Skyline Restaurant
1313 NW Skyline Boulevard
Portland, OR 97229
503-292-6727
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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 [...]

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Rose’s Restaurant and Bakery
(Lloyd Center location)
1200 NE Broadway
Portland, Oregon 97232
503-954-2758
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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, [...]

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Billy Heartbeats
(Lloyd Center Mall)
2039 Lloyd Center
Portland, OR 97204
503-288-6010
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The conversation usually starts like this: “I want to get a malt,” he says.
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 [...]

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Five Guys Burger and Fries
2606 SW Cedar Hills Boulevard
Beaverton, OR 97005
503-430-8748
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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 [...]

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Fire on the Mountain
1708 East Burnside
Portland, Oregon 97214
503-230-9464
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Wings, oh, lovely wings! Who doesn’t love a great wings place, right? Sure, you could trek out to the lone Hooters left in Oregon at Jantzen Beach, but for a great local wings place, you really should visit Fire on the Mountain—which now has two locations. Not [...]

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Marinepolis Sushi Land (Lloyd location)
1409 NE Weidler Street
Portland, Oregon 97232
503-280-0300
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There are a handful of Sushi Land locations around the metro area and they all feature the train-style conveyor belt of small sushi plates.
I have now visited two of the Portland area Sushi Land restaurants. Typically I go to the Pearl District location when [...]

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La Vang Restaurant
17790 SW Pilkington Road
Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035
503-697-6253
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It might be tucked away on a quiet Lake Oswego side street, but if you are craving good Vietnamese food then La Vang Restaurant is definitely worth the trip. And don’t let the strip mall location fool you; the food is darn delicious!
The menu offers [...]

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Pastini Pastaria
(Six locations in the Portland area)
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Pastini Pastaria is pretty much my go-to spot for any sort of family or friend function that entails a large group going out to a restaurant. Sure, some people might consider it Portland’s local version of Olive Garden, but the food is consistently good (even [...]

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Mercato
904 NW Couch Street
Portland, OR
503-219-9966
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UPDATE: Mercato is now closed.
Wow, I think the Lunch Lady has a new favorite lunch spot in the Pearl. From the big screen TVs behind the counter (when we were there three were displaying the menu and the other was tuned to CNN) to the incredibly friendly [...]

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Bandito Taco
13565 NW Cornell Road
Portland, OR
503-643-2304
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Today I was craving a little Mexican (no, not like comedienne Chelsea Handler), so I ended up at Bandito Taco in Cedar Mill. This little strip mall-type shop has been around since 1990, serving up quality Mexican grub at very reasonable prices.
The restaurant is very, very clean [...]

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The Cheesecake Factory
(At Washington Square)
9309 SW Washington Square Road
Portland, OR
503-620-1100
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OK, the moniker The Cheesecake Factory is a little misleading, because this place serves WAY more than just cheesecake. In fact, for a chain restaurant, it’s some of the best food in the burbs!
I try to avoid reviewing chain restaurants, but this is [...]

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