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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...

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
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"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

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

Key Words: Bend, OR, Three Sisters Inn & Suites, three, 3, sisters, inn, suites, hotel, motel, dogs, pets, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, hotel, accommodation, review, Yelp, Google


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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"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 
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Read Chris S.'s review of Zeus Café on Yelp

McMenamins Zeus Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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

Key Words: Portland, OR, Zeus Cafe, Zeus, cafe, McMenamins, Pearl District, pearl, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook


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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!
Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 
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Read Chris S.'s review of Pour House Grill on Yelp

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Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!
Pour House Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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

Key Words: Bend, OR, central, Oregon, Pour House Grill, poor, pour, house, grill, dogs, allowed, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

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Bend, OR: Spork Calling Orson, Come In Orson ... Get Me The Hell Out Of This Line!

Spork
937 NW Newport Avenue, Suite 120
Bend, OR 97701
Website: sporkbend.com
Phone number: (541) 390-0946
Prices: $$$$

I was enthused when I saw the diversity of cuisine on their online menu before arriving, but as we stood in line for 30 minutes waiting to order, I became somewhat disillusioned. The carnitas tacos ($3/ea) sounded good, but when I saw an order of the fish tacos pass by while in line, I quickly revisited the menu for a suitable alternative.
Spicy Fried Chicken ($13)
Dying for some chow after 30 minutes in line, I decided on the Spicy Fried Chicken ($13), small chunks of boneless chicken breast breaded and fried in a spicy Korean barbecue sauce. The small steel platter, about the size of my hand, contained a small order of kimchi on one side and the chicken on the other, atop a thin bed of jasmine rice. The chicken was absolutely delicious, spicy, crispy, and perfectly cooked. The kimchi was also quite tasty with just the right amount of chili. Unfortunately, there just was not enough chicken, rice, or kimchi to justify a $13 price tag. At most restaurants I have been to (in Korea and elsewhere), a similar dish with identical ingredients would come with the jasmine rice in one bowl, kimchee in another, and the chicken in a dish the size of the one I received tonight. I would hate to tell you the price of that same dish in Korea, but I can tell you that it would cost a fraction of the $13 I paid. 
Rice Bowl with Tofu ($11)
My wife ordered the Rice Bowl with Tofu ($11), palm sugar peanuts, sweet soy reduction, and shredded green onion sitting upon a similar serving of jasmine rice to mine. It also came with a cucumber salad. Her dish was very dry and bland except for the very spicy peanuts sprinkled liberally on top. There were no mention of "chili" or "spicy" on the menu, but we would never have guessed that the "palm sugar peanuts" were actually quite spicy given the fact that my wife cannot tolerate spicy dishes.

I really cannot comment too much on the service because interaction with staff was minimal at best. The young lady taking our order was all business, zero pleasantries, and the only other staff we saw quickly dropped off our orders with nary a word. They even ask you to bus your own table before departure, but "recommend" a 15% tip on the computer screen they ask you to utilize when paying. Throw $5 in the jar for staff? You betcha! But, expecting a 15% tip at a self-service restaurant is out of line in my book.
Spicy Pork Noodles ($13)
Fortunately, for their rating, my son absolutely loved his Spicy Pork Noodles ($13) and his partner was equally enthralled with her Peanut Tomato Curry ($13), which I tasted and it was very good. So, they got one additional star (2 Bombs) over what I would have given them if my wife and I had been on our own. Not bad, not great, some people will be very happy at Spork and others will not as was the case at our table.
Peanut Tomato Curry ($13)
To end on a positive note, the space emits a warm vibe with deep red walls, lots of wood, and playful lighting. They are obviously doing something right based on all the people queueing up to eat there, so maybe I am missing something ... and maybe not.

CombatCritic Gives Spork A Very Average 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 Spork on Yelp

Spork 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: Bend, OR: Spork Calling Orson, Come In Orson ... Get Me The Hell Out Of This Line!

Key Words: Bend, OR, Spork, central, Oregon, asian, fusion, Mexican, curry, tacos, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google

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