Sunday, April 26, 2009

Best of......bullshit_Dining

Reading through the Statesman Journal's Best of the Mid-Valley. There's a couple of dining institutions that are corporation, food chains which saddens me. I thought this was supposed to promote local businesses in need of some monetary boost. Oh well. Here's my choices for "Best of" and some other offerings from Salem:
1. The best restaurant in the Mid-Valley is hands down Willamette Noodle Company. They have amazing food, great specials each month, and fantastic service. They also let you draw on the tablecloth!!! While Caruso's Italian Cafe is great, since they moved from their former place (house converted to restaurant) they have not been the same. They've lost their atmosphere.
2. Kwan's is wonderful for vegetarian if you can handle soy products. Marco Polo also offers a vegetarian menu - once again if you eat soy. Both of their vegetarian menus are largely Asian-oriented. Venti's Cafe and Willamette Noodle Company also serve vegetarian meals, which is a comfort for me since I am allergic to soy. They also step away from the Asian menu. All-in-all we have a good vegetarian variety here. Now if we can just get some vegan.....
3. Best Undiscovered Restaurant - Willamette Valley Grill? Come on now. For it to be undiscovered, not many people could have heard about it, and since they took 3 other categories, I am willing to bet they are not truly undiscovered. For a good meal, exceptional service, and privacy (which comes with an undiscovered restaurant) try Word of Mouth Neighborhood Bistro or Cafe 22 West.
4. Best Family Restaurant should be Pietro's Pizza. The pizza is alright, nothing spectacular, but kids love it (salad bar as well for the parents)! What makes it the best is the laser tag, mini-golf, and arcade games. Parents can let their kids bounce all over without having to keep a constant eye out. The clientele is diverse so the children might learn a thing or two about sharing as well!!
5. I don't know about you, but I hate bland poridge type refried beans and canned enchilada sauce. But this is what you get when you eat a La Hacienda Real. And while I applaud their tortilla making skills, the rest of the food lacks "mucho". In this category I recommend Los Arcos or Guadalajara Grill. The chips are fresh and the food has spice!! Estupendo!!
6. Best Takeout - well I really should stop giving so much space to Willamette Noodle Company, but you can call ahead, say 20 minutes away, order, swing in and pick up fresh pasta, salad, Rob's Cheesy Bread, soup, and dessert - all for about the same price as domino's. Other takeout choices are Love Love Teriyaki, Adam's Rib's (for the carnivores), or McMenamins.
7. Best Pizza - now here's a tough choice. Some people like Domino's cardbord style pizza. Some like it New York Style. Whatever you fancy, Salem's got it. We have Straight From New York Pizza. Amazing amazing cheap pizza!! One slice'll fill me up. Best local chain we have here is Primetime Pizza. The sauce has just the right amount of kick, the ingredients are fresh, the delivery time is fast, and if you pick up your order you get a free 2 liter. Can't beat that! Another option for the family is Walery's Premium Pizza. Located in West Salem they offer live music the first and third mondays of the month, an arcade room, a separate area for meetings, and lots of records hanging from the ceiling. As I mentioned before, Pietro's Pizza is good for the family too. Paddington's has been a Salem staple for quite some time, the pizza's decent, and makes a good place for family reunions. I find the customer service lacks a little something....oh think of the word, oh yes, customer service. If you like stromboli, try Geppetto's. Gourmet pizza lovers can get their fill at Christo's Pizzeria. Wonderful, unique, handmade pizza!
8. I agree whole-heartedly with Best Breakfast! Busick Court has a wide selection of omelette's, pancackes/waffles, and french toast. I usually stick with the simple 1-2-2: one pancacke, two eggs, and I donate my bacon to my husband. The pancakes are as big as a plate, so if you think you can eat two, get one. Court Street Dairy Lunch has a good breakfast, as well as White's. They've been around for decades so they must be good!!
9. Please try La Perla Tapatia!! 99 cent tacos, great pico de gallo, good people watching!!
10. Stoners get their fourth meal at Muchas Gracias!! Thick, greasy food perfect for the late night toke!
