5225 N Lombard St,Portland, 97203
Tappas! Ok, let’s be honest. Do you really get enough meat at a Tappas place? The dishes are tiny and expensive and you have to order at least 4 plates to sort of feel full. I hadn’t been to a Tappas place in a while, so we decided to try it and find out!
What we ordered: Prawn and Mango Ceviche, Churasco (Steak), Lechon (Pork), Picadillo (Ground Beef), Camarones (shrimp)
How we ordered it: We pretty much ordered everything As-Is. We ordered all the meat Tappas; all 5 of them!
What we got:
Picadillo
Lechon "Pork"
Shrimp and Mango Ceviche
Cburasco - Steak
Camarones
Cost: Prawn and Mango Ceviche – $6, Churasco – $8, Lechon – $6, Picadillo – $6, Camarones – $7
Quality: Meat was tasty, well done and moist. The Picadillo was probably our least favorite as it was just ground beef w/ some veggies in it. We easily make this at home all the time! Nothing special to it. But the Lechon, pork, was fantastic! Well worth the $6.
Quantity: Eh, it’s tappas, about what we expected. Not as much as we would like for a meal.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Yeah, I don’t think we’ll be going to a Tappas place again in the near future. It’s just too expensive for little food. It doesn’t seem quite as satisfactory as a nice big meal w/ leftovers. It adds up pretty quickly, so that right there started Cafe Cubano at negative 1 in our books. Service was really great and the owners are really nice! Luckily there was a restaurant.com coupon, so we didn’t feel too much Buyer’s Remorse!
Filed under: American, Breakfast, North Portland | Tags: American breakfast, North Portland, paleo
3957 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97227
(503) 287-8800
Ya know when somebody describes something to you and they say,”My meal was the size of a football!”, or “The meat was huge, like a baby’s head!”….well, maybe not a baby’s head, but you get what I mean. Usually when this is being said, it’s really a slight exaggeration. However at Gravy the size of the omelettes are REALLY the size of a SMALL FOOTBALL!! It was crazy. I think the MEAT-O-METER’s eyes popped out of his head when he saw his food. (true exaggeration)
What we ordered: Omelette w/ choice of 3 ingredients; bacon, sausage and smoked salmon. Pork chop and eggs. Both dishes were served w/ the choice of fruit, potatoes or hash browns.
How we ordered it: The choice of ingredients for the omelette was really diverse. There was a list of cheeses, list of veggies and list of meats to add. This made it super easy to order Paleo. We ordered the omelette w/ smoked salmon, double-wide bacon and sausage. Pork and eggs were as is. Both dishes ordered w/ bowl of fruit.
What we got:
Omelette w/ your choice of 3 ingredients.
Ummm, let’s see that again….
Inside of the "Build your own omelette."
Pork Chops and Eggs
Cost: Omelette – $9.25, Pork chops and eggs – $11.75
Quality: Everything was very tasty. The smoked salmon was a bit dry b/c it was cooked a little too long, but apparently you can also get the salmon on the side if you like, so that it doesn’t cook any longer while in the omelette. I’d like to see how big that portion really is! Sausage and bacon was excellent as well.
Quantity: The salmon in the omelette was literally a whole filet. We had never seen anything so ginormous! The pic pretty much speaks for itself. The Pork Chops were perfect! I was definitely stuffed and very satisfied.
MEAT-O-METER says!
First meal in a long time where the MEAT-O-METER barely finished! It was a struggle but he did it and he was proud. It takes a lot to make him stuffed to the gills. Warning, do NOT go here on the weekend. If you go, be prepared to wait. During the weekdays, you are golden! They’re open until 3pm, so get in for a late breakfast and notice you will not have to eat for many many many hours.
Yay for Gravy!
Filed under: American, Southeast Portland | Tags: American, Happy Hour, paleo, Southeast
3862 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon 97214
503-235-3364
Yay! A great new spectacular restaurant! A new coupon popped up on restaurant.com. There was a September sale on the coupons. Since it was restaurant.com’s 9th anniversary, they made all their coupons 90% off for 90 hours starting 9/9/09!!! We bought a bunch of them for $1!!!
