VP Debate at the Bagdad Theater

I've mostly avoided politics on my blog (and avoided the blog for far too long, sorry). I've got some family and friends who disagree with me politically and I try to be sensitive to their views.

But enough is enough.

Sarah Palin is an insult as a candidate.

As I watched the VP debate at the Bagdad Theater in Portland I was awestruck at her refusal to answer the direct questions. Either she didn't have a clue as to the context of them or she out and out has no respect for the debate, the voters or the truth. At one point I had to pull out my John McEnroe voice and scream "ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!!"

Sure, she looked pretty and used her folksy language to her benefit. But all in all she was not prepared to debate and is in no way prepared to be on a national ticket. McCain made the wrong move in choosing her and it will cost him the election.

Her rambling spewing of Republican talking points was to be expected. But even I thought she would answer the questions, albeit poorly. But she didn't even do that. Was that smart?

I used this analogy last night that she looked like someone who was coming into a job interview who was not even close to being qualified for the job. Her ramblings had that effect on me.

Biden answered questions. Gave details. Talked about specific changes and differences. And he didn't attack Palin, rather he attacked McCain. That was smart. He looked presidential.

I doubt that I am going to change anyone's votes. Those in the right wing believe in their agenda even though the agenda under Bush has been skewed full of lies, illegal conduct and downright failures on every front. But I question their concern for the country when they would support someone as unprepared as Sarah Palin on their ticket. This country is in need of real leadership and she is not the answer. Most of them know it. So I challenge them to have the guts to do what is right and either force McCain to drop Palin or choose to vote in another direction. Ron Paul is still on the ballot and he's a better conservative than either of the two on the GOP ticket. So make yourselves heard and vote Ron Paul.

Or better yet, use your heads and vote Obama/Biden.

Bits And Pieces

Weekend Update

Summer seems to have finally arrived. Better temperatures, some humidity, barbecues. I’m not a fan of super hot weather, but anything right around 80 degrees will work for me.

Yesterday I had Heather and some of her friends over for a quick cookout before heading to The Rose City Rollers Roller Derby Bout at the Expo Center.

I’d seen roller derby on TV and I have a fondness for sports entertainment of many kinds so I was very excited about seeing it live. Fun times. The expo center is the perfect venue for it: plenty of space, easy to get to, etc. There were four teams in competition. I couldn’t intuit all of the rules but the basics were easy enough to follow. Great crowd too: Hipster doofuses, lesbians, fathers, daughters. A perfect patchwork of Portland.

Heather and her friends all came up with their own Roller Derby names. Heather’s is ‘Smack N’ Cheez’. Funny stuff.

Cut To The Chase

I’ve got surgery scheduled. July 11. Here’s the deal: When I put on too much weight several years ago I created a small umbilical hernia. Now these things aren’t dangerous (as long as they’re small, like mine) but they get to be very uncomfortable. I’ve had a hard time lifting, moving, bending, etc as a result of this unwelcome guest.

So, this nice and amusing doctor is going to shave parts of my chest hair, put a small semi-circular incision around my belly button, and insert a piece of Gore-Tex mesh to repair the abdominal weakness. It’s supposed to only take 30-40 minutes and is an outpatient procedure. So, no big deal as far as surgeries go, right? I have to decide whether to use a local or take the general. All things being equal I’ve been advised to take the local, as it’s less disorienting as you regain you feeling. What do you think?

Anyway, it’s a bit of a big deal for me. I’m not a big fan of the doctor world. But the discomfort has really started to bug me.

B!

The Great Restaurant Experiment

Dating can be daunting. Uncertain. Uncomfortable. Incompatible. Awkward.

But it can also be awesome. Ossom. Ossum.

Over the past month Heather and I have spent a good amount of time at various restaurants and watering holes around town. I’ve tried to couple this with my goal to visit new restaurants regularly. It seems to be working well. Heather’s also vegetarian so it’s required me to re-think food and cooking and recipes which has quite a bit of merit. Here are the places we’ve visited and what we thought of each of them. Heather’s input is in blue.

