Filed under: American, Coupon!!, Fast Food, Food cart, Southwest Portland | Tags: burgers, downtown, paleo, Portland, sweet potato fries
Violetta is no longer in business 
As of 9/21/12 they have been closed for a couple weeks/months (?) now. They are now called ELEPHANT’S PARK. Hopefully we will review them soon, I hear they have good sweet potato tots….
877 SW Taylor @ SW Park (it’s literally in the park!)
503 233 3663
Hey ohhhhh! Scoutmob iphone App! Check it! 50% off your order! Use it instantly!
What we ordered: Violetta Burger – 1/2 lb burger – lettuce, tomato, red onion, super dill and burger sauce, Bacon blue cheese burger – 1/2 lb burger, Sweet Potato Fries – Large
How we ordered it: No Bun! Add extra greens please. You can easily ask for no cheese. They take substitutions really well!
What we received:
Violetta Burger and Bacon and Blue Cheese Burger
Large Sweet Potato Fries
Cost: Violetta Burger (1/2 lb) – $8, Bacon blue cheese burger (1/2 lb) – $8.50, Sweet Potato fries (large) – $4.50. With the Scoutmob app the entire meal only cost us $10.50!! Woohooo!!!!!
Quality: Their burgers are all “pasture-raised”. That probably means the cows are happy roaming around on a pasture, but as they are nearing slaughter they beef them up with some type of grain feed. Unfortunately, pasture raised does not necessarily equate to grass-fed. They taste really good though and will cook it how you want it. Medium well is how we roll!
Quantity: It was a huge 1/2 lb burger. I was satisfied.
MEAT-O-METER says!
This place is so cool! You can sit outside or inside and enjoy the park by people watching and/or watching a ginormous life-size chess game while you eat. Just hope for good weather and it’s a perfect place for a nice relaxing meal.
Violetta changed management about 2 months ago, so their online menu is not up to date yet. The menu is slightly more simplified, but they still have all the basic good stuff. They are very open to the gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian community and are totally open about making substitutions. It’s great for semi-fast food when you don’t have a lot of time shopping or doing whatever downtown. This place is for sure one of our faves especially with the iphone app! Seriously dope, yo!
For the peeps who are 100% Paleo eaters 80% of the time 
, they have awesome milkshakes, but their old menu item of “bag ‘o beignets” are no longer served. Boooo!! So sad . Nevertheless, stop by if you are downtown!
Filed under: American, Southeast Portland, Southwest Portland | Tags: fish and chips, gluten-free, Portland, restaurant
5901 SW Corbett Ave., Portland, OR 97239
503-246-4434
Amy G. found this place and thought we should try it, Thanks Amy! They are self proclaimed Portland’s Best Fish and Chips!
What caught our eyes was the gluten-free menu. The entire restaurant is gluten-free. No butts about it! Here’s a snippet of their story (click to enlarge):
Click here for more about their Gluten-Free Story.
Their breading is brown rice flour, they flash fry it in rice bran oil and they filter the oil twice a day. Granted of course this is not paleo, but IMO way better than the vegetable oil and regular wheat flour most restaurants use to fry stuff. The Meat-OMeter LOVES fish and chips. It’s a love hate relationship. His mind Loves it, but his gut does Hates it. Not quite worth it, until we found Corbett Fish House.
What we ordered: Regular Size Pacific Cod Fish and Chips, Regular Size Halibut Fish and Chips and Buttermilk Garlic Chicken Strips
How we ordered it: We didn’t realize you could get Sweet Potato Fries!! Dangit! So we ordered all as is.
What we got:
Chicken Strips
Pacific Cod
Halibut
Cost: Chicken Strips – $7.75, Pacific Cod Fish and Chips – $9.75, Halibut Fish and Chips – market price – $18.75
Quality: Their fried fish is pretty legit. The fish was not too greasy and very lightly battered. Granted I’m not a big connoisseur of fried fish, but it was overall pretty tasty. Chicken strips, flavorful, not too greasy, not dry, and really good. Of course you can order non-fried foods here, which looks tasty, but why would you go to a steak place and order a salad?
Quantity: When the plastic baskets were placed in front of us, I must admit I was not impressed; especially for the Halibut. However it was deceivingly enough food for a meal. The Chicken Strips at $7.75 were by far the BEST bang for your dollar. NOT worth it for the Halibut, just get the Cod. When it’s fried, the difference is slightly noticeable and therefore not worth it for the huge price increase.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Yes we ordered a fried crazy mess! I know, we could have picked a better restaurant that was a bit more “Paleo-ish friendly”, but do you see that picture above? He loves this shit. He just wants some fish and chips at a good price. The fact that Corbett Fish House is openly and legitimately gluten-free gives it major points. BIG PROPS to the owners for doing this. They even have a little pamphlet on the table explaining why gluten is bad for you and some basic information about Celiac disease. Can’t argue with that! It’s like they were preachin’ to the choir! Hallelujah!
