Ridgefield, WA: Yelp Elites Treated Like Kings And Queens By "His Airness"

Elite Event: High Steaks Gambling @ Michael Jordan Steakhouse
1 Cowlitz Way
Ridgefield, WA 98642
Prices: $$$$

Being Elite is pretty awesome, especially when we get pampered like we did at Yelp"s High Steaks Elite Event at Michael Jordan Steakhouse at the Ilani Casino.

Met at the entrance of the restaurant with a large glass of Cherry-Raspberry Sangria, we were escorted to a private room in the back and a private terrace with several large Adirondack chairs around a large gas fire pit as well as a couple of high tops and chairs. We were warmly welcomed by the manager and chef as platters full of appetizers arrived, Steak House Bruschetta (shaved USDA prime steak and chimichurri bleu cheese) and Ahi Tuna Poke Bites (Ahi tuna, avocado, sweet onion, and wonton crisp). I am not a raw fish or poke fan, but the steak house bruschetta was delicious. 

We were then given a tour of the restaurant, including the restaurant's wine cellar and kitchen, before heading back to our private room for a family-style feast. There were two tables with 7-8 of us at each and each table received platters full of starters, including Garlic Bread topped with a hot bleu cheese fondue, Double Smoked Bacon in a black maple pepper sauce, and New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp. I did not get to taste the bacon, but the shrimp were scrumptious and the garlic bread sublime. More drinks accompanied the starters, for me a tasty Old Fashioned made by muddling sugar with bitters, then adding whiskey and a twist of citrus rind.

Next came two massive wood platters full of 40 ounces of sliced USDA steak, a ribeye, a New York strip, and a Delmonico (a thick ribeye made popular by New York City's Delmonico's restaurant) all served medium-rare. Accompanying the steaks were a number of side dishes scattered about, including a zesty corn off the cob, fried brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. The steaks were perfectly seasoned, juicy and tender, so tender that it nearly melted in my mouth, and the sides were all delicious in their own right. This course was accompanied by a glass of wine, a smooth, blend of Pacific Northwest reds.

The grand finale consisted of two massive slices of 21 Layer Chocolate Cake and two large bowl full of Warm Peach Cobbler at each table to be shared and savored by all ... WOW!

I was extremely impressed with the location, environment, drinks, service and food. The staff's hospitality was superb the entire evening and they even took the time to line-up to bid us farewell as we departed this incredible event ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Elite Event: High Steaks Gambling @ Michael Jordan Steakhouse 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

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: Ridgefield, WA: Yelp Elites Treated Like Kings And Queens By "His Airness"

Key Words: Ridgefield, WA, Ilani, casino, Yelp, Elite, Michael Jordan, Michael, Jordan, steak, house His Airness, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Facebook, Portland, 

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

White Salmon, WA: Affordable White Water Rafting Not Far From Portland, Oregon

River Drifters

856 Hwy 141

White Salmon, WA 98672

Phone number: (800) 972-0430

Website: whitesalmonriver.com

Prices: $$$$

Whether you are visiting the greater Portland area or live here full-time, some decent whitewater rafting is just an hour to an hour-and-a-half up the Columbia River Gorge on a tributary originating from the glaciers of Mount Adams and better known as the White Salmon River. 

The price ($60 weekday/$65 weekend) seemed fair enough for a 3.5 hour whitewater rafting trip, but the first hour plus was consumed by a safety briefing, putting on a wetsuit, booties, helmet, and life vest, then driving seven miles upstream to begin our trip. We finished about 30 minutes early, so you can plan on having less than 2 hours on the river itself.

The staff were all a bunch of "gnarly dudes", reminding me of Ridgemont High's Jeff Spicoli ("People on ‘ludes should not drive") and equally suited for shredding waves as they are for whitewater rafting guides. There were four or five on the ancient Blue Bird bus, all making goofy jokes along the seven mile journey to start our trip.

Once we finally got on the river, there was a succession of rapids that were fun and exciting. However, after the first few Class III and IV rapids, there was not much excitement. We floated for what seemed like the last half of the trip with nary a thrill. The canyon was spectacular and quite beautiful, so it was not a total waste, but I would have preferred a few more thrills spread out over the entire trip. 

The highlight of the trip was the jump into the river after portage around a waterfall midway downstream. The canyon was narrow, so we had to jump into the middle of the river 20 feet below in order to miss the submerged ledge, plunging into the 41 degree Fahrenheit glacial runoff from nearby Mount Adams ... BRRRRRRRRR!

I told the guides about being a disabled veteran with knee, back and shoulder issues, but I was made to feel like a burden, a PITA, and was not allowed to go over the falls with my son and teammates at the end of the trip. I was not given an option by the guide and felt ripped off.

Lesson Learned: Don't put people with mobility/knee problems in the front of the raft. I nearly fell out of the raft three times sitting front-left because I couldn't get a decent foothold and the guide took several drops with my side facing downhill, causing me to lose my balance. Once he put me in the back row, I was able to anchor my feet under the seat in front of me and had no further issues.

