Review

Fulio’s Pastaria-Tuscan Steak, Astoria Oregon

Posted by Rick on in Review 0 Comment

Fulio’s Pastaria-Tuscan Steak, Astoria Oregon

Fulio’s Pastaria-Tuscan Steak 1149 Commercial St, Astoria, OR 97103 [url=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=1149+Commercial+St,+Astoria,+Clatsop,+Oregon+97103,+United+States&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.737461,71.015625&ie=UTF8&cd=5&geocode=0,46.189014,-123.830952&ll=46.189606,-123.83096&spn=0.006551,0.017338&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=0]Google Map[/url]

Fulio’s is not your typical Italian place. It’s a bit of a hole in the wall location. You can easily walk by and not notice it. But inside is has a very nice atmosphere.

They have a nice wine selection and an amply stocked bar. Where Fulio’s shines though is that their food is not the same as every other Italian place in the world. They have some real innovative items on the menu. My personal favorite is sausage with noodles in a mustard cream sauce.

Another good option is almost the same dish, but with tomato cream sauce with no meat. Other options are on the menu, including several original salads and best of all, an ample selection for the vegetarians. Which is amazing in itself considering Astoria qualifies as a small town.

This place is so good that we’ve driven to Astoria several times just for the food and I never go through Astoria without stopping here.


Bread and Ink Cafe Review

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Bread and Ink Cafe Review

Originally posted: 11/11/02:

3610 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97214 On Hawthorne, I’m currently at a toss up about this place. It’s busy, crowded, and the wait staff is harder to find then a good Sylvester Stalone movie. But… the food is good enough that it almost makes up for it. Dinner dishes range between $10-$15 each. Apparently the Coconut crusted chicken is their most popular dish, my date liked it a lot. I had the pork medallions, and while they were pretty good, I was disappointed in the portion size. Especially when compared to the chicken dish, or the steaks the couple at the next table had. Over all I’d give about 3 stars. When I say the wait staff is hard to find… I mean it. Somebody came by the table a total of 4 times, once to get our order, once to deliver drinks, then to deliver the meal, then the pay check. In the two hours I was there I feel that’s a little slow, especially when wanting a refill on the drink. Perhaps on a weekday when they’re not so busy, the service is better.

Originally posted; 11/5/03:

So a year later I try again. We went for Sunday breakfast. There was a line out the door and a 45 minute wait when we got there at 10am. Wandered down Hawthorne for a while and came back at about 11:30, was seated at 11:45, and had food by 12:30. The service was better, still not as great as I’d like it to be – especially for that side of town. But the food was just as good as last time. Eggs were perfect, home-style potatos were cooked perfectly in olive oil. The side of Canadian bacon I had was very good, and tasted organic. They make their own ketchup – my GF didn’t like it, but I didn’t mind as it has less sugar then the major brands so it had a tangy quality about it. It tasted like it was made of sun dried tomatos. The bill was about $25 including tip, about as much as we would have spent at Elmers. While there was smaller portions, we did not go away hungry. Oh – and they have crayons and paper on the table to keep you entertained.

Originally posted: 10/10/05:

Yet another visit. New GF, better service, same good food. I had home made cinnamon raisin french toast dipped in a vanilla cinnamon custard with the side of Canadian Bacon. GF had a Mushroom spinach omelet with the side of potatoes mentioned in an earlier post. The service was MUCH better this time. Arrived at 10:30. Got seated right away, had food by 10:45, out the door by 11:15. The waiter came by several times, filled water glasses, etc. All in all, this place is just getting better.

Jubitz Truck Stop – Review

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Jubitz Truck Stop – Review

Originally Posted: 12/13/04

I’ve eaten at my share of greasy spoons and truck stops all over the country, especially in Oregon. Jubitz is located off of I-5 just south of Jantzen Beach. You’ll need to take the Marine Drive exit to get to it.

I went to Jubitz several years ago (2000 as of this writing) The food was bad to fair and was your typical truck stop fare. But I was in the area the other day and decided to stop and see if they’ve changed. They’ve remodeled, added a hotel and a new restaurant. The old restaurant area has been converted in to a country bar with live music, which I quickly avoided. The food quality has gone up.

Truck stop food rarely ever gets to the awesome category, but this did pretty good. Had the ten ounce top sirloin, salad, baked potato and Apple Cobbler for desert. Total bill was still under $15.00. The steak was actually pretty good, much more tender then I expected, it was topped with a garlic butter of some sort that was good enough not to need steak sauce with. The service was pretty good and attentive, and the restaurant itself is fairly nice. I’m a big fan of the old Burns Brothers’ restaurant in Troutdale, but since I don’t live out there any more this is a nice alternative for a cheap meal that isn’t Denny’s or Shari’s.