Matthew "The über Yelper" W.'s Profile

**Breakfast Review**

The Stepping Stone Cafe holds its own in a town with many tasty breakfast spots. The giant pancakes are famous, but the omelets are pretty good too.

The pancakes are fluffy and moist and eating more than one is a challenge. The omelets are big and packed with meat and/or veggies. You can even build your own...I recently chose the chicken sausage.

I've found the service to be above average, despite the attitude of the wall signs and menus like, "You eat here because we let you."

The small cafe is tucked away deep in NW Portland, so parking is a challenge and seating is too. Get there early unless you want to wait.

The Venetian is part bar, part restaurant, part event center and part theater. I have been there for all four manifestations of the property and I generally like the place, though the food is just average.

Located in Downtown Hillsboro a block from the Courthouse, The Venetian provides a hot spot for locals when the rest of Main Street is closed. You can catch a show with the Bag and Baggage Production Company, grab a draft beer or glass of wine, eat dinner or even hold a wedding reception upstairs. You can't say this place isn't versatile!

In the restaurant, I have had hit and miss experiences with the food. The pasta sauce was too sweet and the bleu cheese dip was a strange flavor. However, the burgers and pizza are pretty good. The beer and wine offerings are good and the service is above average.

I suggest getting a reservation on weekends.

If you're going for a show, you can buy tickets online and grab some candy or popcorn at the old-time concessions counter.

Though I prefer Syun Izakaya if going to Downtown Hillsboro, The Venetian's restaurant is a nice change of pace if we find ourselves in the area.

Wow. How did I not know about Wildwood before just recently?!?! This restaurant delivers excellent food and beverages delivered with great service.

My wife booked a dinner here for Valentine's Day and we were impressed. I had the Prime Rib w/ potatoes, mushrooms and carrots fried in bacon fat. The Prime Rib was well marbled, but tender, and seasoned to perfection. The vegetables were very good, though I admit I would eat my shoe if it was fried in bacon fat.

The bread was tasty and the bottle of 2010 Ken Wright Cellars Mitchell Vineyard Pinot Noir the server recommended was sublime. We found the scallops appetizer to be very good and the truffles we had for dessert were wonderful.

Despite being packed on Valentine's Day, we received excellent service and never felt left out. They even treated couples to a complimentary Beet Crustini and drink of Sparkling Wine.

I'm coming back soon.

With all the great places to go in Portland, I never think about Henry's, yet I seem to end up there fairly often. The 100+ beers on tap, vibrant bar, outdoor seating and above average food keep me coming back.

Located on the border between Downtown and The Pearl, Henry's is close enough to reach from Jeld-Wen Field, The MAX or other parts of the city. Street parking is tough, but there is abundant garage parking in the area.

Henry's is configured into distinct sections for the restaurant and bar. The restaurant has two floors of seating and an open kitchen and an extensive menu. The bar has a lot of seating, but is packed during weekends and summer. The sit-down bar has a strip of chilled ice to keep you beverage cold...very nice.

The happy hour menu is upscale and pretty good, so definitely try it sometime. You can get the full menu in the restaurant or bar too. I found the burgers to be above average, though I have had mixed results with some of the entrees.

The bar has a ton of local beers and excellent brews from around the world too.

Ample outside seating is packed in the summer and the upstairs bar has pool tables and darts, though the service can be a bit spotty in that area. The service is excellent in the other parts of the building, though.

Henry's is a great go to location for get-togethers, happy hour and post-event drinks.

Located in the same building as Madison's Grill, Madison's Event Center provides space for art shows, meetings, dinners and weddings.

I attended an Art Show at the Center and the space was bright and inviting. The staff from the adjacent Madison's Grill served beers on tap and a few entertainers were staked out on the small stage at one end of the room.

Parking is a bit tough, but being able to eat at the Grill in advance of the Art Show was a nice bonus.

I went to Billy's Bar for a late-day work get together and was impressed by the interior, service and food.

This place was a dive when it was Monty's Tavern, but the space is now clean and classy...for a bar. The staff is friendly and attentive and the owner (Billy) is involved and talks to his customers.

They offer some very good beers, like Ninkasi, on tap and have a full bar. The front is a standard space and the back seems to be for parties, live music, etc. A tent-protected back deck offers some additional space for customers.

The food is a little more upscale than the standard bar and I found the finger food to be pretty good.

**Breakfast Review**

Fat City is cool on the inside and the grub they serve is decent. I'd choose Marco's 9 times out of 10 for breakfast in Multnomah Village, though.

I had the Louisiana Sausage Omelet with hash browns and wheat toast. I found it to be pretty good! My wife's Fat City Sizzle was basically tasteless, so that is why I went 3 stars instead of 4 stars.

Seating is limited, so get there early on a weekend. While you wait, check out the myriad license plates and knick-knacks on the walls and shelves. The menus and place mats are pretty cool too.

I come to Target (a.k.a. Tar-chez) to save money on bulk items in less-than-Costco-sized quantities. I don't need eight tubes of toothpaste...just one or two.

The prices are better than most stores and you might even grab a few fresh/frozen produce items in their new grocery section. The latter won't ever replace a supermarket, but it does occasionally save me an extra trip.

The place is normally crazy busy, so pay attention in the parking lot and bring a large dose of patience. Whether it is a crazy driver or a mom on her cell phone with three screaming kids running around unmonitored, you need to chill before shopping here.

If you go here with the right attitude and don't expect a lot, you'll be happy with Target.

New Seasons is so much better. Why the heck do I even go to Whole Foods?

The local selection is limited, the aisles are non-intuitive, the service is limited and the prices are steep. And I am not even getting into the bad press they've had for their business practices.

The hot food selection - like soup and pizza - is pretty good, the produce is above average and luxury items like wine and cheese are very good, but that is about it. The bread shelf is remarkably small and specialty products seem to be randomly hidden throughout the store, making shopping into a hunting expedition.

During one visit, my wife asked the meat counter staff for a Game Hen and they asked he if it was a fish. Another time, she wanted a certain cut of roast and they thought it was ground beef. A third time, they actually didn't have dried apricots. Freakin' Albertson's did, though. I couldn't make this up.

Access is strange since you can't exit the way you came into the lot. I see a lot of illegal u-turns from customers trying to figure out how to get home.

Since we don't live close to any of the New Seasons stores, we end up at Whole Foods when we have a quick food run. That's about all I can stomach.

Dr Standage is a great surgeon with a good bedside manner. I went to him for the repair of an Umbilical Hernia and I was very pleased with the results.