week two - we can be critics too

Stockpot Broiler at Red Tail Golf Course Sunday 11

It started off great. The restaurant was beautiful with a view of sunset over the golf course. On arriving, having informed our reservation that we were celebrating an anniversary, we were handed an envelope containing a Happy Anniversary card on Stockpot stationary, signed colored markers by .... who knows. 

I liked last week's champagne better.

Once seated, I ordered a sparkling wine cocktail with Absolut grapefruit and cranberry. It arrived a thing of scarlet beauty in a shapely glass, and, as the waitress said, "very refreshing." 

H chose this restaurant because the menu includes bouillabaisse, his favorite, and from my perspective, offered many tempting choices. Then the bread was served. In our family, good bread is an essential element. It's difficult to buy bread better than what H can bake, but a good effort is always appreciated. The bread served (with herb garlic butter) was clearly not baked in house. Not a good sign.

H ordered the bouillabaisse, and I ordered chicken marsala (one of my favorite dishes) served on black pepper linguini. We chose not to order appetizers etc., from a tempting assortment of possibilities - so there would be room for dessert. 

The second clue arrived with the bouillabaisse. This is dungeons crab season in Oregon. However, the chunk of crab on H's bowl was snow crab. In other words, not fresh and local.  Plainly stated, this was disappointing. despite this, H was happier than me - there was plenty of good seafood, well cooked in flavorful broth. However, the spoon provided with too small for enjoying the soup. My dish was chicken tossed in an oddly sweet sauce, not chicken marsala. The pasta was undercooked and heavy and flecked with black pepper. Clearly, corporate food - not the work of a chef. 

For dessert we ordered Limoncello Cake with berries. It was cake - though of no particular flavor with a dense cream (likely not dairy) served with a hearty serving of 6 blueberries. 

H described our experience perfectly, "everything bore a close resemblance to what we expected."

Nonetheless, we had a very good time - there is something freeing about knowing we will have lots of opportunities to try new places, discover what we like and what to look for as clues of what to expect. And to form our own opinions as part of our experience. This place, though highly rated, was not our slice of bread. Next up we will be finding small, non-corporate related restaurants to try. 

Totl $108.50

 

  Another, but different kind of ... inspiring idea

January 12, 2026

This year marks fifty years of marriage for H and me.  Certainly, something to celebrate - but how? That was the topic of several conversations over the holidays. After eliminating a cruise (everybody gets sick), long travels, (what about the dogs?), and a few other ideas, H arrived at a truly inspired idea.  

Take the budget we might spend on a major (but limited time) adventure and use it for a weekly night out to some of the great restaurants and venues in Portland and surrounding areas. A year of weekly great meals at places that we might never have had the opportunity or motivation to enjoy in the past feels like a perfect way to celebrate. 

We both love this idea - each for our own reasons. For me, I love a chance to get dressed up, see new faces, visit new places. For us both is means something to look forward to and plan every week, and of course, the chance to eat and explore great food and cooking. The plan is each of us gets to choose a place and plan the details. 

Last week, the first Sunday in January, we started off at Laurelhurst Market, my choice. A good omen, in the form of a rainbow, shined on us as we left the house. 

Laurelhurst Market turned out to be a great choice - the glass display case filled with charcuterie and meats of all kinds set the tone for real food and human hands doing the cooking. We had marked anniversary as our special occasion on our reservation (we will do this every time) and were greeted with glasses of champagne.

In all ways, service, atmosphere, food and enjoyment, this place did not disappoint. The charcuterie board, a selection of excellent pates, cold cuts and pickled vegetables would have been enough, but the steak (we shared) was tender and flavor rich. Jut what I was hoping for. Top this off with chocolate mousse for dessert, and a good time was had by all.

When we left, we took a moment to admire the full moon shining on us.

We rate this place a 9 /10. My only nit was choosing a cocktail with smoked ice. I found that weird - I'll not choose that again, though I will continue to try new cocktails as often as possible.  The total with tip $126.  We'd definitely go back.