| Northwest Wine Fan Recent Adventures: Portland |
Our daughter Kelley Jean turned us on to Nicholas Restaurant which serves authentic Lebanese and Middle Eastern dishes. OK, the skinny here is that the food is fabulous at this unpretentious landmark restaurant. They do not take reservations so be ready to wait. This is a very popular spot. Also, be sure to bring cash with you as they don't take credit cards. Oh, and they don't serve alcohol here either. All of this being said we had a great time. The food selection here is wonderful. For appetizers we had the Grapeleaves stuffed with rice and beef and also their signature Baba Ghanoug (think humus only sooo much better!). And all of their appetizers are priced at only $5.00! For entrees that are more than you can eat there are none on the menu over $12.75 with most under $10.00. We had a Gyros Sandwich and a Shawarma Sandwich ( marinated sirloin, garlic, olive oil, spices with herbs and tahini sauce). I had the Lamb Platter ($12.75) and it was wonderful. They also serve Mezza Platters starting at $8.75 a person and Lebanese Pizzas ($4.75 to $8.25). The decor is simple but pleasing to the eye. We stopped by earlier in the day and even then there was a crowd. We had to wait to be seated for dinner and there really is not a waiting area. But the simple truth about Nicholas is, great food, great service and a vibrant atmosphere. Thanks Kelley! |
| Nicholas Restaurant 318 SE Grand Ave. Portland, OR 97214 503-235-5123 www.nicholasrestaurant.com |
| Talk to the Cellarmasters: Tim & Carolyn Sinniger northwestwinefan@msn.com |
 |
 |
|
 |
| Join us as we highlight some of the wonderful and unique restaurants we have frequented recently in Portland. Westside...Eastside... (OK, Eastside this time) What fun! |
|
|
|
| Cafe Castagna 1758 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97214 503-231-9959 www.castagnarestaurant.com |
| Chez Machin French Creperie & Bistro 3553 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97214 503-736-9381 www.chezmachincreperie.com |
| Cafe Castagna Great food, great prices, good wine...What more can you ask for? |
Sunday night can be challenging for finding a great restaurant that is open. On our way home to Bend we ventured up Hawthorne Blvd. and found Cafe Castagna. And what a great find it has been! Cafe Castagna is a great neighborhood restaurant serving good food at fair prices. All of the dinner entrees on the menu but one are under $17 and the wine list is really impressive with almost half of the bottle selections clocking in at $35 or less. We have dined here three times so far and each visit has been an excellent experience. With entrees like Penne baked with Gruyere, Cheddar and Parmesan ($14), Braised pork cheeks in white wine and sage with yellow polenta and cardoons ($16) and Grilled lamb kabob served with couscous and harissa ($17) it's hard to go wrong. They even have an excellent Hamburger and fries at $11 as well as three pizza choices at $11-12 each. For starters we have enjoyed the Mussels steamed in white wine with creme fraiche and chervil ($12), as well as the Butter lettuce salad with vinaigrette royale ($9) and the Semolina soup with green garlic and creme fraiche ($7). All of the desserts on menu are offered at $7. Don't miss the Chocolate pot de creme! The by the glass wine selections are mostly in the $6-8 range and may be ones that you do not recognize. All we have tried though have been good with an eye towards complimenting the food served. |
We found Chez Machin a few years ago while shopping on Hawthorne and it has turned out to be one of our favorites for breakfast or lunch (although we hear the evening bistro menu is pretty good). The restaurant has a small town feel to it and service is at a laid back pace which I find refreshing. The interior offers hues of yellows and reds with French knick knacks adorning the walls along with a chalkboard with the daily fare specials. We have dined on several of their dishes and some favorites include Les Moules (Mussels), Crevettes Poelees ( Rock shrimp sauteed with garlic & white wine, topped with melted Brie and served with a sliced baguette), Salade Maison (Spring greens, homemade croutons and house vinaigrette) and Croque Monsieur (Grilled ham & Emmentaller Swiss cheese sandwich topped with melted Swiss). Let's not forget the fabulous crepes! Made from Bob's Red Mill organic buckwheat flour they are simply delicious. They always have a daily special on the chalkboard from which we usually order. With the over two dozen crepes they offer, choosing can be daunting at times (but fun). Being we are there for breakfast or early lunch we usually order from their coffee menu. I will say the wine menu is a little weak and since there is only one food item on the early menus over $11 it seems a bit steep at $6.95 for a glass of wine. Don't let this dissuade you from trying this great bistro. |
| Nicholas Restaurant on Grand Ave. A Portland landmark! |
| Chez Machin Creperie and Bistro Try this Hawthorne favorite next time you're in Portland! |
|
| W |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| W |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
| W |
 |
 |
