Where's Kettleman Bagel Company and what's Einstein Bros?

That's right, what used to be Kettleman's is now Einstein Bros. The tasty boiled bagels that were signature to Kettleman's are now gone.*

 

According to the new FAQ section of the Einstein Bros website I was redirected to when I typed in http://www.kettlemanbagels.com/, Einstein Bros bought Kettleman's because they are committed to growing their relationship with the community by opening the Einstein Bros bagel brand. Unfortunately, the new storefront on NW Lovejoy in between 23rd and 24th reminded me of a standard fast-food bakery... I guess it is just another classic story of a big ugly food chain buying out a small yummy food chain. Okay, maybe that is not a classic story, but one thing is for certain, I am going to miss Kettleman's dearly.

*What's that Einsteen Bros? You say there will still be three versions of boiled bagels? Well, you may call them boiled bagels, but the everything bagel I ate this afternoon did not compare in the slightest to the carby-deliciousness that were once Kettleman's bagels.

Pictures courtesy of http://bythetun.blogspot.com/2012/04/first-taste-of-einstein-bross-new.html.

Flavour Spot

I have yet to visit Flavour Spot in a while, but I found some old pictures of a visit last summer on my cell phone so I thought I would write about it today! Home of the "Dutch Taco," Flavour Spot created Portland's Original Waffle Sandwich. I would venture to say that it is the best waffle spot in Oregon, but I have yet to visit the Waffle Window off the corner of SE 36th and Hawthorne, which I have only heard great things about...

My friends posing for a picture after finishing a delicious breakfast at Flavour Spot.

My favorite item at Flavour Spot is the Black Forest, a seven-inch round waffle baked to order and wrapped to eat and go with Nutella and organic raspberry jam ($3.75). While I will admit that the sweetness is a lot to handle and that it can get a little messy with the melted chocolate and warm jam, it is definitely worth trying--maybe consider going with a friend and sharing the Black Forest along with one of their other less sugary items! The other waffle I have had is the PBM, which is a waffle with 100% pure organic maple syrup spread and peanut butter ($4.25). To learn more about their delicious concoctions, click here to see the menu.

 

From this picture, I think it is pretty clear that I (left) love the Black Forest.

Erica, Catie and Emma seem to be pretty into the Black Forest, too! (I encouraged them all to order it).

Flavour Spot also carries sweet and savory waffles, like the Sausage and Maple, which consists of a waffle with pork sausage patties and that delicious maple syrup spread I already mentioned ($4.75). When I revisit the cart this summer, I will definitely be tempted to try this and the Ham and Cheddar ($4.50).

While I have only visited their cart on the corner of NE Mississippi and Fremont, I found out from the website that Flavour Spot also has a cart on North Lombard, in between Denver and Greeley. The only differences between the two locations is that the Fremont location also serves hot dogs and soft serve ice cream.

Not too flashy, Flavour Spot is easy to miss! To see when it is open and how to get there, click here for the hours and directions for the Fremont location.

So, if you are looking for a sweet treat this summer, you cannot go wrong with anything you order from Flavour Spot. Plus, it is located right next to Mississippi Avenue, so you can grab your waffle and shop around all of the fun boutiques in the neighborhood!

Elephants Delicatessen

Everyone in Portland loves Elephants. Whether you need to meet someone to catch up on each other's lives or want to grab something on the go, Elephants is the perfect spot. Elephants opened in 1979. They set up shop in a failing deli and introduced good wine, cheese and coffee to the then un-cosmopolitan Portland. It was, and still is, the creme de la creme of food to go.

In 2004, Elephants moved out of their original location in Uptown Shopping Center and into a new building on NW 22nd, right off of Burnside. While this new location is their main store, they also have a storefront in downtown Portland. This store was opened in 2000, with the intention of being a smaller and quicker version of the big store. They also have another shop at the Portland International Airport. Both of these smaller outlets are called Flying Elephants.

I find new tasty treats in Elephants every time I go, but some of my favorites include their Chinese Barbecue Chicken with Mustard Sauce, Willamette Valley Salad, Chicken Enchilada Verde, Banana Bread and any of their desserts! As you can tell, there is quite a myriad of choices from which to choose.

Elephants recently changed some of their signature items, including their Northern Italian Sandwich. While they still have a similar sandwich, the new version simply does not compare. (I hate it when restaurants do not realize when they have a good thing going!)

Although I tend to pick up my food to go, I have had many pleasant meals in Elephants. Just recently, I had lunch with my internship supervisors at the main store. We sat at the long table in the middle of the seating area because we were not able to secure a booth during the busy lunch hour, but it was very pleasant. I recommend going mid-afternoon if you want to have a seat inside, but there is usually always somewhere to sit outside if you go during the more popular hours.

I do not have any pictures of previous meals I have eaten from Elephants, but it is absolutely worth it to go into the store and check out what they have to offer for yourself! I guarantee you will not leave with a hungry stomach...

Andina

Get ready for a slew of blog posts over the next three months! As of 10:00 AM this morning, I am home in Portland for the summer. To celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, my mom took my friend, Sophie, and me to one of my favorite restaurants in Portland--Andina. Located at Northwest 13th and Glisan, Andina offers a taste of Peru in the Pearl District.

