Restaurant: Vincente's Gourmet PizzaLocation: 1935 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214Date: December 2nd, 2011Ordered: Pepperoni Pizza & Salad (Lunch Special)Cost: $5.50I had the opportunity to walk into Vincente's Gourmet Pizza for lunch the other day. It's on the corner of Hawthorne and 20th, just across from the Cinemagic Theatre. I went in on a bit of a lark as I saw a sign that said, "Slice of Cheese & a side salad: $5". The waiter then explained that it was really a discount on the slice of cheese; for $.50 more, I could have the pepperoni.The good: the pizza was reasonably fantastic. Flavorful, covered in grease (which I wiped off with a napkin), and with excellent cheese, it was delicious. I ate it quickly and, as pizza goes, I'd definitely eat it again.The less-than-good: the side salad I ordered was the Caeser salad. It was watery, the dressing was runny, and just lacked any sort of real taste. It was as if they grabbed some Romaine lettuce, dunked it in water, put dressing on it, sliced it up, threw a few croutons on it, and served it to me. Not at all exciting.But man, the pizza was good. For $5.50 (only $5 if you just get the cheese pizza) it's still worth it; I'd just get a different side salad.

Restaurant: La SirenitaLocation: 2817 Northeast Alberta Street, Portland, OR 97211Date: December 31st, 2010Ordered: Taco SaladCost: $5.00La Sirenita is a small restaurant in Northeast Portland that I found notable for several reasons. First and foremost, it lacks atmosphere. That isn't to say that it's bland, is just doesn't feel like a restaurant. It feels like a very authentic Mexican food cart that happens to be in a building. Also, the taco salad - my standard order - was good, filling, but very bland. Now that's not to say that "bland" is "bad. The interesting thing was that La Sirenita had a reasonable selection of salsas available. After determining the bland-factor of the taco salad, I was able to spice it up a little with the salsa just to my taste. So, in the end, I had a tasty, flavorful taco salad that I was able to enjoy.Do I want to go to a every restaurant and have to season my own food? Of course not. But for $5, you can do far worse that La Sirenita's taco salad. Check it out if you have a chance.

Restaurant: New Old Lompoc - 5th QuadrantLocation: 3901 N Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97227Date: October 3rd, 2010Ordered: BLTCost: $7.50Located in North Portland (aka "the Fifth Quadrant"), the New Old Lompoc is, interestingly, about as far as you can get from St. Johns and still be in NoPo. I was there for an early lunch at about 10:45 AM, which meant that I stood outside for 15 minutes until they opened at 11. At least they put that on the website so I could look up why the door was locked.I sat with a large group of people and, shockingly, decided to order a BLT from our friendly server. Despite the group size, the food arrived with surprising celerity. It might have had something to do with us being the first customers of the day.The BLT was really good, though it had too much "T" for my taste*. Easily remedied, I pulled off a layer of tomato and started to devour the sandwich. Not only was the bacon succulent, juicy, and perfectly cooked, there was a delicious sauce - not quite mayo - that really rounded out the flavor. I ended up eating the sandwich with such speed that I was disappointed when it was gone. So how do I feel about the New Old Lompoc (5th Quadrant)? I enjoyed it. The food was delicious and the service was friendly. Will I go back? Most likely. Of note, however: I'm pretty sure the 23rd Ave location is closer to where I live.*For the record, I really don't like tomatoes, and will only eat them because they're good for me. Given this, I won't eat double-stacked tomatoes. A single layer only, please.

Restaurant: AprisaLocation: Corner of SE 8th & Division, Portland, OR 97214Date: February 24th, 2010Ordered: Taco SaladCost: $5.40Several of my coworkers and I decided to try Aprisa one day, as it's within walking distance of where I work. It's a surprising-looking place; it's entirely a drive-up restaurant that's roughly the size of a single-wide trailer. A cute-looking little place, but it doesn't scream "restaurant". I ordered my favorite, taco salad. It came in short time, as ordered. The water I asked for, while ordering, however, didn't come as ordered and I had to ask for it. Notably, my friend's burrito, ordered without cheese, was delivered (with verbal assurance) without cheese. Or so he was told; it actually came with cheese, as he later, unfortunately, found out. My taco salad, once I got a chance to eat it, wasn't all that great. It wasn't terrible, and was perhaps nicely authentic, but it wasn't all that great. The ingredients tasted fresh, but the proportions all seemed wrong. Still, if you're in the mood for authentic mexican food, it's a place to try.