I didn’t leave here feeling bloated with the food just sitting at the pit of my stomach, waiting to make it’s impact. I felt close to normal and I left satisfied. Granted I won’t be coming here every week, but it’s comforting that there is a place out there that’s slightly more forgiving on your gut.
PS, I heard the fish tacos were pretty good. It didn’t look like a large amount of meat, but maybe worth it….order at your own risk!
Filed under: American, Northeast Portland, Southeast Portland | Tags: chicken, east burnside, oregon, paleo, Portland, salad
UPDATE ON HOUSE SALD WITH SIDE OF DOUBLE CHICKEN ORDER. As of 6/23/12, FOTM changed the price on their side of chicken from $2.50 – $3.50. That’s an extra two dollars for this House side salad with order of double chicken. This makes this amazing salad deal into an average/OK salad deal…soooo, order at will. Also, we were informed that their chicken wings are NOT breaded! Their boneless chicken wings are however dredged in flour. Good to know, food for thought, I’d say that’s some good meateats reporting! 
1708 East Burnside Street, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 230-9464
(This tip was given to us by Jake M.! Thanks Jake! Hope school is going well and we miss you at the gym )
This place has a special place in my heart. Growing up in upstate New York, the Buffalo Chicken Wings were something that were taken for granted. I didn’t realize you couldn’t get that Buffalo sauce outside of upstate New York. If you did, it was terrible. The owners of FOTM are from Buffalo, New York (home of the Buffalo Wing w/ the special sauce) and they also used to play Ultimate Frisbee, (which is even closer to my heart!), sometimes using frisbees as serving plates for their wings, this place is awesome! Unfortunately this post has nothing to do with Chicken Wings. Their wings are slightly battered, but their sauces are gluten free…if that counts for anything….
What we ordered: House salad with chicken. (2 grilled tasty chicken breasts)
How we ordered it: Ask for House salad with chicken and to add an additional side of chicken. (double the chicken)
What we got:
House salad with double the chicken
Cost: House salad – $2.95, Add grilled chicken for $2.50 and then add an extra side of chicken for an additional $2.50. Total = $7.95!!!!
Quality: Awesomeness! The grilled chicken was tasty, moist, not dry at all! The chicken is from Northern California, and free range according to the blurb on their menu and website.
Quantity: This salad should be called, “Would you like some greens with your chicken?”. Just how we like it!
MEAT-O-METER says!
Woohoo!! We have one happy camper. This salad is pretty amazing, I was really impressed. It’s a ton of protein with your salad. Very Paleo friendly, the only thing on the fence is the balsamic vinegrette. Not sure how much sugar they put in their dressing, but they didn’t have oil and vinegar, that is the only thing that was kind-of-not-so-paleorific.
Other than that this is a great restaurant that you can go with your non-paleo friends. They can have their beer and wings, while you can still have a tasty paleo friendly chicken-tastic salad.
Filed under: American, Southeast Portland | Tags: beanless chili, Northwest Portland, oregon, paleo, Paleo burger, southeast portland, sweet potato fries
3312 SE Belmont St. Portland, OR 97214
503 235 0146
Sorry, to temporarily excite some of you, but we still think Dick’s is……eh….
But because so many people at the gym go there frequently and rave about it, we were curious just how much Dick’s changed their menu. When we were there last, they did say they were still going through some changes and trying to figure out their menu. So of course we had to go back and try it out. Otherwise it would always be lingering in the back of our minds and we would regret not trying one more time.
The first thing I noticed when we arrived for the second time was that the advertisements and articles saying that they are the first Paleolithic Restaurant were gone. That was really refreshing actually. They weren’t trying to be something they weren’t.
DK's Original Medium Size Chili
DK Burger bowl
Bacon Burger served Naked with side of "Yam Not Fries" and coleslaw. Yes that's cheese on there...
Cost: DK’s Original Chili – $4.50, DK Thai Burger Bowl – $9.00, Bacon Burger Naked – $8.75, side of Yam Not Fries – $3.00
Quantity: Not the greatest. 5.5 oz of burger before cooked. So it ends up being a tiny burger. I still don’t get it, the coleslaw bowl is so small!
Quality: Beef is grass-fed. Can’t get any better than that!
MEAT-O-METER Says!
Well, its not great, but it’s better than it was before! Not bad…I can see if you’re in a bind for some grass-fed beef, you can go here and spend more money than you would like. The substitutions and additions add up really fast! My Bacon Burger ended up being $11.75 total. It was small, though the quality was good, I still spent more than I would have liked on a burger combo meal even though it was grass-fed. Though they must be doing something great because they have a second location in the Northwest! I would love to hear your thoughts!
Filed under: American, Southeast Portland | Tags: American, expensive, paleo, Portland
7937 SE Stark Portland, OR 97215
503.408.1414
OMG! Not to sound like a 6th grader, but this has got to be my new favorite restaurant! We came here about 3 years ago during our pre-paleo days and really liked it, but for some reason it took us this long to come back. Maybe because back then our palette for amazingly cooked meat hadn’t developed fully and our appreciation for fine dining hadn’t been fully grasped. This place is a bit expensive, not Hoity Toity, but in the $15-$22 range for entrees. A restaurant that is very feasible when you want to treat yourself once a month or week
What we ordered: Baked Goat Cheese and Orange Salad, Molasses and Hickory Smoked Duck Leg, The Country Cat’s Whole Hog.
How we ordered it: As is!!! I should have ordered the Duck Leg with an alternative side for the Spatzel. I had no idea Spatzel was tiny flour balls of goodness….service was great, so substituting the Spatzel for additional veggies would have been no problem.
What we got:
Baked Goat Cheese and Orange Salad
Country Cat Whole Hog
Molasses and Hickory Smoked Duck Leg
Cost: Baked Goat Cheese and Orange Salad – $10, Country Cat Whole Hog – $21, Molasses and Hickory Smoked Duck Leg – $19
Quality: This restaurant was in Portland, so where do you think the meat came from? Yes, you guessed it, it’s local.
Quantity: The quantity for the price we paid was a sold GOOD. Duck was a perfect size, I was stuffed. The amount of hog was so much that the MEAT-O-METER was slowing down a little bit towards the end.
MEAT-O-METER says!
FANTASTIC! This restaurant is a solid thumbs up with even a slight smile. We highly recommend this restaurant, it is a bit farther out of town; SE 80th and Stark, but sooo worth it! Very Paleo friendly and a nice bar. too! There are weekly and daily specials. Atmosphere – Good, Food – Good, The Country Cat – GOOD!!!
Filed under: American, Hoity Toity, Southeast Portland | Tags: American, hoity toiyt, meat curing facility, southeast portland, wholesale meat
- fish
pork shank
- stuffed peppers, yes w/ cheese
- lamb leg
- pancake thing
Filed under: American, Southeast Portland | Tags: American, paleo, southeast portland
3312 SE Belmont St. Portland, OR 97214
503 235 0146
After we ate at this restaurant we HAD to write about it immediately. Yes, I am slacking here on my posts, but hopefully this will jump start them back up again. (Thank you everyone for reading and following along!!!!!!!! Please spread the word!!)
Some people had recommended this place to us and the first thing they said was, “It’s a Paleo Diner!” The Meat-O-Meter and I looked at each other like, “Whaaaaa???? No way.” We did our research and looked it up on the good ol’ interweb. We were incredibly interested, but incredibly skeptical. We have had several conversations with each other about what a REAL Paleo restaurant would be like and what a REAL Paleo restaurant would serve to be successful. We thought no one would ever do it because it’s so against the norm and that it wouldn’t last…maybe as a food cart….maybe….
Anyway, when we heard about DK’s, we thought, “An actual restaurant that publicly declares themselves to be a follower of the Paleo Diet and actually writes in bold letters, PORTLAND’s FIRST STONE AGE DINER on their website. It sounds too good to be true.”
Hmmmm....
So we checked out their menu online. The first thing you see on the menu is burgers, sausages and sandwiches. (My one eyebrow is raised) Then we see words: vegan and vegetarian options. We were like, “Whaaaat???” Then the last page of the menu is a page long description of the Paleo Diet! They even go so far as give recommended books to read up on about the Paleo Diet!!! (By the way Robb Wolf’s book, “The Paleo Solution” is the book to read. Go buy it now.) Wait a second…..Paleo Diet: meat, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds, Vegetarian Diet: NO meat. How is that right? Not good feelings…..But, with all the hoopla and questioning from other Paleo followers, we had to go and check it out. On a rainy night, we drove to the diner, located next to the Laughing Planet on Belmont. (We come to find the owner of DK’s is also the owner of Laughing Planet) This is what we found on every table:
Click the pic to enlarge.
