On the Road: The Lot / à la carte (Bend, OR)

A couple of things to apologize for today.  First of all, I'm WAY behind on my posts again.  Secondly, a lot of the upcoming posts will be road posts, so I guess I should half-heartedly apologize to those of you who think I spend too much time writing about places that aren't local.  That having been said, this will at least be a quick one, so bear with me.

In my last post, I mentioned that I had two coffees in pretty short order on my last morning in Bend.  After that I headed to 7-Eleven to stock up on cherry Slurpee and Red Bull for the trip home, and discovered that they don't have a public restroom.  I couldn't remember where the nearest rest area on the freeway was, so I asked the cashier who was ringing up my purchases where the nearest public restroom was, and he told me it was around the block where the food trucks were.  Food trucks?  On a Sunday?  This I had to check out.  And that's how I found myself at The Lot.

On the Road: One Eyed Sisters Coffee Trailer (Bend, OR)

Are any of you fans of Anthony Bourdain?  I am.  I may have even mentioned it before.  I guess it doesn't matter, pretty much everyone has watched some travel TV, yeah?  You notice that often when the host gets to where he's going, there's someone there to drag him around.  Sometimes a friend, sometimes a colleague, sometimes just a local.  Well for those of you who don't know, those people are called fixers.  Not the kind who clean up crime scenes for the mob, but the kind who make arrangements, grease wheels, plan itineraries, and so on.  I've always wanted a fixer, but I've never had one.  However, I might have a suitable candidate for future visits to Bend...

On the Road: Spork (Bend, OR)

We're going out of order here.  In my last post, I described on of the great meals of my life.  However, that wasn't the first thing that happened when I arrived in town.  I had a few hours to kill, which I planned to spend up in the mountains taking pictures of the forest area outside Sisters (which is still rebounding from the B&B Complex Fires), but I figured a break for lunch was in order after a five hour car ride.  I'd asked for recommendations on my Facebook page, received three, and decided upon Spork.  They interested me because they'd started out as a truck and then went brick and mortar to satisfy their following (something that seems to be happening more and more often).  They specialize in putting their own spin on dishes from all over the world, and a perusal of their menu reveals a wealth of Asian, African, and Latin influences.

On the Road: 5 Fusion & Sushi Bar (Bend, OR)

I'm not a professional.  I've said it time and again.  Usually it's to remind the people reading my ramblings.  I do it a a defensive measure.  You don't like my use of profanity?  The fact that I spend so much time writing about places that are out of town?  That so much of my writing is focused on things like burgers and Asian food?  Too bad!  I'm not a professional writer.  I'm sure as hell not a professional food critic.  I make no money doing this (notice the lack of ads on my blog?).  Sometimes I get an invite to a soft opening, or a free bottle of a condiment in the mail, and that's about as lofty as it gets.  I'm the one spending my own time and money, burning gas, putting wear and tear on my car, and so I go to the places I want to go and order the things I want to eat.  This whole thing is meant to be informative to those who want the information.  But every once in a while I get someone who accuses me of trying to ruin a business, or schill for another one, or complains that I write about taco trucks so much, and I feel the need to remind them that I am not a professional.

A few nights ago, I was the one who was reminded of just how non-professional I am.  That's karma for you.

On the Road Again: South Beach Fish Market (Newport, OR)

Alright, one last road post and then you're safe for a bit.  This isn't really the road trip time of year, after all.

After a somewhat disappointing hike around Cape Perpetua (Thor's Well wasn't being very impressive even at high tide, and the youngest member of our entourage tripped on a downhill trail and shredded both her knees), we dropped Miss Golden Rule back at the hotel to relax and listen to the Ocean.  Meanwhile, her kid and I went in search of sustenance.  After a quick stop at Walgreens for first aid supplies, of course.  Across the Yaquina Bay Bridge from Newport is a little unincorporated area known as South Beach, which is where you can find the South Beach Fish Market.  Don't kill yourself plugging it into your GPS, the signage makes it very hard to miss.

On the Road Again: Chalet Restaurant & Bakery (Newport, OR)

Okay, one more road piece, then I'll do a local.  Miss Golden Rule's b-day was turning out kind of bland.  Dinner had been less special than expected, the weather wasn't particularly conducive to hanging out at the beach, and we had no dessert plan locked down.  I had made some unsuccessful inquiries, and it was looking like our best bet at the last minute would be to grab some crappy cupcakes or something from Walmart.  A little smartphone wizardry saved the day.  MGR wanted carrot cake, and I found her some...

On the Road Again: Cafe Mundo (Newport, OR)

Okay, I know I just did a road post and I promised to mix it up a bit, but right now my backlog of road posts is bigger so bear with me.  So, after a brief exploration of Portland's street food scene, we headed off to Newport, probably the closest thing Miss Golden Rule has to a home away from home.  She loves the place.  Me, when I'm not there I can find flaws with it pretty easily.  But when I'm there, I never want to leave.  I blame the hypnotic effects of the Ocean.  Anyway, since it was MGR's birthday, we decided to hit a place she's been curious about for a while now.

On the Road Again: PDX Street Food (Island Grill, The Whole Bowl, The Frying Scotsman)

Okay, so I did a local post last time, now back to my most recent trip to Oregon.  There's been a lot of talk recently about Portland being the best food city in America.  I don't know about that because my own travels have been fairly limited, but it's pretty damned good.  It's definitely the epicenter of street food in this half of the country.  Still, even with several trips to Stumptown over the last few years and 200 or so vendors to choose from, I'd never had any street eats there.  I decided to remedy that on my most recent excursion, so after hitting Starbucks so Miss Golden Rule could get coffee and breakfast (oh the humanity), we took a detour to downtown PDX on our way to the Coast.  I had done my homework and narrowed it down to a couple of eateries I wanted to try in different areas of town, so I just went with the one that sounded the most enticing to me at that particular moment: The Frying Scotsman.