Bye And Bye (new to me)

This bar/restaurant is nestled up off of NE 10th and Alberta. It’s apparently a vegan restaurant although we did not sample the food. There’s a nice back patio, roomy airy interior with a few nooks and spaces plus a painting of Evel Knievel on the wall. A nice selection of beers, I had Amnesia Brewing’s Red, if memory serves. The clientele is your usual bar crowd of mostly hipster doofuses and proud lesbians, but the vibe was very relaxed and casual. I liked this place a lot. I'm a big fan of the Bye and Bye - and not just because it's three blocks from my house. Even though there are hipsters galore, it has a nice mellow feel with really great staff. The vegan food can be a turn-off for some of my non-veggie friends, but I find it quite tasty- particularly the veggie 'meatball' sub. Next time I'm trying the vegan white russian...

Trebol

I’ve been wanting to try Trebol for several months. It bills itself as sustainable NW Mexican food which is my kind of unique. We shared tortillas and guacamole. The guac was mild but very fresh and the small tortillas were very tasty. I had the fish tostadas. They were good but did not knock my socks off. I also had a mango margarita (late happy hour, $4). Remind me to stay away from house specialty drinks as it was just too sweet for my tastes. Overall this is a place I liked and will probably love once I find the dish or two that really speak to me. Very crisp environment inside; dark enough for intimate conversation but not the heavy darkness that makes you suffocate. They had surfing on the bar TV which Heather enjoyed. Paddle. Paddle. Paddle. It's true, I loved that they had surfing looping on the bar TV.Trebol's late night happy hour was a plus, I had an excellent (although petite) house margarita. I honestly can't remember what I ate (some type of enchilada with squash?? it was tasty, whatever it was. this is why i am not a good food/restaurant critic) And they had a wide range of unique veggie options.

The Pelican Brewery (not new)

It’s hard to resist the Pelican when you visit Pacific City. Great beers. A fantastic setting. Good food. It is way overpriced, but sometimes you just don’t care about that. It was our waiter’s second day and he did a good job for being a noob. But the next time I’m in Pacific City we’ll hit The Sportsman which is where the locals congregate. I have to order onion rings if they are on a menu. Have to. The onion rings were good but not great, certainly not $10.95 great. My turkey sandwich was fantastic. LOVE the view and the beer, but the food - especially for veggies - is not the greatest. But really, who cares when you are in such an absolutely beautiful location. It was a little chilly to sit outside on the deck - which is really the ideal spot at the Pelican.

Vendetta (not new)

I consider this my local. But it’s not a pub in the traditional sense. Very similar to the Bye And Bye. Hipster Doofuses abound. There is a definite Portland vibe to it that I enjoy. The food is marginal and they took mac and cheese off the menu, which is bizarre as it was the best dish available. Service here sucks – the staff are great, but they funnel all of the orders through a single line at the bar and it bottlenecks badly. I wish they’d change that. Back patio is awesome on a hot night. Great, diverse music through their sound system, shuffleboard, no TVs, tons of interesting art on the walls. This is a place to hang out and it serves that purpose well. I'm still sad they ditched the mac and cheese, but I had a rather tasty "Sloppy Jane" sandwich. They just need to finish up that patio bar so the service isn't so painfully slow...and beware of those picnic tables! They are very uneven and can cause even the most sober of people to spill their full beer (not that i'm speaking from experience).

Lovely Hula Hands (new to me)

Dave of DaveKnowsPortland swears by this restaurant so I was happy to finally visit it. It’s a cozy, small interior with a patio that is just now opening for the season. There is often a wait for a table but we were seated quickly. Super friendly staff who seem to really enjoy and believe in what they do. They rotate the menu regularly so there is constant variety. Makers Mark Old Fashioned was perfect. I had the white sausage with greens and mashed potatoes with a smother of coarse ground mustard, a sprinkle of brown sauce and butter. It was ridiculously good. I drank the recommended Chardonnay as if it was water. This place is fantastic. I wish they had a small bar and a late happy hour because I would become a regular in a heartbeat. As it is it’s a perfect date restaurant. Lovely Hula Hands was quite lovely (ha!). I had only eaten there once before - when they were still in the old location. We were hoping the patio would be open but no such luck. But we had a wonderful meal - I started with the Lovely Hula Hoop cocktail and rosemary foccacia. There were only one or two veggie options (which I always say makes life so much easier, none of those tough decisions at restaurants!). I had the penne pasta with asparagus in a creamy mint sauce - absolutely delicious!

