CombatCritic's TravelValue™: cha

Showing posts with label cha. Show all posts

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Portland, OR: Decent Thai, But Where's The Beef?

Cha Ba Thai
3024 NE Alberta Street
Portland, OR 97211
Cuisine: Thai (Obviously)
Phone number: (503) 719-6917
Website: chabathaipdx.com
Prices: $$$$

The Alberta Arts District is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Portland due to its' eclectic, Bohemian feel, great restaurants, and art/music/theatre scene. We deployed to the area of operations to see a Little Shop of Horrors charity extravaganza at the Alberta Rose Theatre just a couple of doors west of Cha Ba Thai.

Not surprisingly, the large dining room was virtually empty at 5pm when we arrived, so we were guided to a four-top next to the window. The room is simple and tastefully decorated with a full bar on one side and tables on the other. There is also a large outdoor seating area with several picnic tables, so feel free to enjoy your meal al fresco if you so desire. We were promptly greeted when we entered and, after being seated, our drink/appetizer orders were promptly taken.

I ordered a Ninkasa IPA ($5.50) for me and the Chicken Satay ($9.50) and Egg Rolls ($6) for the both of us to share. Each of the four satay sticks had a large serving of grilled chicken served with a tasty peanut sauce, my favorite, and some chunks of onion and cucumber in a mildly sweet sauce. The satay was very good, but I am not sure it was worth the extra $3 or $4 when compared to satay prices at most Thai restaurants I have been to. The egg rolls were small and somewhat bland, also being a buck or two more expensive to similar dishes elsewhere.

My wife decided on the Pad See Ew (Tofu - $11.50), wide noodles and broccoli florets stir fried in a mild, slightly sweet soy sauce. She was very happy with the dish although I found it somewhat tasteless as well. I tend to favor the spicier and more savory Thai curry dishes, so I went with the Massaman Curry w/ Jasmine Rice ($13). The curry sauce was delicious, but not quite as thick as many I have had and the vegetables (carrot, potato, and onion) fresh, but there was a paltry amount of sliced beef on top when it arrived. Again, the prices for our entrees were each a few bucks too high in my opinion.

The service was excellent, fast, friendly and efficient, and the food came out post haste. Overall, we were well satiated and happy with our meal, but the prices were a tad high in comparison to other Thai restaurants we have visited and the less than abundant beef content of my curry was disappointing, so "where's the beef?"

CombatCritic Gives Cha Ba Thai 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

Monday, February 6, 2017

Portland, OR: Cold Food, Apathetic Attitude ... Cha! Cha! Cha!

Cha! Cha! Cha!
5225 N. Lombard Street
Portland, OR 97203
North Portland, Portsmouth
Phone number: (503) 802-2262
Website: chachachapdx.com
Prices: $$$$

Now I understand why this place rates just three stars. The food was good, but lukewarm and the staff obviously were more concerned about closing and cleaning up than customers.

I ordered the guacamole and chips ($4.95), a decent (not huge) size of mediocre guac and chips that seemed to be made in house. It is obvious when guacamole is cut with something (Imo, sour cream, tomatoes, etc.) to increase profit and this was, although not bad. Their house salsa was the highlight of the meal, containing all of the ingredients of pico de gallo (tomato, white onion, jalapeño or serrano chile, cilantro, and lime juice) roasted, then blended into a thick, creamy dipping sauce that was absolutely wonderful.

Then came dinner, quickly. When the entrees arrive so quickly, you know they are closing and want to pump out orders as fast as they can so they can clean (which I observed) or the stuff is all prepped and thrown together once ordered. My pet peeve, the server brought my entree before I was less than halfway through my appetizer ... HELLO, CHIPS, SALSA, AND GUACAMOLE ... please let me enjoy them before you bring my food.

In this case, it did not matter because the food was lukewarm, at best, when it arrived. I ordered two tacos ala carte ($3.50 each - one carne asada and one with "mama's braised beef") and a cheese and onion enchilada ($3.75 - with rojo - red - sauce). The enchilada was not cold, but almost, and the cheese inside had barely been melted. The flavor was actually quite good, but would have been much better properly warmed.

It was obvious that clean-up and closing were more important than customers because the cleaning started well before closing time and they turned away a couple that arrived a few minutes after 9pm (closing).

CombatCritic Gives Cha! Cha! Cha! 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

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Read Chris S.'s review of Cha! Cha! Cha! on Yelp

Title: Portland, OR: Cold Food, Apathetic Attitude ... Cha! Cha! Cha!

Key Words: Cha! Cha! Cha!, cha, Mexican, Portland, Oregon, taco, enchilada, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, product, service, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

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Sunday, September 22, 2019

Portland, OR: Decent Thai, But Where's The Beef?

Monday, February 6, 2017

Portland, OR: Cold Food, Apathetic Attitude ... Cha! Cha! Cha!

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