009
13
Urban Fondue shares sweet treats, fun flavor
lARY WOOD
Staff Reporter
When you're craving
fondue, the first thought that
comes to mind may be to
go to the Melting Pot, but a
different Portland restaurant
should be your first
instinct: Urban Fondue.
This charming and cozy
restaurant on Northwest
Glisan serves excellent
fare at a fair price, with
good service to boot.
One of my favorite
things about Urban
Fondue (besides the
food!) is the atmosphere.
It's a bit dark inside, but
not overwhelmingly
so, with pretty, small
candles all around and
rich colors on the walls.
For seating, there's the
option of typical tables
or fun, tall booths with
cushy seats.
The service is also
consistently good. The
hosts or hostesses are very
friendly to guests. For
instance, they have always
helped me find the area to
hang coats. The servers are
kind and informative about
The menu. For example, they
will let you know whether
there is meat in a fondue
«
as a service to vegetarians.
Of course, they're surely
required to tell you that
everything on the menu is
great, but they're not lying
when they say it!
They have great choices
for cheese fondues at
variety. This one has bacon
in it, so avoid it if you're
a vegetarian. The cheese
fondues cost $11.95.
They also serve entrée
fondues for cooking meat
and vegetables. They're
more expensive, and
I've never had the
opportunity to try
one, but they have
plenty of options
to appeal to many
tastes, like cooking
broths with and
without meat, and
dippers like seafood,
chicken, pork and
tofu. These fondues
have various prices,
ranging from $14.95
to $39.95, the latter
serving two people.
Their dessert
fondues are delicious
as well. The bases
of these fondues
vary, with different
kinds of chocolate
mixed with things
like marshmallow
and peanut butter, as well
as fondues of caramel and
cheesecake. The dippers
for the dessert fondues are
a lot of fun. There's some
healthier fruit options, and
more decadent options
such as pound cake, cookie
■
cheaper prices than the
Melting Pot. The cheese
comes with bread for
dipping, but there's also
some additional options
available, like sausage and
fruit. My recommendation
for a cheese fondue is to try
the delicious Tomato Basil
McMenamins offers friendly service,
broad choices at reasonable prices
Staff Reporter
In the Willamette area
of West Linn, there is a
restaurant that serves
comfort food in a nice, family
friendly environment, and
has reasonable prices and
excellent service. An old
favorite: McMenamins.
Upon first entering,
the lighting is a bit dark
and the bar located in the
middle may chase away
some families with younger
children. Once you sit down,
your perspective will change.
The artwork on the walls
is very appealing, and it is
fun to read the posters that
are hanging on the wall
advertising past concerts
and other Oregon events.
The rustic wood booths and
tables convey a sense of
antiquity as well.
The service at
McMenamins is top notch
almost every time. The
waiters and waitresses are
very helpful whenever
there is a question about
something. They are also
f l t t y nice and conversational
given the right topic. They
always have good insight on
which dishes are good that
day and which aren't.
But of course, the main
reason to go there is for the
quality food. McMenamins
mainly focuses on American
classic cuisines, but also
offers a variety of other
foods, such as pastas, wraps,
and even hummus as an
appetizer. The appetizers
are relatively cheap, ranging
anywhere from $4-8.1
recommend their tater tots,
which come with ranch
dressing for dipping and
only costs $4.75. Or, if you
want to "cajunize" them,
$5.75.
The entrees are equally
as good, with a variety to
choose from. The restaurant
focuses mainly on burgers
and sandwiches, including
their "Communication
Breakdown" Burger, with
grilled mushrooms, onions
and bell peppers, and costs
$8, and their Backyard
Chicken Sandwich, with
Hammerhead barbeque
sauce, Tillamook cheddar
cheese, and crisp bacon,
and $9.75. In the case of
vegetarians, have no fear!
McMenamins offers a few
meat-free entrees that are
equally as delicious, such as
the Willamette Veggie Wrap,
the Boca Burger, and the
McMenamin's High Pasta,
in addition to the salads
available.
