Follow Me To TravelValue!

Faro, Portugal; Great Expectations, Oustanding View, But A Disappointing Breakfast Buffet

Harune Restaurant - AP EVA SENSES HOTEL Av. da República, 1  8000-078 Faro, Algarve, Portugal  Phone: +351 289 540 100 Email: book.eva@ap-ho...

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Washougal, WA: Don't Run With Bagpipes, You Could Get Kilt ... And Become A Kilted Spirit

Kilted Spirits Irish Pub
1926 Main Street
Washougal, WA 98671
Phone number (360) 844-7186
Prices: $$$$

With all of the cold, modern decor and TVs, it looks more like a sports bar or restaurant than an Irish pub. The service was excellent, but that could have been because we were practically the only people in the place at 6pm on a Sunday.
They have a nice selection of draught beers at fair prices, all running $5 or less for a US pint (regular price). I had the Irish Death Dark Ale, a thick, delicious dark beer reminiscent of German bocks or dunkels ... YUMM! My buddy had one of the rotating IPAs, but I cannot tell you anything about it because he has OCD and would not let me taste it.

Their menu selections are much more limited. They have a couple of sandwiches, but they only come with their homemade crisps (potato chips) which were a bit too much on the burnt side, even for me. I would have preferred some homemade steak fries (chips) with my Reuben Sandwich ($13). The reuben was very tasty and loaded with lean corned beef and sauerkraut, but $13 is a tad high for a sandwich and potato chips - $10 to $11 would likely be more appropriate. You can also get a bowl of soup for $12 or Irish Stew in a bread bowl ($14), Bangers (sausages) and Mash ($13), or Shepherd's Pie ($14 - it is actually "cottage" pie because it is made with beef - shepherd's pie is traditionally made with lamb or mutton in the UK, so I would think an Irish pub should know the difference). You can also get a hamburger, but they only offer a 1/4 pound (4 ounce) patty instead of the 6 to 8 ounce patties most decent brew pubs offer. Finally, my friend, who is vegetarian, had a choice between a $9 pretzel or the $8 onion rings, so if you are vegan or vegetarian, you may want to go somewhere else. He went with the onion rings, a normal size order of so-so rings that would cost $4, half the price, pretty much anywhere else.
They apparently have live music on Friday and Saturday nights, so that is a plus, being the only bar in or near Washougal offering that option. I was a bit disappointed because they are not that much different than the other mediocre brew pubs/bistros in the Washougal area with similar, boring offerings and excessive pricing.  If their food menu were as reasonably priced as their beer menu, they would get a much higher rating from me. The place could also use a little charm or ambiance and some more good Irish ales, like Caffrey's, if they want to be more like an authentic Irish pub. They also do not bother offering a website to their customers, which tells me that they lack some of the basic business acumen required to be successful in an extremely competitive industry.

CombatCritic Gives Kilted Spirits Irish Pub 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 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Read Chris S.'s review of Kilted Spirits Irish Pub on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Kilted Spirits Irish Pub Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

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

Title: Washougal, WA: Don't Run With Bagpipes, You Could Get Kilt ... And Become A Kilted Spirit

Key Words: Washougal, WA, Kilted Spirits Irish Pub, Irish, Ireland, pub, kilt, spirit, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google, Facebook

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

Monday, May 20, 2019

Portland, OR: Four QC Concerns During Our First Visit Led Me To A Mediocre Rating

Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House 
210 NW 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
Pearl District
Phone number (503) 296-4906
Website: deschutesbrewery.com
Prices: $$$$
Needing some chow before the play we were going to see at The Armory, which is just next door, we decided on Deschutes because of its proximity and Portland's inclement, crappy weather that particular evening.

