This is gloomy, but not unexpected, news. The Oregonian reports on the sad state of the local restaurant business. We’ve had to pinch our own dining-out dollars recently and this awful, crappy weather doesn’t help! If you have the means, visit your favorite local eateries. We don’t want Portland to become a bastion of just Burger Kings and Taco Bells!

We have been waiting months and months for Davis Street Tavern to open, and according to their Web site the new Old Town eatery is now open daily from 4 p.m. until “late.” They plan to start serving during lunch in January!

We can’t wait to try the cozy-looking place out (ah, sometime after all this darn snow melts)! Until then we will resort to drooling over their creative and mouthwatering menu!

Davis Street Tavern
500 NW Davis Street
Portland, OR 97209
503-505-5050
Map It!

Skyline Restaurant
1313 NW Skyline Boulevard
Portland, OR 97229
503-292-6727
Map It!
Rating:

Foodies around the world know the name James Beard, one of the most acclaimed American chefs of all time, so it’s a little odd to see a browned-with-age newspaper clipping framed on the wall at Skyline touting Beard’s professed devotion for this tiny retro diner’s burgers.

I happen to share Beard’s devotion to Skyline, and I have been visiting for more than two decades. Even though I don’t live as close as I did growing up, the food and atmosphere keep calling me back and Skyline never fails to satisfy.

Established in 1935, you would guess by looking at the former drive-in that very little has probably changed since the days when teenagers cruised up through the West Hills to enjoy some late-night hamburgers and milkshakes.

The drive-in service is gone, but the burgers and shakes survive. The dining area is a smattering of cozy booths and a handful of stools at the counter, all of which tend to fill up quickly during peak hours. The wood paneled walls are covered with children’s crayon drawings, mementos collected over their years in business and lots and lots of business cards (some pinned to the wall four or five deep). All of which add to the charm of this bygone-era establishment, but also take into account that their bygone-era approach means this is a cash only restaurant. (They do have an on-site ATM.)

The menu is plentiful and retains a definite diner feel with some modern upgrades (like the vegan black bean burger), but the main draw to Skyline is the burgers with their toasted, buttery buns. [Read more →]

Thai Food Café
833 N. Killingsworth Street
Portland, OR 97217
503-285-8745
Map It!
Rating:

Unfortunately, I somehow woke up to discover my left mandibular second molar (that’s one of those back teeth used for chewing) had slightly cracked in my sleep (how does that happen?). Regardless, I wanted some Thai food, cracked-tooth pain or not. (OK, OK, the tooth really isn’t that bad!)

I met up with my awesome friend Steph for a late lunch in the super-sunny dining room and we were immediately welcomed with cups of warm tea—perfect just coming in on a cold winter day. The hosts were incredibly nice and very attentive to our needs.

We were pleasantly surprised by the lunch specials. There are 15 lunch options, ranging from Pad Thai to curry dishes to stir fries that you can order with a meat, veggie or seafood selection. If you choose to add vegetables, tofu, chicken, pork or beef it’s just $6.50, if you want shrimp, squid or scallops it’s $8.00. They also offer soy meat and seafood options for veggie and vegan patrons at similar prices.

I went with Pra Ram with chicken and Steph tried the Pad Thai with chicken. Just after we ordered our entrees we were served a complimentary cup of delicious coconut soup. What a treat! It was creamy and full of flavor. [Read more →]

Last year the Lunch Lady loaded up the Honda Element with her three closest friends (and their luggage) and trekked up north for a wonderful Thanksgiving meal on the exquisite Orcas Island. This year, with the cost of, well, just about everything skyrocketing, we’re staying closer to home.

So what’s a Lunch Lady to do? Our kitchen is so small Rachael Ray would burst into tears upon seeing it (and would hopefully immediately offer to redo the entire kitchen with high-end European appliances like the ones Kelly Ripa pretends to use in those TV ads). Not only do we not have a dishwasher, but making anything more complicated than Cup O’Noodles or instant oatmeal requires some superhuman creativity.

So whipping up a turkey dinner with all the trimmings just isn’t going to happen. That said, I don’t want to do what I did when I was 22 and had just moved to Washington, DC—order in Chinese—so I’ll likely be overindulging at a restaurant this year.

And why the heck not? If you want to skip the cooking, the anxiety-inducing relatives and the messy kitchen hangover on Thanksgiving Day, why not just eat out?

Several Portland-area restaurants offer special holiday menus just for Thanksgiving. We tracked down some of the more creative and (somewhat) moderately priced options for opting out of slaving away in the kitchen.

Check out our list! [Read more →]

Silver Dollar Pizza II
225 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97205
503-241-3465
Map It!
Rating:

I’m not going to try to fool you; Silver Dollar Pizza II is not an upscale restaurant by any means. In fact, the place is pretty much a dive bar, serving up their stiff drinks to the often-smoking and drinking clientele. But there is a good reason to try it out: their pizza is very, very delicious!

