... I got their quiche of the day with feta, bacon, spinach, and some other deliciousness. I also got their potatoes, but they didn't amaze me as much as they did for some of my friends I was with. They were scalloped and had heavy herb influences (I think too much rosemary maybe) and topped with Parmesan. So, if thats your thing, try 'em, but I prefer old fashioned and simple when it comes to breakfast potatoes! The breakfast croissant sandwich that Heather and Jon both got was greasy and hot and perfect for a hang over. Do yourself a favor and add avocado- it adds the perfect creamy balance.

To sum it all up, Muddy's atmosphere was much more laid back and the service was better, prices are great, and cappuccino was dry and fluffy. Hands down, Gravy has the best oatmeal of my life and I can't stop thinking about it. And their breakfast potatoes were more to my liking.

Florida - The Sunshine State!

I checked out happy hour at The Florida Room on N. Killingsworth today. I am definitely looking forward to becoming a regular there! I didn't get to try it, but I hear they offer a delicious Bloody Mary, specials on Sunday! I got a a PBR, corn dog and tots for $4.25, so great deals are a plenty! And everyDAY is SIN, which reminds me to put my OLCC card back in my wallet. A note on the tots- a little bland, makes me wish I had some seasoning salt around, but I still gobbled them down.

The 70's style art/deco reminds me of a South Beach Miami's neighborhood. I hear they have a nice dank game room in the back, but I didn't get around to exploring it today...needless to say, I am very much looking forward to many afternoons spent at this sunshine state!

Rose & Thistle Pub on NE Broadway

Ever heard of a hardboiled egg wrapped in banger sausage and deep fried? :) I highly recommend trying it with the mustard and hot sauce! Other than some over the top scottish eats, this bar boasts some killer happy hour deals, with wells drinks for $2.75 and 20 oz. pints for $3.50. The service was pretty rad too! Nice porch for a sunny afternoon. Too bad we might have to wait a few more weeks for any of those...

The Grand Lodge...not such grand taste...

I went to the McMenamin's Grand Lodge in Forest Grove last night with my dad, Debbie and my niece, Kildee, to see The curious case of Benjamin Buttons (a great flick, really leaves you thinking about the concept of time and growing "up").

I had not eaten at the Grand Lodge theater before and was really impressed with their extensive menu. Delicious sounding items, like a Jamaica Chicken, Salmon fillet in spicy peanut sauce, and the Distillers salad all had my mouth watering. I asked the employee at the front counter how the chicken was and he said its really big, so I opted for the salmon fillet.

It was dry! and there was no sauce, it was a rub. It was a tasty rub but really dulled by the over cooked fish. I was really dissappointed. Good thing my Dad was paying too, because food there is NOT cheap!

My advice for the future... Avoid the delicious sounding entrees, and stick with what McMenamin's does best: Burgers and Tots!

Laurelwood Brew Pub

Excellent Service! Excellent Nachos! Delicious Organic Beers. What more could a girl ask for??

This was my first trip to Laurelwood Brew Pub. I have enjoyed their beers on many occasions, but had yet to adventure into the pub til yesterday. I was a little bit surprised by the "Wait to be Seated" sign that greeted me by the front door, but a server showed up quickly, handed us (I was there w/ my buddy Huy) a couple of menus and told us to sit wherever.

Happy hour starts at 3 and we were seated at 2:50 and had HH beers by 3:10 which was great considering there was one woman at the bar and about 15 people there for brews and grub. The food showed up shortly thereafter. Huy got the hamburger ($4) and I got the nacho, no sour cream, sub fresh made guac (only $4). Both were delicious! The nacho didn't even get soggy and I didn't devour it that quickly (although I was hungry!)

Huy and I each had the Hooligan (IPA, I think?) because we liked the name. It was great! I'll have a hooligan again any day!

Thanks Laurelwood!