11. Desserts - ah the best category. Gerry Frank's Konditorei will win every time. With such names as Barney's Black Out (made with Guinness), Chocolate Cream Cheese, Black & White Mousse, and Turtle Cheesecake - how can you go wrong? Little Cannoli Bakery has wonderful pastries. The problem is, you can't just eat one, no matter how hard you try. For award winning wedding cakes, try Lovin Oven in Stayton.
12. Great Harvest and Cascade Baking Company don't just bake the most delectable or freshest breads - they make delicious sandwiches also! Plus, Great Harvest has my favorite - the Ultra Healthy Muffin made with no oils or eggs! Perfect for my vegan breakfast. Once in a while I crave something sweet - like a croissant. Croissant & Company amply fills this need. Their filled croissants are to die for!
13. Best ice cream just got kicked to the side - by Napoleon's Creperie and Gelato!
14. I am ashamed that Costco was voted as Best Hot Dog. Talk to anyone who has been downtown Salem, they'll tell you Casey's Cafe is where it's at. No fuss, no muss - just hot dogs! . Another place to try is Capitol Dog. You won't be disappointed. If you're craving sausage, take a short drive to Mt. Angel Sausage Company. Sometimes I'll even eat there it's so good!
15. For best outdoor dining, I decided Salem doesn't offer anything that's worthy of the "Best" title. Stop by one of the local deli's (Great Harvest, Cascade Baking Company, Corissant & Company, Court Street Dairy Lunch, Casey's Cafe, etc), get something to go, and head on down to Riverfront Park or Pringle Park and have a picnic!
16. Unfortunately I am not able to comment on any of the cocktail or margarita offerings as I'm a good ol' beer girl. But I'm willing to try Alessandro's or DaVinci's or J. James. All upscale restaurants - very hip and swanky.
17. Best Business lunch - hmmmmm....I'm not much of a professional-type but I would say Bentley's Grill at the Convention Center is where I would take my boss. Nice atmosphere, quick service, good food, and it's not gonna break the bank when you have to pay for 4 of your superiors.
18. Buffets are a disgrace to food. Warm plates sitting under heat lamps, available for anyone to sneeze, cough, spit, or otherwise defile. If you must buffet, head to Golden Tent where you load your plate with raw food and have the filth cooked out of it on a giant grill.
19. If you want good coffee, free wi-fi, local art, and people watching, check out Coffee House Cafe or Governor's Cup. Coffee House definitely attracts more of the young, modified crowd, but there's something very pleasant to see businessmen blend with hippies.
20. Best place to impress a first date: Northern Lights Theatre Pub. With $3 tickets, live comedy, recent movies, and satisfying food, you'll be sure to make a second date. If her daddy's rich, try swooning her at Alessandro's. Again, I would recommend Willamette Noodle Company.
21. I don't know my wines, but I do know that Grand Vines has live jazz, a wall full of wines, and tasting. To buy direct, shimmy to Willamette Valley Vineyards in Turner. Oregon Blossom is a favorite of mine. Made in Oregon has a great selection from local vineyards. They'll also be able to direct you to local wine tours, and what's best for type of wine.
22. Alessandro's has Best Romantic dinner in the bag. The atmosphere will light the flame under even the coldest of ice queens.
23. This last category is the most important and near to my heart. Best Grocery Store. I am not surprised this store didn't make the top three. But hopefully with the growing green, organic movement, Salemites will discover LifeSource Natural Foods. They were promoting "green" before the word was invented. I can buy fresh produce, nuts and dried fruits (thanks to the bulk bins), organic beer, gluten-free products, canned items, toilet paper, cleaning products, frozen items, farm-raised meat, shampoo, cookbooks, and herbal supplements. The staff is always helpful, never condescending (I am grateful for this, as the first time I went in I had no idea what organic was), friendly, and always willing to go the extra mile. I cannot say enough about them!

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1 comment:

  1. Wow - thanks so much for all the kudos! We sort of stopped keeping the voting a priority once it was clear that the votes were more about how many employees/computers you had and not about the true "public voice". We are doing our best to meet the needs of the diverse demographic that come to us - and we REALLY appreciate it when our customers notice AND tell their friends (or blog about us!) :)

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