I have been coming here off and on for almost two years, and I’ve never had a complaint with the service or the food. Sure, it’s a little bit smoky at times, but what can expect from a bar with a façade of a pizza-serving sports bar? They do in fact have several TVs showing sports, so, yes, I would call it a sports bar. [Read more →]

Rose’s Restaurant and Bakery
(Lloyd Center location)
1200 NE Broadway
Portland, Oregon 97232
503-954-2758
Map it!
Rating:

On a recent rainy, dreary Portland day, my lunch partner and I were looking for some hearty comfort food to get us through the bleakness that is fall in the Pacific Northwest. We took off toward Lloyd Center hoping to find something new and, hopefully, really tasty.

Rose’s isn’t exactly a new name in the Portland restaurant scene. The original Rose’s deli and bakery opened in 1956 over on NW 23rd Avenue. Since that time the restaurant has grown to six locations across the metro area. The Lloyd Center location is the newest, which opened in July 2008.

The reason Rose’s has been able to flourish over the past 50 years is simple: the food is great and the service is outstanding. The menu is packed with deli goodness, like Rose’s Famous Reubens, half-pound burgers, specialty sandwiches, pasta dishes, a plethora of salads and tummy-warming soups (including the popular Matzo Ball). And don’t forget the meat-friendly house specialties like pot roast, baby back ribs, meatloaf and pork chops.

When we arrived the restaurant was pretty dead, so we were seated quickly at one of the large booths. The walls of this Rose’s location are lined with flat-screen TVs and there are two quirky Portland-themed murals, which add to the bright and light atmosphere. [Read more →]

Billy Heartbeats
(Lloyd Center Mall)
2039 Lloyd Center
Portland, OR 97204
503-288-6010
Map It!
Rating:

Lunch Lady: Rolling my eyes because I know where this is going.

Him: “Let’s go to that diner place at Lloyd Center.”

LL: “You always say you want to go there to get a malt and then you never order one.”

Him: “But they also have real cherry Coke.”

LL: “Fine, whatever. Let’s go then.”

Yes, that is exactly how I end up a Billy Heartbeats every single time. It’s not that I have anything against the Johnny Rocket’s knock-off, but I feel like I get tricked into going.

To be honest, Billy Heartbeats isn’t bad at all, and it’s certainly better than most of the other greasy, bland food court options at Lloyd Center, although I am always tempted by Hot Dog on a Stick.

I typically indulge in the cheeseburger delux, which is what you’d expect—a hearty cheeseburger with fresh toppings, toasty bun and a mountain of very fried fries. [Read more →]

Five Guys Burger and Fries
2606 SW Cedar Hills Boulevard
Beaverton, OR 97005
503-430-8748
Map it!
Rating:

Having lived in Washington, DC, for several years, I was already familiar with Five Guys and their delicious burgers and yummy fries. But when a friend mentioned the opening of Five Guys in Beaverton, I thought I heard her wrong. A Five Guys in Beaverton? How could that be? When I moved back to Oregon several years ago, I thought I would never experience a delicious Five Guys lunch again.

Sure enough, it was my beloved Five Guys! (They have been franchising the stores for a number of years now and there are more than 1000 stores across the U.S.) So we hopped in the car and headed to the brand new suburban strip mall location.

The line was pretty long and the wait for our order was about 10 minutes, but once we had our scrumptious burgers and a regular-sized order of Cajun fries we were in hamburger heaven. [Read more →]

Wow, that didn’t last long. We noticed last night that one of the Pearl District’s newest eateries is already out of business. We enjoyed eating at Mercato several times during their eight months in operation, so we are sad to see them go.

In other Stumptown Lunch News, we are working on a review of Five Guys and we urge all of you to remember to vote!

At least three national businesses are offering yummy treats for voters on Tuesday. Get a free star-shaped doughnut at Krispy Kreme. Enjoy a steaming hot tall-sized cup of coffee at Starbucks. And, you can end Election Day with a free scoop of ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s (5 to 8 p.m.). YUM!

The Lunch Lady lived in the DC-area for more than five years, and Five Guys Burgers and Fries was the local burger joint of legend. So we were THRILLED today when our dear friend Shannon mentioned that Five Guys just opened their first Oregon location on Monday.

The Five Guys menu is simple enough: burgers, fries and hot dogs. But what else do you really need, right?

Five Guys is located at Walker Center at 2606 Cedar Hills Boulevard in Beaverton.

We are going to have to check it out this weekend!!

Hello Lunch Lovers,

We’ve been away for a little while; this economy has even the Lunch Lady pinching her precious lunch pennies.

But we have two new lunch spot openings to report.

If you are in the Pearl/Old Town area, Chez Joly has officially opened their doors. They are located at 135 NW Broadway and are open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday and offer brunch on Sundays.

Chez Joly is a moderately priced French bistro, which will be a fantastic addition to the neighborhood.

In other grand opening news, Sushi Land’s latest location across from Bridgeport Village in Tigard is now open, too! The newest train-style sushi spot is located at 7194 SW Hazelfern Road. Sushi Land is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

We hope to check out both places in the near future.

Cheers!