Restaurant: EastBurnLocation: 1800 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214Date: January 20th, 2010Ordered: Steak SaladCost: $12I had lunch with some coworkers at EastBurn the other day, the trendy little restaurant on the southeast corner of 18th & East Burnside. The inside is nice, though it was just us when we arrived at noon on a Wednesday.Examining the lunch menu, and wanting something delicious but not TOO unhealthy, I opted to try the steak salad. It arrived 15-ish minutes later. Now the salad was advertised to be a bed of greens with apple chunks, steak, and brie on it. I can tell you that, combined with the vinaigrette dressing they put on, it was a darn good salad. The greens were good, the apple was crisp, the steak was perfectly done... but the brie took the salad to the next level of yum.My overall impression of the place was solid; it seems like a trendy place with really good food. My concern is the $12 price tag associated with the salad. Will I often pay that much for one? Unlikely... but if you're in the mood to, I suggest you try it!

Restaurant: Bread and Ink CafeLocation: 3610 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214Date: November 19th, 2009Ordered: Provolone Bacon Basil Sandwich (with French Onion Soup)Cost: $10.75The Bread and Ink Cafe is a small joint on Hawthorne Boulevard, and doesn't immediately catch the eye. Step into the inside, however, and you're treated to a fun little cafe with a friendly staff and a bunch of charm.Looking over the menu, I thought I'd try the delicious-sounding Provolone Bacon Basic Sandwich, with the French Onion Soup. Of course, I got to make this decision while eating the delicious free bread they gave us when sitting down. (Note: nothing makes a better first impression than free food.)My food came pretty quickly, and this is where lunch went from good to great. That sandwich was like a grilled cheese sandwich, but with provolone, some excellent bacon, and some herbs cooked inside. It was amazingly delicious. I wanted more when I was done!So go check it out. It's an expensive sandwich, so I won't be eating it too often, but it was a delicious treat in a neat little cafe.

Restaurant: NostranaLocation: 2030 SE 7th, Portland, OR 97214Date: October 9th, 2009Ordered: BLTCost: $6.50I have fallen in love!Well, I've fallen in love with a sandwich. Nosh is a sandwich place just a few blocks away from where I work and it's a favorite of the staff here. They've got to be putting something in their BLT because it's so darn delicious. I've taken to eating them several times a week. I think about the BLT when I'm not eating it. When I'm out for a walk... I'm really just daydreaming about the BLT. It's that good. Seriously. So give Nosh a try. Try the BLT. (The other sandwiches are good, too, I hear.) You'll probably even run into me there.

Restaurant: NostranaLocation: 1401 SE Morrison, Portland, ORDate: September 28nd, 2009Ordered: Insalata NostranaCost: $9.00I ate at Nostrana for a work meeting. It's got a great location in Southeast Portland with a good parking lot and easy accessibility. The inside is clean (but not sterile-feeling) with windows that make the place light up naturally.Looking over the menu I hit on an instant problem that I often face when dining out: I don't speak whatever language they choose to use, so I often have little idea what I'm facing. I ended up going with the Insalata Nostrana, mainly because I could figure out that it was a salad.The food arrived and I was quite pleasantly surprised. It was a wonderful salad with a house dressing that made it an entirely enjoyable meal. I'm not sure it's a place that I would frequent (a $9 salad was one of the less expensive items on the menu) but I was quite satisfied with what I had.

Restaurant: Bocci's on 7thLocation: 1728 SE 7th Ave, Portland, ORDate: September 22nd, 2009Ordered: Soup & SaladCost: $6.75Bocci's, for me, is just a quick walk away from work, so I went there recently on a recommendation. I found a small, cozy restaurant with a personable and enthusiastic staff waiting. Sitting down at an empty table, I looked over the menu and - looking for a light lunch but finding mainly pastas - ordered the soup (a minestrone) and salad.The order arrived quickly and I ate the bread and salad first while the soup cooled down. It was a good, small salad - exactly what I was looking for. The soup, once cooled, was also fairly delicious.I don't have much to say about Bocci's; it was a good and I'll definitely go again (if nothing else, due to proximity.) It's worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood.

