Kyle_Larson

Maybe I'm just easily pleased, but Higgins is my favorite place to get lunch in Portland so far. I have never dined in the restaurant, but I have been to the bistro/bar quite a few times. The service is great, the beer selection is just right, all the veggies are in season and local/organic, and the food kicks. My favorite so far is the fancy pants burger. Check out their website too. http://www.higgins.citysearch.com/

I don't know about you guys, but nothing says summer to me like a cold glass of IPA and some fish and chips. Any favorite dining places in Seattle or Portland that help you with this summer ritual? Mine: PDX-The Horse Brass Pub-great beer selection and the best fish and chips I've had. Plus, they serve a Scotch Egg(had boiled egg wrapped in sausage and then deep fried). My only complaint is that at times it can be a bit smoky, but if you go on an afternoon, it's usaully empty. SEA-Elysian Tangletown-the Elysian beer is easily the best beer in the Northwest, and some of the best in the world. I recommend getting their summer brew, Bete Blanche, while enjoying their fish and chips. This is a dorky thread, but dork out with me if you will.

Make sure and go to Higgins. I went there for lunch today, the ground sirloin-steak sandwich(fancy pants burger) with white cheddar is unmatched so far as far as broiled ground beef goes. Plus, they run a class act there and they have Chimay on tap.. The service is always great; eventhough I look like a punk kid walking into their classy joint with a dirty jean jacket, plaid shirt, old Vans, and my iPod blaring Modest Mouse they still treat me as well as all the guys who just got off the golf course. Higgins is where you want to be. Oh, and if you are in the mood for coffee, I work for one of the best coffee companies in the world, the best in Portland, called Stumptown Coffee Roasters. There is a store downtown on 3rd and Ash, and also one on Belmont and one on Division. Check out the website if you want to do the Mapquest thing www.stumptowncoffee.com . Hope you enjoy your trip.

Foster's=(and I mean no disrespect here) Austrailian for piss.

I'll go: Cod marinated for 24 hours in a spicy sweet and sour sauce of my own concoction, baked with toasted coconut. Sweet potatoes with pepperjack cheese baked in oregano infused macadamia nut oil. Sea bass marinated 24 hours in a beer stew and fried in chile oil.

Happy Holidays everyone! And what are we all cooking this year ?

Good evening, Well, I did it, I ate a Palace burger. Oh my God, was it good. Cooked med-rare with some nice thin fries on the side. I didn't want to mess up the BEEF experience with condiments, so I enjoyed the pickled tomatoes with my fork. My dining partner in crime and I also enjoyed a few oysters to start off the meal, not the best I've had, but a nice lead in. I'm recovered. Stay tuned next week when I cook a steak Hope everyone here at eGullet is having a happy holiday season. Kyle

Hey all, Just picked up this week's issue of The Stranger. Sara Dickerman gave Via Tribunali a great review . It's not up on the site yet, but you should check it out. I guess great minds think alike

Maybe it's just me, but I really didn't notice the fennel in my gravy at Gravy. Don't mean to rain on your fennel parade.

My friend Stephen and I had a going away dinner there on Sunday. If you've seen my posts I you probably know I'm a fan of Via Tribunali. The only complaint I had about Sunday was the heat. Good lord, it was like a furnace, plus we had reserved the backroom which is entirely candlelit with little air flow from the entrance. I had the proscuitto, ricotta, mozzarella calzone. The proscuitto was a little bit stringer than I like and the ricotta was a little runny, but all in all a good calzone. The crust did not let me down. Just thick/thin enough, and not too salty, but salty enough. I have tried their pizza many times and I would recommend the calzone to anyone who finds the pizza crust too thin. As far as the service goes, I have never had a bad experience. The only reason I can grasp the menu is because I have traveled through Italy, but friends of mine who don't know what's on the list are always given a great explanation by the server or the host. In my opinion, the service is consistently good, but I do see the possibility for a bad experience. All in all, I think Via Tribunali is a great place and would recommend it to anyone. It's not my favorite pizza ever, I have yet to taste pizza better than that of my mother's homemade pizza of Moose's Saloon(in Kalispell, Montana). Maybe I'm just easy to please, but I think they do an awesome job up there on Capitol Hill.

Speaking of Min Liao, does anyone know if she is still writing? She was my favorite columnist at The Stranger and my favorite food writer in Seattle.

Red Mill for lunch today, Palace tonight. I think I might just be recovered. Thanks everyone, for all of your help. Kyle

Atlas and Jitterbug were both big let downs for me. The Coastal Kitchen was good, but I wasn't terribly impressed and I was quite put off by the ambience of the place. I have been to the Hi-Life for lunch and enjoyed it, a few friends have told me the breakfast is quite good so I'll have to see. The 5 Spot still remains the only Chow foods restaurant I've truly enjoyed(and gone back to).

