Simpatica Dining Hall

Yesterday after a long and tough day I felt like doing something nice to start the weekend well, and I had received a few "dining out coupons" for my birthday so it was a perfect occasion.

Last week when looking for a brunch place I happened to learn about Simpatica dining hall, we didn't go for brunch last week because they serve it only on Sundays but I remembered they were serving dinners on Fridays and Saturdays evenings so we could try it. We also liked the concept of a restaurant that operates only for 3 meals a week, where everybody sits at the same table and where there is no menu. You arrive at 7:30 and everybody will be served the same thing at the same time. In more than 4 years of existence they've never served the same meal twice and you can know ahead the menu of the day by checking their website or subscribing to their mailing list. We were lucky to get a sit as we called barely one hour ahead.



The hall is located on the east side, kind of hidden at the end of a corridor in a building. The room is L shaped, one side is an open kitchen and the other side has the 2 tables. We were sited right next to a very friendly couple which we happened to have so much in common with that it made for fantastic company throughout the dinner. The food was simple, fresh and delicious. Their wine recommendations with each of the 4 courses was very appropriate and they were willing to split the wine glasses between each of us so we could have the perfect match for each course. I won't describe the meal as anyways you won't have the same one if you go but it was worth it. The price at 35$ a meal is not cheap, but for what you get is quite reasonable, same thing for the wines at 8$ a glass.

Haircut

M wanted me to show how respectable I was now with my haircut:

Rest of the portraits there including a picture of a not-so-happy-to-be-portrayed kitty.

Broder

This morning we slacked quite a bit in bed, once we finally got out we decided to go for a brunch and try out some new place. Not that we're getting tired of VQ, but some diversity never hurts. After a bit of browsing on Yelp, I settled on Broder, a Scandinavian Brunch and Breakfast place on the east side not far from our New Seasons grocery store. We headed there just before noon and found a tiny place that was packed with a gigantic waiting list. We took advantage of the nice weather to take a walk around the pretty neighborhood. We really like this area, the only inconvenient for us is that commute from their to work would probably be a bit too long :(. Anyway, after like 30 minutes we got our seats to try some pretty decent brunch. Michelle's dish was a bit too salty but mine was totally worth it.

The place was quite nice and packed with east side hipsters (my pictures aren't showing it, I was feeling uncomfortable stuffing my lens in their faces). The kitchen was just behind the bar so we could enjoy the sight of the hyperactive cooks. It was quite a relaxing time enjoying Stumptown coffee.


Once done, we stopped by next door where I got a long due haircut, then shopped at New Seasons on our way home. Quite a nice low key Saturday after a long and busy week.

Ski at Meadows

We originally wanted to go to ski on the 2nd but we felt kind of lazy so we postponed it. Sunday morning we weren't that much more enthusiastic but we still ended up going. We drove to Mt Hood Meadows, taking an unoptimal route for the first time (kind of wasted 20 min but it won't happen again) and realized the drive was really not bad.

Once there I was surprised by the organization of things, which is quite efficient compared to French ski resorts. You end up buying your pass and renting your gear at the same place, things are pipelined and rather fast, and very conveniently located to take the lifts. It took us probably just 15-20 minutes to get ready. We started at 11 and stopped at 5 and had a great day skiing and trying the various slopes. The resort isn't very big but it's big enough to not get bored (especially that the hardest tracks were closed so we still have a lot to see in further visits).

The landscape was quite nice, with the sun peaking once in a while from under the clouds. Here you can see Mt Adams. You can see the pictures of the happy skiers here.

Jade Tea House and Patisserie

After a nice New Year's Eve party at the Steiner's we overslept quite a bit this morning to start the year well. I felt lazy about cooking from an empty fridge so I looked around for a place to have a late lunch at. M wanted some Thai food, and I ended up picking the Jade Tea House and Patisserie. It doesn't really sound like a place that would serve lunch but they do and it is actually really good. The place is kind of "cafe" style, you order your food at the counter and take it to your table. It is located in Sellwood, a SE neighborhood that seems quite nice and that we hadn't visited so far.
The inside of the place is very warm and felt cozy with the rain pouring outside, the staff is very nice and after chatting a bit I discovered they're coming from Vietnam and all speak French. We also tried their macarons, and I have to say that they're the best ones we tried after the ones from La Durée in Paris (but thisis kind of an unfair comparison). They have a very large selection of teas, and the one we tried under the waitress recommendation was really good !


This place gets a "we'll come back and bring friends with us" kind of recommendation from us. Thumbs up.