REALLY GOOD RESTAURANTS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

N.B.: Please read the prior blog entitled "Be Careful!" before this blog, so you'll have an idea of what I look for in a restaurant.

There are a number of terrific ethnic restaurants very close to The Fulton House. Here are several that Wendy and I patronize regularly.

ITALIAN: Only about 5-minutes away is a great Italian joint called "Gino's." It's well enough known by the neighborhood that the owners never even bothered to change the sign out front from the restaurant that used to be there -- thus, "Gino's" is labeled "Leipzig Tavern." Walk into the bar (imported from Europe) and, hopefully, one of the booths will be open; they're spacious and comfortable and offer privacy with their high backs. If there's only two of you, start off with a half-order of the Caesar salad (it'll be more than enough). Then order the pasta with clams, the pasta with mussles, the pasta with both, or one of the day's specials. Order a pint of Guinness on tap if you're a beer drinker. Your waitress might have a forearm adorned with a tattoo, or your waiter might sport four rings in his ear, but they'll get your order right, time the service perfectly, explain the menu and recommend a good Italian wine if you ask, and do their job perfectly. The bill for two (without wine) will be less than $50, a very good deal.

MEXICAN: "Chez Jose" is 3-minutes from The Fulton House. This place caters to singles, duos and entire extended families, but the noise level does not overwhelm. The offerings are numerous (don't forget to check the chalkboard with the special), with many vegetarian entrees, the portions are huge, and the service is by young folks perhaps working their way through nearby Lewis & Clark College. With a Dos Equis or a microbrew on tap, your bill for two will be only about $30.

JAPANESE: Walk to "Osaka-ya" in 2-minutes; it's a block away. It's owned and run by Japanese, the wait persons and cooks are Japanese, and much of the clientele is Japanese. So it's authentic. And it's inexpensive (but impossible to exactly determine a typical price range because it depends on what and how much you order). The menu is varied -- there's incredible and super-fresh sushi and a full range of cooked Japanese specialty dishes. Sip an Asahi beer or have a sake or two (remember you're walking, so don't worry about enjoying your drinks).

Good old AMERICAN: Either "Macadam's Bar & Grill," "Corbett Fish House," or "Fulton Pub," all three only about a 5-minute walk away. A large restaurant which is always crowded, "Macadam's" offers ribs, steaks, chops, chicken, seafood, burgers, soups and salads, and a wide variety of appetizer plates. "Corbett" offers a midwestern-style fish fry, using only very high quality rice bran oil, containing the least saturated fat of any common cooking oil. There's fried catfish, barramundi, oysters, yellow perch, walleye, halibut and prawns, steamer clams and mussels, oyster shooters, calamari strips and New England clam chowder. Finally, "Fulton" is one of Portland's many microbreweries, offering a wide range of brewed-on-premises beers, ales, porters and stouts, together with a variety of "pub grub" meals (burgers and fries, quesadillas, salads, soups, etc.). All three places are always friendly and crowded, and offer outdoor seating with casual service and very inexpensive prices.

We have menus for all these restaurants, as well as many more, so The Fulton House guests can make an easy decision about lunch or dinner before setting out.