My favorite dish is their
special Macaroni and Cheese,
which is extra creamy and
topped off with bread
crumbs to add some extra
flair. And while dessert
options for after the main
course are not vast, the few
that they do offer are pretty
good. Desserts include carrot
cake, Black & Tan Brownie,
Chocolate Porter Torte Cake
and Chocolate Chip cookie.
Although McMenamins is
part of a Portland chain that
has existed for many years,
I believe that this individual
one offers something that
others can't measure up to.
It is a nice, family restaurant
that is good to go to on
any occasion. It is located
at 2090 S.W. 8th Ave. West
Linn, OR 97068, and is open
Monday-Thursday 11 a.m to
midnight, Friday-Saturday 11
a.m to 1 a.m, on Sunday from
noon to 10 p.m.
dough, doughnut pieces
and mini cream puffs. The
dessert fondues cost $13.95.
In addition, there are
plenty of appetizer and side
dish options, as well as some
great beverage choices. Next
door is a bar called Bartini,
which offers fun mocktails
to the restaurant (and plenty
of real cocktails for adults).
Urban Fondue is a great
restaurant, whether for a
special occasion or just for
fun. It's in a really neat area
of Portland, just a short walk
from the shops on NW 23rd.
I definitely recommend
checking it out by stopping
at 2114 NW Glisan, or going
to their website, www.
urbanfondue.com. The
restaurant opens at 5 p.m.
every day, with various
closing times throughout the
week. Catering and space
for private events is also
offered.
LO's Go Fish Go Sushi
brings culture, tasty
food to neighborhood
fELP
Staff Reporter
With classic Korean style
and an open kitchen where
you can watch chefs at work
preparing delicious food,
Go Fish Go Sushi is a nice
place to relax and fill up
on a wide variety of your
favorite fish and vegetarian
meals.
When you walk into
the modernly decorated
restaurant off of State
Street in Lake Oswego, a
hostess will politely lead
you to your seat. As an
added bonus, it doesn't
matter where you sit in the
restaurant, whether it be
in a secluded corner or a
comfy booth, because with
the restaurant's open layout,
it is possible to experience
the entertainment and
atmosphere everywhere.
As you settle into a
booth, it is pretty clear that
this new sushi hangout
caters to the customer's
needs. A conveyer belt
travels all the way around
the restaurant from the
open kitchen to the very
last seat in the restaurant.
No plate stays on the belt
longer then 15 minutes, and
fish is delivered fresh daily
to the restaurant.
As five different colored
dishes travel around the
belt, each customer can take
off the dish they desire.
At the end of the meal,
the total is added by the
number of empty dishes
on the customer's table
and the color they are. The
prices are clearly listed from
highest (black) to lowest
(yellow).
If you happen to be more
in the mood for a bigger
meal, Go Sushi Go Fish also
has a menu to order off of.
The options include both
cooked and non-cooked
cuisine that cater to every
customer's individual taste.
In addition to receiving
the perfect seafood dish,
each customer can enjoy
a bit of a new dining
experience by using the
only utensils provided by
the restaurant—chopsticks.
While you may not know
how to use them, it makes
the dining experience even
better.
In some cases, using your
fingers to eat the
food is perfectly
fine; for example,
the California rolls
and the cooked
jumbo shrimp.
These two dishes
cost around $5
each. An average
dinner for three
people might cost
around $30; this
includes about five
small entrées from the belt
and one seafood chicken
noodle dish.
Go Sushi Go Fish is open
Monday through Thursday
from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and
for dinner from 4:30 p.m.
to 9 p.m. On Fridays and
Saturdays, they are open a
half an hour later for dinner.
The sushi bar is closed on
Sundays*.
With traditional Korean
music, flat screen fish art,
and an open kitchen where
the customers can see their
food being prepared, Go
Sushi Go Fish is a great
addition to Lake Oswego
and a very worthwhile trip
from West Linn.