What we ordered: Sausage Plate (recommended by the waiter to have the most meat for our money), Veggie Plate (your choice of 3 sides)
How we ordered it: As is. Supposedly it’s Paleo, so bring it!
What we got:
Sausage Plate
Veggie Plate - dinner roll not pictured
Cost: Sausage Plate – $10, Veggie Plate – $8.50
Quantity of the meat: Did you see the size of that cole slaw? In case you missed it, it’s in that small dish that is the same size as the mustard.
The waiter recommended the Sausage Plate and said, “The sausages are huge.” Then we asked him about the sides. The waiter then said, “The greens are great. They taste like they are cooked in bacon even though they are vegetarian. The cabbage is awesome too. They taste really buttery, but it’s vegan.”
“Hmm” thought the bacon eating connoisseurs. ”OK let’s try it.”
Oh, the disappointment. After the meal, we asked the waiter, “Have you had bacon before?”
Quality of the meat: The best thing from these two dishes was the sweet potato mash. It was different and unique. They do serve grass fed 5 ounce beef patties for their burgers. That’s 5 ounces before cooking. Can you imagine how small it is after it’s cooked? Yikes.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Ouch, the thumb’s not even visible. That’s not good.
OK, there’s so much to say about this place, where do I begin. First, if you are claiming yourself to be a Stone Age Diner, don’t say that NO-BUN is optional. It should say that burgers come with lettuce, tomato, etc.. and bun is optional. It seems like false advertising or actually total bs to go so far as to claim yourself to be a Paleo Restaurant, and then have bread everywhere. What is up with that? A Paleo Menu should look like: MEAT OPTIONS, VEGGIE OPTIONS, done.
We do realize that it must be a big risk to go Paleo especially in Portland because we must be the capital of vegetarianism, but Podnah’s, Clay’s Smokehouse and Russell St. Barbecue seem to be doing just fine with their meaty menus.
I really think if you go down this road, just pull the trigger. If anything, Portland is the place to do it.
So what is the difference between DK’s and any other diner? I can get better sausages at another diner. The server asked us how our meal was and the Meat-O-Meter laid it on him. The server told us they are still trying to figure out the menu. Figure out meat and vegetables!?!?!?! OK, whatever. We decided that DK’s is making the classic mistake of trying to appease everybody, but not satisfying anybody. Have you ever straddled a fence? It’s uncomfortable, and that’s what it felt like eating at DK’s.
From afar DK’s looks like the perfect grass fed medium rare steak, but up close, it’s just a regular peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Filed under: American
100 Columbia Street
Vancouver, WA 98660
I’m not going to post their phone number or website because you don’t need it. I struggled whether to post the address.
So we had a bit of a miscommunication with restaurant.com. We didn’t read the fine print very well! A lesson to everyone who uses these coupons!!! Meat-O-Meter is still grieving over his loss of $. We thought the restaurant.com coupon was good for whenever, but apparently it is for DINNER ONLY. We didn’t find this out until AFTER we ate everything we ordered. Ouch!
What we ordered: Fish and chips, Chop Chop Salad (shrimp, olives, mushroom, tomato) and a bowl of the Soup of the Day: Tomato base Halibut.
How we ordered it: Fish and chips without the chips. Subbed in side of fruit instead. Unfortunately the cole slaw had a cream type base to it.
What we got:
Halibut Soup
Chop Chop Salad
Yes, ALL of the shrimp are visible in this picture. They all can be counted by using 4 out of 5 fingers on one hand.
Fish and Chips
Cost: Chop Chop Salad: $15.95, Fish and Chips: $15.95. Soup: eh….Man, this is almost embarrassing……
Quantity: Ugh!
Quality: “There is no amount of quality that could offset the ridiculousness of this meal” – MEAT-O-METER
MEAT-O-METER says! (I think we know where this is headed.)
If this review will prevent just ONE person from going here for any meal, it will have subsided just some of the buyer’s remorse we feel whenever we think about this experience. Yeah yeah yeah, the view of the river is wonderful, but I’d rather stand on the I-5 bridge during rush hour.
MEATEATS UPDATE!!!
Burgerville now has a “Protein Platter”, though unbeknownst to some of the employees, they do make them and serve them!
Here is the MEAT-O-METER’s financial analysis and overall opinion of the matter:
We went to the Burgerville on NE Grand by the Lloyd Center and ordered the platter. The checkout person knew what were asking for but warned us it is so rarely ordered that they have to remind the cooks how to make it. Great.
$5.69 and you get the following. 2 x 1/4 lb beef patties and a weak side salad. There is also a chicken and turkey option.
