Liliana "rules make me nauseated" G.'s Profile

great event!  my +1 and were lucky enough to snag seats at the counter, so we got dinner AND a show (courtesy of the kitchen staff)!  the food came out super quick and everything we tried was delicious!   the owners were there and we got a ton of attention from them since we were so close to the kitchen.  we were too full to try the carrot cake so they insisted on boxing up a piece for later.  hmmm...  is it later yet?

the pizza is just as good as the eastside location, but the service is way better over there.  see my review of the east location here:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...

also, it is dark as hell in there at night, so bring a flashlight if you wanna see what you're eating.

i have learned to have low expectations of bbq in pdx, and reo's was definitely not the worst i've ever had.  here's the breakdown:

the good:  prices are pretty cheap and portions are big
                  cornbread was moist and light
                  pulled pork was lean and juicy
                  fried okra was amazeballs
                  mac and cheese was good (but had unexpected peppers in it)
                  fries are skinny and crispy
                  not one, but two giant snoop dogg posters behind the register

the meh:  the brisket was a little on the dry side
                 the bread used for the sandwiches was pretty blah
                 the bbq beans were bland and not very bbq-y.
                 no butter was served with the cornbread
                 no handiwipes??!! (what is this? communist china?)

the oh hell no:  the hush puppies are like small lead balls.  i've never even had
                                       falafel that was this heavy.
                           we were told they were out of ribs, but several people who came in
                                       after us were served beef ribs.  maybe they were only out of
                                       pork ribs, but we were just told no ribs.
                           it took forever to get our food.  we were told there'd be a 30-40 min
                                       wait, but it was more like an hour.

bottom line - we had a groupon so we tried a lot of stuff.  for $30 we got 6 sides and 2 "medium" sammys.  enough of it was good that i'll prolly go back again.  i want to try the ribs, and like i said, the prices were great for how much you get.

OMG, the best cilantro pesto and mint garlic yogurt sauce evar!

this is a very good burger.  they cook it so it's crispy on the outside and still juicy in the middle.  the onions are shaved paper thin.  it could be bigger, but by the time i scarf down all the amazing extra crispy fries, i still have enough room for dessert (or a few drinky drinks) and won't feel like i need to be wheeled out of the place.  speaking of fries, if you don't see it on the table, be sure to ask for some fry sauce, as theirs is very tasty.  
on my last visit i had a coke float, my first in years. it was a pretty good accompaniment to the burger, but i do wish they served milkshakes.  i know people have complained about the item prices, but the only thing i think is overpriced is an order of fries.  it would be nice if they offered some type of combo discount, but they seem to be doing just fine without it.
3 stars because i can't seem to raise my rate of eating here over once a year. i mean if it were 5 stars good, i'd be here all the time, right?

skip breakfast on the strip.  skip waiting over an hour for some buffet.  just come here and get friendly fast service and great food.  the cinnamon toast pancakes are out of this world.  and don't even get me started on the insanely thick, extra crispy bacon.
yummmmmmmmmmm!  i drooling just remembering this place.

this scenic spot in willamette wine country is about 45 minutes outside of eugene, so you'd think it'd be pretty desolate on a november evening.  not so. apparently everybody else knows king estate is worth the drive.  i had been here several times, but always in spring or summer (for the view) and usually for just a wine tasting or happy hour nosh.  i knew enough to know we'd get a good dinner, but i was not prepared for the experience i had last month.  we were seated in a side room with a fire place, away from the hustle and bustle of the main dining area and tasting bar.  the menu has a little something for everyone, but is definitely a little friendlier to meat/poultry eaters.  a big focus on the menu is that everything is local.  the names of the farms are printed right there for you to see.  all of the food we had was delicious!  the fillet i ordered was easily the best i've had in many years and my grampa's short ribs were gorgeous.  it's nice to know that even if you can't enjoy the view thanks to an early winter sundown, the food, service, and atmosphere will still lead to an amazing king estate experience.

went to central on a chilly 1st thursday night.  it's a nice warm space that serves a quality product, but there were a couple of glaring flaws.

first, the good:

the food was delish.  the menu is all small plates. we had the tuna crudo and toasted onion soup.  the crudo was some of the best i've had in pdx.  while most places choose to give an asian flavor to this dish, central's version is clean and light.  the soup was smooth and creamy and perfect for a winter night snack.  

we also sampled a few cocktails and were quite impressed.  in particular, we loved the fig rum & coke, the orange juliette, a drink i can't remember the name of that was a fancy twist on the whiskey sour (it was the clear winner of the night).

the not so good:

the food menu is pretty limited and a little on the pricey side. my step-dad was interested in trying a meat dish, but didn't since it was $16 for a small portion. having everything be small plates turns central into a pre-dinner/ happy-hour-only stop for me. in fact, we spent exactly as much on happy hour at central as we did for a full dinner at ping afterwards.

and now the awful:

i really don't know what the owners were thinking when they bought the seating.  maybe they got it from some unattended psu classroom. perhaps they thought the industrial-looking stools fit  with the exposed brick aesthetic of the space.  the problem is that these stools don't just look industrial, they feel it.  after 30-45 minutes of sitting on one of these, despite the yummy drinks, your ass will be begging you to move on to the next stop on your evening's itinerary.

you know how they say even bad chinese food is good chinese food?  well i'm pretty sure whoever coined that phrase did so after eating at lok yuan.  the portions are huge, the prices are cheap (combo meals are the way to go)  and the food is pretty damn tasty.  the only thing i have found to complain about is the pork fried rice, which doesn't have any veggies in it an has barely any pork.  to be honest, it kinda looks like they scrape the crumbs off chopping board from when they were slicing the bbq pork for other dishes.  the rest of it is scrumptious, even if it is totally americanized and inauthentic.  the service is always super fast and friendly.  i eat here almost every time i'm in eugene, and prefer lok yuan over anywhere i have been in pdx.

some of the best fried calamari in town and def one of the best (food) happy hours.
only 3 stars because, despite it being very good, it's isn't exceptional  enough to get me to become a regular.