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: Hawaiian, Southwest Portland | Tags: Hawaiian, korean short ribs, mahi mahi, paleo, Portland, southwest
0515 SW Carolina Street, Portland OR, 97239
Reservations: 503-977-2771
Ahhh…Maui….well, Back to life, Back to reality…wait a sec…..wha whaaa? Where did this restaurant come from? Tucked on a side street off of Macadam in SW, I would never have found this place if my friend didn’t work close by. Thanks May!
What we ordered: Small sized Mahi Mahi, Eggs and Rice (#20), Large sized Combination Platter any choice of 2 meats – Hibachi Ribs and Kahlua Pig (#38)
How we ordered it: We ordered the Mahi Mahi as is. Though the rice could easily be subbed out with green salad. The large sized combination platter we ordered with Hibachi ribs (dry rubbed). Hibachi ribs are just like Korean short ribs, kalbi, but has a dry rub that is various spices and seasonings and not marinated in soy sauce! The green salad was subbed in for the mac salad.
What we got:
Small mahi mahi, eggs and rice
Large combo platter
Green salad instead of mac salad
Cost: Small Mahi Mahi, eggs and rice – $10, Large Combo Platter – $18
Quantity: Holy canoli! The large sized platters are EASILY for two people. Pretty incredible the amount of meat that is on that plate! That combo platter plate was at least 14″! But a small platter would do just fine for the average person. If you are a large person or a small person with a large appetite, then go for the Medium sized platters.
Quality: The meat was really well done (as in cooked well). Not dry at all! The kahlua pig that is served from Thurs-Sunday is pretty fantastic. Some Hawaiian places make their kahlua pig too salty, but this kahlua pig was juuuuust right. Some might say this is better than Noho’s in SE, but it is a tough call. However, I am leaning towards Bamboo Grill…
MEAT-O-METER says!
Who is this guy? He looks familiar, but something is missing…..I can’t quite put my finger on it …….;)
If this place were closer to our house, we would go here much more often. This was my third time at Bamboo Grill and the Hibachi ribs were a bit different every time.
(UPDATE!) Call this a disclaimer: The waitress said that because they are dry rubbed and depending on when they cut the meat or where the cut of meat is from on the pig, it’s hard to get them to be consistent. (?) She was super nice about it though and said next time to let her know of any issues and she will give us more! In this case our ribs the third time were really chewy, tasty, but chewy.
Also, we went back a fourth time and did this!!! We ordered a VEGGIE GRIND: a fresh medley vegetable stir fry. On the menu you can order veggie grind and add your choice of three meats. We asked if one of those choices of three meats could be the Hibachi Ribs, even though it wasn’t listed. THe waitress was all game for it and that’s what we did! Since it’s stir fry, there was soy sauce in it, so I’m sure you could ask for sauce on the side and just have the veggies steamed. This options was between $12 and $16, I can’t remember…
- Side of veggies
We didn’t try the poke because we all know our history with disappointment when it comes to poke on the mainland. It’s listed as an appetizer for $12….hmmm…..I’m thinking icksnay on the okepay, but if anyone with a bigger wallet tries it, let us know! We’re curious….
There’s a slight Hawaiian feel when you walk in But I guess next to actually going to Hawaii, this place will do for now 
Filed under: Chinese, Southwest Portland | Tags: Chinese food, downtown, not authentic chinese food, paleo
101 SW Yamhill, Portland, OR 97204
(503) 224-0800
The words Bistro and Asian should never be used together. We had a restaurant.com coupon and we thought these guys would get Chinese food right. Their website looks pretty cool, the inside looks nice and Zen like, so we thought the food couldn’t have been that bad. They might have a chance. When we sat down at our table there was a postcard that said, “Best Chinese restaurant for 10 years”. This sentence was incorrect in every way. Literally and grammatically.
What we ordered: Beef with Green Beans, Crispy Prawns with Mandarin Sauce, Fried Eggplant in Gon-Bon Sauce.
How we ordered it: It read like it was good on the menu and so we ordered it all as is.
What we got:
Fried Eggplant with breading??????
Beef with Green Beans
Crispy Prawns
Cost: Beef with Green Beans – $12.95, Fried Eggplant – $9.50, Crispy Prawns – $17.95.
Quality: Terrible.
Quantity: We got sooooooo jacked. That’s 8 prawns for $17.95!!!!!! Where do I begin. Can you guess what the next picture is going to look like?
MEAT-O-METER says!
Yes, he's stabbing the fried eggplant with his fork.
