CombatCritic's "TravelValue"

World traveler ... 44 countries and counting; Amateur chef ... studied 3 years in Pozzuoli Italy; Published author of reviews, articles, and two popular blogs; Producer of successful YouTube channels. CombatCritic is Yelp "Gold" Elite '14/'15/'16/'17/'18, Zomato "VERIFIED CONNOISSEUR", Booking.com "GENIUS", and Foursquare "INSIDER" Mangia Bene e Paghi Poco (Eat Well and Pay Little) On the Front Lines in the Battle Against Mediocrity - Follow Me To TravelValue ... That's A Freakin' Order!

Monday, December 10, 2057

Countries Visited ... So Far ... 41 And Counting!

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List (Alphabetical)

Bahrain – Kingdom of Bahrain

Belgium – Kingdom of Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria – Republic of Bulgaria

Canada

Croatia – Republic of Croatia

Czech Republic

Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat/Grønland)

France – French Republic

Germany – Federal Republic of Germany

Greece – Hellenic Republic
Holy See

Hungary

India – Republic of India

Ireland
Israel

Italy – Italian Republic

Jamaica

Japan

Korea, South – Republic of Korea

Luxembourg – Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Macedonia – Republic of Macedonia

Malta – Republic of Malta

Mexico – United Mexican States

Micronesia – Federated States of Micronesia

Monaco – Principality of Monaco

Montenegro

Netherlands

Palau – Republic of Palau

Palestine - State of Palestine
Portugal – Portuguese Republic

San Marino – Republic of San Marino

Saudi Arabia – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Slovenia – Republic of Slovenia

Spain – Kingdom of Spain

Switzerland – Swiss Confederation

Tunisia – Republic of Tunisia

Turkey – Republic of Turkey

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United States – United States of America

- Guam

- Puerto Rico

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "GOLD" Elite '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

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Title: Countries Visited ... So Far ... 41 And Counting!

Key Words: countries, country, nation, capitol, Google Maps, Google, map, maps, city, state, world, earth, visit, visited, traveler, 44, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Yelp

Sunday, December 10, 2056

Why Should You Read My Reviews And Subscribe To TravelValue?

I served my country in the United States Air Force for over 20 years and have visited 44 countries over the last 35 years, all without spending over $75 per night for a nice hotel room and dining in excellent restaurants for well under $25 per person. How do I do it? Through diligent research, exploration, trial and error, and tapping local knowledge.

Would you like to stay in a central, 3-star hotel in a major city for under $20 per night? How about a room with a balcony and view of the Himalayas while attending teachings with the Dalai Lama for just $5 per night? Or a beachfront hotel for $13 per night? Maybe a meal prepared by a 5-star chef for less than $20? Well, you have come to the right place ...

CombatCritic's "TravelValue"

Having several popular travel blogs CombatCritic.com and received numerous accolades from several of the top travel and restaurant websites/apps (Yelp, TripAvisor, Zomato, Tabelog, Booking.com), you can trust my opinions.

Unlike many reviewers who are either afraid to tell the truth or have personal relationship with businesses and biased views, I reserve 5-stars (10 Bombs on my blog) for only the most flawless restaurants, accommodations, businesses, attractions and destinations, those where you absolutely and without a doubt get the most “bang-for-the-buck”.

CombatCritic.com

I try to remain as objective as possible in all of my reviews, providing the pros and cons as I see them and a rating based on the overall “value” as compared to similar entities in similar locations. I accept no "freebies" and only identify myself as a critic after having been a customer and paid the bill, so you can trust my reviews.

Here is a breakdown of my ratings both on my blogs (where I use a ten point scale) and on travel and dining websites (that all use 5 point Likert-type scales) ...

If I hate a place, they get 1-2 Bombs (1-star)

If so-so with numerous”issues", they get 3-4 Bombs (2-stars)

If average (the vast majority of businesses fall into this category if you look at the distribution of my ratings), they get 5-6 Bombs (3-stars)

If above average, they get 7-8 Bombs (4-stars)

If they are one of the very rare “best of the best” values in my experience, they get 9-10 Bombs (5-stars – I always round up from bombs to stars because I use a 10 point Likert-type scale in order to be more discernible).

Now that you understand my philosophy and ratings, on to my reviews …

CombatCritic

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Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Gold" Elite '14/'15/'16 /'17 / '18

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie

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Title: Why Should You Read My Reviews And Subscribe To My Blog?

Key Words: combatcritic, travelvalue, travel, value, combat, critic, review, reviews, objective, restaurant, hotel, attraction, destination, Italy, USA, India, Asia, Europe

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Bend, OR: Three Sisters Inn & Suites - Good Value And Central Location

Bend Three Sisters Inn & Suites

721 NE 3rd Street

Bend, OR 97701

Phone number(541) 382-1515

Website: bendthreesistersinn.com

Prices: $$$$

Nothin' fancy, but we had a decent size room with two queen beds for a little over $70 per night. Best of all, they allow pets, breakfast was included, and there was no charge for pets when booked on Booking.com

They have doughnuts, instant oatmeal, fruit, coffee, and OJ for breakfast. Not necessarily the healthiest choices, but the doughnuts were fresh and actually quite good.

The only negatives were the bed, which was uncomfortable, causing frequent tossing and turning, and the noisy people above us with a marching band in their room that spent much of our three nights stomping back and forth.

Overall, a good value for a clean, safe room with breakfast included where dogs are welcome and location is central in Bend.

CombatCritic Gives Bend Three Sisters Inn & Suites 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Friday, October 11, 2019

Portland, OR: The Sky Is The Limit, Or So It Seems, At Zeus Cafe

Zeus Café

303 SW 12th Avenue

Portland, OR 97209

Website: mcmenamins.com

Phone number: (503) 384-2500

Prices: $$$$

We stopped by for an early dinner after a day of showing our out-of-state friends the best Portland has to offer. Having arrived at 5:01PM, our server checked her watch and let us know that we were one minute late for happy hour ... BOOAH!

The building takes up almost an entire, albeit small, city block and houses McMenamins Crystal Hotel in addition to Zeus Café which is located on the ground floor. The building looks like it was built in the early 20th Century and the restaurant's interior, appropriately enough, has a strong Art Deco feel, warm and cozy.

It took quite a while to be greeted by our server once seated even though we were one of three or four parties inside the large dining room. Otherwise, the service was adequate, nothing special, and not overly friendly, but not horrible.

Oddly enough, we all ended up ordering the Crystal Burger, a reported "grass fed" beef patty, Tillamook white cheddar cheese, pickled red onion, and their No. 007 secret sauce on a potato bun ($14), with three of us adding bacon ($2.50). The burgers were large, juicy, and very tasty, having been accompanied by a large side of hot, crispy french fries. Unfortunately, the "bacon" looked more like pork belly and was way too thick and chewy to be on a burger (see photos). The bacon should have been one-third as thick as it was in order to be more easily consumed on a hamburger. I ended up chewing on the bacon much longer than I did the rest of the layers, so the bacon became the focus, distracting from what was a pretty good hamburger.

BOTTOM LINE: Good food, fair prices, so-so service, and a pleasant environment in the heart of Portland's Pearl District makes Zeus Cafe a decent choice if you find yourself in the neighborhood, whether taking in a show at The Armory, perusing the shelves at Powell's, or picking up some doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnuts.

CombatCritic Gives Zeus Café 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

Monday, October 7, 2019

Bend, OR: A Meal Here Will Not Send You To The Poor House

Pour House Grill
61276 South Highway 97
Bend, OR 97702
Phone number: (541) 388-2337
Website: pourhousegrill.com
Prices: $$$$

Your basic sports bar and restaurant, modern and tastefully decorated to give it a more upscale vibe. Best of all, they allowed me to bring my emotional support animal along for dinner, something only a handful of Bend restaurants allow.

I had a Reuben Sandwich ($15), coming with tots, that was pretty average, but at $15, just a tad high. I think $11.95 to $12.95 would be a more appropriate price point.

My wife had the Pour House Mac ($12) which was a much better value than mine and much tastier too, coming with sliced mushrooms and bacon in a six-cheese blend. It was actually one of the better mac & cheeses she has had, rich and creamy with the macaroni perfectly cooked.

My son ordered the Smoked French Dip ($15) and his vegan partner the House Salad ($10), both seemingly pleased with their selections.

The staff were very nice and the service excellent. The food was pretty good too, a bit better than most places in this category, but the prices just a tad high. Overall, we had a good meal and were able to enjoy it with my trusty dog Kemper, worthy of an extra star in my book ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Pour House Grill 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!