Restaurant: Aroy Thai CuisineLocation: 506 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204-2102Date: September 21st, 2009Ordered: Pad ThaiCost: $6.95I ended up at Aroy Thai Cuisine almost by accident, but I'm going to say that I'm glad I did. From the outside the restaurant is almost invisible; but for a small sign and a door tucked away from the street one wouldn't even know it was there. The inside presumes even less; it comes off as quite literally "a hole in the wall", with very modest furniture.Let me also say that Aroy Thai Cuisine is definitely focused more on flavor than on presentation. When my Pad Thai arrived it was not impressive looking - not by any stretch of the imagination. The lime was literally a slice of lime, and the two shrimp that are traditionally included were buried within the meal.But, and this is the most important part, it was delicious. Truly, honestly, good - and I wolfed it down faster than I'd have preferred to. It was a tattered book on a forgotten library shelf that you pick up, almost by accident, and find a magical story within. So rest assured that I'll be going back. Maybe I won't go when I'm looking for atmosphere, but when I'm hunting for that hidden gem, you'll find me there.

Restaurant: Genie's CafeLocation: 1101 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202Date: September 16t, 2009Ordered: BLTCost: $7.50I ended up at Genie's in SE Portland having lunch with a friend. We went there with no idea of what to expect, only that "it came recommended". We sat down in the eclectic restaurant - and I say "eclectic" meaning "a bit of Portland hipster with a splash of Portland hippy thrown in for good measure" - and I perused the menu, immediately deciding on my old favorite, the BLT. A short while later my BLT arrived with the side salad (note: no honey mustard dressing!) The salad was good enough, with delicious bleu cheese dressing, but the BLT was phenomenal. It was just the right amount of thick, juicy bacon without making me worry about having a heart attack on my way back to the office. The bacon was cooked "just right", the bread was nice and soft (versus overly toasty), and the lettuce and tomato were present but not overwhelming. Basically it was everything I look for in a delicious BLT. I was happy.That recommendation that Genie's came with? It stands.

Restaurant: The Sultan CafeLocation: 1500 NW 18th Ave, Portland, OR 97209Date: July 2nd, 2009Ordered: Lamb GyroCost: $6.99Through extremely good fortune, I was introduced to The Sultan Cafe by a coworker. Upon entering, I went up to the counter and ordered the Lamb Gyro from a friendly Turkish gentleman that I'm guessing was the owner. I paid, and we managed to find seats despite how crowded the place was. So far everything seemed good, but I wasn't overly impressed. Then our food arrived, and I took a bite of my gyro. That moment changed everything. Even thinking about that bite is making my mouth water and crave yet another gyro from The Sultan Cafe. It was that delicious!I don't know what they did to it, but the lamb was so soft, tender, juicy, and flavorful that it literally was the best thing to happen to my mouth in months. My only regret is how quickly I devoured it because I wanted it to last longer. I will definitely be going back to the Sultan Cafe, time and time again. I'm not sure I want to order anything else there, though, since that gyro was so amazingly good. It's a conundrum, that's for sure!

Restaurant: Signal Station PizzaLocation: 8302 N Lombard, Portland, OR 97203Date: May 11th, 2009Ordered: 1 slice Pepperoni PizzaCost: $3.50On a whim today I walked past Signal Station Pizza and gave in to my craving. I walked into the former gasoline station (the pumps still warn of "leaded fuel") through the open bay door and ordered pepperoni pizza. The gal behind the counter warmed it up and handed it to me.The pizza itself was large and New York-style. It was decent, but something about it seemed a little off. I love supporting the little local restaurants, and I'm sure I'll be back, but it just wasn't the best pizza I've ever had. I'm not sure if the crust was too flavorless or the toppings a little bland, but it just seemed to lack that certain something that pizza ought to have.I don't want to say bad things about the place, though. The gal behind the counter was helpful and friendly, they deliver pizza around St. Johns on a bicycle on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and it's just got a lot of personality. I'll definitely give it another shot.

Restaurant: Phathaya ThaiLocation: 9440 N St. Louis Ave, Portland, OR 97203Date: February 26th, 2009Ordered: Pad Thai (Lunch Menu)Cost: $6.95Living near Phathaya Thai, I decided to wander over there for lunch. Not being a fan of terribly spicy food (which I find most Thai food to be), I usually order Pad Thai wherever I go because a) it's almost universally delicious, and b) it gives me a nice yardstick against which to measure various restaurants.Phathaya Thai is a fun little place. There are probably six tables total in the restaurant, though they seem to do fairly brisk to-go business. After sitting down a lovely lady came, took my order, then brought me egg flower soup (a delightful surprise.) The meal came quickly enough and, despite my dietary intentions, I finished off the plate because it was delicious.Would I go there again? Yes! It's close to where I live, the lunch menu is incredibly affordable, and the Pad Thai was yummy!View Larger Map