Restaurant Review: Tilth

A quick trip to Seattle for a friend's med school graduation resulted in a visit to Tilth. We were there early, and had the restaurant to ourselves, thus as would be expected, the service was impeccable. More importantly however, the food was delicious. Both Nate and I ordered what was their take on Biscuits & Gravy. Two large cheddar biscuits with two fried eggs sitting on top and smothered in sausage gravy. A surprisingly filling but exceptionally tasty, rich, and decadent dish. We both cleaned our plates, a feat to say the least. 

I also got the chance to taste the waffle, which was perfectly crunchy and sweet. Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant and will certainly be visiting it next time I'm in Seattle. I absolutely adore brunch and all the food and cocktails that go along with it! 

Hope you enjoyed and the photos made your mouth water!

Love, 

Claire

Restaurant: Sausalito Burger

It's always refreshing to be completely satisfied with a restaurant after hearing rave reviews. Many times I find myself underwhelmed because just like beauty products, restaurants can be over-hyped. My recent experience at Sausalito Burger was everything it's cracked up to be. More of an eatery rather than a restaurant, a menu of 5 items, as simple as everything was, as delicious was the hamburger I shared with Miranda. 

The establishment is right on the water in Sausalito. Prime location, barely any square footage. There are maybe 4 or 5 seats inside, a gigantic rotating grill, and on the weekends, a line out the door. Fortunately for us, we had the opportunity to explore Sausalito in the middle of the week, thus giving us an open window to finally try this world class burger joint,

The burger was juicy and cooked to perfection, which for us was medium; another plus, each burger/chicken sandwich is made to order. Unfortunately I cannot speak on the chicken sandwiches, as the burger took all my attention, but I'm sure it's worth a try. The rest of the condiments were fresh and perfect counterparts to the red meat. 

We ordered our food and grabbed it to go on our way to Muir Woods, possibly making the juicy burger that much better. If you are ever in the Bay Area and are doing the tourist thing, definitely stop into Sausalito Burger, even with the hour-long weekend line, it's worth it. 

Hope you enjoyed! 

Love, 

Claire

Restaurant: Yank Sing

Dim Sum. I honestly can't get enough of it. I'm always craving it. My parents are sweet enough to always take me almost every time I'm visiting them in San Francisco. Last time I was there we decided to go to one of our old favorites Yank Sing. And as you can tell from the picture below, we weren't the only ones with this idea on a Sunday afternoon.

Yank Sing is no where near your average, or even authentic dim sun restaurant. However it is delicious if you are willing to pay the high price tag. I'm always a fan of steamed dumplings; shrimp, pork, mushroom, you name it. But at Yank Sing I will also get some of their more modern and Western dishes, like the cabbage salad below. So good!

Yank Sing is definitely a great place to bring some one who has never been to dim sum. Unfortunately it won't be as easy to find the chicken feet and pork spare ribs that are typically standard fare. Here I recommend the har gao (shrimp dumplings), the steamed mushroom dumplings, and the cabbage salad. Almost everything is a hit except for the sea bass, I really don't think it's worth it (yes, sea bass at dim sum, welcome to Yank Sing). 

Pictured above is the cabbage salad, walnut shrimp (far left) and assortment of seafood based steamed dumplings (all delicious). I will definitely be back to Yank Sing, but only with my parents. When I'm with friends we typically find that hole-in-the-wall that serves tasty treats for under $3 a plate.

Love, 

Claire

Restaurant: City State Diner

The day of my birthday Nate took me here for a celebratory brunch. We had been eyeing this place for the last couple months or so and decided to finally take the dive when it was just the two of us during the middle of the week; weekends are packed and expect a long wait, especially if you are in a large group. Overall, the food was good, nothing to die for, and the service was mediocre at best. I would definitely like to go back and give it a second shot at some point. 

The diner-esque ambience is the Portland hipster-scene at its finest. Casual and laid back, while also having deep-friend softshell crab benedict on the menu. Unfortunately, this seasonal dish didn't make an appearance when we graced City State Diner with our presence. Instead, Nate ordered the crab cake hash and I, the juevos rancheros; one of my all-time favorites. Nate's was bland and basically tasted like two-day-old crab cakes (which are on the menu btw) flaked into home fries. To say the least, hot sauce flowed like wine.