On the Road Again: Kukai Ramen & Izakaya (Beaverton/Portland, OR)

EDIT: This is now Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya.  Apparently Kukai sounds too close to Hawaiian slang for poop or something.  You learn something new every day...

Okay, okay, I know.  Once again I've gone months without an update, and once again it's not due to lack of trying new places so that means I've got a major backlog.  I don't know what to tell you.  Everything has been crazy, from upheaval in my personal life to Halloween (and the subsequent lesser holidays) to Black Ops III to the nasty cold I've been trying to kick for almost two weeks now.  Often, when something in my life has to be pushed for lack of time, it ends up being this little hobby.   But considering I've only posted one update in the last four months, it's probably time.

Now for the bad news:  This is another on the road piece which are historically the least popular, but that's because since I've been sick this place is the one I've most wished I could magically transport myself to.  I promise I'll be mixing up the order rather than posting my reviews chronologically for the next little bit, so at least you won't have to read about several out of town eateries in a row before I get back to the locals.

Treats and Tragedies on the Road: The Broken Yolk Cafe

We (the roommate and I) got off to a late start on our way back from the Oregon Coast, and neither of us were particularly hungry when we checked out of the hotel.  Subsequently we didn't stop for food until we stopped for gas, which happened to be about an hour down the road in Corvallis.  My original hope had been to hit Fishtails Cafe on our way out of Newport (those fried oysters, yum), but The Broken Yolk Cafe was a decent consolation prize.

Treats and Tragedies on the Road: Oregon Coast Weekend Day 2 (La Maison, Tillamook Creamery Cafe, Local Ocean Seafoods)

Deja freaking vu.  I spent two hours on this post the other day, and when I went to publish it my browser crashed.  Apparently whatever the glitch was that caused the crash was also preventing the auto-save from working, so the entire thing went *poof*.  I guess I could have started over right then when it was fresh in my mind, but I went and bought a bottle of gin instead.  So, this probably won't be as eloquent or verbose as the first time I wrote it since I'm feeling a little impatient at the moment, but then again it's going to be a long post anyway so maybe that's a good thing.  We now return you to my normal blathering.

I go out for breakfast less than any other meal, which is surprising when you consider how much I love breakfast foods.  Of course you can get them at places like IHOP or your friendly neighborhood truck stop all day and all night, but it's just not the same.  Unfortunately I'm just not a morning person...except on vacation, when I tend to rise with the Sun.  There was no debate about where we would be having breakfast; a mutual friend told us we NEEDED to go to a particular place.  That's how it was worded, "you guys need to go".  And I wasn't about to argue with her, because she's taller than me and would just bop me on the head.

Treats and Tragedies on the Road: Oregon Coast Weekend Day 1 (Panera Bread, Nana's Irish Pub)

I know that the out-of-town posts don't resonate with a lot of you the same way that the local ones do.  I guess I don't understand that because it's not lot like I'm constantly posting from Asia, or Europe, or even just the East Coast the way a lot of bloggers do.  I'm a man of limited free time and even more limited financial means, but I'm also a man who likes getting the hell out of Boise as often as possible.  Therefore, I take a lot of short trips that are within a day's drive, and since I love the Pacific Northwest that means I end up in Washington and Oregon a lot.  I guess I can understand that people around here don't spend a lot of time in Seattle per se.  It's a bit of a drive, and the flights ain't as cheap as they used to be.  I know a lot of people who go to Portland fairly often, that drive is shorter and honestly the place feels like Boise's big brother.  Same vibe, more food and entertainment options.  But the Oregon Coast?  Yeah, the convoluted roadways make the drive as long as the one to Seattle, but the rewards are so worth it.  There are so many awesome little towns, cheap little hotels, camping opportunities, and great food.  Not to mention the freaking Ocean.  I don't even like beaches, and I could care less about getting a tan, but there's something about sitting and watching/listening to all that water.  It seriously has the ability to hypnotize me for hours.

And that's how I found myself on yet another road trip with the roommate, back to Newport again.  It's kind of becoming her home away from home.  Personally, I would like to explore some of the neighboring towns more, but she's really fixated on that particular place.  Still, when means are limited and someone is offering to split gas and hotel expenses, I'll usually play along.  Some things never change; we left early, hit Starbucks, and I did most of the driving.  There were a couple of firsts this time, though: for the first time ever, we would not be bringing either of her kids along for the ride.  I love those two, but the idea of grown-up only time was intriguing (and to be honest, their mother needed it).  Also, the roommate set the ENTIRE dining agenda for the day.  First stop?  Panera Bread in Tualatin, which was our last stop on our trip back from the Coast last year.

Treats and Tragedies on the Road: The Embers Brew House (Joseph, OR)

I've been battling a nasty head cold this week, and consequently have been spending a lot of time lounging around looking through pictures from restaurants I'm way behind on writing up.  Probably due to the way I feel and the time of year, the one that's leaping out at me is from a weekend trip I took at the tail end of the Summer.  What I wouldn't give to be dining on a warm patio right now.  Anyway, my family only ever really goes camping in Oregon, and at Wallowa Lake specifically.  The roommate, her kids and I joined them for a few days, and decided to grab a bite in Joseph on our way out of town.  We needed something that satisfied both children's palates and our own, and we found it at The Embers Brew House.