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

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 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

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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

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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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

Washougal, WA: Get With The Times And Check Out This Happy Hour

Washougal Times

1826 E Street

Washougal, WA 98671

Website: washougaltimes.com

Phone number: (360) 835-2488

Prices: $$$$

After my fiasco at another local brew pub, I was bit hesitant to try another fairly new burger, steak, and mac & cheese place, but I am glad I did. Occupying the same building as the old Heller's, they have updated the floors and decor to a certain extent, but it is still a bit "no frills" and lacking warmth.

We went for dinner, but after looking at the Happy Hour menu, we decided to order from it instead of the "All Day" or "Supper" menus. The all day menu has a large variety of choices with low-moderate prices, but the supper menu is very limited with meals (entree, soup or salad, potato and vegetable) running from $17 to $28. The meatloaf supper is $22, seemingly a tad high for such a simple dish.

The server looked at me patiently while I asked a few questions about the menu, but her service was top notch and she did not attack me for taking photos of our food and surrounds like their nearby rival's owner did.

I had the Burger and Beer ($8), selecting a 16 ounce IPA and adding pepper jack cheese (50¢) and bacon ($1.00) to my burger. The burger could have been bigger (1/3 pound or 5.33 ounces), but what can you expect from a $3.50 burger? The burger is just $8.50 on their all day menu which is still a relative bargain. The bacon was crispy, yet chewy just the way I like it and the bun was fresh and tasty. I also ordered a large side of fries ($3) with StoneJax seasoning ($1) and they were crispy and hot.

The War Department ordered two sliders ($3 each), one meatloaf with BBQ sauce and an onion ring on fresh ciabatta and the other a pork medallion and Gruyere cheese on a crispy, delicious focaccia. The bartender told us that they just switched bakeries recently, a wise choice in my opinion. She also got a pile o' tater tots ($3) which were also crispy and piping hot ... HOOAH!

My wife and I ate quite well, having devoured a bacon cheeseburger and fries, two sliders and an order of tots, and two IPAs for just $29 plus tip, about the same price as the lousy, frozen cheeseburger and fries, and a beer I had while on my own at their competitor's horrid restaurant. No competition folks, Washougal Times is the better of the two by a long shot (read my 7/10/2019 Yelp review if interested). We will be back for a full meal one day soon, so expect an update!

CombatCritic Gives Washougal Times 8 Bombs Out Of 10 For Their Happy Hour Menu ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Washougal Times on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

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Title: Washougal, WA: Get With The Times And Check Out This Happy Hour

Key Words: Washougal, WA, Washougal Times, times, happy, hour, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Calabasas, CA: NBA Superstar and LA Lakers Great Kobe Bryant Dead At The Age Of 41 (January 26th, 2020)

Most people will remember Kobe as the magnificent athlete who inspired a whole generation of basketball players. But I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete. pic.twitter.com/9EZuwk8wrV

— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) January 26, 2020

https://www.cnn.com/videos/sports/2020/01/26/kobe-bryant-death-kareem-abdul-jabbar-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/kobe-bryant-dies-in-helicopter-crash/ 

Title: Calabasas, CA: NBA Superstar and LA Lakers Great Kobe Bryant Dead At The Age Of 41 (January 26th, 2020)

Key Words: basketball, bryant, CA, Calabasa, crash, dead, death, hall of fame, helicopter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, killed, kobe, kobe bryant, la, LA LAkers, Lakers, national, NBA, superstar, tribute, 

Gresham, Oregon: Not A Lot Of Luck, But A Decent Meal At La Herradura

La Herradura Mexican Restaurant

90 NE Division Street

Gresham, OR 97030

LaHerradura.com

Phone number: (503) 491-1650

Prices: $$$$

My buddy took me to La Herradura (the horseshoe) and it was pretty good, but I have had better and less expensive Mexican meals at many other restaurants in this and numerous other cities. Portland Mexican restaurants, like their Italian brethren, are, unfortunately, mediocre at best and this horseshoe was not exactly what I would call lucky.

First off, we had to pay for chips and salsa ($2.50), which were OK, coming with a small cup of mild green salsa and a similar size cup of bean dip. For the price ($4.95), the equally small cup of guacamole we ordered was not particularly a bargain, but it was decent. So far, so average.

