First, Izakaya Meiji Co. and then, on to Osteria Sfizio

The days are certainly getting chilly here in Oregon...the leaves starting to happily turn and fall off of their branches (sometimes with the help of the rain).  With these first fall days comes the want for warm meals and rich red wine. Don't you think?  

Date night rolled around again and we headed first to Izakaya Meiji Co. in the Whiteaker for cocktails, and then out to Osteria Sfizio north of the river for some (Italian) soul food.

The cocktails at the Meiji Co. are, without a doubt, outstanding.  Andrew and I are generally ‘wine people’ and don’t tend to mix up cocktails at home, but when not in the mood for wine, a cocktail with high quality ingredients really hits the spot.  This was our second time at the sparsely furnished, dimly lit establishment, and it really just feels like crawling into a laid back, comfortable watering hole. 

Bison Crossing

For cocktails: I ordered the Bison Crossing, and Andrew ordered the Manhattan.  It’s really the little things that move a drink from tasty to outstanding.  I loved the tiny bits of crushed ice in my drink and the little currants floating around waiting to be snatched up by my straws.  The fact that the drink tastes like some sort of grape Kool-aid, but much more grown up and much fresher, really doesn’t hurt. 

Andrew’s drink came in an old-school champagne glass and he was bordering on giddy after taking the first sip.

At happy hour these drinks set you back an incredibly reasonable five bucks each.

To accompany our beverages we opted for a snack of grilled zucchini and crunchy fried chicken nuggets ($5).  Both were outstanding.  I would have taken a photo of them, but between our discussion about overlapping areas of social science research (the life of two Ph.D students…!), the awesome jukebox playing some old time country, and the drink in hand, well...the moment passed me by.  

Off to stop number two.

Above our table at Osteria Sfizio

I had been hearing good things about Osteria Sfizio and decided we should check it out.  I hadn’t told Andrew where we were headed and as we pulled into the Oakway Shopping Center he was still completely in the dark and had no idea where we were going.  We had talked about Osteria Sfizio and how we wanted to try it out sometime, but for him and also for me, delicious food and a strip mall atmosphere seem almost an impossible combination.  Andrew was excited when we stepped inside and he realized we were going to have dinner and not go shopping at Trader Joe's. 

After promptly being shown to our table we were greeted with the choice of still or sparkling water and chose sparkling (we are borderline fanatics when it comes to bubbly water and have our very own SodaStream to prove it). 

We chose a nice Chianti Classico to continue our festive evening and were not disappointed.  We opted for ordering four small dishes instead of larger portioned entrees.

1) The olive plate was a steal at $6 – those Castelvetrano olives are our standout favorite and we had to stop conversation every time we bit into one of those suckers.  There were so many olives that we savored them throughout our dinner.

2) The bruschetta at $9 was still worth it – this is something to share for two it seems, that or they cut the portion just into two because there were only two of us.  Either way the non-traditional take on the classic was devoured.  Crispy, almost burnt (in a good way) bread, topped with sun dried tomatoes, perhaps some roasted red peppers, a drizzle of a spicy oil to give it just a little kick, and, of course, the burrata mozzarella that was a perfect consistency and just fabulous.

 

After these first two dishes we decided to order more food, but still remain on the lighter side.

3) The mussels at $12 were not our favorite – but were good, though not outstanding.  They were served in a shallow broth and were accompanied by enough crispy bread for dipping.

4) The creamy polenta at $6 was our absolute favorite – served up warm with the finest grating of fresh parmesan on top.  We had one portion to share, though I think we both would have been content eating a trough of this each and gone home fat and happy. It was gone in an instant!

Entrees: $11-$25 (half portions of pasta were available)

Cocktails: $7.50 - $10

Wine: Good selection and range in price

Cost for two diners enjoying four small plates ($33) and one delicious bottle of Chianti Classico ($37): $70

The Draw: The menu is glaringly Italian in all respects, but still has that Northwest twist to keep it on the creative side.