Not a bad deal in retrospect, but the trip would have been much more fun for me had they put me in the rear of the raft from the beginning and allowed me to participate in the grand finale with my son and three other teammates.

CombatCritic Gives River Drifters 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 

• 650,000+ Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of River Drifters 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: White Salmon, WA: Affordable White Water Rafting Not Far From Portland, Oregon

Key Words: White Salmon, WA, affordable, white water rafting, white, water rafting, Portland, Oregon, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, destination, service, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google, Facebook

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

White Salmon, WA: Affordable Whitewater Rafting Just An Hour From Portland

River Drifters

856 Hwy 141

White Salmon, WA 98672

Phone number: (800) 972-0430

Website: whitesalmonriver.com

Prices: $$$$

Whether you are visiting the greater Portland area or live here full-time, some decent whitewater rafting is just an hour to an hour-and-a-half up the Columbia River Gorge on a tributary originating from the glaciers of Mount Adams and better known as the White Salmon River. 

The price ($60 weekday/$65 weekend) seemed fair enough for a 3.5 hour whitewater rafting trip, but the first hour plus was consumed by a safety briefing, putting on a wetsuit, booties, helmet, and life vest, then driving seven miles upstream to begin our trip. We finished about 30 minutes early, so you can plan on having less than 2 hours on the river itself.

The staff were all a bunch of "gnarly dudes", reminding me of Ridgemont High's Jeff Spicoli ("People on 'ludes should not drive") and equally suited for shredding waves as they are for whitewater rafting guides. There were four or five on the ancient Blue Bird bus, all making goofy jokes along the seven mile journey to start our trip.

Once we finally got on the river, there was a succession of rapids that were fun and exciting. However, after the first few Class III and IV rapids, there was not much excitement. We floated for what seemed like the last half of the trip with nary a thrill. The canyon was spectacular and quite beautiful, so it was not a total waste, but I would have preferred a few more thrills spread out over the entire trip. 

The highlight of the trip was the jump into the river after portage around a waterfall midway downstream. The canyon was narrow, so we had to jump into the middle of the river 20 feet below in order to miss the submerged ledge, plunging into the 41 degree Fahrenheit glacial runoff from nearby Mount Adams ... BRRRRRRRRR!

I told the guides about being a disabled veteran with knee, back and shoulder issues, but I was made to feel like a burden, a PITA, and was not allowed to go over the falls with my son and teammates at the end of the trip. I was not given an option by the guide and felt ripped off.

Lesson Learned: Don't put people with mobility/knee problems in the front of the raft. I nearly fell out of the raft three times sitting front-left because I couldn't get a decent foothold and the guide took several drops with my side facing downhill, causing me to lose my balance. Once he put me in the back row, I was able to anchor my feet under the seat in front of me and had no further issues.

Not a bad deal in retrospect, but the trip would have been much more fun for me had they put me in the rear of the raft from the beginning and allowed me to participate in the grand finale with my son and three other teammates.

CombatCritic Gives River Drifters 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 

• 650,000+ Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of River Drifters 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: White Salmon, WA: Affordable Whitewater Rafting Just An Hour From Portland

Key Words: White Salmon, WA, affordable, whitewater, rafting, river, Portland, OR, River Drifters, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, service, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google, Facebook

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

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

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!"

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

Key Words: Stevenson, WA, Red Bluff Taphouse, red, bluff, taphouse, tap, house, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

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

London, England: British Airways Dropped The Ball And Could Care Less

British Airways

Waterside

Speedbird Way

Harmondsworth

West Drayton (Heathrow) UB7 0GA

United Kingdom

Phone number: +44 844 493 0787

Website: britishairways.com

Prices: $$$$

British Airways used to be a top-notch airline, but that has obviously changed. Their handling of our reservation, ticketing, delays, and lost luggage during our trip this past winter was atrocious. We were diverted from our original itinerary after weather problems in Seattle, then we were stuck in Boston for 13 hours after no sleep and missing our flight to London Heathrow even though we arrived just in time to board because we were not issued boarding passes in Seattle.

Once we finally arrived in London, almost 2 days late, our luggage was nowhere to be found and BA could not even locate our bags in their system. Their lost baggage office in London was unfriendly and unhelpful. We finally received our bags after 4 days, just in time to depart the following day for Paris, and we were not compensated for the immense inconvenience of having to wear the same clothes for 4+ days and having none of the personal and hygienic items we had packed.

Fortunately, I brought my medications in my carry-on, so I did not have to try to replace them abroad, a great lesson learned, so it was not a total loss.  

BA used to be a great airline, but these days they gouge you for every little thing after buying your tickets and their legendary British customer service has deteriorated, making us feel unwelcome and unappreciated. We will stick with United or Lufthansa for our twice annual European flights from now on and I doubt BA cares in the least ... ADIOS YOU TOSSERS!

CombatCritic Gives British Airways 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF SHAME" ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

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 British Airways 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: London, England: British Airways Dropped The Ball And Could Care Less

Key Words: London, England, British Airways British, delay, cancellation. lost, luggage, baggage, airways, airplane, airline, England, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google, Facebook

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