My Tacos - Excuse The Crappy Photos, But My Samsung S7 Went Tits-Up

I had recently been through a rather traumatic experience and the purpose of our lunch was to talk about what had been going on and how I was doing. The place was relatively empty, but the server kept coming to our table, asking me if I was ready to order every 3-4 minutes, interrupting our rather sensitive conversation on each occasion. She eventually tried to sway me toward the lunch specials, which I had seen on the way in and was not particularly thrilled about. Finally, I had to quickly peruse the menu and out of frustration, went with my mainstays, two Carne Asada Street Tacos ($1.60 ea) and two Cheese and Onion Enchiladas (ala carte - $2.50 ea). Each taco came on two tiny little corn tortillas with a small amount of chopped, grilled steak, along with some diced white onion and cilantro. They were adequate, but I get much more meat on two larger corn tortillas at my local taqueria for just $1.50 a piece. The enchiladas were pretty good with lots of cheese and red chili sauce, but the onions were inexplicably missing.

Enchiladas - My Samsung S7 Went Tits-Up, So I Bought A Cheap Replacement Until The 5G Phones Come Out Later This Year

My high school pal had a better experience, having ordered the Chili Relleno Lunch Special ($8.95), which looked delicious and, according to him, it was. The chili was massive, stuffed with gooey cheese and surrounded by a fluffy egg omelette, coming with rice and beans and not a bad deal. 

All in all, not bad and not great, but lunch for $30, including tip, with only water to drink seems a bit pricey for the meal we had. The service was efficient and friendly enough, but the nearly constant interruptions and the pressure to order our meals was a bit disconcerting. 

CombatCritic Gives La Herradura 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of La Herradura Mexican on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Gresham, Oregon: Not A Lot Of Luck, But A Decent Meal At La Herradura

Key Words: Gresham, Oregon, luck, La Herradura, la, herradura, horseshoe, mexican, taco, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Phoenix, AZ: Case Of The Missing Sandwich Solved, But Where's The Meat?

Barro's Pizza
2750 W Dove Valley Road, Ste 140
Phoenix, AZ 85085
(623) 215-4141
barrospizza.com
Prices: $$$$

I grew up with Barro's in SoCal, so I figured I could have a decent meal there. I ordered a simple sandwich mid-afternoon on a Sunday, so the place was virtually empty, and was told "that will be ready in 15-20 minutes". Wow, 15-20 minutes to make a sandwich? Had I known, I would have gone somewhere else.

EMPTY

Well, 15-20 minutes went by, people came and went with their orders, but still no sandwich, so I asked when it would be ready. "What sandwich?" I was asked as they searched orders on the computer. "The one I paid for 20 minutes ago", I said, "do you want to see my receipt?". Then they lied to me: "oh, it's in the oven and will be out in just a minute". A few minutes later I saw a guy in the back put my sandwich in the oven and another five minutes later, I finally had my mediocre sandwich.

The sandwich was so-so with four slices of processed ham and eight small slices of salami and a little lettuce and tomato on a 12 inch roll, but was relatively cheap (less than $7 for a 12 inch sub and a bag o' chips) and filled the void in my gut or they would have received my lowest score. Forgetting my order was bad enough, but letting me leave without some sort of compensation (free slice, coupon, etc.) and a heartfelt apology was unforgivable.

CombatCritic Gives Barro's Pizza 2 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Two Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Tits Up" 

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Barro's Pizza on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Phoenix, AZ: Case Of The Missing Sandwich Solved, But Where's The Meat?

Key Words: Phoenix, AZ, sandwich, Barro's Pizza, Barro's, Barro, pizza, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2019/2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

: TravelValue: If You Want More Bang-for-the-Buck, Virgin River Is The Place To Stay

Virgin River Hotel and Casino
100 E. Pioneer Blvd
Mesquite, NV 89027
Website: virginriver.com
Phone: (702) 346-7777
Prices: $$$$

If bang-for-the-buck is what you are looking for, this is the hotel and casino for you.

PROS: For around $30 a day, the inexpensive room had everything I needed except a microwave and coffeemaker. The casino nextdoor has a coffee shop with good food and low prices as well as an all-you-can-eat buffet. The casino's blackjack tables have $5 minimums which was right up my alley. Which reminds me, they also have a huge bowling alley, laundry room, pool and hot tub, Starbucks, sports book, and bingo parlor.

CONS: A coffee maker in the room would have been nice, so I went to WalMart and bought a $10 coffee maker rather than hike over to Starbucks every morning or to their coffee shop for a $3 cup of substandard to-go coffee. Their so called "loyalty" card was useless at the tables, so it seems as though they cater only to slot players.

CombatCritic Gives Virgin River Hotel and Casino 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Virgin River Hotel Casino Bingo Bowling on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: : TravelValue: If You Want More Bang-for-the-Buck, Virgin River Is The Place To Stay

Key Words: Virgin River Hotel and Casino, virgin river, virgin, river, hotel, casino, Mesquite, Nevada, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, hotel, accommodation, review, Yelp, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved