The La Capitale Bar

Once in awhile you find a little spot that just makes you feel good about life. The bar at La Capitale is that way for me. It's one of those places where I walk in and, on any given night, I'm likely to run into a few people I know. The food is always good, the company is amusing, and the drinks are always scrump-diddly-umptious!

Twice, last week, I happened to be there. Okay, well, I planned to be there to meet friends, but it just so happened twice in one week, which is not my norm, but it was a nice treat. Both times I ran into multiple people I knew, not including the group I came with. People stopped by to say hello, chatted for a minute and then went on to their own meals and drinks.

Rob (@robdrinkenstein on Twitter) was behind the bar, mixing up his magic drinks. On one evening he even took time from his busy schedule to stop and give our little group of single ladies some advice on love. Love advice AND perfectly mixed martinis? If that's not the epitome of a good bartender, then I don't know what is.

Good drinks, good food, good friends and a place where everybody knows your name? Hmmm. Is this Cheers? If so, it is a little more upscale version with better decor, nicer people, and tastier food.

And you know what's even better? They have Happy Hour now from 4-6 PM! Yes! I love HH. See you at La Cap!

Vote for Restaurant of the Year!

It's that time of year again. You, as a Salemite get to vote for the best restaurant of the year on eatsalem.com. If you aren't a regular reader of EatSalem and you didn't nominate a restaurant, remember to bookmark the site and nominate next year.

For this year, you'll just have to vote for the restaurants already nomited. Oh, and I'd love to see Salem's only tapas restaurant, Andaluz, win this year (hint, hint)! If you haven't already checked out their little morsels of deliciousness, go visit with a friend, and then vote for it!

Venti's on Sunday Evening

I seem to be on a theme lately. What is open and when in the downtown area of Salem?

Well, Venti's is open on Sundays. Yesssss! I get really excited about this sometimes because there are so few options on Sundays downtown. What I really hope is that the word is getting out and that people will come down and patronize this excellent establishment.

I met a friend there last night for a little bite to eat at about 7:00 PM. There were 4 tables of 2-4 people upstairs and 5 or 6 people in the basement bar. It was a nice relaxing time. I had a cider and my friend tried a couple of different beers. Since it wasn't busy the bartender on duty, Nick, had time for suggestions and tastings of the beers and cider on tap. We also ordered food which was delicious, as usual.

If you've ever been to Venti's and thought it was just a little too crowded in that cozy basement bar, you should really try it on a Sunday. They are open from 4-10 Sundays and it's just right for a nice, relaxed Sunday evening meal. And there's always PLENTY of parking downtown on Sunday evenings!

The Torta Report - Part 3

Okay, folks, I think I found it! The best torta in Salem, Oregon. It is so delicious that I want to go back for dinner. Every night. Seriously.
I ordered the pastor (pork) torta and the flavor in the meat was amazing! So delicious and spicy. Also, the bread was perfectly toasted to a golden brown color. I believe that the ability to get the toast perfectly toasted and crispy might be one of the main keys to making great tortas.
Thanks to VegansNightmare for telling be about this delicious cart. It's called Ricky's Taqueria although it's difficult to see the name even when you're standing at the cart. It's parked on State St. Behind Knecht's Auto Parts which is behind the Walgreen's on State and Lancaster. It's a shiny silver truck and it's pretty visible from the street.
They also have tacos and some pretty delicious looking burritos, but I'll be hard pressed to order anything other than the torta after this first sampling!

Salem Tweetup: Where all the cool kids in Salem are

Yeah for tweetups!

For those of you who haven't attended a tweetup before, it is basically a meeting of local online folks that started on Twitter (hence, the name). All the coolest folks in Salem show up for these. You should be cool and come too!

Here's the info:
When - Thursday, October 7th at 7 PM (or 6:30 if you are extra hungry!)
Where - La Margarita Express on Chemeketa St, downtown (back room)
Who - All the cool online kids in Salem!

And when I say kids, that's metaphorical. The range of ages is quite impressive. I love the mixture of people who interact in the Salem online world.

For more info on the tweetup and to RSVP (so everyone knows that you, too, are cool!) visit @robmguire on his blog.

