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A while ago I went to for Levant dinner, and I had a nice meal. I had a sore throat the time I ate there, so I did not imbibe alcohol, but it had a flavorful and soothing house-made lemon beverage with crystalized ginger as a garnish. I began my meal with the sauteed squid, which had a very nice blend of flavors with the...
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silversurfer:
Those all sound yummy, to be sure.  One place that I went to a few months ago that I'm sure you'd like is Parachute, a new Korean-American restaurant in the Avondale neighborhood.  Here are two rave reviews: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/dining/ct-parachute-restaurant-review-vettel-20140925-20140925-column.html  http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/parachute-korean-restaurant-beverly-kim-johnny-clark/Content?oid=14221709  Also, going there turned me on to Slow City Makgeolli, a fermented rice beverage that's fizzy and about as strong as beer, but completely different in character, being much more mellow and milky and much less astringent.  Check this out: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2013/09/19/inside-the-countrys-only-korean-rice-wine-brewery
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I ate at Le Pigeon last week, and I had a very nice meal. I did the seven course tasting menu, which worked wonderfully. However, the courses were basically all from the regular menu, so there was nothing really special beyond sampling the menu, which I must add is very much worth it. There were just no surprises, unless you ordered the reserve wine pairings....
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toxic:
I want to eat there so badly!
tournee:
It is on the fancier side, but it is definitely worth trying out.
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All scheduled events currently stand in place, but afterwards I will be busy studying and being more reclusive and solitary than usual, for the next month at least. I hope that everyone does well and has fun. Cheers!

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silversurfer:
Studying and being more reclusive, eh?  Sounds like something's going on.  Something mysterious, perhaps. 
tournee:
Nothing mysterious, just another test to take sadly.  Climbing is one of the few things I do to relax, so I definitely plan to continue doing that.
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I had a very nice 4 day & 3 night backpacking trip in Washington state in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. I also had a nice trip throughout Washington & Oregon, and I ate at some nice restaurants along the way.

Upon returning to Portland, I ate at 3 Doors Down Cafe, which is a very nice Italian restaurant. It had a very nice...
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silversurfer:
Sounds tasty.
tournee:
The new website style sucks.
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I ate at Bread and Ink Cafe with the PDX and had a good time. I got the biscuits and gravy with sunny-side up eggs. The gravy had a very nice richness to it, and the biscuits weren't heavy or overly thick. Plus, it is enjoyable to share a meal with a pleasant group of people.

A little while later, I ate at Navarre,...
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silversurfer:
Sounds yummy.

Had any good beers lately?
hemi:
Are you going to the next brunch thing? frown I'm going to miss it. (Out of town). Do you want to join a trivia group? I'm trying to get some other SG people to join. biggrin
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Recently, I ate at Apizza Scholls near Mt. Tabor. The pizza is good and service is very efficient. There is a nice small beer selection that changes every now-and-then. Plus, the selection does not focus solely upon local micro-brews, which adds a nice variety to the standard Portland fair (which is not necessarily a complaint).

The main drawback is that the pizza bottoms and crusts...
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tournee:
Recently, I ate at The Woodsman Tavern. It had an impressive cocktail selection, but I started off with a Bear Republic IPA from the cask, which was very nice and not too hoppy. For an appetizer, I had grilled asparagus wrapped in country ham with a poached egg. The dish was a very nice combination, but the asparagus could have either been cut shorter or had the stalks shaved because the lower portions were quite woody. The egg could have been poached slightly longer because the whites were not completely firm. Regardless, the dish was done quite well.

The bavette steak with fries, onions & mushrooms, and housemade steak sauce was done very well, even though the meat and fries could have used a bit more salt. A bavette steak is similar to a skirt steak, so it is on the tender side. Plus, the meat was done properly to temp with the proper rest time before service. I had a Cotes du Rhone that had a slight spiciness and went very nicely with the steak.

For dessert, I had a meyer lemon cream pie. The pie came in a single serving jar, which worked well but limited the amount of crust available, as the crust was only on the bottom but not the sides. Yet, the tartness and smoothness of the filling made easily enjoyable on its own, with the occasional nutty sweetness of the crust.

All in all, the meal was very nice, and I would highly recommend The Woodsman Tavern. The restaurant can get quite loud, so it may not be the best spot for a quiet, intimate meal or for those of hard hearing. However, I was seated in the bar area, which is typically louder than other parts of a restaurant.
hemi:
Good meeting you last weekend! Hopefully we'll get to hang out again soon. biggrin
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On Friday, I ate at Park Kitchen and had a very good meal. I started off with a glass of vouvray, which was very bold for a white wine. The flavors were slightly over-powerful on the palate, so it was a wine that definitely needed to be paired with food.

Fortunately, the fried sweet breads paired very well with it. The sweet breads were served...
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silversurfer:
Sounds pretty tasty, overall.

Are you gainfully employed at your chosen profession? Feel free to share any details, or not. Also, how do you like living in Portland?
silversurfer:
Yeah, I'm doing well, thanks. Partly because the craft brew scene here just keeps getting better.

P.S. If I were you, I'd apply to join SGPDX. It would probably be a good idea to send a private message to the group owner if you do.
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Made it cross country & saw some impressive things out West.
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Done with law school & now studying for the bar.
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silversurfer:
I'm fine, thanks. With me it's pretty much the same old same old, but I like it that way.

Are you moving to the Portland area? I've never been there, but it sounds pretty cool. The rest of the state sounds nice too. Is that where you're going to take the bar exam?
silversurfer:
Good luck on the bar exam, although from what I understand not much of it is based on luck.

Feel free to write about your new life in Portland. What's the plan, anyway? Do you have a job lined up?