Ambiance: To be honest, it was the ambiance that, in the end, may keep me/us away.  The food was outstanding and Andrew and I had a lengthy discussion (while still at the restaurant) about what it was that started to turn me off.  I think that between the strip mall atmosphere, the too-new feel of the interior, the brightness, and the strange open-to-the-restaurant bathrooms there was just something that put me off somehow.  All this may not have been as noticeable if we hadn't started out the evening at a laid back, dimly lit watering hole.

The food at Osteria Sfizio is very good.  A traditional, and comprehensive, but not overwhelming two-sided Italian menu.  Did we mention traditional?

Colorado!

After being in Colorado for 5 days and setting foot in both Denver and Colorado Springs for some family time I came across some good eats! 

1) El Lucerito
3088 S Peoria Street 
Aurora, CO 80014
303-283-3517

I'm a simple girl when it comes to Mexican food - a nice taco with high quality home made corn tortillas, or a simple quesadilla with fresh vegetables and cheese.  I opted for a margarita and two chicken tacos with fresh avocado at our go-to restaurant in the Denver 'burbs - El Lucerito.

My Aunt lives down the road from this restaurant, as does my Grandma Lillian.  The two of them go to this restaurant so often that when my Aunt walked in they knew exactly what she wanted, down to the frozen margarita she must order frequently! 

For a five-dollar meal I was excited to see such care be put into presentation! Pretty food always tastes that much better.  The chicken was tender and not too salty, the avocado was soft, and the tortillas were warm and held all the filling together beautifully.  The wait staff were overly apologetic for putting my side of avocado onto my cousin's plate, and promptly fixed the order.  Lucky for me, this left me with an extra portion of avocado in the end.

Two chicken tacos with freshly sliced avocado

The margarita was alright, a little too much orange and not quite enough sour for me - - but it did the trick!

Visiting with my Grandma in Denver, CO over some margaritas and delicious Mexican food!

2) Carlos Bistro
1025 S. 21st St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904

(719) 471-2905

After leaving Denver and visiting with my sweet Grandma and Aunt I headed to the Springs for my Mom's College reunion weekend and to celebrate her winning an Alumni award.

The huge medal The Colorado College awarded my Mother!

We had the pleasure of being taken to a spectacular lunch at Carlos Bistro by my Mother's old professor Don and his very lovely wife Mary Lou.  We were greeted with a friendly wave by Carlos himself as we pulled into the parking lot!  He held the door open for us and escorted us to our table where Don was waiting.  The service only got better from there.  

With sandwiches in the 12-20 dollar range, and a menu heavily laden with delicious seafood, I somehow opted for a vegetable sandwich with french fries for my lunch.  My sandwich was actually incredible, with grilled green beans, zucchini, and roasted red pepper topped with a melted cheddar to hold it all together - served up warm on a whole wheat baguette that was neither too tough, nor too soft.  The french fries (which are one of my favorite foods!) were battered lightly and served fresh out of the fryer.  Half the sandwich and fries were taken back to the hotel with me, and were promptly eaten when we returned to our room!

My mother and Mary Lou both ordered the salad special.  Not just any salad, but one topped with grilled sole, an avocado dressing of sorts, and adorned with fruit and other goodies.

I obviously didn't do this dish justice with my photograph, but the restaurant was so nice and I felt so awkward pulling out my huge camera!  

(Note to self: get over feeling awkward taking photos of delicious food!)

Incredible food, impeccable service, and a bill to match I am sure - well worth it for anyone looking for a place to celebrate!

I'm now in Florida for my niece's wedding this coming weekend...and hopefully will post one more food review while on the road to highlight the fabulousness that is Bella Brava in St. Petersburg - one of our family favorites in the vibrant downtown area!

Cafe Lucky Noodle

Entrees: 12-28$

Cocktails: Average cost of $8

Cost for two diners enjoying entrees (with leftovers) and one cocktail each: 52$

The Draw: The menu is split between Asian dishes and Italian dishes.

Ambiance: Great date-night spot, or a great place for large groups.  There were several large square tables accommodating larger parties 6+. Cozy-cave-like-feeling, many different tones of warm wood.  We sat at the V-shaped booth facing the windows.