East India Company

This is a brand new Indian restaurant on SW 11th Ave behind the Multnomah County Library. Dark woods cover the bar area and the dining area contains plush booths, low lighting and dark tables. The bathrooms are super fancy. The entire place screams that it’s trying to be a high profile joint. They do a daily happy hour from 4-7 so we ordered off of the happy hour menu. Each dish is just $3. The portions ranged from too few (potato cakes) to too many (chicken wings) but most of the dishes were fantastic in their flavor. Flatbread with a spicy dipping sauce. Fried vegetables served with brown sauce and mint. Fishskewers with brown sauce and mint. The lone underwhelming dish were the fish, which were fine but unexceptional. I made the mistake of ordering the Calcutta chili-tini – which was light and crisp but the Serrano pepper and cucumber essences did not hit the spot. Overall this is a great place for happy hour food. We’ll try a meal there soon. I was very impressed with their Happy Hour - in part because they have a Saturday Happy Hour from 4-7, which rocks. And three out of five of the options were veggie, so we just ordered one of everything. I was a happy camper with my mango margarita and tasty veggie treats (my favorite was the fried veggies - aka Indian Tempura).

Gravy (not new)

This is my most convenient breakfast spot. Good food. Huge portions. I am partial to the veggie gravy and biscuits as they make me feel healthy. There is always a wait and service can be a bit inconsistent but it’s got good options for me as I don’t eat eggs in their native forms. In addition to the biscuits I usually get a potato portion – house potatoes or shredded browns - and some bacon. The shredded browns are quite good for basic taters. They cook them in small cast iron skillets which produce a great crisp shell and soft interior. On my endless quest for the best veggie biscuits and gravy in Portland, I'd say Gravy comes in second to Cup and Saucer. I absolutely love breakfast food (eggs eggs eggs) and going out to breakfast, but I get cranky with waiting for 1-2 hours to actually eat. And sadly, most of the great breakfast joints in Portland have ridiculous lines on Saturday and Sunday. Gravy wasn't too bad and at least it was a lovely day to sit outside and soak up the sun while waiting.

So, That's what we've got for you. More new restaurants to try. More reviews to come.

B! & H!

Are We There Yet?

40.

The flood supposedly lasted forty days and forty nights.

I’ve somehow lasted forty years. Well, if I make it to the eighth of May I will have.

This will sound cliché, but it’s just a number. Really. I mean it.

I certainly don’t feel like I’m forty. Yeah, I’ve grown up a lot since I was in my 20’s, but forty? Are you serious? You can’t be serious?

I am at a point in life where I’m much more comfortable embracing who I am. Without regard to age or expectations or boundaries. So, in that regard, forty really is just a number.

I will be celebrating with thousands of my favorite people. The Timbers play Rochester at 7:00pm Thursday, May 8. $11 General Admission ticket if you wish to join me. I’ll be at the Bitter End pre-match and Bullpen post-match. Accepting free bottles of beer from all my admirers. It will be crowded. There will be a line. Wear green. Sing loud.

Please no presents.

Soup or Salad?

So in my ever expanding quest to improve my social life and social scorecard I've got a new experiment.

I'm looking for new restaurants. I'm not reviewing them. I'm not critiquing them. I'm just looking to try something new every two or three weeks.

I've lived in Portland most of my life. I've gotten very set in my ways which has advantages and disadvantages. But it does create a bit of a rut. There are probably thousands of restaurants that I've never set food inside. I want to change that.

So, I'd love some suggestions of good restaurants. Any area of town and any ethnicity. But it's good food I'm looking for. I'm less concerned with linen napkins or impressive decor.

B!

PS - I'll also be looking for people to try the places out with, so if you're interested, drop me an email or post a comment.

Strange Brew Live!

No, it's not the Broadway production of The McKenzie brother's Film - It's Live! blogging from the Hillsdale Brewfest.

The beers are flowing. People are here. It promises to get crowded. I'll update periodically as the day progresses and maybe post some pics too.

So, come on down if you want some special brews and good company.

Cheers!

B!

11:42 am - Our yellow sample trays arrived. A few very tasty brews and a few that I can't drink the entire 3 oz sample let alone an entire pint. Conversation is rotating around the history of IPAs and decent pubs in the area.

B!

12:29 pm - A few more pics to come. The pub is now jam packed with people and conversation. The serving staff consists of the managers of the different McMenamin's around town so there's a great deal of pride and ownership for each of the brewfest beers.

11:00am 02/17/08 Had some technical difficulties onsite and had to stop the live blog. Anyone know who won the belt?