ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
The best cioppino we had ever eaten was had at Sharks Seafood Bar back in 2009. Not only was there a substantial broth of tomatoes, vegetables and herbs—a recipe which the chef will not divulge—but a generous serving of fresh seafood. A noticeable amount of sweetness, which some may find a trifle much, came through... Continue Reading →
Back in 2009, Newport appeared on our culinary radar when we ate a remarkable cioppino at Sharks Seafood Bar. It would be enough of a reason to come back again (and again). Aside from its many seafood restaurants, this town of 10,000 residents has several other attractions. The most obvious physical presence in the city... Continue Reading →
Surrounded by large tracts of farmland on the outskirts of Salem is a small stretch of local shops and businesses. Among them is a taqueria innocuously housed in a flat building, which you might normally drive past since there's nothing remarkable about the exterior except that it's painted in the tricolors of Mexico. Los Temos specializes... Continue Reading →
One of the best burgers I've had in a long time was served at the Dundee Bistro, a restaurant associated with Ponzi Vineyards in the town of Dundee, which is situated in the gorgeous rolling hills of Tualatin Valley wine country. Friends of ours who live in nearby Sherwood treated us to lunch. There is a tasting... Continue Reading →
One of the most unusual crystal specimens I've ever seen on display is the Alma Rose rhodochrosite at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro. This extravagantly beautiful specimen boasts five large rhodochrosite crystals, speckled with yellowish calcite deposits. Almost pure MnCO3, they have a deep pink, almost cherry-reddish coloring and are shaped... Continue Reading →
Once in a long while, you stumble across a store so phenomenal that it takes your breath away. After lunch at Taqueria Hermanos Ochoa's, four of us were trying to kill some time before the start of Star Trek: Into Darkness at a multiplex. There used to be a market attached to Ochoa's, but it... Continue Reading →
In this fifth largest city of Oregon whose major employer is Intel, among other high-tech companies, almost one fourth of the population is Hispanic. It's not surprising, therefore, that a commercial district has developed in the city's southeast portion to serve this demographic. One of the most popular Mexican restaurants is Taqueria Hermanos Ochoa's that... Continue Reading →
The rain, or more accurately the showers, had been coming down off and on starting with our visit to the Washington Park Japanese Garden. There wasn't going to be anymore walking around outside today. Before checking into our hotel in Jantzen Beach, we headed over to a popular Vietnamese restaurant in the northeast part of... Continue Reading →
Moss is your friend. At least, that's what I try to tell my friends who've been battling to remove it from their Seattle lawns. I have long since given moss full sway in my front yard rather than covering it with sod. I'm allergic to grass anyway. After many years of inattention, there is a... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, when we stayed at the WorldMark in Bend, the receptionist recommended a pub in nearby Redmond called Diego's Spirited Kitchen, serving fare with a Mexican twist. The waiter at Diego's back then suggested the flatiron steak, one of their most popular dishes. That turned out to be an excellent choice. On our... Continue Reading →
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