Tag: review

Restaurant Review: Cold Havana Nights

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Both Kells & I have been to Havana (Cuban Restaurant on Commercial Drive) several times. And, since we were having out-of-towners join us, we wanted to take them somewheres new!

No Reservations

Because we were going to a show, we were hoping to make reservations. I checked online 2 weeks before. Son of a buggerball: no reservations during peak times, such as Friday & Saturday after 6 pm. Open Table was right on their site so I tried to book anyways. It wouldn’t allow me to book after 4:45 pm. Our show was at 9 pm so 4:45 would be way too early. I also went to the Open Table app, thinking it might be different. And, nope. Grrr.

  • Checking…
  • Nope 6 pm res on Sat isn’t possible
  • Check for Saturday evening

The Waiting Game

Half of our party got there before 6 & told that it would be an hour wait to sit inside. So they were seated outside, waiting for us. K&I joined and the 4 of us planned our drink orders (mojitos, V&T, margarita). Things were going ok.

As per the timeline above, we had 20 minutes left to wait for a table inside… but were told by staff that it’d actually be another 40. And apparently, once we ordered patio-side, we’d have to stay put.

The patio seating was assembled-to-order and so it wasn’t 100% comfortable. 2 of us felt that we were in the walkway. But our waiter assured us that we weren’t. And the heaters were keeping us warm. And we were hungry pups. So we figured we’d stay.

However, after another few minutes, our bottoms got cold. Our Gentleman Out-of-Towner got up to speak with the inside folks. He asked for our table listing back. We were told it’d be 1.5 hours. So he reminded them that we were already on the list, just a few minutes prior. Then they said 40 minutes.

When our waiter returned, we again inquired. She checked and told us 1.5 hour wait, even though at this point we were there over an hour. She said once we had ordered the food, inside folks assumed we’d just stay outside and took us off the list… and plus the restaurant had full reservations. Hmmm…

Eat Drink Man Woman

Drink and food service was slow. We ordered appies and said we would all share. Kells hates cilantro, so the waiter made suggestions. I ordered poblano & corn dip. K ordered the avocado tostones. And, the tostones came with cilantro. The waiter apologized and sent it back. Our out-of-towners got mussels, which were fab.

Our Gentleman Out-of-Towner ordered a 3rd beef taco, which never came. Me n Lady Out-of-Towner ordered the flat iron steaks, which were salty but good. The side was a fantastic cauliflower number. K ordered the prawn tacos, which were good with tasty sides.

  • Tostones
  • Poblano Corn dip

Mains came 10 mins after appies – which was poor timing. Seemed like we waiting forever for our drinks… then our appies… then it all came spilling out on small table. (For comparison: There were other folks on the patio as well, and they received their food & drinks in a timely manner. One of the tables had 7 or 8 people.)

  • Prawn tacos
  • Flat iron steak
  • Money shot of 1 hawt prawn taco

Would we recommend this restaurant?

K&I have been here before and it was an enjoyable experience. My last time was years ago, just before the fire. Kells’s last time was more recent: after the renos and change in ownership. So, this experience was different and not 100% positive.

But if you’ve never tried Cubano food, definitely go – especially for brunch. And if it’s peak dinner time, we would recommend making an early reservation. That way you’ll get a seat inside, and hopefully your food in a timely manner. If 4:45 is too early for dinner, go anyways. Then take an after-dinner stroll through The Drive, and get yourself a delicious Italian espresso or gelato… or do some window shopping and people-watching.

Sky’s the Limit at SkyCity Hotel in Auckland, NZ!

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Nals visited New Zealand this Christmas. She mainly stayed with family. But lucky for SkyCity Hotel… she was able to sneak away one night.

General feel

SkyCity Hotel has a lofty, brightly lit, sparkly feel with huge chandeliers and a marbly lobby. Our floor was carpeted for reduced noise, but felt expansive. There were a few places to sit, in hallway outside of elevators.

Our room

was Kingsize. It too was lofty, with warm colours. Windows are huge almost floor-to-ceiling. We were on 4th floor & got dizzying views. (Views of construction, but still dizzying.) They had blackout drapes and it was quiet due to the double-glaze. There was plenty of lighting options.

The bed

Soooo big and firm. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel Mr. Nals rolling around in middle of the night. (He’s littler than me, but is like a heavy log when fast asleep.) This bed looked perfect for jumpy pillow fights. There was also a glorious multitude of pillows.

The rest of the room

There was a nice little seating area with a loveseat that could fit 2-3 folks.

The desk was a good size with stationary and hotel info.

In-room entertainment

There is a large TV with variety of channels, wifi, lots of places to plug chargers. There might’ve even been a docking station.

Comforts

The hair dryer was proper. It wasn’t that useless hunk of plastic secured to the wall. There was an iron with the board. They had a Keurig-type machine with coffee/tea/hot choco. Mugs, wine glasses and tumblers were provided. There was also a bar fridge and microwave. And inside the closet was a delightful little safe.

Bathroom was spacious with toiletries. We didn’t have a tub but shower was spacious. And there was a fabulous rainshower head!

Hotel Entertainment

Skycity Hotel has tons to do like the Skytower, a casino, conference rooms, a cafe and a couple of restaurants. They also have a fitness room.

  • Get artsy fartsy
  • This is the way to cha-ching
  • Get fit
  • Hangin out
  • Get spicy
  • Walk the airbridge

Parking

There is self or valet parking for ~50NZD/day. But as it is downtown, it’s easy enough to catch the train (or bus) or use your legs for transport. We also saw motorized scooters zipping about town.

Tips

– Don’t put e-keycard near your phone so you can avoid de-magnetizing the keycode.
– lots of construction going on in Auckland so ask for a room with a nice view.
– within walking distance of restaurants, cafes, liquor stores. I will be posting on local cafes & restaurants soon.

Does Nals recommend Skycity Hotel?

It’s in Auckland’s Central Business District (aka CBD but not to be confused with this other thing) so it’s a central location. Reasonable rates, easy to book and check out. Quiet and luxuriously comfortable.

So hells yeah!
we’d stay here again
in a heartbeat.

Bad Ass Supercurls

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I was browsing some much-needed mascara, when I happened upon this purple goddess called 24 Hour Supercurler by Rimmel.

And guess what I thought? It’s Mascara Monday time for our gorgeOUs N&Kers!

Let’s re-state our review rules:

  1. We bought all mascara ourselves (which means nobody is paying us).
  2. We wear each mascara for a week.
  3. All mascaras purchased were black, and the darkest black they had available.
  4. Every mascara used was put on the exact same way, with only two coats. All eye makeup for the comparison pictures was exactly the same.

That’s it…there are no more rules.

Wait…maybe one more…the opinion is ours…take it or leave it. Believe it or not. These are just our 2¢.

What we want in a mascara

Lasting Curl

Staying Power

Colour

Separation

Volume

Length

Most reviews talk about these 6 points. The first 5 are important to me since I’ve got naturally long lashes2.

The problem is that my durn lashes ramrod straight. So, I’ve got to bust out the eyelash curler first1. Doesn’t matter if it’s a mascara dipped in gold. Without that lash curler, the mascara will not reach its full potential.
Application. So after curling and applying Rimmel London’s 24 Hour Supercurler, I found that the product applied quickly, without much fuss.
Curl power. This product didn’t curl my lashes very much. But, once I cyborg’ed it up1, the mascara worked well.
Staying power. It lasted quite a while. In fact, I found that I needed to get a Q-tip in there after cleansing to ensure all the product was out. (Lots of other people experienced this as well. See some other reviews.)
Separation. That curved brush is thick and it’s got some junk in the trunk. Angle that brush around & work it for your lashes. As the product has a thin consistency, lashes were separated beautifully with no porridge-y clumps.

Colour. Yep, the colour was “very black”. See Volume as this affects appearance of Colour.
Volume. Oh sigh. Here’s where it falls short. I got length, separation, curl power, colour… do you really need volume, too? Can all 5 equally co-exist in 1 mascara? I layer my mascaras anyways, so I’d just pair it with a volumizer.

Interesting tid bit: Rimmel London gives a dupe on fake lashes here. Did this dupe work for you?Did this dupe work for you?

Would I buy again (Yes!) & would i recommend it?

For newbies this is a good starter mascara.

For the seasoned mascara-ists, you’ll have to pair with a volumizer.