As can be seen above, my jeuvos and green chili were awkwardly served using a giant flour tortilla as a bread bowl; not ideal and not conducive to successful juevos (I would have much preferred two smaller tacos on a plate rather than a bowl). Other than some misguided plating, the green chili juevos rancheros were solid and something I would recommend if you happen to come here.

Despite the slightly disappointing food, Nate and I both agreed that we may very well try this place again. Truth is, our standards for great brunch have been set pretty high by some of the other Portland eateries; and especially by my all time favorite, Snooze in Denver (review to come).

Hope you enjoyed!

Love,
Claire

My 27th Birthday at Lucca & Circa 33

To celebrate another year of my birth, a few friends and I headed over to Lucca in Northeast Portland for dinner and drinks. It was only a Thursday night so it wasn't the wildest of evenings, but it was still filled with good food and great company. Lucca is a delicious and well priced Italian restaurant. We ordered a beet salad, pizzas, and the pork tagliatelle. All were absolutely delicious. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. Overall, the perfect place for a large group on a special occasion. Here are a few photos from the evening.

sangria

the crew

hazelnut goodness

Nate & Amanda

beet salad

Anabel & Me

tagliatelle with slow-cooked pork

wild mushroom pizza

me and my boo playing the piano & acting a fool

After dinner and a couple of fruity drinks, a few of us made our way over to Circa 33, a "speak-easy" of sorts in Southeast Portland. After slyly being given the password of 1933 (the year prohibition was abolished) you would walk over by the bathrooms to a nondescript bookshelf. Step two was to open up the "mafia" book and type in the code to push back the bookshelf and enter into a back bar room. There we had delicious drinks  a plenty and Nate even pretended he was an iconic pianist. 

Overall, my birthday was everything that I wanted; filled with food, friends, and a good time. 

Hope you enjoyed!

Love,

Claire

Restaurant: Uncle

There are no words to describe how excited I am that a delicious ramen restaurant is finally here in Denver. I've been already twice and absolutely love it. Inspired by David Chang's famed Momofoku and Milk Bar in New York, this noodle bar is a great addition to Denver's restaurant repertoire.

I met up with my friend Leila and we ordered two pork belly steamed buns which were delicious but a little pricey at $7 each. We each got our own ramens, Chasu and Kim Chee. I felt like the Kim Chee was a little overpowered with the pickled cabbage flavor. My recommendation is the Chasu with a side of Kim Chee. If you love that sour flavor, ask for the more fermented one, the one they automatically serve is made that day. 

As we bellied up to to the bar on a cold winter night, a giant bowl of cozy noodle soup was exactly what we needed. If you are ever in the Denver area, check out this amazing noodle bar where the service is great, the food delicious, and the ambiance modern and cozy at the same time.

Hope you enjoyed!

Love, 

Claire

Weekend in Oregon Part II: Equinox Restaurant & Bar, Portland

The morning after gorging ourselves at the Screen Door, we decided that we needed more food. Thus, to satisfy our greedy tummies we headed over to Equinox Restaurant & Bar for brunch before our drive to Corvallis.

Nate's friend Skip joined us for good food, nice environment, and unfortunately, mediocre service. I ordered the eggs benedict with smoked trout and a Spanish Coffee (a boozy and creamy coffee drink). Skip got biscuits and gravy while Nate got some kind of hash; I was too busy scarfing my plate down to even notice what he got. Overall, I would definitely come back here on a sunny Portland afternoon for brunch. 

Weekend in Oregon Part 1: Screen Door, Portland

This past weekend I was lucky enough to take a short trip to Oregon. My boyfriend lives in Portland and we also got to drive down to Corvallis where his parents live.

Our first stop on friday night was the Screen Door. One of my favorite restaurants in Portland and the best fried chicken I've ever had in my life. I ordered the Screen Door Plate which gives you the option of choosing three dishes to try. I got the soup special: corn chowder with andouille sausage, mushroom and leek bread pudding, and the fried catfish. The food was amazing,the service impeccable, and the drinks were flowing. A great night to say the least.