Just returned from yet another visit to Via Tribunali. Another incredible pizza experience. The service tonight was perfect. Our server not only was tasteful in her suggestions, but tactful; less is always more in my book, and she let us enjoy our meal without completely ignoring our table. Needless to say, water glasses were always full and our Moretti's were none a bit of the same. I had the proscuitto(cut from Salumi proscuitto), my friend had the Funghi. The last time I was there the crust was a bit over salted, but not tonight, it was nothing less than sublime. I wish I could have cut you all off a bite, but I managed to finish the whole thing(I guess that's what happens when you go walking for five miles without eating lunch). On our way out we bumped into Mike, the owner, and he shook our hands and thanked us for coming in. What a great dining experience. I am moving to Portland in a few weeks and barely know Via Tribunali, yet I will miss it. Kyle

Yes, I am looking forward to working with Duane and all the other great people I have met at Stumptown. I can't remember what the paintings were on the wall of Gravy. What were they?

Yeah, the service at Blue Star does suck. I've had a couple really good servers, but there is one there that is just atrocious. She was so rude to my friends and I once, I don't know if she thought because we are younger that makes us punk kids or something, so we left her a dollar for a tip. The food is great and not all the servers are bad. And yes, Glo's is worth it on the weekend. Just bring an umbrella and a good book. The food is so damn good.

Yeah, I advise people to stay away from Glo's on the weekend. It's just ridiculous how long the wait is. The food is so good though, so I poke my head in there on the weekdays and usually the wait is minimal(if any). Does anyone ever go to Egg Cetera's Blue Star Pub on Stone Way. That is usually my default breakfast joint. It's huge, so even when it is busy the wait is reasonable, and it is non-smoking. Highly recommended (especially if you are hungover, those omlettes have saved me on many a foggy Sunday morning).

Well, I threw off my burger regime last night for a good choice, sausage lasagne made by a couple good friends of mine. It was well worth throwing off the "Tour of Seattle Burger", but don't worry, I'm climbing back on the wagon tonight. Destination Red Mill. I'm saving the Palace for Thursday. And this weekend I'm checking out the spots in Portland. Being an omnivore never felt so right

I second Carmelita. It is so good, but can be pricy if you're eating for the whole family. The Bamboo Garden is my favorite guilty Vegan pleasure. Araya's Vegan Thai and The Silence Heart Nest are good places, both in the U-District, and not too bad on the old wallet. Also, The Globe on Capitol Hill, make the best damn Vegan biscuits and gravy I've ever had, and they are also open for lunch. I've found that eating out Vegan can be very expensive, it's best to drop a couple bucks on a good Vegan cookbook and do it yourself. There are also great recipes all over the web. Good luck.

And a big thank you to Anita(scorched palate) for her extensive and most helpful response.

Hey everyone, Thank you so much for all of the suggestions. Sounds like I am going to be heading to the Two Bells and Palace Kitchen in the next few days. I still want to hit Red Mill as well. Perhaps this week should be the "Tour of the Seattle Hamburger". I've been into Daly's once and had their fish and chips, not impressed. Can anyone give feedback as to the quality of their burgers? Also, I will be moving to Portland in a few weeks and imagine I will have a full on taste for burgers by then. Any suggestions for good burgers in P-town? Thanks again for helping a recovering vegetarian, Kyle PS I'm planning on cooking my own burger at the end of the week.

Hi all. As you may have seen in previous postings, I am a recovering vegetarian. Yes, it has been a tough 4 years, but I have managed to try and fit meat back into my diet. In the past year I have begun integrating sashimi grade fish into the menu. Last month I began eating Salumi proscuitto(simply because it is from Salumi and it is SO DAMN GOOD). But until this evening I have yet to take the leap from my high horse of vegetarianism: beef. I asked for advice on where to get the best hamburger to fully confrim my ominivore status, and the answer I recieved was Dick's. I went there tonight and had a "Dick's Special", very good but a bit lacking. I am now in search for the perfect hamburger, especially since tonight was the first time my pallate had tasted beef in 4 years. Again, and I'm sorry for being so self-absorbed, here are my Seattle burger nominations(and feel free to write in any candidates that do not appear here). Red Mill Daly's Burgermaster Kidd Valley Deluxe Bar and Grill Take a minute out of your day to help a recovering vegetarian find his way back into the beautiful world of omnivores.

I am a recovering vegetarian. It's been a slow process of healing for me. I started eating sashimi grade fish about a year ago, then moved on to Salumi proscuitto in the last month, and I have been getting chicken gyros the last week at the fabulous Gyrocery in the U-District. Today I am preparing to move on to beef. Honestly, I have not consumed beef in four years. Even when I was an omnivore I was never a huge steak fan....I always went for the burgers. In the three years I have lived in Seattle I have not sampled the sweet opportunity to peruse Seattle's great hamburger joint scene. I have come up with a list of nominations of where I want to have my first hamburger this evening, please help me choose(or if you wish, feel free to write in a candidate). And the nominations for Kyle's complete dive off of the vegetarianism high horse are: Dick's Burgermaster Kidd Valley Red Mill Daly's Deluxe Bar and Grill Let the voting begin! If you would all be so kind....

Went to Clarklewis yesterday for lunch. Had the Yellowtail Tuna salad sandwich with potato salad and a nice bed of greens. Very nice. I'm moving to Portland in a couple of weeks and can't wait to go back for dinner.

Gravy fries! Oh my God! I know where I'm going to dinner next.