Oh, and that drink up there? I think its called a Cazuela. Or something like that. I can never remember exactly after I've had one of these fruity, delicious cocktails. I plan to have one...or two...or...yeah, anyway. See you on Thursday night!

My Go-to Places

What are your go-to places for dinner/drinks in Salem? When a friend asked for happy hour ideas the other day, the first three places I thought of were La Capitale, Venti's, and Boon's. Those are kind of my go-to places, I guess. I never really thought about it before, but I started to wonder what made those my go-to spots. All I really know is that I feel happy and comfortable in each of those places. Of course there are many other spots I love around town - f/stop Fitzgerald, Pete's Place, Sushi Kyo, La Margarita Express, Thai Beer, Vietnam Restaurant, etc, etc.

But when put on the spot, my first three spots were La Cap, Venti's, and Boon's. And I know I'm not the only one who loves these places. Tell me, friends and Salemites, why do I love them so much?

By the way, we ended up at Venti's, drinking Anthem's Cherry Cider. OMG. Just try it. That's all I can say.

The Torta Report

I recently had one of the best sandwiches of my life in a little hole-in-the-wall in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico called Lupita's. Since I've come home I have decided to start a search for something as delightful as the one from Lupita's.

Here is the first installment of my torta search.

I'm not sure what the official name of this taco cart is, but it is located on Portland Rd in the parking lot of an old gas station/auto shop just across from the bingo hall. It is a silver truck that says Burritos Y Tacos across the top. It sits back off the road under some shade trees and usually has a barbeque smoking out front.
The torta was not the best in my life, but it wasn't bad. I like more fresh veggies like tomato, onion, and avocado on mine and this one was mainly pork and jalepenos. It was definitely spicy and flavorful, but I think I will continue my search.

Keep your eyes peeled for more torta reports soon!

I also had a yummy chicken taco which doesn't look like much, but had great flavor.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Lady Who Lunches - My Summer Persona

During the school year, I rarely have to time to go out to lunch because I just have 30 minutes between classes in which to eat, go to the bathroom, etc. Ah, the life of a teacher. So, come summertime, I like to catch up on lunches with friends.

This summer I am really living it up, trying out different restaurants with other ladies who lunch. A true "Lady Who Lunches" meal consists of a long, leisurely summer lunch at an outdoor table with a cocktail in hand. But a picnic at the park with takeout from a deli works too. Or brunch with family members. Or a happy hour drink and snack with coworkers. Or a sampling of food from the farmer's market all by myself.

As you can see, I'm pretty easy. That's me, Lady Who Lunches.

Andaluz - Tapas and Sangria in Salem

We finally (almost) have a tapas place is Salem! It's been a long time coming in my opinion. Andaluz is located on high street between La Capitale and the Elsinore. It's the new baby of David Rosales, the chef and owner of La Cap. I was invited to a test night on Friday evening and I think it might have been one of the most delicious nights of my life. I can't wait until they are fully staffed and can open for real.

I was much too busy enjoying my food to take pictures, but fortunately Will Bragg was there to capture the moment. Here is a link to his artistic perception of the night.

Anybody in Salem Love Asian Food?

I do, I do! And because of this, I was recently featured in a local Salem blog that I admire very much, The Get Real Estate Blog. Here's the link to my list of great places to eat a diversity of Asian foods in Salem.

Boon's: My Local Bar

Boon's Treasury on odd little corner of High and Liberty has a lot going for it. It's got the best patio in town, good happy hour, yummy microbrews, and a wood stove for cold evenings.

But there are some other things that make Boon's a great hangout too. I have discovered that they have free Wi-fi and on less busy days, like Monday nights, they are happy to let you sit and work on homework for hours while sipping a beer and munching on some Cajun tots. At the end of a long term, coffee shops can start to feel a little redundant and since Boon's is walking distance from my house, it has become a my new favorite alternative.

And, miracle of miracles, I actually finished my homework before the midnight deadline! I think the beer really helped.

New Decor at Love Love Teriyaki

Love Love got a makeover! I stopped by the Love Love Teriyaki (near the Fred Meyer North) yesterday and saw that they have new booths. They still have mostly tables and chairs, but now they have added booths along the one wall. It looks really cozy and nice. They also had new menus on the wall behind the counter and a giant flat screen TV scrolling through pictures of their food items. It looks really nice and classy. AND...they still have the same great food. Mmm, I love love me some Love Love!

I would have taken pictures, but I locked my camera in my car along with my keys, so I was more worried about getting that taken care of than my photographic responsibilities. Sorry!

Sushi Kyo South Salem

So I tried out the Sushi Kyo out in south Salem this last weekend with my group of sushi friends. We try to get together every few weeks for some sushi and some catching up. We usually meet at Sushi Kyo off Lancaster, although we've tried a couple others in town. There are usually four or five of us and sometimes it gets a little crowded at the booth. Not only that, but its hard to chat when you you're lined up along a conveyor belt, so we usually sit around and wait for a booth to open up.

I was pleasantly surprised to find many more booths at the south location, and not only that, but they are bigger booths, so you aren't crowded into them like fillers in a sushi roll sardines. Just be aware that Sushi Kyo is a popular place and there could definitely be a wait at either location.

Sundays in Downtown Salem

Sundays in Salem are pretty slow in the downtown core. Coffee shops are mostly open and a few shops open their doors, such as SLAB soap in the Reed Opera House and The Book Bin, but the rest of the town is pretty sadly closed up on Sundays. And it's really too bad because a lot of people end up downtown for coffee and a Sunday paper and I bet many, many of them would like to eat a nice meal for lunch, or do a little shopping.

The one restaurant that is open for sure is La Perla Tapatia on the mezzanine of the Reed Opera House. Now, I didn't really feel like tacos yesterday particularly, but since it was my only choice I went in and had a perfectly fine meal. And was it ever busy! It was more packed than I think I have ever seen it and I stop by quite often.

So restauranteurs in downtown Salem, just a heads up to you all. I would love some more dining options on Sundays. And it doesn't look like I'm the only one downtown who would. Open on Sundays and they will come!

Hello, High St.

So, I went to DaVinci's for Happy Hour the other day with "the ladies" to whom you'll be introduced at a later date. It was delicious and fun and a great time, but what struck me was how cool that whole High St block is becoming. It used to be just DaVinci's and Fuji Ricetime with the Elsinore to back up their coolness. Now we've got La Capitale on the corner, Capitol Dog (which sells borscht and other delicious central European goodness!), Jonathan's which is looking pretty snazzy from my peeks in the window, Sushi Topia - the sushi train, and Pita Pit. I mean, my goodness, that's enough for dinner every night of the week plus an old time movie on Wednesday at the Elsinore. What a cool little block in an even cooler city. You rock, Salem Oregon!

Sick in Salem

Well, folks! Looks like it's that time of year again. Time for sickness all around. I seem to get one bad cold about this time of year and then (hopefully) I stay well for most of the rest of winter. We'll see how it goes this year since they're promising a bad bout of the flu this season.

I got my yearly cold on Sunday. It came on strong Sunday night and had me down for a couple days. I decided, out of regard for my coworkers, to take off two days of work so I didn't infect them. Wasn't that nice of me?? :)

I went out Sunday afternoon as I felt the bug coming on and picked up some food from Vietnam Restaurant on Center Street. I got some chicken Pho, since I hear chicken soup is good for a cold, and I picked up my favorite dish, #14 Grilled Pork and Shrimp Bun salad just for good measure. I didn't really have much food at home and I knew I needed some good, comforting food. And it was good. And it was comforting.

The other thing I did while sick was run over to the Grocery Outlet for some avocados (surprisingly delicious!) and chips because of my current obsession with guacamole. It's like I have some kind of avocado deficiency which is causing a serious craving! While I was there, I picked up some frozen beef, marinated in tequila and lime and made a delicious crockpot meal with veggies and beef. Normally, I'm not that hungry when I'm sick, and even though I wasn't that hungry during this one, I really felt like cooking and eating comfort food.

It's a good thing I have so many good food options close by. There's nothing like some good comfort food when you're feeling low.

The School Calendar

So, guess what happens when there's an inservice day at Salem-Keizer Public Schools? Teachers go out to lunch. Pretty much all of them. Inservice and grading days are the only days of the school year when there is enough time to get out of the building and enjoy lunch with colleagues. It feels almost like playing hooky.