Despite being a Wednesday, Andina was still packed at 8:00 PM!

The restaurant features a native Peruvian cooking staff and very attentive servers (our server tonight was especially good). While they have a very extensive menu, including tapas, entrees and desserts, I have only ever stuck to the tapas and dessert menus. "El menú de entradas" includes over three dozen options. While I would order every dish if I could, I suggest ordering two small plates per person if you are going to eat exclusively off of the tapas menu. Each small plate is $10 (a recent increase in the price from $9). However, if something looks particularly tasty, there are also medium and large plates too, which cost $19 and $36 respectively.

Tonight, we ordered ensalada verde peruana, yuca rellena, empanadas de carne, palta rellena de cangrejo, wantanes de mariscos, conchas a la parilla and causa morada. Each dish and its contents are included below.

Complimentary quinoa bread with three dipping sauces: a spicy green jalapeño-based sauce, a medium passionfruit-based sauce and and a mild peanut-based sauce.

Ensalada Verde Peruana (greens topped with hearts of palm, cotija cheese and asparagus in a passionfruit vinaigrette)

Palta Rellena de Cangrejo (avocado stuffed with crab, topped with a poached prawn)

Causa Morada (a traditional timbale of lime-scented potato puré, layered with Peruvian purple potato and shredded chicken breast with ají amarillo and served chilled with avocado)

Yuca Rellena (yuca croquetas stuffed with mozzarella and cotija cheese, served over huancaí sauce)

Wantanes de Mariscos (fried seafood wontons, served with an ají amarillo-tamarind sauce) 

Unfortunately, we were so excited to be served the next two dishes that I remembered to take pictures when we were nearly finished eating them. Nevertheless, the last few bites are pictured below!

Empanadas de Carne (flaky pastry filled with slow-cooked beef, raisins and Botija olives)--make sure to squeeze the limes onto the empanada before eating (it gives the dish an extra kick)!

Conchas a la Parilla (grilled diver scallops with a tamari-brown sugar butter sauce and crispy onions)

While we ate a lot of delicious savory dishes, there was no way I was going to pass up Andina's signature mousse de valle y selva. I have had this dessert every time I go to Andina and I did not think I should break the tradition this time around.

Mousse de Valle y Selva (a tiered semi-freddo of velvety lucuma and espresso mousses, chocolate ganache and crushed coca nib meringue, served with espresso shortbread) $7.50

Despite it being one of my favorite desserts on the planet, we were too full to finish the very last bite!

On a side note, tonight was the first night that my friend Sophie ordered an alcoholic beverage in a restaurant! Whether or not she was legally allowed to is debatable, but she certainly enjoyed her Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay (to see the wine list, click here)!

To start planning your trip to Andina, check out the menu online here. You can also make reservations on Open Table or the Andina website.

Home in less than three weeks! Cannot wait to be around all summer eating delicious Portland food...

Grilled Cheese Grill

In my attempts to avoid reading Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and as a result of feeling a little homesick , I decided that I would procrastinate by posting on the blog about The Grilled Cheese Grill. Why, of all the food carts in Portland, would I decide to write about The Grilled Cheese Grill, you ask? Well, this evening I had a grilled cheese at the dining hall and with each bite, all I could think about was the BABS--a delectable grilled swiss cheese sandwich on rye with bacon, apples and blue cheese ($6.00). Needless to say, my grilled cheese sandwich tonight did not compare.

The Grilled Cheese Grill has two locations, one on SE 28th and Ankeny and the other on the corner of NE 11th and Alberta. The Ankeny location has a fantastic double decker bus, pictured above, that has been converted into a dining room of sorts. Whenever I opt to eat-in rather than take-out, I enjoy sitting on the bus and admiring the old yearbook photos of people that cover the bars and tables.

Over my fall break last year, I was pleased to discover that The Grilled Cheese Grill offers gluten-free sandwiches. Above is a picture of my celiacs-inflicted friend Christine, happily ordering her sandwich on gluten-free bread. 

While "The Goods" section of the menu is a practical meal, I am excited to try "The Sweets" section when I am home over the summer, especially the Jaime ($5.50), which includes marscapone, nutella and grilled banana. For what more could a girl ask?

Click here for a link to the menu!

OLCC approves Portland food cart liquor permit

Well this is exciting news! Ignoring the fact that I am 192 days and 11 hours away from turning 21, Cartlandia's (a pod of food carts located on SE 82nd Avenue) approved liquor license should lead to much more foot traffic around the lot this spring and summer. The different carts include London Pasty shop (traditional pasties and sausage rolls), CheeseSteak Nirvana (phillie-style sandwiches and homemade ice cream), Deb's Blazin' Grill (great weiners), Brotherhood Expresso (traditional and creative Mexican food), Rock House Grill (American and hearty food), La Tinga Tango (spicy Latin food), Relish (specialty hot dogs and more) and GF Chef (the only exclusively gluten-free cart in Portland). Cartlandia is open Monday through Sunday from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3151/5868022547_70153821d8_z.jpg

Click here for more information, including Mayor Sam Adam's and various city commissioners' reactions!