The place was packed on a Sunday evening around 6pm, a surprise because downtown Portland is not normally particularly busy on Sunday nights in our limited experience. We were told it would be a 30-40 minutes wait, too late to eat and still get to he theatre in time, but we happened upon a table in the bar that was just being vacated by a very nice young couple ... we're in!
I ordered a Clearly An Imperial Ale (IBU 70, ABV 6.7 - $5.75), but was not particularly hoppy about the snifter it came in. I guess I should have read the small print, but my eyes, along with a few other of my body parts, are not quite as good as they used to be. DRAT!
We decided on an IPA Pretzel, coming with melted Monterey Jack Cheese Sauce and Black Butte Porter Stone Ground Mustard ($10.50) as an appetizer. The pretzel was piping hot, straight out of the oven, crispy outside and soft inside, but the cheese sauce was lukewarm and a bit of a bummer.
I tried to order another beer before our meals arrived, having asked three servers that had come by over a ten minute period to drop off the pretzel, fill our waters, and so on, but they all told me I had to wait for the bar staff. About 10 minutes later, a male server finally came by with another snifter half-full of the same IPA, but I told him that I had planned to order their Extrafjordinary Porter ($6.25). He took the IPA back, giving me a strange look as if the faux pas was somehow my fault. The porter arrived a few minutes later and everything was copacetic.
I went with the Pub Burger w/ Bacon and Garlic Fries ($18.25) and my wife the Black Butte Porter Mac & Cheese ($15.75). My burger was quite tasty, coming on a toasted brioche bun along with a side of fries covered with garlic sauce and an unknown grated cheese. The fries were also lukewarm and the garlic sauce a tad chilly, another QC problem and the third (cold pretzel sauce and wrong beer) in our short time there. My wife's Mac & Cheese came with some very odd looking pasta and there was hardly enough cheese sauce to coat the pasta. The presentation was OK, but there were drops of extra cheese sauce scattered around the rim of the bowl. It was also extremely bland with not enough sauce and very little flavor - QC problem #4. The server was nice enough to remove the Mac & Cheese from our bill, a very nice gesture, after we told him about the lack of flavor in the dish.
The ambiance of the large room was quite pleasant, reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest with lots of carved oak, open doorways, tall windows, and old photos and paintings on the walls. We had a decent meal and enjoyed the space, but the problems and positives resulted in a zero sum outcome and a very middle of the road rating from me.

CombatCritic Gives Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House 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 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Read Chris S.'s review of Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House on Yelp

Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

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

Title: Portland, OR: Four QC Concerns During Our First Visit Led Me To A Mediocre Rating

Key Words: Portland, OR, CombatCritic, Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House, Deschutes, beer, brewery, public, house, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

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

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Washougal, WA: Great Haircut + Fair Prices = My Highest Recommendation

Washougal Barber Shop
1922 Main Street
Washougal, WA 98671
Phone number (360) 835-2302
Prices: $$$$

I had hesitated to try this barber because they do not advertise prices in the window or on the wall and they do not have a website as far as I can tell, but I decided to mosey on in one sleepy morning last week.

I received a friendly greeting from the owner and her two doggies, one a black Bulldog puppy and the other an older Yorkshire Terrier. I asked about prices for a haircut and was asked if I was retired. Having replied to her question in the affirmative, she told me $12 ... SOLD!

Unlike most of the chain shops with young, inexperienced beauticians, I was engaged in pleasant conversation while she cut my hair, finishing the job with a complimentary razor cut, hot towel, and short massage on the back of my neck. The cut was exactly as I had asked for, no modifications required.

I have finally found my new go-to barber, something I have not had since my retirement from the Air Force. I will return here from now on and recommend that you do the same if you want a good haircut at a reasonable price when in Washougal.

CombatCritic Gives Washougal Barber Shop 10 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF FAME" ... More Bombs Are Better!


Ten Bombs Equates To:


Translation for Civilians: 

HOOAH!: "Phonetic spelling of the acronym HUA, which stands for 'Heard Understood Acknowledged.' Originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan. More recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate an affirmative or a pleased response." - Urban Dictionary

"The Department of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee claim HOOAH 'refers to or means anything except no' ... Regardless of its meaning ... the term is an expression of high morale, confidence, motivation and spirit." - WarChronicle.com

"The U.S. Air Force stole 'HOOAH' from the Army because we were part of the Army until 1947 and rather than waste a bunch of time coming up with something new and unique like "ROO-YAH" or "HAL-A-LOO-YAH", we said 'screw it, let's go with HOOAH' ... thanks Army ... HOOAH!" - CombatCritic
Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Read Chris S.'s review of Washougal Barber Shop 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!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

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

Title: Washougal, WA: Great Haircut + Fair Prices = My Highest Recommendation

Key Words: Washougal, WA, Washougal Barber Shop, barber, shop, hair, haircut, style, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, service, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

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

Search Our Blog