CombatCritic's TravelValue™: red

Showing posts with label red. Show all posts

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Dundee, OR: Country Store Feel And Overpriced Food, Visit Only During Happy Hour

Red Hills Market

155 SW 7th Street

Dundee, OR 97115

(971) 832-8414

Website

Hours: 7:00 am - 8:00 pm 7 Days a Week

Prices: $$$$

Sitting a half block back off the main road, I would not have known it was there had our golf pro not suggested going here after an OPGA Senior Pro-Am in McMinnville, in the rain no less.

Interesting space with a country store feel, you wind your way through food and drink products before ordering at the register, protected by a plexiglass screen. They have a limited menu with breakfast ($8 - $12), appetizers ($7 - $20), soups and salads ($5 - $13), individual, handmade wood-fired pizzas ($13 - $16), sandwiches ($9 - $13), cookies ($3), and a variety of drinks, including wines and beers.

We were lucky enough to get there during Happy Hour, so I took advantage, ordering a Margherita Pizza ($10 - normally $13) - named after Queen Margherita of Napoli because it was her favorite pizza and is the color of the Italian flag, red, white and green - and a hazy IPA ($5 - normally $6). Fifteen bucks for dinner and a beer, not bad and a decent TravelValue!

The pizza was pretty good, not great, and definitely not a vero pizza napolitana (true Neapolitan pizza), coming with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese topped with fresh basil leaves and drizzled with EVO. The beer selection was not very robust and the Hazy Bubblewrap IPA, the only IPA on tap, was rather nondescript.

Cute place, decent food, and a bit pricey for non-happy hour food and drink, but worth a visit, particularly during happy hour (3-6pm Monday - Friday) because the sandwiches, which looked very good by the way, DO NOT come with a side (fries, chips, salad, etc.).

If I were to return, highly unlikely, I might try the Rym Reuben with house smoked pastrami, sauerkraut, and gruyere cheese served on toasted rye bread along with a hot side of pickles ($12) off of the main menu and a side of the happy hour Jojos (fries - $5, normally $8, quite steep for a side of fries). Along with a beer, $22 still would not be a bad price for a decent sandwich, fries and a drink, but $20 for just a reuben and fries, no beer, is a bit absurd.

CombatCritic Gives Red Hills Market 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Stevenson, WA: I Am Not Bluffing, This Place Is A Definite TravelValue

Red Bluff Taphouse
256 2nd Street
Stevenson, WA 98648
Phone number: (509) 427-4979
Website: redblufftaphouse.com
Prices: $$$$

After a day of exhilarating whitewater rafting on the White Salmon River, we were parched, famished, and hankerin' for some decent chow. Stevenson was right on our way home, so we checked out the menus of some of the local eateries and Red Bluff Taphouse took the cake.

Established in 2016, the place has not been there very long, but it is very welcoming with lots of wood and light from the large windows facing the street. The dining room is not huge, but they have a separate bar area and a small terrace overlooking their neighbors and the mighty Columbia River just a few blocks away. Unfortunately, there was no room on the terrace, so we took a booth in the front near the street.

I ordered the Fortside Newest IPA (Vancouver, WA - 6.8 ABV, 61 IBU) and my son got the Buoy Beer Cream Ale (Astoria, OR - 5.7% ABV, 19 IBU). My IPA was smooth and hoppy, but not the best I have had by far. I tasted my son's cream ale and it was also quite tasty. At $5.75 a pop, beer is not a huge bargain here by Pacific NW standards, but I have seen much worse.

Fortside Newest IPA $5.75

We both chose a burger for our meal, one Shoulda, Gouda, Woulda ($15) with bacon (+$1.50) for me and the Tap House Burger ($14) for my son. The burgers were thick and large, obviously handmade, and cooked to perfection, coming on a large, toasted potato bun. Mine came with Gouda cheese and their signature bacon jam along with the fresh lettuce and tomato as well as a massive portion of crispy, homemade, hand-cut fries ... HOOAH!

Shoulda, Gouda, Woulda $15

Tap House Burger $14

The service was friendly and efficient even though our server never bothered telling us her name. The food was delicious, fresh, not frozen, and filling for the price. At $55 for dinner for two and two pints of craft beer, including tip, I have to say that we made a good choice.

CombatCritic Gives Red Bluff Taphouse 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

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

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Kennington, London, England: I May Be Olde, But I'm Not Lion ... This Place Sucks!

The Old Red Lion

42 Kennington Park Road

London SE11 4RS

United Kingdom

Tube: Kennington

Phone number +44 20 7735 4312

Website: theoldredlion.com

Prices: ££££

We were so rudely shooed away from an empty table by the bartender upon entry that I was about to leave. Unfortunately, I did not listen to my gut instinct and we stayed, very sorry that we did after the horrendous experience that ensued.

The other "available" tables were littered with spilt beer, empty glasses, and dirty plates, so we picked the least disgusting one, ordering an ale, a shandy, one Steak and Volden Ale Pie (£12 - $15.50) and one Ale Battered Haddock (£12 - $15.50). Arriving in due course, the steak and ale pie appeared decent, but my haddock looked atrocious - greasy, soggy, and burnt - so I returned it to the bartender, telling him that it was inedible. He offered to replace it, although I think he lied when he told me that there were no more steak and ale pies, so, being short on time, I ordered a simple Burger and Fries (£10.50 - $13.50) and told him to "keep the difference".

The Offensive Bartender

One Bite Was More Than Enough

Having missed two of our flights to London through no fault of our own, our luggage had been lost, forcing us to wear the same clothes for 4+ days straight. We had to be back at our Airbnb flat NLT 6PM to accept delivery of our finally found bags, having an early morning departure for Paris the next day. I waited and waited for the burger to arrive, but as it was going on 5:45PM and it was still nowhere in sight, I asked him if we could take it "to go". Frenchy refused to box the still nonexistent meal for me, so we had no choice but to leave, having paid nearly $16 for a meal I never ate. What a wanker!

Lucy

The sole highlight of the event (I cannot say "meal" because I did not eat) was a three-legged delight by the name of Lucy, a small black terrier that lost a leg to a Husky as a puppy. She was as sweet as she could be and the staff would be well served by taking some lessons from her.

CombatCritic Gives The Old Red Lion 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF SHAME" ... More Bombs Are Better!