Katie C.'s Profile

Señor Moose Café es mucho mas adoreeeblay!!  

I came here with my two friends and their 6mo-old son and we found the space to be cozy, accommodating, quirky + kitschy in decor.  As soon as you walk in, your nostrils are immediately enveloped in the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen, which could quite possibly qualify as some of the most wonderful scents your nose has ever sniffed.

When I dine out, I almost always gravitate towards any seafood items on the menu, so it was a given that I was gonna go for the Camarones.  Mmmmm... they were so delightful and the sauce they came in was finger-lickin' good!  My friends ordered the Mole and another spicy vegetarian dish, but they seemed a tad disappointed given that their previous experiences here had been above and beyond their expectations.  

I would totally recommend this spot as a little hole in the wall Mexican place that's reasonably priced + conveniently located a little ways off the beaten path in the heart of Ballard -- but it feels like it's this amazing hidden secret.  [My friends, however, tell me that the place is usually bumpin' on any given night and it's not typical for patrons to wait over 45mins to score a table.]  Come here!!  I will be back.

Funness ensues late night at 2410.

I came here for an after hours get-together, post-Shpongle show at the Wonder Ballroom, and had a great time with my friends, laughing and dancing to an amazingly skilled DJ.

While my experience here was relatively short, I can't help but think that if I spent some more time here, I'd fall in love.  The *one* criticism that knocks my review down a notch is the port-a-potties serving as your only restroom option.  [Really?  I have to go in a Honey Bucket? Hmph.]

Aside from that, this place totally rocks.  Cool patrons, lovely staffers, and a dancefloor that enables one to get down.  I'm down.

I have nothing but good things to say about the Wonder Ballroom.  For starters, the space layout totally rocks -- it seems to be the perfect size to host a crowd that wants to get down and fully embrace a show.

I came here for the first time to see a Shpongle show and was sincerely impressed by the openness of the venue, the acoustics, the reasonably priced drinks and the mellowness of the staffers.  What's more, the crowd was awesome -- friendly folks everywhere you turned, all there for one thing: to have a good time.

I've been to a handful of venues on the West Coast and the Wonder is definitely within my top 5.  Love it.

Petite Provence is the most charming little breakfast / lunch spot nestled on gentrified Alberta Street.  I came here for the first time to have lunch with my friend's mom and I was so happy with our overall experience here!

We had our choice of either sitting outside on the sidewalk or picking any of the open tables in the house, for on an early Monday afternoon, the place definitely had patrons but wasn't over-crowded.  At first we chose to sit outside, but the noise from the cars on the street was too loud for my liking, so we decided somewhat spontaneously to move our meal indoors.  I'm so glad we did, as it provided for a much more special experience.

We both ordered the Goat Cheese salad based off of a resoundingly positive review from our server -- and in taking her recommendation to a T, I decided to add Chicken to my greens.  It not only arrived at our table beautifully plated, but it tasted absolutely divine and to our surprise, the goat cheese was fried [to perfection, in my opinion!].  

We decided to polish off our meal with a bakery treat from their beautiful display case.  I wound up selecting a multi-layered stack pastry of some sort which we believe consisted of: mandarin orange slices, raspberry puree, coconut, dried cranberries, and chocolate as the base.  Soooo yummmy!!  From the wonderful experience I had at Petite Provence the other day, I'd be sure to come back -- or at the very least, recommend this as a great spot to swing by for those in the neighborhood.  It does not disappoint!

Andina is going to be the name of my first-born daughter.  I'm dead serious.  I came here for the first time with a close friend and the gloves were off when we walked in the door -- meaning, we did not hold ourselves back from trying all the tasty goodness that the extensive menu offered.

It took some time but eventually our waitress warmed up to us and offered some stellar suggestions on what kinds of wine we would most enjoy based off of the [somewhat stringent] criteria I provided her with.  Well, she wound up hitting the nail on the head with two white wine varietals that were so refreshing + tasty.  A definite MUST TRY on the menu are the Causas, which are essentially little stacks of mashed potatos stuffed with all sorts of goodies -- one was a purple [YES, purple!] potato stack stuffed with chicken, the other had different bits from the sea, like Ahi tuna and shrimp.  They were plated so meticulously, you almost didn't want to eat them.

For my entree, I chose the Yellowtail -- and in a last minute spontaneously spontaneous decision, my date ordered the Duck.  While my dish was good, his was far superior to mine in terms of overall taste and complexity.  Whatever it was paired with -- we think it was some sort of risotto? -- was so flavourful, it made you want to cry.

We polished off the meal with a single delicious dulce de leche cookie + a glass of sweet Port.  All in all, I'd say Andina was a wonderful experience which consisted of great company + conversation, delicious food, an attentive server, and great ambiance [which I am a complete sucker for].  Highly recommended for those of you seeking something a little different for an upper echelon Portland dining experience.

Oh, Marco -- you are just so adorable!  Has a girl ever told you that before?  Well, you are.  Just as cute as a button and ever-so-charming.  [Not *quaint*, but charming.]

I came here with a wonderful friend on a Saturday morning/afternoon after being out all night and had such a delicious brunch.  Sure it was my go-to brunch standard of yogurt + berries + granola, but what I was most impressed by was the portion size, which can be best described as perfectly scrumptastic.  Everything was oh-so-fresh and I definitely got my fill.  

My one regret was that I didn't drink the coffee that I ordered, but it was purely due to superficial reasons [read: I like to keep my teeth extra white and try to drink my coffee through a straw whenever I can].  Oh well.  Perhaps the next time I find myself in Portland I'll be able to redeem myself and muster up the courage to drink their joe, sans straw.

Until next time.... Marco....

I came here for the first time on a Friday night for a Crystal Method show and was immediately blown away at the space layout.  It was the perfect mix of openness + intimacy -- not too big, yet not too small.  

The acoustics were great, the crowd was totally into the show, and the crew I was rolling with found it easy enough to snake our way to the front of the stage once the show started.  [I've been to tons of shows in my day and this was probably THE CLOSEST I've ever been to the front of the stage, and yet no one ever smashed into me nor did I ever feel claustrophobic!]

Now, given this was my first experience at a Portland music venue, I can't quite make a statement like "Best Portland-based venue EVER!!" .... not yet, at least.  However, since this is THE ONLY venue in Portland I've hit up thus far, it takes the number one spot for now -- and I'm convinced that it'll remain there, for my time here was so memorable and so wonderful, that The Roseland will forever be etched into my brain as such a magical place.

This is such an understatedly cool bar tucked away on Hawthorne; if I lived here, I could easily see this being my neighborhood go-to spot.  

On a recent trip up to Portland one weekend, I found myself here on two different unconsecutive nights + each visit proved the bar's worth as being a supremely chill + comfortable space, sans any kind of pretentiousness.  The staff members are super cool, the cocktail menu is impressive, as are the late-night eats, and the space itself is warm and inviting.

I'm not sure if this is a regular occurence or not, but on the Sunday night that I stopped in, they had a DJ spinning what sounded a lot like late 60s funk with melodies that resembled samples of some of our modern day hip hop artists.  I hope to come back on my next excursion up north.

Contigo really exceeded my expectations -- and I came here for the first time with some hefty ones!!

I matched up with a close girlfriend of mine for dinner and wine, as it had been awhile since we last caught up.  First up, I was immediately taken aback at the decor.  It was the perfect convergence of modern Californian with a minimalist yet cozy flare.  The setting eminated a very warm ambiance with cedar-colored wood varnishes and stainless steel touches.  

As for our server, Rodolfo, he was eager and exceptionally knowledgeable about the best picks on the menu.  [As a quick aside: I couldn't help but notice that he bore a very striking resemblance to Jim Caviezel of "Passion of the Christ" and "Angel Eyes" fame.]  He wound up making some favorable recommendations for wine and for the dishes we ultimately wound up selecting.

The *only* thing that might knock this experience down a star was that we ordered the Halibut Crudo, but it never came to our table.  In retrospect, it's fine, for my girlfriend and I were satisfied with what did come out of the kitchen and one more plate might've pushed us over the edge.

Beautiful space, great location nestled away in the uberly-charming neighborhood of Noe Valley, and great staff on hand to attend to all of your needs.  I'll be coming back....

This shop is so freakin' cute and the owner/store clerk is a mix of nutty-eccentric-quirky-adorable.  I came here on a Saturday with a girlfriend of mine, as she was picking up a special order Cuban-style fidora, and I found the space to be intimate with loads of extremely high quality made pieces.  

While I'm not in the market to purchase a fidora or a Kentucky Derby-esque hat, our experience here was whimsical and I'd definitely recommend it to those who ARE looking for tthat unique one-of-a-kind special hat.