Anywho, Arista was a new restaurant and it’s located in the same building as the Hawthorne Theatre on SE 39th and Hawthorne. The inside used to be the Indian restaurant, but now they totally remodeled it and it looks very shi-shi inside. Hence, the dark photos following….
What we ordered: Soups! Their soup du jour was Squash Soup. We also got a menu favorite, Wild Coho Chowder, Sweet potato fries, and for an entree we got the Wild Coho.
How we ordered it: Soups as is, yes chowder does have dairy in it, so not ideal, but not a terrible choice b/c it’s soooo freakin’ good. Sweet potato fries as is. Wild Coho came with a side of red potatoes, so we substituted for whatever their seasonal vegetable was; here it was mashed parsnips.
What we got:
Squash Soup
Wild Coho Chowder
Sweet Potato Fries
Wild Coho
Cost: Soups – $5 each, Sweet potato Fries – $2 (It was happy hour!), Wild Coho – $15
Quality: You could tell that they put in a lot of care into their dishes. The salmon was nice and rare! Tender and tasty.
Quantity: For $5 the soups were a great find! For the quality of the salmon, the amount was perfect. We were definitely stuffed after this meal.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Arista’s happy hour menu is pretty fantabulous as well. $2 sweet potato fries! Geez, we should have gotten 2 of them. And the soups, which weren’t on the Happy hour menu, were $5. Even better!
It’s interesting though, the more hoity toity the restaurant, the easier it is to order Paleo. Most higher end restaurants put quality foods into their dishes, so most of the time you can order As-is. Arista isn’t really super expensive, but you can order As-is for most of their dishes. Awesome! This was a great find!
2000 NE Alberta St., Portland, Oregon 97211
The best places are usually the most unexpected. When they are a local business sometimes the servers are a little bit more lenient about making substitutions.
What we ordered: Beef stew, Chicken plate and Steak Plate
How we ordered it: We asked for no rice or beans. So they actually deducted the price of a side of rice and beans from the price of the plate. If only we could get that kind of service everywhere else…
What we got:
Beef stew
Chicken plate
Steak Plate
Cost: Given that they deducted the price for us because we asked for no rice and beans, the price was a lot lower than listed. If I were more organized I would have written the prices down, but I didn’t. But I do know that this place would be considered cheap in my book ~ $4/plate.
Quality: We’re not sure about the origins of the meat. It definitely tasted good, but we’re not really sure where it’s coming from. The steak on the steak plate was a bit chewy and dry, but very flavorful. The stew was for sure the best plate. It had whole chunks of carrot and chayote, chunks of meat…tasty.
Quantity: The stew is humungous. If you move the bowl the soup will spill over everywhere! Entrees were OK for the price, but the beef stew is the way to go.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Oh man, this place is great! Pretty bare to the bones hole in the wall place, but well worth it.
325 NE Russell St., Portland, OR 97212
(503) 528-8224
This restaurant is so close by, it’s a wonder why it took me so long to get post this! Sorry for those patiently anticipating….but if you don’t know our favorite rib joint by now, you’re out of the loop and Russell’s not it.
What we ordered: Meat-a-palooza Platter! (Comes with your choice of 3 meats, I chose brisket, pulled pork and a sausage link), The Half rack of Baby Back Pork Rib Platter.
How we ordered it: Each platter comes with two sides. Your choice of mac’n cheese, cole slaw, greens, fries, barbecue beans, candied yams, potatoe salad and house tossed salad. We of course went with the greens and the candied yams.
What we got:
MEAT-a-palooza Platter
Ribs Special
Cost: Half rack of baby back ribs – $13.50, Meat-a-palooza Platter – $16.00
Quantity: The amount of meat you get is moderate. With the Meat-a-Palooza, I was expecting 3 ginormous plates or something. With a name like that, I was definitely disappointed. Those with large appetites may leave hungry. It’s no Podnah’s Tuesday Rib special, but it’s a tasty meal.
