8________
WedNEsdAy, ApRil 24, 2002
TI he CI ac I camas P rìnt
Dining with style (and
money) at the new
Portland City Grill -
FRANK JORDAN
News editor
A lot of restaUrants in the Port
land metro area offer the same
great menu that the Portland City
Grill does, but no restaurant in
Portland can offer the same great
views that it does from the 30th
floor of the U.S. Bancorp Tower
in downtown Portland.
The Portland City Grill has been
open since March 19. This res
taurant took the place of
Atwater’s, which was a fixture on
the Portland dining scene for
over 20 years. When the owners
of the tower decided that a
change was needed, Atwater’s
was closed and Pacific Coast Res
taurants was brought into the
fold to create a unique dining ex
perience in the space.
When my family and I arrived
for our 6:15 reservation, the bar
was packed and the restaurant
was in full swing. A Blazer game
was on the T. V. and it was stand
ing- room-only at the bar. Many
of Portland’s movers and shak
ers were milling about, drinks in
hand, surveying the grand
scene around them. A cloudy
evening greeted onlookers
grasping for a look at what view
this Portland skyscraper could
offer.
My mother, brother, sister and
I were taken to a table next to a
window on the northeast corner
of the building. The close-in
view was indeed awesome. I was
hoping for a break in the over
cast to see features in the dis
tance, but the gray skies were
unforgiving.
The Portland City Grill has a
very impressive wine list, com
plete with the finest of what this
country and others around the
world have to offer in partaking
of the grape.
I, however, chose a imported
German beer, one that I had not
had since being in Germany 15
years ago. The drinks, to my
surprise, were not as expensive
as I thought they would be, con
sidering the surroundings.
The four of us shared a sushi
appetizer and some chicken
spring rolls, which were very
good. The Portland City Grill has
a menu featuring USDA prime
steaks and fresh Hawaiian, Pa
cific Coast and Alaskan seafood
prepared with classic, North
west, island and Asian influ
ences. I chose a New York steak
that was very good, complete
with baked potato that was
sprinkled with garlic and
roasted asparagus. My brother
had the swordfish over rice and
a Caesar salad; my sister had a
lamb chop sprinkled liberally
with paprika and my mother had
a halibut steak, which, upon
sampling, was very good.
We topped off our meal with
New York-style cheesecake
topped with strawberries, which
capped off a great evening.
The Portland City Grill is very
scenic and also very expensive.
The entire meal for the four of
us was a shade under $200. I
would recommend this place for
anyone who is really trying to
impress someone. But person
ally, I would probably want to
take someone there for a second
or third date, because if you
take someone there for a first
date and the other person does
not like you, you just spent a
paycheck for nothing. Except
maybe a great meal and, of
course, the view.
To reach Frank Jordan e-mail
fmj68@hotmail.com or drop by
B-104.
Portland
City Grill is
located
in
the US Bank
tower,
the
home of the
old
Atwaters
on SW fifth
Avenue,
parking is
complimentary
for
two
and a half
hours
on
the
corner
ofSWPineA
fourth avenue.
LOOKING FOR
WORKING ADULTS AVAILABLE
ON
EVES.
AND
WEEKENDS YOU CAN
EARN
YOUR
DEGREE
AAOT
IN
BUSINESS
ADAUNISIRATION
LIBERAL
STUDIES
PLEASE ATTEND AN INFORMATION SESSION ON APRIL 25TH OR JUNE 4TH 2002. IN THE
COMMUNITY CENTER ROOM 126 AT 6:30 P.M. CONTACT MARGIE GIBLER. EXT. 2157 M239 FOR
MORE INFO.
Accelerated Degree Program
k
MOVE AHEAD IN UFE.
INTERNET
PHOTO
Sandra Bullock keeps men and criminals at bay in “Murder by Numbers." Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt
and Ben Chaplin also star in this crime thriller that was released April 19. It's rated R for violence,
language, one sex scene and brief drug use.
Don’t count on ’Murder
By Numbers’ to add up
JENNIFER KANE
Staff Writer
Most murder mystery movies
are meant to keep us at the edge
of our seats wondering who killed
whom, and when they’re going to
get caught. “Murder By Num
bers” doesn’t quite fit this pro
file. Instead,
there are a few different scenarios
meshing together to make one
unclassifiable film.
The movie stars Sandra Bul
lock as Cassie, a tough detec
tive who knows her stuff. She’s
good, and she’s aware of this,
Soon into the movie, it becomes
apparent that she has more is
sues than just her casework.
Many scenes involve her drink
ing and getting depressed to
Sheryl Crow’s music playing in
the background. These prob
lems surface when she gets
paired with a handsome rookie
partner, Sam (Ben Chaplin). She
is able to be intimate with men,
but then pushes them away if it
comes even close to serious.
The murder element of the
movie comes from high school
seniors (Ryan Gosling and
Michael Pitt) who join forces and
kill a young girl. While Justin
(Pitt) is a genius outcast, Rich
ard (Gosling) is the typical witty,
rich kid who everybody likes.
The part that bothered me about
these two is not that in real high
school they would never even
allow themselves to cross paths,
but that throughout the entire
movie I was trying to figure out
if they were, in fact, homosexual
or not. There are no Scenes in
which the two are intimate, but a
sensual feeling is in the air. I re
alize it’s a miniscule thing to be
bothered by, but it became an
itch I couldn’t scratch.
It is not the actual killing, but
the relationship between the
boys that was the creepiest com
ponent of the film. The two come
together simply out Of boredom
and plan an ingenious, almost
perfect murder. They plant nu
merous clues to lead Cassie and
Sam in the very wrong direction.
And of course just when you
think they’re going to get away
with it, some little piece of evi-
dence comes about that places
them in question. .
The entire soap-opera plot
comes together quite nicely with
a bit of a twist at the end. I refuse
to disclose any information
about what happens to the two
boys. But as for Cassie and her
fear of men,, well, her issues are
resolved by the end of the
movie. Did you really think
they’d put two good-looking ac
tors together and not have them
end up happily ever after?
So what is my actual opinion
of this movie? Well, I’d say it’s
worth watching. Don’t break
your back running to the theaters
to see it on the big screen
though. I think this one might
be better to simply keep in the
“rent it later” file.
“Murder By Numbers” was di
rected by Barbet Schroeder, who
is known for her work on “Single
White Female.” It is rated R due
to language and some pretty
gruesome scenes, and opened in
theaters Friday, April 19.
To reach Jennifer Kane e-mail
jenk403@aol.com or drop by
Bl 04.
Lake Oswego - 68SS SW Meadows Rd 87035 • Molalla - 530 N Molalla Ave 87038
n -eoo - "7 B "7 - 4 *7 6 6
Uniforms For All Sports • Equipment * Numbering
Lak
Letterman Jackets • Graphic Design
Oswego
G24-0705
Fax: 639-6224
Personal Service
Molalla
829-4799
Fax: 829-4777
H J. SCREEN GRAPHICS SCREENPRINTING