Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More

Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More

Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More

Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More

Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More

Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More

Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More

Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More

Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More

Nick’s Famous Coney Island

3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.nicksfamousconeys.com Date of Visit: November 17, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25 We'd actually tried Nick's shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn't good. I'd gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says "Best Burgers in Town" explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return. But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick's Famous Coney Island is one of…
Read More

Hot Lips Pizza

2223 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.hotlipspizza.com Date of Visit: November 16, 2009 Price for 2 (including tip and blogger discount) $10 People ask me all the time if I get free food because of this blog, or at least, if that's the goal. The answer is no on both counts, I am simply doing this cause it's a fun project. But on our trip to Hot Lips, blogging did pay off. It also helped that I knew the person working (through a friend), so I happened to bring up the fact I'd be blogging about our experience. When we were rung up, 3 slices, two drinks and a salad magically only…
Read More

Thai Spoon

1334 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: November 13, 3009 Price for 2 (with tip) $17 If there is one thing Portland does not have a shortage of it's Thai restaurants. There are at least 5 I can think of off the top of my head on Hawthorne alone, and for that reason, we'd never tried Thai Spoon before. But whenever it's my turn to drive (yes, we drive to lunch every day and we've both driven to the office so we always fight over who has to drive that day) I always pick a place that's as close as possible. Don't tell Jared about this, since when he drives…
Read More

Barley Mill Pub

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10&id=313 Date of Visit: November 12, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip): $22 The Barley Mill is the oldest McMenamins pub in Portland, and if you've been to one McMenamins, you pretty much know what to expect. Pub food and good beer served up in whatever kitschy theme that location happens to be dedicated to. The theme here is the Greatful Dead, and the walls and even ceiling are covered with brightly colored junk of that ilk, but I tried not to hold that against them. When you really start to pay attention, there are subtle differences in the menus and offerings at each location, and…
Read More

Burgerville

1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd Burgerville.com Date of Visit: November 10, 2009 Price for 1: $7.59 Jared hates Burgerville. For that reason he made it a point that if we were going to do this blog project, we were not including chains, so we wouldn't have to go there. I should note though, the reason Jared hates Burgerville is because you need a key to get into the bathroom and one time he tried to use the WiFi and it didn't work. And I, on the other hand, really like the place. Yes Burgerville is a fast food joint, but it's so much better than your average fast food restaurant. The…
Read More

Grand Central Bakery and Cafe

2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/store_hawthorne.html Date of visit: November 6, 2009 Price for 2: $18.65 Before we started this blog project, we hit up Grand Central almost every week. The funny thing is, my only real issue with it was I thought it was a little on the spendy side. Now that I've tried tons of different places and seen what's out there, I'm pretty sure that Grand Central Bakery is actually one of the best lunch options on Hawthorne, in terms of price and quality. As the name implies, the star of the sandwiches here is the fresh-baked bread. Different sandwiches come on different breads, everything  from baguettes to…
Read More

Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

915 SE Hawthorne Blvd www.luckylab.com Date of visit: Nov 2, 2009 Price for 2 $19.20 With all of our Hawthorning, this week we decided to mix it up a little bit. So on Monday, after staring at each other for a bit trying to decide where else we should go, we eventually gave up and drove towards Hawthorne. But as we got close, brilliance struck! We decided to go the OTHER WAY, and see what 1st through 10th aves had to offered. As it turns out, not too much. One seedy looking bar, one seedy looking strip club and the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. Since I wasn't in the mood…
Read More

Cha Cha Cha

3433 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 30, 2009 Price for 2: $16 Cha Cha Cha is the best local baja-style Mexican chain around. Specific enough for you? Ok, so it's the only place that fits all those criteria. But it is pretty good; sort of like a local Baja Fresh with better, more sustainable ingredients and an ever-changing menu. Obviously there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants on Hawthorne, but there are a few reasons to hit up Cha Cha Cha instead of the others. The menu is quite extensive, it's fairly reasonably priced, and as I've already mentioned, the ingredients change with the season. There is also…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

Kabobi

3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 28, 2009 Cost for 2 (with tip): $22.80 It's official: we need to stop bombing Afghanistan. Not only because it doesn't seem to be making a damn difference, but because after my first experience with Afghani cuisine at Kabobi, I must say the food is damn good. I had no idea what to expect walking into Kabobi (other than that they had a $5.95 lunch special, thanks to an outdoor a frame.) We'd actually been curious about this place before, but never went in, in case Afghani food was like chicken feet or something. Well, as it turns out, it's basically Indian…
Read More