Yikes that is not a happy camper. I know cuz i heard it the whole way home. (love you, honey!) Words just can’t explain our disappointment. Our server said the eggplant was lightly breaded. Whaaaaaa? Would you like some eggplant with your breading? To be fair, we were thinking was this our mistake? Should the word fried always be interpreted as having breading on it, especially when ordering Chinese food? OK, so maybe lesson learned, we should always ask if it’s breaded……….really? That’s a load of hooha.
I’ll say it…..WTF? $18 for some prawns. As my mother would say in Korean: AYEESH!!! Ay-goh meh!!!!! (translation: expression in total disgust, then OMG!)
If you see the words Asian and Bistro together, tread lightly.
Filed under: Hoity Toity, Southwest Portland | Tags: paleo, southwest portland
1014 Southwest Stark Street, Portland, OR 97205-2610
503-228-3333
Going out to nice restaurants kind of makes me giddy. I love good food! At first glance, this restaurant is definitely Hoity Toityt fo’ sho’.
It’s nice to splurge every once in a while. Clyde Commons has huge tables downstairs, so you could possibly be sharing the table with strangers and upstairs there were smaller tables w/ a balcony style upstairs. The environment and feel of it is modern, European style tavern, and pretty shi-shi. They are located across from the Living Room Theatre. This whole side of the street has really improved since I moved here! It’s been a while since I’ve been downtown apparently.
What we ordered: Oh geez, we tried a bunch of stuff…..Appetizers: which I unfortunately did not get pics of, were great too. They had a wide range of meat from rabbit to octopus. Entree: Pork Shank w/ brussel sprouts and carmelized onion w/ tiny pieces of dough (i’d never seen this before. I tried not to eat them…..), Lamb sugo (shoulder) w/ farro (some type of ancient grain…), mint and ricotta salad.
How we ordered it: This place was pretty shi shi and usually restaurants like this don’t take substitutions. So we had to live with it and just order what we could. It did narrow down our choices a bit, but if it was a truly great restaurant, it would already have great Paleo choices.
What we got:
Lamb Shank
Lamb sugo
Cost: Pork Shank – $21. Lamb sugo – $15
Quality: Fantastic! The pork shank was falling off the bone! The lamb was super tasty and moist. It was pretty amazing how good the mint tasted with the lamb. An unlikely pairing, but totally tasty together! The Farro in the lamb was soooo good. I’d never heard of it, but apparently it is a grain:( Oops!
Quantity: For a really nice restaurant, you really don’t get a crap load of meat. There is less meat at really nice restaurants period. But the taste of the meat was FABULOUS!
MEAT-O-METER says!
Clyde Common was definitely a pleasant surprise. I am glad we came here. For the quality of the meat, the prices were really not that bad. The menu is ever changing so it may be difficult to get the same thing we did, but looking at their menu online, it looks like there’s always a good Paleo choice! All the food was really well made. I highly recommend this place when friends or family come in from out of town or when celebrating a special occasion or just for a nice night out. I know I will!!! We may have to do a Happy Hour review of this place too cuz the drinks were pretty amazing too….
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.
Barbecue Chicken
Pumpkin Curry
What a nice surprise! Even though the chicken was a little dry, overall the meal was pretty good. Granted we did have really low expectations being in the ‘burbs, it ended up being a pleasant dining experience. It was also better than any Thai restaurant we’ve been to in the city. Maybe if you’re heading back from the coast or if you’re ever in the area, you should go check it out!670 N State St, Lake Oswego, OR 97034
I’m definitely no expert, but I’ll just come out and say it anyway. Dang’s Thai Kitchen could be the ”Best on the West Coast”.
I wasn’t gonna say it….OK I will….DANG! This place is good.
What we ordered: Angel Wings, Larb, Barbecue Chicken, Green Curry with Stuffed Calamari
How we orderd it: Like most Thai Restaurants everything was ordered AS IS!! Hold the rice!
What we got:
Angel Wings
Larb - Ground pork with shallots and mint
Green Curry with Stuffed Calamari
Barbecue Chicken
Cost: Angel Wings – $8.50, Larb – $8.00, Green Curry – $12.50, Barbecue Chicken – $9.00
Quality: The Angel Wings – were mighty tasty. (They are stuffed with chicken and a small amount of rice noodles…) The Barbecue Chicken was entirely moist and really flavorful. Larb had great tasting ground pork. The green curry with stuffed calamari was pretty much amazing. The stuffing of the calamari was ground chicken and some other tasty goodness that we’re not sure about.
Quantity: The curry bowl is ginormous! Everything was really pretty generous compared to other Thai places.