Footnotes
1 Mr Nals calls me cyborg when I’m using the curler. I’ve found that when I put curler under the hair dryer for 2-3 seconds, the curl is intense and adding a good mascara suspends it in curl-perfection.
2 My lashes have lengthened and volumized with EyEnvy eyelash conditioner! Our review is available here.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

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So finding good fried chicken in the Pacific Northwest is like trying to find fresh seafood in the desert. Its hard to find. I’m still searching for an amazing chicken and waffles in Vancouver.

But there’s this local joint in the heart of gastown that’s pumping out some amazing fried chicken and other great bbq’d meats.
I highly recommend peck in pah for their chicken fried sandwich. And if you are anything like me, I order it sans cilantro.

To me, this has got to be one of the best fried sandwiches I have ever tried. So much yum. And really its so simple. But the fact that their chicken is juicy and fried makes it a win.
Fried chicken not your jam? Well don’t cha worry your lil self about that. There’s much more in this tiny joint. I strongly recommend the fried pickles. Again, they are the best I’ve had.

Don’t want fried. No prob. Try their mac and cheese. The portion is huge. But if you are bold enough and enjoy meat I would suggest adding the pulled pork to the mac and cheese. Its amazing.
Peck in pah also gives each table a few of their house made sauces. Honestly, I havent tried them yet. Not that I don’t think they will be good. But I just haven’t felt my meal needs the extra sauce.
I also like the location and great big windows on this restaurant. Grabbing a window seat isn’t hard since the whole place is windows over looking the brick streets of Gastown.

Oh! I almost forgot. The beers! They have a good beer selection of local beers. Unfortunately I’ve mainly been here for lunch. So I haven’t had the opportunity to drink my way through their beer menu. But I’ve noticed it and plan to try more of it when I can.
Have you been here yet? Or know of the best chicken and waffles in town? Please send us an email or leave a comment below.

Maybe she’s born with it? Maybe it’s EyEnvy?

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As you delightful N&Kers know, I had a coworker with lashes that went on for days.  Her secret was EyEnvy.

Eyenvy is an eyelash & brow conditioner.

I searched high and low last year and could only find the mascara.  I thought it was peanuts but it actually made lashes a bit fuller.  My review is here.

 

Kells found the actual conditioner.  She reviews it here.

So in July, I finally got a bottle of conditioner.  They recommend applying once daily x3 months then go to every other day.  I noticed a difference about 2 months into the routine.  Or rather, others noticed:

 

a friend of mine said “Your lashes are so full that they’re casting a shadow on your face!”

 

Mr Nals said “They look bigger.”(Man of a few words, that one.)

 

I’m now down to the every-other-day application.  But, it was easy enough to remember to apply & let dry.  My skin & eyes are super sensitive but I didn’t find any adverse reactions.

So N&Kers, if you want to try it: do it!

A couple of N&Kers have tried it, with uber positive results.

 

Review of: Skagit Valley Casino Resort

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A few years ago, our friend DJ Cocoa Smoov decided to celebrate his 50th in Vegas.

 

K invited me and… history was made as we realized that we travelled well together².

So, the following year, K&I decided to start a tradition of celebrating our October birthdays away from home. We Started with Leavenworth (Oktoberfest).

Last year, we went to Vegas where The Weeknd performed for Kells on her birthday.

 

Our Vegas reviews of:  Yellowtail    Olives     Ballys

T h i s   y e a r …

due to our work schedules and my limited vacation hours¹, we decided on a mini Run for the Border birthday getaway. Our sole goal was shopping. (So much shopping that we needed to spend a night.) We decided to grace Skagit Valley Casino Resort with our presence.

Kells has stayed here several times before, including a Suite. This time, we were in the Ridge Double Queen.

The hotel was large, spacious, clean, airy.

 

Rooms were decorated in muted tones.  Beds were super comfy: firm but soft (ie: not lumpy). Pillows were snuggly soft. There was a lot of tabletop room.  And a little sitting area. Bathroom was large and well-lit. Hot water took a bit to come in but when it did, it stayed. Rooms were quiet.

In-room amenities: Lots of toiletries including facial-cleanser wipes, TV, hair dryer, coffee & machine, little fridge and microwave. In fact, we would call this a kitchenette area because there was also a cute little sink.

 

Hotel amenities: pool & fitness room. The lobby has a lovely fireplace for the cold days. Staff are lovely. And they have a continental breakfast room. Plenty of free guest parking. Of course there’s a casino. And as per their website, dining rooms and actual shows like the upcoming Clairvoyant Christmas². The surroundings are green & woody. So a lot of rooms lookout on this. We took pictures out there, and ended up seeing deer!

We would defo stay here again!

 

Footnights
1 Oh dear limited vaca days? Poor Nals! Well don’t feel sorry for me. I’m going to NZ next month!

2 Important things to consider when travelling with others: are you a neat freak, does the other person snore, is someone a blanket hog, who’s crabby in the morning til they get their coffee, what do you like watching on the old boob toob?

Candygirls: Review of Sugaring Change

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Sugar sugar, oh honey honey, you are my candygirl…

Kells and I fancied something a little different on Saturday morning.  So we hopPed along to Sugaring Change.

Kells had tried this out a few weeks prior1.  And She Suggested i Give it a whirl.

So What exactly is Sugaring? Chantelle has a wonderful description on her company’s site. But here at N&K, we also like to research neutral info. And, we found this.2

              Let’s nutshell  

  • All-natural product3
  • No strips – less environmental waste
  • No dip-sticks – less waste, no chance of the The Double-Dip4
  • Your body heat warms up the paste – no heated product means no burning skin
  • Hair can be short, some websites state 1/8″

 

                     Procedure     

You are provided with personal wipes to sanitize (for intimate areas). All natural kaolin clay mixture is then dusted to ensure skin is dry.

Sugar is applied in direction that is opposite of the hair growth. While keeping skin taut, sugar is pulled off in the direction of hair growth. Thus, irritation is significantly less5. It only takes off a layer of dead skin5.

Larger areas can be sugared5. You use the same ball of sugar for a few pulls. Before application, sugar is thick, honey-coloured & seemingly translucent. After a few pulls, the sugar becomes whiter with different texture.

               How It Felt   

I’ve been waxing for years. It’s painful and sting-y, though you do get used to it. Waxing any part esp underarms and the under-carriage is painful. First waxes started off quite painful (say, 6 out of 10)6 and still are (5/10).

On legs and arms, Sugaring just feels like a bit of tugging and pulling. Ladyscaping with Sugar is pain level of 3-4.

After Sugaring, the skin wasn’t irritated or tender. And I am a sensitive little vittle. But not after Sugaring Change!

              Service Time   

Shaving takes ages and you risk nicking or razor-burning yourself. Waxing yourself is tricky (especially on arms!) as you hone your technique5.

Sugaring takes the same time as a salon wax.

 

           How Long Does It Last?   

By the time we post, it will be about 1 week. We are both still smooth! Sugaring lasts the same as wax, so 2-4 weeks. But after a few sessions of Sugaring, follicles reduce their hair production. Apparently, Sugaring pulls out live follicles.

↓ follicles ≈↓ hair growth. Makes sense, right?

 

               Aftercare  

Make sure you read about Sugaring Aftercare on Chantelle’s site. It’s different from shaving and waxing.  After shaving and waxing, I wash with warm soapy water then apply aloe moisturizer.

At Sugaring Change, esthetician Danica gently applied a warm towel to remove residue. Then she applied a witch hazel & tea tree spritz and finished with a moisturizer.  Chantelle applied a clay mask to Kells, after ladyscaping.

Danica suggested that if there was stickiness or residue, to apply a warm towel. But avoid rubbing, showering or watering the skin for 12-24 hours. And when you resume showers, exfoliate q2d to discourage ingrowns.

 

                             the atmosphere   

Intimate, medi-spa feel with a small waiting room. There are lotions and potions to ohh-and-ahh over (including EyEnvy, which we reviewed previously).  Treatment rooms are large, well-lit.

        The Estheticians   

Chantelle & Danica are wonderfully gentle, understanding and professional. I’ve only ever gone to one other person for ladyscaping. (& I went to her for years for other waxing before I even considered ladyscaping.)

 

      TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICE  

What exactly is this? I haven’t heard about TIP outside of healthcare! Essentially it is meeting the person where they’re at.  Sugaring Change is very Person-Centred.

I had not been to Sugaring Change or met Danica (or Chantelle) before. This was a huge step in trust for me. I discussed my hesitations with Danica. She validated my feelings, and we discussed ways to cope (stress ball, communication, etc). Danica was so lovely that I don’t know why I was worried.

Both Chantelle and Danica explained very precisely what she was doing before doing it.

Sugaring Change is also a place of Body Positivity. They Sugar all shapes, sizes, genders, trans-folks…

     Cool faCts   

Sugaring products are either made on-site or purchased from a local supplier.  So Sugaring Change also supports local businesses!

And when you get serviced at Sugaring Change, you are contributing to HOPE International Development Agency.  This agency empowers women and girls in Cambodia.

And empowering women is what N&K are about!

 

          T h e   v e r d i c t        

Probably not a surprise but we love this place!
If you remove hair, or are considering it, you MUST try Sugaring Change.  
And if you mention this blog post (or just n&k), you’ll get $5 off of your first service!
How’s that for some sweet delight?

Footnotes
1 Disclosure: Chantelle gave us a discount on services specifically to review Sugaring Change. Neither she nor Sugaring Change sponsored this post. This review accurately reflects our thoughts.

2 Wikipedia seriously? Yeah we know. There were lots of sites that had the same info as Sugaring Change, but they also focussed on sugaring-at-home methods. We just wanted info on sugaring. So, if you don’t like our Wiki citing, check out their References & External Links sections.

3 The reason that this is fab is because you can eat all the readily-found ingredients, and pronounce them! No additives, human-modified chemicals, unnecessary junk. But just because it’s natural, doesn’t mean you should jump into making it at home. You can also cook up poisons at home (by accident or on purpose). Doesn’t mean it’s safe. So… we recommend you go to a salon that Sugars first.

4 My theory that most things in life can be tied to a Seinfeld episode is true. (Partly cuz I say it, and partly cuz it’s the truth!) And in keeping with the Wiki love, here’s the link to that “spectacular” episode.

5 Waxing & Shaving is usually done opposite of hair growth.  Waxing also removes a layer of live cells. W&S are done in small areas at one time.

6 Well what exactly does 6 out of 10 mean? Excellent question! Pain is subjective, and certainly depends on culture, gender, socialization, reporting ability & a whole bunch of other stuff. Many health professionals use the Faces Pain Scale . So, for me 6 out of 10, indicates moderate pain.

7 If you water your skin too early after Sugaring, you run the risk of whiteheads.

Packs a punch!

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Nals tried 30 Minute High Intensity Interval Training (HIT)  on Sunday.

It’s a power packed kickboxing and boxing routine for ladies only4. The circuit is designed to hone self-defense skills, improve core and increase strength.

 

                   Activity                  

There are 13 stations that last 2 minutes each.

You start off with a 2 minute jump rope warm up. Next stations are something like:

  1. hook/jab,
  2. sit ups on fitness ball,
  3. round housing a punching bag,
  4. semi sit ups with arms slightly throwing medicine ball¹ straight up,
  5. kneeing an-imagined-assailant-turned-kicking-bag,
  6. hook,
  7. Bridge & squeeze on a fitness ball,
  8. on a mat, turtlekicking & punching a heavy douchebag squarebob-a-thinger, ²
  9. free-for-all kicking/punching the stink out of Bob, the flesh-coloured silicone bust on a pole, with the invisible Punch-Me sign.

There are 3 levels, starting at 1.

 

 

                  Procedure                

So you do a period of time (ie: 30 seconds) of regular-paced and regular-powered activity
then when the buzzer bings once, you either power up or go fast (ie: 15 seconds).  Repeat
Double bing means switch stations.

 

                  Atmosphere                

Loud pumped-up music, very small area (great for focus), personal trainer attention with quick corrections/ encouragements/verbal pushes.
I think I have auditory processing disorder so it was a bit of a challenge to keep all the instructions, directions, movements clear with the music and timer. I think I did okay3, and will obviously improve with more exposure.

 

                  So… ?               

I was totes prepared to join Miss Kells in her Kick the Flip out of Cancer in October. This would’ve entailed getting to the HIT daily.  I work out weekday mornings at 630.  So unfortunately, their hours didn’t work for me. From experience I know I will not go regularly at another time.

There are no drop-ins4. There are monthly pay options.  The fee decreases depending on if it’s month-to-month, for 12 or 24 months.