Quality: The meat is great! It is tasty, falls-off-the-bone delicious and moist.
MEAT-O-METER says!
(Pic coming soon)
3226 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97217-1206
(503) 719-7796
This place just opened and it’s right by our house! It’s so great to have a restaurant that’s solidly reliable and really close. Oh, Portland, we love you.
What we ordered: Tuk Tuk Barbecue Chicken, Larb w/ ground pork, Large Tom Kha Soup
How we ordered it: As is, no need to bring the rice out for us.
What we got:
Tom Kha Soup
Larb
Barbecue Chicken
Cost: Tom Kha Soup – Small – $5.50, Large – $9.50, Larb – $9.50, Barbecue Chicken – $10
Quantity: Holy Larb! That’s a lot of meat in that! I think that’s the most we’ve gotten in any Thai restaurant. That’s a nice barbecue chicken too. Bits of pineapple is a nice touch.
Quality: The meat here is tasty, flavorful and moist. Barbecue Chicken is a staple in any Thai Paleo restaurant experience. At Tuk Tuk, their barbecue chicken is a must for Paleo-ites.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Yay! It’s close to our house and open until 9:30 on the weekdays. Pulling late nights at the gym, this place is always a satisfying eatery for us. The quantity was large and for two people, you can eat here for $20 and be completely satisfied. There is another Tuk Tuk on Fremont, but I’m not sure if they are related…
Cha Cha Cha!
2635 NE Broadway St
Portland, OR 97232-1891
(503) 288-1045
We were notified by our fellow Meateats followers, Katie and Anton that Cha Cha Cha is serving a Summer Salad Bowl. Unfortunately summer is almost over, so who knows how much longer they will serve this special dish!
What is it? It is called the Summer Salad Bowl. Mixed salad greens, pico de gallo, guacamole, choice of meat, beans and tortilla strips on top.
How we ordered it: No beans and no tortilla strips and no cheese. Please add peppers and onions (veggies).
What we got:
Summer Salad Bowl
Cost: $6.95
Quality: Meat is moist, not dry. The meat comes from Carleton Farms!
Quantity: Could have been a bit more meat, however the salad was huge!
MEAT-O-METER says to write to Cha Cha Cha by copy and pasting the following text and sending it to Cha Cha Cha HQ!!!!!
Dear Cha Cha Cha,
I am writing to you about the Summer Salad Bowl at your Broadway store. It is delicious, nutritious, and deserves a spot on your year round menu. You see, I go to this gym called CrossFit Portland and they tell me I should eat meat, veggies, and fat. It is difficult to go out to eat and follow this diet, until I found your Summer Salad Bowl!!! Well, your Salad Bowl has all three food categories in perfect balance (a little more meat would be nice!) and it is the talk at the gym. Please keep it on your menu year round!
Sincerely,
Do your part and help promote great Paleo meals at your favorite local restaurants!
5242 NW Leary Ave, Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 784-5568
The Meat-O-Meter heard about this place from Scott. It turns out this place usually has a line outside 30 minutes before it opens! We were in Seatlle so we decided to go here on our way back home. I am sooooo glad we drove here because it was soooooo good! Holy cow. I still can taste the mashed buttery sweet potato in my mouth. My mouth is watering as I’m typing.
What we ordered:
MANCHAMANTELES Oaxaca
How we ordered it: No rice and beans. Extra mashed sweet potatoes please!
What we got:
Manchamanteles - I couldn't wait to take the pic, I was starving and it smelled so good!
Mole Negro
Cost: Machamanteles – $14.95, Mole Negro TLAXCALTECA – $16.95
Quantity: There was so much food on my plate, even though I was starving, I couldn’t eat all of it. It was sooooooo good!
Quality: Did I mention that it was soooooo good!!! Meat was tender, the added bit of sweet plantains in my dish made it nice and hearty and a very fulfilling meal! The mole is made in-house from scratch!
MEAT-O-MEATER says!
I think that means 3, thumbs up. It was crazy ridiculous good! There was so much food and it was all really tasty. You simply MUST go there if you’re in Seattle. Believe it or not, these exact words have come out of the MEAT-O-METER’s mouth: “Let’s drive up to Senor Moose Cafe for dinner!”
Um, yeah, 3 hour drive to get there. Close to totally worth it. This is a MUST place to eat if you are in or even near Seattle!
3024 NE Alberta, Portland, OR, 97211
(503) 287-0766
Elnetta’s was a new restaurant posting on restaurant.com! This restaurant is located in the old Vita Cafe building. (Vita Cafe moved across the street). We had to try this place, especially since their menu included ribs. Having already found a favorite rib place, Podnah’s, we didn’t have very high expectations. Having a coupon and the fact that this place was a family owned business, we figure it was worth a try. Good thing we were pleasantly surprised…
What we ordered: Slab of St. Louis Ribs!
How we ordered it: Ribs with a side of Cabbage greens.
What we got:
Complementary homemade bean salsa w/ chips (non-paleo).
RIBS!
Side o' greens
Don't forget the sauce!
Cost: Slab of St. Louis Ribs – $16, Side of Cabbage Greens – $3.00
Quantity: Elnetta’s rib amount comes very very close to Podnah’s. Friends joined us for dinner later and ordered the same thing and their pate of ribs had a second tier! Ah welll, not sure what happened there, but regardless, both serving sizes were plentiful!
Quality: Fantastic! I’m not sure what the difference between St. Louis Ribs and Texas Ribs and the millions of other types of ribs out there, but these were some tasty pieces of meat!
MEAT-O-METER says!
We figure considering the amount of ribs you get at Podnah’s for $20, Elnetta’s comes very close. This place is great, it’s unique, in a great location and great food. We definitely highly recommend this place if Podnah’s runs out of ribs. With the $25 coupon from restaurant.com, it’s even better.
12000 SE 82nd Ave. #3002 , Happy Valley, OR 97086
www.rachathai.com
I apologize for the lateness of my posts. But boy is this one a doozy!
So you know how we love Thai restaurants and how they are extremely Paleo friendly. We found a www.restaurant.com coupon for Racha Thai and our interest was peaked. Clackamas Town Center is quite a ways away, but for good Thai food it could be worth it. We knew it was a chain so that actually should have given us a huge warning sign right there, but we decided to gamble a bit.
At first appearance it really was quite nice. It’s right by the movie theatre. We were trying to be very open minded. We walk in and everything is in excess; the decoration, our table, the seats. So we were thinking hmmm, maybe even the food is served in excess too.
What we ordered: Pumpkin Curry, Larb, Lemongrass chicken.
How we ordered: No rice, extra vegetables.
What we got: We got free fried shrimp chips for an appetizer, like chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant.
Fried shrimp chips
Pumpkin Curry
Larb
Lemongrass Chicken
Side of vegetables
Cost: Pumpkin Curry – $9.95, Larb – $8.95, Lemongrass Chicken – $10.95, Side of vegetables – $5-ish…
Quantity: WE GOT JACKED! (I think the pics speak for themselves)
Quality: good. who knows where they get their meat from, but it was tasty.
MEAT-O-METER SAYS!
I think this is the worst decision we’ve made in a long time. Sorry Katie and Anton for dragging you with us! Should you happen to be in the Clackams Town Center area, DO NOT GO HERE! The most amusing part of this dinner experience is our interaction with the waiter. Since we knew there were Thai people cooking in the kitchen and most of the staff was asian, we figure the chefs would be able to conjure up something authentically Thai. Is that too much to ask? We wanted something not on the menu, something that the waiter would eat at home. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Unbeknownst to us, the waiter or the host had absolutlely NO IDEA why we were asking this question. It was an INCREDIBLE conversation. If you know anything about the Meat-o-meter, he was loving it. Any other true Asian restaurant would fix something fantastic for you and it would be delicious. Unfortunately Racha Thai is neither that authentic or generous with their portions. Poop on them….
