Gearhart, OR: Gearhart Golf Link's Sand Trap Pub Was Sub-Par

McMenamins Sand Trap Pub
1157 North Marion Avenue
Gearhart, OR 97138
(503) 717-8150
Click Here To View Menu
Prices: $$$$

Fairly typical McMenamins fare and service, mediocre at best. The building and view of Gearhart Golf Links, the oldest course west of the Mississippi, is wonderful, but the service was slow and my burger and fries sub-par, excuse the pun.

We sat on the veranda overlooking the golf course after an OGA Senior Pro-Am event on a beautiful, calm, mild July afternoon. It took forever for a server to greet us and take our drink order as was the case the rest of our meal even though there were very few customers seated.

My Bacon Cheeseburger ($16) came with cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles and their secret sauce as well as fries of tots. I got the fries and asked for grilled onion instead of red onion. When by meal arrived, the red onions were still there and there was barely a trace of grilled onions even though they up-charged me $1.50 them without telling me. The fries were few, burnt to a crisp, and barely warm, but the burger itself was OK, not great.

I have been to several McMenamins and have been unimpressed with the service and food overall. With tip, my burger, fries, and a beer ($6.50 for a 12-ounce glass) cost me over $25, a bit much for what I got and a poor overall value.

CombatCritic Gives McMenamins Sand Trap Pub 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19/'20  

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Read Chris S.'s review of McMenamins Sand Trap Pub on Yelp

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Title: Gearhart, OR: Gearhart Golf Link's Sand Trap Pub Was Sub-Par

Key Words: Gearhart, Seaside, OR, McMenamins Sand Trap Pub, McMenamins, Sand, Trap, Pub, hamburger, fries, beer, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

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Bend, Oregon: Yelp's Top-Rated Restaurant In The U.S. (2019), Bangers & Brews Will Not Disappoint

Bangers & Brews

1288 SW Simpson Avenue, Suite A

Bend, OR 97702

Website: bangersandbrews.com

Phone number: (541) 389-2050

Prices: $$$$

What can I say? We happened upon this little sausage house in Bend, Oregon which also happened to be #1 on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. 2019. You cannot find many places that have an average of 5 out of 5 stars on Yelp with over 744 reviews, so that should tell you all you need to know.

In a modern strip mall, the inside is tiny and the small kitchen takes up more  space than the dining area. Fortunately, we were able to bring our dog Kemper along with us because they have a decent size patio in the back with five or six picnic tables and about as many propane heaters where they allow pets to accompany patrons. From what we were told, they close the patio in the winter, so you may want to order online or over the phone and pick up your meal if you hope to sit and relax while chowing-down.

They have a large number and variety of handmade sausages, including two vegan/vegetarian varieties. Sausages include traditional bangers (UK), bratwurst (Germany), Italian (Italy ... duh!), Polish, and andouille sausages as well as a few made from chicken and exotic wild game, including wild boar, elk, reindeer, and venison. Each sausage comes with a choice of two toppings (caramelized or grilled onions, cheddar cheese, bacon, etc.) and one sauce (chili, chimichurri, curry ketchup, mustard, etc.).

Chili Cheese Fries ($7)

The owner, a very nice and helpful man of Argentinian descent, greeted us warmly and explained the menu in detail at our table, bringing us a complimentary order of their homemade chimichurri sauce and chunks of bread for dipping. The sauce was delicious and can be purchased in an 8 ounce ($5) or 16 ounce ($9.50) jar.

Veggie italian Sausage w/ Mustard, Onions, and Jalpeño - $8.25

We ordered a medium Chili Cheese Fries ($7) and the Sweet Potato Fries ($2), both of which were very tasty, but for $7 there could have been more fries and chili on the Chili Cheese Fries in my opinion, the only shortfall in an otherwise flawless meal. 

Veggie Apple Sausage (apples, sage, potatoes, vegetables, eggplant, onions, garlic, and hickory smoke - $8.25)

My wife had the Veggie Apple Sausage (apples, sage, potatoes, vegetables, eggplant, onions, garlic, and hickory smoke - $8.25) on a bun with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, and cheese sauce.

IPA Sausage (pork, IPA, garlic, black pepper, and spices - $8.95)

I ordered the IPA Sausage (pork, IPA, garlic, black pepper, and spices - $8.95) also on a bun with grilled onions, cheddar, and cheese sauce. As promised, it was too messy to eat with my hands, so they brought me a knife and fork. It was piping hot and delicious ... BRAVO!

The four of us ate quite well, including three draught beers, for less than $60, a definite TravelValue in this reporter's opinion. Having traveled extensively throughout the UK, Germany, and Italy during my 20-year military career, I can tell you that their sausages rival any I have had overseas, their customer service is top notch, and their prices very reasonable ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Bangers and Brews 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 

• 650,000+ Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Bangers & Brews 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: Bend, Oregon: Yelp's Top-Rated Restaurant In The U.S. (2019), Bangers & Brews Will Not Disappoint

Key Words: Bend, Oregon, Bangers & Brews, bangers, brews, sausage, sausages, IPA, beer, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google, Facebook

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

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

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: 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

Portland, OR: Decent Chow, But Not Too Hoppy With The Higher Than Average Prices

Von Ebert Brewing

14021 NE Glisan Street

Portland, OR 97230 

Hazelwood, Northeast Portland

Phone number (503) 878-8708

Website: vonebertbrewing.com

Prices: $$$$

I play golf at Glendoveer quite often, being a member of their PDP Program, so I thought I had to try the latest restaurant to be located on the premises. It was a toasty day in early August, up around 100 degrees the day I was there, but their patio was comfortable and the view of the 10th hole serene until the toddler at the far end of the patio started screaming at the top of his lungs.

My server, Ryan, was friendly and efficient, but when I ordered a "CAN" of the Blood Orange IPA ($6/16 oz. glass or $5/16 oz. can), he told me "we do not serve cans, they are only for take-out". I asked why cans are even an option on the "eat-in" menu if you cannot order them, but I did not receive a reply. I paid the extra $1 for the glass and was pretty "hoppy" with the IPA even though their beer prices are about a buck higher than most places in town.

With Ryan's input, I ordered the Elevated Emily ($12) sandwich with brisket, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and mushrooms on a ciabatta roll with a side of au jus, as well as a side of Cajun fries ($3 - sandwiches and burgers do not come with a side BTW) for a grand total of $15. A tad on the high side for a sandwich, it was actually quite tasty although a bit small for the price.

Not a horrible value, I have eaten better, more robust sandwiches (with fries) and have drunk equivalent brews at other local establishments, having paid a total of $3 to $5 (per person) less on average. I do not see myself going out of my way to eat here in the future, but may try their Happy Hour menu sometime as its prices are much more reasonable.

CombatCritic Gives Von Ebert Brewing (East) 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 

• 650,000+ Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Von Ebert Brewing 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 1 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: Portland, OR: Decent Chow, But Not Too Hoppy With The Higher Than Average Prices

Key Words: Von Ebert Brewing, Von Ebert, brewing, brewery, brew, beer, craft, Portland, OR, Glendoveer, golf, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

Copyright 2018 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved