2 for 1: Isabela Pearl & Cool Moon Ice Cream

Alright, so I wouldn't normally do this but I really think that its fitting. Little Spoon and I decided to do a little celebration dinner after a successful finals week. We heard good things about Isabela Pearl and decided to give it a try. Our reservation was at 7:45 and we were only the 2nd table in use. Granted it was a Wednesday night, its a mighty fine (and by that I mean expensive) location to be nearly empty. I ordered the Buddha Bowl with Chicken and Little Spoon decided to get the Grilled Ahi Tray. The bowl was accompanied by a tray of chili oil, chili sauce and a few limes.

To be honest, there wasn't really anything too special about what we ordered. The broth in the bowl was good but it's contents were fairly lack-luster. The tuna was fresh but didn't include anything special. It was just tuna, avocado, fried wonton strips and sweet soy reduction. It was a little over-priced for what we got and I just wasn't impressed. Sorry Isabela, this wasn't a place that I would call your Pearl. 

In front is the Buddha Bowl and in the back is the Grilled Ahi plate.

Here is where the night takes a turn for the better. Although the dinner wasn't as good as we had hoped, there was one place that we had to check out... turns out it was also right around the corner from Isabela Pearl. It's called Cool Moon and they make some of the best ice cream in Portland. Not only is it great quality but it also has some of the best and bizarre choices to choose from. Thai Iced Tea, Midnight Munchies, Salted Caramel, Fresh Cream, Cafe Vesuvius (coffee) and Stout are just a few of the interesting selections.

Very eclectic spot in the heart of the pearl.

One of the best things that Cool Moon does is a Happy Hour. Between 4-6pm they offer $4 pints of ice cream; its a great play on words if you ask me. You can also pick up a mystery pint for $4 any time of day. They wont tell you what is in the pint but it includes anywhere from 2-4 flavors of ice cream in one pint. This is such an amazing idea; incentivizing customers to branch out and try different flavors.

Travis was a great host. We tried about half their flavors before making our selections.

We walked in, Travis fed us a plethora of samples and we selected our flavors. We each got 2 scoops and the same flavors... Cafe Vesuvius and Salted Caramel. Awesome!! I've never had such interesting ice cream that tasted this good. Hands down, my favorite ice cream spot in Portland so far.

Salted Caramel, Creaming Coconut, Thai Ice Tea and Stout... We tried them all and they were delectable.

So at the end of the day, you're not missing much if you never eat at Isabela Pearl, but don't you dare pass up an opportunity to check out Cool Moon... Check it out, you'll love it!

- Tony

Baiyok Thai Cuisine

It was a Thursday night; Chopstick 1&2, Little Spoon and I were looking for a place to eat. We were in a certain part of Portland that we don't normally frequent... somewhere over by Mt. Tabor park, and we were hungry.  A little birdie once told me about a Thai restaurant in this area that didn't look so appealing from the outside. But then the Birdie said... oh who the hell am I kidding; I'll stop being ridiculous now. There are no talking birds, as much as I wish there was, it was a person that told me about this place.

Baiyok is what it was called, and to be honest it looked like shit from the outside. By the looks of the establishment, if I hadn't heard good things I wouldn't eat there. The horrendous pink exterior and raggedy old sign board gives a "if you eat here, you'll be sorry" feel.

We cautiously entered and were delightfully surprised by the decor on the inside. Nice new hardwood floors, new china and nice table settings were the last thing we expected to see. It was like the door was a teleport to a decent looking Thai place.

All four of us were in the noodle mood and it proved to be a good choice. Both Chopsticks decided to get the Pad-Ke-Mao, and turns out they don't like their food with any kick at all. Little Spoon ordered the Pad-Thai extremely spicy and I ordered the Pad-Se-Ew medium-spice.

Anyways, I don't want to draw this post out too long. It was an interesting little Thai spot that served some good food. Well we only had the noodle dishes so I can't say food. If the curries and stir-fries are as good as the noodle dishes, then you'll like what you get. Not too expensive and no wait either; the nice thing about choosing a unattractive location. Give it a shot!

Moral of the story: don't judge a book by its cover.

- Tony

P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures... we were hungry :)