MEAT-O-METER:
So this must be what a really really good score looks like. I think we’ve set the bar again. The Meat-O-Meter couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was too good to be true AND in Lake Oswego, no doubt. We may just be disappointed at every future Thai restaurant we go to. It’s going to be hard to beat this one. We’re surprised to recommend a place outside of our Portland bubble…who knew that really good Thai food is located in the suburbs.
(Another great use of the http://www.restaurant.com gift certificate!)
1035 SW Stark St., Portland, Oregon 97205
OK I’m not gonna lie, but I was very timid about going to this restaurant. I’d never heard of this restaurant before but I had seen the building before. It’s downtown and the outside of the restaurant looks like the outside of an old fishing boat. When smoking was allowed indoors in Portland, I remember I had walked by this place and just thought that it was a really shady place. So when we found a coupon on http://www.restaurant.com for the Fish Grotto Seafood Restaurant we were interested, but when I saw the building, my “flight or fight” instincts kicked in a little and I wanted to flight.
But it was a Tuesday night, we were already there, we had a coupon and we were starving. How much could we lose? The possibility of having Buyer’s Remorse did seem inevitable, but we decided to take a chance.
As you can see the anticipation is killing me…
What we ordered: Nori wrapped Ahi Tuna, Alaskan Halibut Fish and Chips.
How we ordered it: Ahi Tuna – Extra grilled vegetables instead of ginger rice. Alaskan Halibut Fish and Chips – No chips, sub in grilled vegetables.
What we got:
Nori encrusted Ahi Tuna
Alaskan Halibut Fish and Chips
Cost: Ahi Tuna – $20, Fish and Chips – $17
Quality: Surprisingly, the meat was really good! The Halibut had very little breading on it. It tasted very light.
Quantity: Like most expensive restaurants we weren’t expecting much, but it was about right for an expensive restaurant.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Considering our incredibly low expectations coming in, we were pleasantly surprised. This place was expensive, but the quality of the Ahi Tuna was great. The Alaskan Halibut was light and tasty. Not bad if you want to splurge a little bit. But without the coupon, I wouldn’t go out of my way to go to this restaurant.
Filed under: Chinese, Hot Pot, Southwest Portland | Tags: Chinese, Hot Pot, paleo
1975 SW 1st Ave., Portland, Oregon 97201
Ready to experience something different? Going to a hot pot restaurant will be sure to spice up the typical restaurant experience.
“Hot Pot” consists of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, and seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. (Thanks Wiki!)
This is what “Hot Pot City” looks like:
Nice steaming hot broth ready to be consumed!
If you’re worried about what you’re supposed to do at a hot pot restuarant, here is what we like to do; specifically at Hot Pot City.
1) Order broth type.
2) Obtain frozen meat and veggies and dipping sauce from buffet.
3) Using your chopsticks, place a couple pieces of meat and veggies into the boiling broth. (If you put too many pieces of frozen meat in your broth, it will take longer to cook.)
4) After cooking the desired amount in the broth, use the provided strainer to dish it onto your provided small bowl. Eating hot pot means the meat is all thinly sliced or cut into small pieces in order for fast cooking time. One thin slice of meat only takes 15-30 seconds to cook.
5) Dish more food into the broth to cook. Be sure to dip your chopsticks in the hot broth before you start eating or use a second pair of chopsticks.
6) Dip into dipping sauce and eat!
7) Repeat steps 3-6. It’s an efficient system, you’ll get the hang of it.
This will be your place setting:
What we ordered: There are different broth types, meat broth, chinese cilantro with egg, spicy meat…After you cook all your food in the broth and eat it, the leftover broth will be full of flavor and deliciousness!!
How we ordered it: We tried everything in the buffet line. The only processed carbs were the noodles and tofu, very easy to skip!
What we got:
Mmmm, squid..
There was also, sliced lamb, sliced pork, sliced beef, oysters (huge), tripe, pork tendon, fish balls, whole shrimp, beef balls, pig feet…yes it was delicious….veggies were: bok choy, chinese cabbage, mushrooms, yams, radish, tomato….They bring out a lot of different stuff.
Cost: $14.95 for dinner. Very well priced for all you can eat goodness!
Quality: We’re not sure about their meat source. It’s probably not as fresh as we’d like, since it does need to be frozen, but it does the job good, really good!
Quantity: Holy cow, like the Brazil Grill, it’s hard to know when to stop!
MEAT-O-METER?
The ends of his lips are actually curled upwards! Hot Pot City may be the best of the best so far! This restaurant is great if you have just come from spending the day up at the mountain. Hot broth is perfect for this type of occasion. Like other buffets, make sure you’re starving before you get there so you get the most out of it. This restaurant is located near PSU, so a lot of students go there. That could be why the price is so great. Don’t miss this great Paleo-friendly dining experience!