After musing about our days and our new found fame as food bloggers over a few drinks and some mozzarella sticks at Steelhead Brewery, we headed across the street to Café Lucky Noodle.

Mozza sticks and beer while we muse over our food blog

This was our first time to Lucky Noodle.  It being a Tuesday, we were greeted with the news that it was Wine Night! Lucky us! The featured bottles are half off (tastes are free) and all other wine on their well-stocked wine list is 35% off.  If only we were drinking wine that night!  Alas, a 4:30am wake up call the next morning to catch a flight kept me away from the wine, and pushed me towards one of the lovely cocktails.  The chili margarita was for me, and for my date, the Don Manhattan (essentially a large version of the classic).  The Manhattan was delicious in its traditional flavor, and no one can complain about the size.  The chili margarita was much more unique and offered good flavor and heat without being overbearing.

Though I initially was going to go for a dish with glass noodles (my favorite!) I opted for one of the specials – the house made garlic ravioli in a cream sauce with fresh cherry tomato and perfect chanterelle mushrooms – all on a bed of wilted spinach.  There are so many things about this dish that made me drool instantly.  I personally think that you can never have enough garlic, so between the house made focaccia that was brought out with olive oil, balsamic, and a generous portion of roasted garlic and this dish, I was in heaven.

Garlic Ravioli Special

Olive Oil, Balsamic, Garlic

Salsiccia al Forno

I’m also a sucker for chanterelles, and found the portion of them in the dish to be abundant.  The bed of spinach and the cherry tomatoes added a balance and compliment to the cream sauce and pasta.  The spinach was barely wilted under the heat of the ravioli, and the halved cherry tomatoes were left uncooked and juicy.  I tried to eat it all, but a few raviolis escaped my fork to be left for Andrew to eat the next day while I traveled to Colorado.  I did, however manage to eat all of the chanterelles in the dish.  Andrew reports that the delicious flavor infused overnight and the ravioli tasted even better.  Perhaps he was gloating because he got a second crack at my delicious meal.  Andrew ordered one of the house favorites, salsiccia al forno, loved the sausage, and enjoyed the red sauce.  And red sauce, in his opinion, can be good or just plain boring.


Next time we might opt to split an entrée and then order one or two appetizers instead of both of us ordering entrees and having leftovers.  We are both big fans of small plates and sharing our food when we go out.

How did I end up in Eugene? And how do I know where to eat??

While moving to Eugene from Portland was not the farthest move I have ever made, it was certainly the easiest decision I have ever made.  Why so easy you ask? Why leave such a food-centric city like Portland...for...Eugene?  Love! Of course.

After a year of a long distance relationship with an incredible man, he in San Francisco, me in Portland, OR - he was accepted into graduate school at the U of O and I found myself apartment hunting in a matter of minutes for our new home.  We moved here in late June 2010, and will call Eugene home for the next five years.

Coming from our respective foodie meccas we began scouring the internet to find out more about the food scene in Eugene.  This was our first roadblock.  While reviews on Yelp can certainly be useful, I find that reviews tend to cancel one another out - - alright, so the service was horrible, but the food was amazing....okay, so the service was the best you've ever had (like...EVER!), but the food was so overcooked!   Who do I believe...? And I crave that level of detail about dishes offered, about the ambiance, about the quirky bathroom, or the patio area you must experience.  I want to smell the food when I read about it.

That being said, my boyfriend and I are foodies (shocker!).  Not so closeted as we once were.  We find ourselves cooking meals at home these days in lieu of going out, because, well, where do we go? And is their food really better than the cream corn we just made? the fresh tomato from our garden? the lamb sausage patties with wilted spinach we just threw together?

The food reviews on websites based out of Eugene are helpful and interesting, but they aren't publishing food reviews often enough to satisfy my palate.  Nor do they go into all the juicy detail that I crave.

The logical next step was to create our own food blog.  Expect a review posted once or twice a week with photos. Let the eating begin! (After I get back from a vacation for a few weeks....of course!)

-A.