We realized the receipt said bacon comes on the platter so we asked for it. We got it for free but was warned it actually might not come with the platter. So, I can’t guarantee it is included in the $5.69.
Ok, the receipt for the platter was revealing. Apparently, protein is not an important enough macronutrient to make the list. I was bummed.
(In case you can’t read it, the upper right hand corner has Calories, Fiber, Fat, Carbs for their categories)
We ordered a lone beef patty to compare.
After all that, here is what we know.
1) One beef patty is about 17-18 grams of protein – $1.75
2) Protein platter is 2 beef patties, 35 grams of protein -$5.69.
3) You can just order two beef patties for $3.50 and get the same amount of protein. By ordering the platter, you are paying $2.19 or 62% more for a weak, iceberg lettuce side salad. Assuming no bacon here.
Also, the Classic Burgerville burger that comes with 1 patty, bun, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sauce is $3.39. You are paying $1.64 or 94% more for the bun, piece of lettuce, wedge of tomatoe, and slice of cheese. Oh, and if you get the combo meal with the fries and soft drink, it is way more.
4) I hear a lot from friends who have never tried Paleo say that it is expensive. Well, for the extra $1.64 or $2.19 you are spending on the Classic or the Platter, you could be doing a whole lot more for yourself. If we consider the fries and soft drink, get ready for a Paleo bonanza. The snack plate I made for myself below is 3 oz of Almond butter from Trader Joes ($0.94), 4 oz carrot ( $0.25), and 5 oz celery ($0.72) from New Seasons. $1.91 total, give or take.
Update: I couldn’t finish the whole snack plate. There was over 1/2 lb of veggies there and it turns out it is very filling.
In summary, I would stick with the $1.75 beef patties from Burgerville and just get me a bag of mixed veggies to munch on. For rating, see pic below.
******************************************************************************************************************************************
Ahhhh, Burgerville. In my non-Paleo days, the seasonal milkshake would be a reward to myself. Like ice cream it is an achilles of mine and I will always have fond memories of it. I do miss it. Well, they do serve meat, so maybe there’s a way to not totally elminate Burgerville from my life. So we tried it, we ordered Paleo at Burgerville. Not possible you say? You might just be right.
What we ordered: 2 Tillamook Cheeseburgers. Yeah, we could have done without the cheese, but we really wanted to give Burgerville a chance.
How we ordered it: No bun.
What we got:
Using our Chinook book coupon for 1 free cheeseburger when a 2nd one of equal or greater value is purchased, the damage didn’t seem too bad.
Cost: $3.69 for 1 burger, with the coupon we got 2!
Quality: The meat patty actually tasted like beef! They use 100% Anitibiotic and Hormone Free Beef from Country Natural Beef and their food sources are local!
Quantity: 1 burger at $3.69 is definitely not enough for a meal.
MEAT-O-METER?
The meat actually tasted like beef! Having local sources for food is a plus. The amount of meat for the price was horrible. They did serve the meat in containers that are compostable, which was nice on their part. But overall, not really worth the visit for just one meat patty. Burgerville may just have to remain a fond memory….
Filed under: American, Breakfast, Southwest Portland | Tags: Breakfast, paleo, Portland
1510 Southwest Harbor Way, Portland, OR
(503) 295-6166
http://www.threedegreesrestaurant.com/portland
Happy birthday Kristi ! A long time reader and new Crossfitter! We had Sunday birthday brunch at 3 Degrees recently. So we decided to make a Meateats post out of it! They have bottomless champagne on Sunday mornings! Woohoo! :P
What we ordered: 3 Degrees Omelet - sausage, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, goat cheese. Corned Beef and Sweet Potato Hash.
How we ordered it: No side of potatoes add in avocado, sub in side of fruit.
What we got:
Corned Beef and Sweet Potato Hash w/ poached eggs
Side of bacon and Side of sausage
3 Degrees Omelet
Side of fruit
Cost: Corned Beef and Sweet Potato Hash – $11, 3 Degrees Omelete – $10, Side of Bacon or Sausage or Ham – $4
Quality: This is a nice restaurant and the quality was pretty good. Everything was nicely presented and tasted just like good breakfast food.
Quantity: The quantity was OK too. It was regular, normal, about right, not too little, but not a lot….
MEAT-O-METER says!
In case you’re confused. The thumb is pointing towards him and the finger means he’s drunk! hahaha! The finger is for the bottomless champagne for $6.95. Seriously, that was pretty good. If you go with intention and bring a bucket, you can really capitalize on this offer.