The trainers are fabulous – full of pep and sugar. But don’t let their smiles fool you.  They’ll push you, bootcamp style.

If you are interested, check them out: 30 Minute Hit!

Foots
1 Nals dislikes medicine balls. Maybe if it came with a spoonful of sugar…
2 Yes, this is indeed the technical term, as per Nals.
3 And by “okay”, I mean I didn’t quit and got a workout, even if I did most of the moves wrong.
4 Except Sunday was one of the fundraising days so it was drop in and a couple dudes came to participate.

Food Truck Review: Manger á Portland

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This is a special ed of Food Truck Reviews.

We started off with Things to Do in Portland. We will continue today with a summary of our food tour.

Farm Boy Drive In

A sleepy eatery in an odd duck corner of Olympia. Here the corn dogs are crispy fresh, the official certificate of The Daughters of American Revolution has made an impression (literally & figuratively) on the wall and where a visible minority is rarely seen. Staff were nice. Corn dog was corny tasty. And, we had that feeling that a climactic horror movie scene was about to unfold.  We made sure not to overstay¹.

Lompoc Tavern

Is right around the corner from Pecularium. Large airy tavern with a terrace, and lots of nooks and crannies to squirrel away into. We had beef burger sliders (delicious) and Southwest Chicken salad (lovely spicy dry rub on grilled chicken that crisped up real good under the hot loving grill. And, this fit in quite nicely with the greens and other healthy crap. With numma nums dressing².)

Lima Peruvian Restaurant

We’ve never had Peruvian food so this was a delight. We ordered Ají de Gallina . This is a Creole4 dish consisting of shredded strips of chicken cooked in a creamy sauce. Sauce contains ají5 and milk. It is accompanied by potatoes, white rice, hard-boiled egg and olives3. To Mr. Nals and I, this dish sounded very different from anything we’ve tried. It had a rich mouthfeel, but wasn’t overwhelmed with a fatty taste. It was smooth creamy perfection with different bites of chicken, potato or egg inside. Also had some wine to give it complexity. Fair warning: this dish was not made to feast your eyes.

Our next dish Bisteck a la Chorillana is described as “Fried steak smothered with sauteed onions & tomatoes served with rice and fried potatoes.” This dish had more pungeant flavour so it was a great contrast to the chicken dish. Smoky grilled flavour, acidic, delicious.

San Francisco Mexicana Tienda
Facebook and Menu

We didn’t take pictures but in the deli section, we ordered Taquitos and Tostado. Amazing fresh ingredients, crispy, flavourful. It is so worth it to come here just to eat, nevermind their glorious market area where you can buy groceries, snacks, hot sauces and drinks.

Food Pods

…are a convenient gathering of food trucks in parts of downtown Portland. The Mr and I visited 2 of them.

Phat Blue Buddha

We got the Korean Beef & Rice. The meat was tender, flavourful. The whole dish was perfection. The chef-owner is super friendly and apparently spent some time in B.C.

Don Jalapeno Mexican Food

Mmm delicious Tacos. Tender tasty meat, crispy fresh veg and tortilla were magnificent! And reasonably priced so you can try a few different ones without breaking the bank.

 

These are just a few places that we tried in Portland, Oregon in August.

Have you tried any of these places?

Footnotes
1 A bit of artistic license. But don’t they say art imitates life?
2 In Amur’ca, the portions and salads are very different from Vancouver’s. Ask for dressing on the side unless you like globs of gloop.
3 You may have noticed that Lima’s menu does not list this dish. I remembered the name of the dish and so I went off-roading on The Google. I found a description on Adventure Life.
4 Creoles in Peru? Yessuh!
5 WTF is a Scoville unit?

Pret a porter in Portland

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Mr. Nals and I took a jaunt to Oregon in August.

I’m a planner. He’s more of a spontaneous duckling. Who says planning is all the rage¹?  So we didn’t book a hotel. We winged it.

We ended up taking the turn-off into Beaverton and found a place called Shiloh Inn. Looked chalet-ish, with a pool. But wouldn’t you know it – it was ALL booked up!¹

The front desk chicka suggested Peppertree Motel. This was casual, motel-style, low key. There was a little water feature in front & lots of guest parking.

Peppertree Hotel, Beaverton, Oregon

Peppertree Hotel, Beaverton, Oregon

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