Sunday tales... Epic Adventure... Part 2

Oh, part two. I long for more of part two of our epic Sunday adventure... We ate lunch at MeeSen, delicious Thai food, stopped in at Ruby Jewel Scoops (delicious ice cream) and visited Mr. Greenbeans, the DIY emporium!

MeeSen is great - I love the interior. I feel like I'm in a well appointed hut in a Thai village; small details like tin handled cups; bottles of water at the table; lots of wood, including slatted tables, benches made from lacquered strandboard, and wood walls make it warm and cozy.  We ordered the crab wonton and fried tofu to start. The tofu, while delicious, was cut into large triangles that made eating them unwieldy. The texture was right on, and they were light with just the right fried consistency. The wonton were the best I've had thus far - a clean, well rounded flavor, with a hint of chive, maybe? Delicious.

For our lunch, we ordered the Pad Kee Mao and Pad Thai, and my husband, normally impervious to voluminous amounts of heat, determined that the "medium spicy" at Mee-Sen would suffice. My Pad Thai was well balanced, with a good amount of tamarind (I like my pad thai more tamarind than peanut flavored). My only complaint about it would be the green onion, left in 2 inch lengths, and too much to eat. The waitstaff was attentive, and the food was super. Price was a tad more than we've paid at other Thai places, but the quality of ingredient and the overall experience far outweighs a couple dollars extra on the tab.

Next door to MeeSen is Mr. Greenbeans, where we discovered that our friends Brittany and Jason (of Pro-Soap Propaganda and Blac Coffee, respectively) are well known! Small town, this Portland.  Cool stuff abounds in this shop - a tiny coffee stand lives there, as well as supplies for cheese making, coffee cups, green coffee, soap making... lots of stuff!

After lunch and our foray into Mr. Greenbeans, we strolled back down Mississippi to Ruby Jewel Scoops. Oh. Yum. I sniffed my way into that shop and right up to the counter. Reminiscent of Molly Moon's in Wallingford, an open, lovely space provides ample room for queuing up to get some tastes. The day we were in, there was a honey mascarpone pine nut brittle ice cream featured. It. was. delicious. I also tried the Mexican Chocolate, and the Maple Bourbon Pecan. I don't really like ice cream, even.

I ended up with scoops of Mexican Chocolate and the Honey special. The honey shone through with the cream, it was subtle and smooth. Tiny bits of brittle sprinkled the ice cream. The Mexican Chocolate had a kick of spice - not like a pepper's heat, but an intense low heat, full of subtle cinnamon/cayenne chomp. I loved it.

I totally thought about taking a picture of my gorgeous scoops, shelled into a warm waffle cone - but then I ate it all and I didn't give the picture another thought. It might have been creepy had I asked someone else in the shop if I could take a picture of *their* ice cream.

Finally home (fat and happily full of sunshine, thai food & ice cream), I called Jen Jen. She arrived carrying a BOLT of plaid fabric and a lovely square of woolen plaid for me that she'd found while thrifting. A good friend indeed, since she was keeping her eyes peeled despite my self imposed moratorium on more "stuff" until I packed up and ferreted out more items for the show in May.

What a refreshing and lovely date with my DH!

Soluna Grill (aka Yum Town).

We all know I love food. I come from a wide ranging family of cookers, chef-wannabe's, gourmands, food snobs,  and makers. Down home... Pac NW gourmet... International cuisine, comfort food, baked goods. If I could figure out a way to make eating my profession, surely I would. I can eat my way silly, and it's infrequent that I am truly impressed by a neighborhood restaurant. Sometimes, admittedly, it's because I don't get out much. But I've had my share of meals out and about, and they're usually just ok... Now say what you will about how I need to get out more often, and further away from home. I know this. But every once in a while, it's nice to have an opportunity to really enjoy the food close to home. Soluna Grill is just one such place.

On Tuesday, Boss called a meeting - we were going to explore the new weekday lunch service for our group of 6, under the guise of "staff meeting." Though she'd made arrangements the week prior,  reservations aren't needed yet (the lunch service is so new it's still quiet there! so get there quick!), so we enjoyed a cozy spot on the back wall (I have been here many times and I always LOVE the cushioned bench! It's the best seat!!) and had plenty of privacy the first hour to discuss business. What a refreshing change of pace! The waiter was delightful, Chef Dan was visible, attentive, and knowledgeable - the kitchen staff was diligent, and the food! OH. the food...

I have NEVER had anything by Chef Dan that's been less than exemplary. Even the coffee is great (which is saying a lot, because quite a few restaurants here in pdx somehow miss the boat on coffee, despite the awesome local choices which abound). Our group started with the house made potato chips & warm blue cheese (excellent) and continued with varied entrees (all reasonably priced). Two had the Ahi Nicoise (and we were delighted that the waiter had no problem swapping chicken for the ahi on one as a special request). I had the gorgonzola ravioli, with kale and roasted beets. I could have eaten five plates it was so delicious. Other lunches were Caribbean chicken sandwich, the turkey panini, and the soup & salad. Unanimous rave reviews across the board.

We split three desserts, and while we were sad that they were out of the cheesecake and the brownie, we were satiated by the creme brulee (one of the best I have ever had), the caramel bourbon bread pudding, and the chocolate pear tarte.

The service was excellent. The ambiance is fantastic. My only regret is that I'm not able to visit more. Love everything (and everyone) at Soluna. And I personally find it both a fantastic anchor for fine dining in our neighborhood, and far more approachable (and delicious) than Fife ever was.