Out to Lunch:Hands on Cafe

This last week I did a little shoe intervention with one of my friends.  She hadn’t bought any new shoes in 7 years so we figured it was about time.  We had a great time at Nordstrom Rack and she walked out with 5 pairs of shoes!  We were quite famished from all that hard work so we headed over to the Hands on Cafe at the Oregon School of Arts & Craft.

Have you heard of it?

The cafe is located at 8215 SW Barnes Rd, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, Portland, OR 97225 and is open Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-7:30pm; Sun 9:30am-1:30pm.

Prices are incredibly reasonable and average about $6.00.  I have only enjoyed lunch there but am anxious to try it for dinner too!

It is a little hidden treasure over on the west side just down the road from St. Vincent’s Hospital.  It had been several years since I had been there and I forgot how much I like the place.

It is a cozy, student run restaurant and the daily specials are prepared right there in their small kitchen each day.  The menu is rather limited but it  is always hard to choose! The menu changes on a daily basis so it is always a fun surprise to see what they are offering.

Here is Jack – he is the one that took our order and he also made the delicious soup we ordered.  It was a tomato, roasted red pepper and blue cheese soup – so good!

My friend and I both had the soup/salad combo.  I had bread with mine, she was good and didn’t.

For lunch we split a piece of this amazing lemon cake with lemon curd and whipped cream.  After I took my first bite I was wishing we had each got our own – I wanted to lick the plate the lemon curd was so good.

After lunch be sure and visit the gift shop that is right next door that is full of beautiful creations made by the students at the school.

I wish a school I had gone to had had a cafeteria this amazing.

Just be prepared – they only take cash!

Best Breakfast}Besaw’s Cafe

 Besaw’s Cafe  has been a Portland institution since 1903.

Originally the home of Portland’s first beer parlor and gambling hall Besaw’s cafe quickly became the most popular meeting place in the neighborhood, with a reputation for a pleasant drink, a scrumptious meal and lively conversation.

More than 100 years later that is still Besaw’s recipe for success. You can still sit at the same mahogany bar that’s that has graced Besaw’s since the turn of the century.

Besaw’s serves breakfast and lunch 7 days a week and dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

Our first trip to Besaw’s was for a Saturday morning breakfast.  We were told their Eggs Benedict was to die for.

My husand chose a little lower glycemic meal and went for the eggs, bacon and fresh fruit.

I decided to try the oatmeal pancakes with brown sugar and dried cranberries with real maple syrup.  Yum!  They were fluffy, moist and healthy.  I order a side which was just one large pancake and it was plenty for me. They were delicious and I went right home to look for a recipe so I could make them myself.

By the time we left an hour later there was quite a line waiting to get in on a beautiful Saturday morning.

So if you’d like to enjoy a taste of Portland history and some good food pay a visit to Besaw’s Cafe.

Cooper Mountain Nature Park

Are you hanging around Portland for Spring Break?

Need a fun activity to keep the kids from driving you crazy?

Check out Cooper Mountain Nature Park located at 18892 SW Kemmer Rd., Beaverton.

Overlooking the Tualatin Valley the park has 231 acres with 3 1/2 miles of gravel trails.

The trails are very well marked and you may even run into a park ranger who will answer your questions and tell you about the latest wildlife sightings.

You can hike, walk, watch wildlife or simply enjoy the views when you visit but leave your dog at home as dogs are not allowed on the trails.

There is also a nice playground area for the kids.

Rovente Pizzeria

It’s been a while since we visited a local pizza place so we decided to check out Rovente Pizzeria’s newest location at the Streets of Tanasbourne (located off of Cornell and NW 185th)

A local pizza chain, Rovente has two other locations. You can find them downtown at 4th and Washington and on SW Macadem Avenue.

There aren’t a lot of quick food options at Streets of Tanasbourne so Rovente Pizzeria is a welcome addition.
They have taken over an existing restaurant location and the decor is on the slim side but the pizza is not!  Who really goes to a pizza place for the decor anyway!?

They have a great selection of “pizza flavors” with 6 -8 choices each day and of course you can always order “your way” too!

I of course had my usual choice of plain old cheese.  It was great and had just the right amount of cheese grease – yum!!

My friend went for one of the vege versions with artichoke hearts!  We took advantage of their lunch special and had a slice with a Greek side salad.

We definitely recommend Rovente Pizzeria if you are hungry from your power shopping at Streets of Tanasbourne or you are looking for a new pizza place to check out!

Oregon Coast} Bruce’s Candy Kitchen

What are your plans for Spring Break?  Are you headed out of town, maybe somewhere tropical?

If you are like us and you are sticking pretty close to home we want to spend the next few weeks giving you some fun ideas of place to go in and around Portland during the break.

How about an overnight trip or a day trip to the coast?

One not to be missed Oregon Coast stop is Bruce’s Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach, just an hour and a half drive from Portland.  Bruce’s Candy Kitchen has been around since 1963 and no trip to the beach would be complete for our family without a visit to Bruce’s!

Bruce’s Candy Kitchen is candy heaven!  They have the feel of an old fashion candy shop and an amazing selection!  There is even candy on their front doors!!

If you are lucky you will be able to watch them make their salt water taffy during your visit.

If you miss it be sure and pick yourself out a nice selection of their amazing, house made taffy!

If taffy isn’t your thing, no worries, there is plenty of other sweets to tempt that sweet tooth!

And if you just can’t decide, you can always try my personal favorite – white chocolate covered gummi bears – polar bears!!

No matter what your candy of choice we can pretty much guarantee you won’t leave empty handed.

Enjoy a sweet treat at Bruce’s Candy Kitchen at Cannon Beach!