So, guess what happens when about about 3000 school employees descend on the restaurants of Salem for lunch on an inservice day? Yeah...a lot of busy restauraunts. Which is good for the restaurants except that they often aren't ready for an influx of extra customers and don't have the staffing for it.

The smart restaurants, and the ones located near schools, usually get a hold of the school calendar and plan extra staffing for the lunch rush. You can tell which restaurants haven't figured it out yet by their harried and bewildered looks. :)

A word to Salem restaurants out there: get a school calendar. This year's is available here.

What's Happening On North Broadway

So as I drove down North Broadway a couple days ago, I noticed a few things I thought I should share. Apparently, I haven't been down there in awhile. Lots of stuff was happening and it looked like quite the lively neighborhood. Here's the overview:

• Christo's is now open on Mondays
• Subway has their sign up, but I couldn't see if they were open.
• The original Willamette Noodle was working on something. There was stuff all over the sidewalks and it looked like someone was cleaning inside. I don't know what the plan is for that spot, but something was starting to happen, that's for sure.
• The Little Gypsy is all ready for Halloween, with their costumes hanging up outside for all to admire. Even the Can of Spam costume! Awesome!
• Maynard's Bakery (who plans to have video poker! What???) looked like it had lots of furnishings and was ready to open. Have they opened? What are they waiting for?

So, that's what's happening on North Broadway (AKA NoBro) as far as I can tell. I obviously don't have lots of info about the ins and outs over there, so if anyone else has the scoop, please comment and let me know. Thanks!

Monmouth - Salem's Odd Little Neighbor

Okay, so I don't want to offend any Monmouthonians (Monmouthites? Monmouthers?), but it is an odd town. And I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just quirky. Every town has it's little quirks and Monmouth is full of them.

I started my Master's program over at Western Oregon University this summer and started up again this week for fall term. I did my undergrad there as well, so it's really fun to be back and I really do love being in Monmouth. Like I said, it's odd. Well, I happen to like odd.

You've got this town that has been dry for forever and a day and only just recently started allowing beer and wine to be sold within the town limits. It's got a University in the town, but a very small one. It's got a few restaurants most of which are some type of asian cuisine or fast food. A good half of the town is made up of the campus and a large portion of the rest of it is rental homes for students. It's just a funny little place that you can't help but love. Main street is straight out of a movie. I drove through last night and even noticed that there was a farmer's market still going strong at 7:00 pm! We don't even have that in Salem!

The other thing I discovered was Miyoma Sushi restaurant. I was astounded! Not because I didn't expect Monmouth to have good sushi, after all, they have the best teriyaki in the valley. I was astounded because there were very few other people in the place! Where were they? This place has excellent sushi and some pretty decent prices. They even made me some seared salmon sashimi with the brand new blow-torch they had just gotten even though it wasn't on the menu.

I don't know why the place wasn't packed. Possibly because there are only a few people in this town and they can't all eat sushi every night. Well, Salem, take advantage of this and head out to Monmouth for a sushi dinner some night. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

A Pub Crawl, You Say? In Salem??

You know how sometimes you wander around downtown Salem and the place looks like a ghost town? Well, guess what? Tomorrow is NOT going to be one of those days.

Tomorrow is going to be rockin'! Tomorrow night downtown is going to be full of revelers. People will be laughing, drinking, meeting new friends, ringing bells. Tomorrow night is the Pub Crawl. That's right, people moving from bar to bar, eating, drinking, and having a good time. And yes, that will be happening right here in Salem.

And get this!! For the first time ever, there will also be a wine crawl. I think this is a great addition to this event. The wine crawl will go slightly slower and have a few less venues, but I think it will be a great, relaxing evening.

So come on down Friday night. Meet at 6 pm at Cascade Baking company and get your free wristband that allows you to participate in all the specials. If you can't make it at 6, wristbands will be handed out at the Rivers Condominuims on Front St. until about 10 PM, I believe. Either that or you can just look for the band of happy people parading to the next venue and tag along.

Oh, and don't forget to dress for the Back to School Fantasy Theme!

For more info, click here.